Mar 29th 2024 08:07am

Sign Up / Sign In|Help

 

JR's Blog: Draft Thoughts...Another Von Erich to Enter the Ring??...Steamboat to put tights back on?? WGN

JR's Blog: Draft Thoughts...Another Von Erich to Enter the Ring??...Steamboat to put tights back on?? WGN

Posted: Apr 16th 2009 By: mikeiles

Interesting week. WWE Draft. The debut of WWE Superstars on WGN America. Poorly timed O.J. references. An upcoming trip to London, England. So here we go with a little of this and a little of that.

First the Draft. No huge surprises as any one who did not think that Monday Night Raw wasn't going to be enhanced more than any other brand simply wasn't paying attention. Raw is the #1 TV priority of WWE and rightfully so as it delivers the biggest audience in the longest standing time slot on the best medium to sell pay per views, cable TV. Raw will have John Cena, HHH, Batista, HBK, and MVP at their disposal to feature as fan favorites. That's five deep, at worst, plus perhaps an unknown will "break through." One can also assume that Raw will get the "pick of the litter" from FCW whenever that may be. It will also be interesting to see how impactful Mr. Kennedy is when he debuts on Raw after fully healing from shoulder surgery which should be in the next month or so. If Kennedy "hits" as he is likely to do then Monday Night Raw gets even stronger. Santino Marella has surprisingly become one of the most popular individuals on Raw which doesn't hurt the Monday night staple either as far as entertainment content is concerned. I DVR Raw every week but always try and make a point of watching the show live if at all possible. I feel all WWE announcers should watch all the shows but that's just one man's opinion.

Smackdown did well retaining The Undertaker, Jeff Hardy, Edge and Umaga while adding Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, Kane, and perhaps the Smackdown sleeper Draft pick in John Morrison. I also like having Shelton Benjamin, Dolph Ziggler, Curt Hawkins, Ricky Ortiz (no towels please unless they feature JR's BBQ), Charlie Haas and Mike Knox on Friday nights. Opportunity is knocking and it will be fun to see who truly wants to step up and grab the proverbial brass ring and become a perennial main eventer from these newcomers and from the other holdovers. If all the pieces fall into place, I can easily see several of the young Smackdown talents becoming big time players in WWE much Sooner than later. I like the overall level of athleticism of the SD roster.

ECW has a smaller roster but they also only do one hour of TV per week which is about 42 minutes of content for Sci Fi. I could theoretically see some of WWE's promising prospects making ECW their first WWE address over the next few months. I love watching fresh faces compete as I think most fans enjoy seeing "new" to a large degree. Who's to say that ECW can't be a surprise laden broadcast every week especially if we start seeing some newcomers on Tuesday night. I don't know the plans but it seems to like that concept might be logical.

Obviously, it's easy for one to second guess the Draft selections but I choose to see how it all plays out between now and WM26. I also realize that I look at the Draft with a somewhat different perspective than many casual fans. The rosters will never be balanced or have parity nor should they be. I think that after Backlash that we will begin to see how things start to shake out for all three shows. So from my part of the world, I feel that the Draft was, from top to bottom, solid and will provide some potentially, outstanding talents with a chance to turn heads and become new, main event stars of which the biz seriously needs.

The Q&A section of the website has been updated since I returned Wednesday from Knoxville. BTW Knoxville was a friendly and beautiful place and of course is the home of the University of Tennessee Volunteers. I was hoping to see Vols Women's Hoops Coach Pat Summit in the Khali Kiss Cam but that didn't happen. It was good seeing Mark Canterbury (Henry Godwin) and a wrestler than I had not seen in over 20 years, Ron Sexton who's now a Country Deputy, at the Tuesday night event. BTW Mark's son is 6'8"-320 and will graduate from Carson-Newman University this December after playing his senior year for the football team where he starts at offensive tackle. He's a massive young man that could well venture to WWE if his NFL aspirations don't materialize.

