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JR's Blog: Monday Blog..Chael Sonnen Rumors..Ariel Helwani..Terry Funk:Broadcaster..Next NXT..JR's 20% OFF at WWEShop.com

Posted: Jul 10th 2012 By: CMBurnham

Thanks for stopping by and checking out our site and this blog. I see where http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss is having a 20% OFF Sale on orders of $60 or more. Great opportunity to save money and to split larger orders with friends.

Excited about this week while scheduled to head to Orlando mid week for the NXT tapings at Full Sail University on Thursday starting at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the Full Sail box office there on campus. Kane and Cody Rhodes are scheduled to be a part of the evening. Every match on these tapings are vital for every, young talent performing. The energy level is infectious and the atmosphere is unique for today's WWE.

Most talents are best judged on how well they perform under pressure and I assure you that everyone who steps into the ring knows that many sets of influential eyes are upon them.

I'm departing EARLY on Friday morning from Orlando to Cedar Falls, Iowa and then driving to Waterloo, Iowa for a 1 p.m. tryout camp with Jerry Brisco. I hear the camp is completely booked and I am hopeful that we can find a player or two that we can look at in more depth.

Only advice that I'd provide these aspiring, WWE talents is to be in great shape, be on time and only execute what you are best at during the tryout. An environment like this is NOT the place to try new things.

Look forward to attending the annual HOF banquet in Waterloo Saturday night as it will be great to catch up with several old friends including JBL who is being honored. Let's hope that @JCLayfield doesn't make too many anti Oklahoma jokes with Dan Hodge and Jerry Brisco present. That would truly be a tall mountain to climb.

Big night tonight for WWE as they produce their final Raw and Smackdown broadcasts prior to Sunday's MITB PPV. These 'go home' shows always put more pep in my step back in the day. The fans in Denver go from not having WWE in their arena to getting a double dose tonight starting at 9/8 Central time live on the USA Network.

Just thinking of how big it would have been to see Vader as tonight's surprise alumni guest in his hometown.

UFC 148 post fight thoughts:

The final two bouts seem to make the mega event feel as special as the promotion leading into it. Until Griffin-Oritz and the Sonnen-Silva main event the card was average.

UFC needs to mic their live audience better. I need to 'feel' the emotion/passion at home to make me tap into the live event experience. By doing so, UFC will organically encourage more fence straddlers to attend a live event and thus make the complete, emotional investment in their brand. The audio is a major issue in my view but one that can be easily remedied.

I'd suggest adding a wrinkle or two from a production sense for these landmark PPV's. Make them feel more special. IE having a third voice ala a Michael Clarke Duncan, Morgan Freeman type voice over person handle the history packages instead of having play by play talent Mike Goldberg doing them. Goldberg is all over the show and that takes away from him being special and he is special.

@JoeRogan does a fabulous job in explaining technique but occasionally breaking it down farther into layman's terms helps the new or casual fan understand the genre better.

Having no pre fight interviews with the key combatants is a head scratcher. Even if one talked to a fighter's manager or trainer in a succinct, timely manner it would add to the production values of the show that many of us paid $55.95 to purchase.

I was pulling for Chael Sonnen but picked Spider Silva to win in three. I also wrote or tweeted @JRsBBQ last week that IF Sonnen lost the "Chael to WWE rumors" would begin immediately and they have.

I see Sonnen, the admitted pro wrestling fan, sticking with UFC. I believe that Chael is a star, an attraction and UFC isn't overloaded with marketable star power at the moment. No company that hangs their hats on PPV revenue is over loaded with star power as these special athletes/performers who more the needle don't grow on trees nor can they be developed over night.

Chael is 35, very late to begin a career at the highest level of sports entertainment, WWE. Is it too late? Probably not but "we're burning daylight" here. I'm guessing Sonnen has 3-5 viable fights left in him which would take him until he's 37-38 years of age. If I were advising Chael I'd recommend that he stick with UFC and keep making those significant pay days in a sport that he has trained for years in which to become excellent plus no one in UFC can sell a fight/event like Chael Sonnen. That works behind a mic too and it's obvious that UFC has little to no broadcasting depth at this time.

So the 'Sonnen to WWE' rumor is just that as far as I'm concerned and I will believe that the 'American Gangster' is WWE bound when I see him walk on RAW. Not before.

Happy Birthday to my old friend @RealKevinNash who turned 53 today and has two major motion pictures in theaters at this time. Back in the day WCW honchos did not think that Kevin speak well until they heard him on my WSB Radio Show in the early 90's. His nWo attitude was well in place long before he was ever able to utilize it.

Twitter followers growing at a crazy rate @JRsBBQ. Check our timeline sometime...I think that you will enjoy it...good for some laughs. You will find out I know nothing about me being at RAW 1000, that we don't sell JR's products in stores EXCEPT in Norman, Oklahoma Homeland stores, that I don't have a favorite match, that I'm not big on the term 'PUSH,' I have no clue when WWE is touring India or any where else, and that I'm still employed by WWE happily working in the talent development program.

Most underrated color commentator I've worked with? I'd say Terry Funk. He was funny as hell, understood every facet of the business, paid attention to the story being told in the ring, and was much more interested in getting the talent 'over' than himself. We had some great broadcasts together in WCW. Terry is rarely thought of as a broadcaster as his in ring skills were so extraordinary. The Funker was one of the absolute best in ring talents that I ever saw. It was an honor to work with him even if he was from Texas. :)

I really enjoyed being on Ariel Helwani's MMA hour today. Ariel is an outstanding, young broadcaster with a bright future. He's prepared, smart and asks excellent questions. Ariel facilitates the story and doesn't make it about himself. He's a legit broadcaster who's going places. Find the podcast. I was on about 40 minutes in.

Save 20% on $60 or more purchases as I type this at http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss. Great time to stock up on JR's products and to perhaps even go in with a friend on a sizeable order to take you through the grilling season.

Enjoy RAW tonight live from Denver. It might be 'Vintage.'

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.