We've been receiving many inquiries as to whether Ricky Steamboat will be doing any more wrestling for WWE in the future. Let me first say that I do not know but my opinion is that it isn't too likely other than a perhaps a "one off" match somewhere down the road. Again, I thought Ricky's performance in Houston at Raw was so memorable, especially the post match, notwithstanding his efforts at WM25 which were amazing. Man, the sons of Ricky Steamboat and Ric Flair have massive shadows of which to step out of which won't be easy.

The first match on the first episode of WWE Superstars on WGN America will feature The Undertaker vs. Matt Hardy in Taker's first bout since WM25. Todd Grisham and I had the privilege of calling the first bout on the new show which will mean nothing in a few hours other than it might be the answer to an obscure trivia question some day. Christian faces Finlay while Shane McMahon takes on Cody Rhodes, if you will. All three brands will be featured weekly and each brand's announcers will call their respective bouts.

Grisham and I called our match Monday night in Atlanta before the 3 hour Draft which meant we sat at ringside for approximately 3 1/2 hours which was personally bladder challenging.

Other Q&A's include questions about Kevin Von Erich who now lives in Hawaii and is farming there. KVE says he loves it and Kevin told me he is doing what he always wanted to do and that is farm. Kevin's son Ross, who really reminds me of Ross', late uncle Kerry, might be the next Von Erich to give wrestling a shot but that is only speculation based on what Kevin has told me about Ross' love of the business and his athletic abilities. Time will tell as Ross is still just a kid.

Did You Know? (Gotcha).....that you can purchase a spiffy, black trucker's cap that is autographed by your favorite Okie 'rasslin announcer by simply stopping by our on line store. We have several items on sale and we have no issues shipping caps, T Shirts, and cookbooks any where in the world.

This week's Friday Night Smackdown is one of the most in-ring wrestling heavy broadcasts that we have had in quite some time. It was really fun to be a part of and for those that like less talk and more action this show has it.

I'm headed to London Sunday arriving there Monday morning for the Tuesday night taping of Friday Night Smackdown and ECW at the O2 Arena.

Thanks, again, for doing some shopping with us and we will do our best to ship your order as promptly as humanly possible. I also appreciate the continued questions and comments you send us for the Q&A section of the site.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

 

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Charlie Haas, Ric Flair, Kevin Von Erich, Kerry Von Erich

Printable version Email to a friend

Supplemental Information

Latest News

2
Ric Flair: The Last Real World Champion – An Honest Review

Ric Flair: The Last Real World Champion – An Honest Review

Is there any other professional wrestler who can boast the achievements and success of Ric Flair? The 16-time-... Read More

All News

Dusty Rhodes Biography: An Honest Review

Dusty Rhodes Biography: An Honest Review

Who would be more fitting a subject for a WWE Legends documentary than "The bull of the woods, if you will?" But did the... Read More

All Columns

1

Spotlight in History

  • 1968 Spoiler #1 def. Billy Red Lyons for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 1976 Buck Robley & Bob Slaughter def. The Hollywood Blondes (Jerry Brown & Buddy Roberts) for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 1982 Bugsy McGraw def. Jose Lothario for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 2008 Anthony Jackson def. The Canadian Red Devil for the FCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 2008 La M (Jesus Rodriguez & El Choppo) def. The Compound Varsity (Romero Contreras & Justin Lee) for the FCW Tag Team Champions
  • 2008 Al Farat def. Thug Nasty for the UWF06 Violent Division Champion
  • 2008 Carnage def. Slash for the GPCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 2008 Xavior def. Jeff Knight for the GPCW Cruiserweight Champion
  • 2014 Bud Barnes def. Tyson Jaymes for the SWCW All-American Champion
  • 2014 David Kyzer def. L. J. McDaniels for the SWCW Luchadore Champion
  • 2014 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 2014 Rick Russo def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 2014 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 2014 Rick Russo def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 2014 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Champion

Week of Sun 03-24 to Sat: 03-30

  • 03-24 1978 Dale Valentine def. Al Madril for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-24 1978 Steven Little Bear & Ray Candy became the TSW Louisiana Tag Team Champion
  • 03-24 1979 Charlie Cook def. Ron Bass for the TSW Arkansas Champion
  • 03-24 1986 Lance Von Erich def. Buddy Roberts for the WCCW Television Champion
  • 03-24 1999 Tarantula def. Grunt for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-24 2001 Miss Venom def. Heather Savage for the OPW Oklahoma Womens Champion
  • 03-24 2017 Team Dean Machine (Christopher Dean & Jerry Dean) def. Legion (Rob Cabella & Samedi) for the BPPW Oklahoma Tag Team Champion
  • 03-24 2019 The Saints of Pro Wrestling (Scott Sanders & Shawn Sanders) became the ASP Tag Team Champions
  • 03-24 2023 Stormi Renee def. Erica for the CPW Women’s Champion
  • 03-24 2024 Malik Mayfield became the ASP Livestream Champion
  • 03-24 2024 Johnny Kove became the ASP Mid-American Champion
  • 03-25 1983 Terry Gordy def. The Great Kabuki for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 03-25 1988 King Parsons def. Kerry Von Erich for the WCCW World Champion
  • 03-25 2000 Bull Schmitt def. Rocco Valentino for the OPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-25 2000 Ichiban [2nd] def. Tarantula for the OPW Oklahoma Light Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-25 2016 Mascara La Parka def. Korvin Sage for the MSWA Mid-South Cruiserweight Champion
  • 03-25 2016 The Mid-South Express (Tyson Jaymes & Will Chambers) def. The Creepsters (Buster Cherry & Mr. Barnes) for the MSWA Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 03-25 2017 Randy Price def. Double D for the IZW Impact Division Champion
  • 03-25 2017 Nikki Knight became the ASP Women's Champion
  • 03-25 2017 Fuego del Sol became the IWR Revolutionary Champion
  • 03-25 2018 Adam Patrick def. Brock Landers for the ASP Mid-American Champion
  • 03-25 2023 Pyro def. Dr. Corvus for the WAH Hunger Dojo Champion
  • 03-26 1956 Bull Curry def. Don Evans for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 03-26 1977 The Medics (Medic 1 & Medic 2) def. Bob Sweetan & Tony Rocco for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 03-26 1980 Bull Ramos def. Mike Sharpe, Jr. for the MSW Mississippi Champion
  • 03-26 1995 Wild Maverick became the PZWA Junior Heavyweight Title Champion
  • 03-26 2010 Dutch Hagen def. Shane Morbid for the TAP Oklahoma Heritage Champion
  • 03-26 2011 The Saints of Twilight (Ignition & Reckless) def. Cold Blooded Chris & Max McGuirk for the ComPro Tag Team Champions
  • 03-26 2011 Kevin James Sanchez def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-26 2011 Ryan Styles def. David Kyzer for the SWCW All-American Champion
  • 03-26 2023 Wolf of War became the ASP Livestream Champion
  • 03-26 2023 The Psychotic Messengers (Malachi & Tank Bryson) became the ASP Tag Team Champions
  • 03-27 1939 John Swenski def. Bob Kenaston for the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-27 1952 Marshall Estep became the TSW Missouri Junior Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-27 1967 Fritz Von Erich def. Brute Bernard for the WCCW American Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-27 2010 Maniac Mike def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-27 2021 Spike became the WAH Living Hope Champion
  • 03-27 2022 Maui Mike def. Malik Mayfield for the ASP Livestream Champion
  • 03-27 2022 Chosen Influence (Luke Richmond & Malik Mayfield) became the ASP Tag Team Champions
  • 03-27 2022 Mr. Nasty became the ASP 5-Star Champion
  • 03-28 1983 King Parsons def. Tola Yatsu for the WCCW Television Champion
  • 03-28 2003 Sonny C def. Rocco Valentino for the TPW Oklahoma Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-28 2004 Ty Magnus & Li'l Joe def. X2C (Cade Sydal & X-Cal) for the ACW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-28 2004 Chris Matthews def. Angel Williams for the ACW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-28 2021 Maui Mike became the ASP Livestream Champion
  • 03-29 1968 Spoiler #1 def. Billy Red Lyons for the WCCW Texas Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-29 1976 Buck Robley & Bob Slaughter def. The Hollywood Blondes (Jerry Brown & Buddy Roberts) for the TSW United States Tag Team Champion
  • 03-29 1982 Bugsy McGraw def. Jose Lothario for the WCCW Texas Brass Knuckles Champion
  • 03-29 2008 Anthony Jackson def. The Canadian Red Devil for the FCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-29 2008 La M (Jesus Rodriguez & El Choppo) def. The Compound Varsity (Romero Contreras & Justin Lee) for the FCW Tag Team Champions
  • 03-29 2008 Al Farat def. Thug Nasty for the UWF06 Violent Division Champion
  • 03-29 2008 Carnage def. Slash for the GPCW Heavyweight Champion
  • 03-29 2008 Xavior def. Jeff Knight for the GPCW Cruiserweight Champion
  • 03-29 2014 Bud Barnes def. Tyson Jaymes for the SWCW All-American Champion
  • 03-29 2014 David Kyzer def. L. J. McDaniels for the SWCW Luchadore Champion
  • 03-29 2014 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-29 2014 Rick Russo def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-29 2014 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-29 2014 Rick Russo def. Kareem Sadat for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-29 2014 Kareem Sadat def. Rick Russo for the SWCW Hardcore Champion
  • 03-30 1981 Bob Sweetan def. Mike George for the TSW Tri-State Champion
  • 03-30 1981 Junkyard Dog & Dick Murdoch def. Ernie Ladd & Leroy Brown for the MSW Mid-South Tag Team Champion
  • 03-30 1986 The Fantastics (Tommy Rogers & Bobby Fulton) def. The Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) for the UWF Tag Team Champions
  • 03-30 2013 Bobby Burns & Psycho Sawyer def. The Golden Alliance (Jake O'Brien & C. M. Chunk) for the SRPW Tag Team Champions
03-29
  • Michael Hayes Mar 29th Today!
  • Keith Knight Mar 29th Today!
  • Riley Grinn Mar 30th
  • Ron Garvin Mar 30th
  • Spur the Clown Mar 30th
  • Mace [1st] Mar 31st
  • Glenn Wade Apr 1st
  • Richard Sharpe Apr 1st
  • Oni Wiki Wiki Apr 1st
  • K-Rob Apr 1st
  • Mighty Atlas Apr 1st
  • Clover Botello Apr 2nd
  • Humongous Apr 3rd
  • Izzy High Apr 3rd
  • Erica Torres Apr 3rd
  • Billy Wicks Apr 4th
  • Johnny Kove Apr 4th
  • Great Bolo [2nd] Apr 5th
  • Standing Bear Apr 5th
  • Sika Apr 5th
  • Ivan the Terrible Apr 6th
  • Bobby Dalton Apr 6th
  • Frank Lynn Apr 6th
  • Lady Leather Apr 6th
  • Bruce Swayze Apr 7th
  • Ciclon Negro Apr 7th
  • Demarco Tate Apr 7th
  • Ryan Lee Apr 7th
  • Garrisaon Creed Apr 8th
  • Les Thornton Apr 9th
  • R. G. Right Apr 9th
  • Paul Bearer Apr 10th
  • Ryan Davidson Apr 10th
  • Les Wolff Apr 11th
  • Harley Race Apr 11th
  • Jim Fallon Apr 11th
  • Gun Metal Gray Apr 11th

More Look Back In History

Current Champions

Empire Pro Wrestling

Badger James

Internet Television Champion
Badger James

 
  • Heavyweight Champion: Tego/Montego Seeka
  • Tag Team Champions: Saints of Pro Wrestling
  • All-American Champion: Rick Russo
  • International Champion: Tank Bryson