• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

JR's Blog: RINGSIDE: An Evening w/ Jim Ross updates, Ross Report Podcast Debuts THIS Wednesday, Mean Gene, Cesaro, @UFC Tonight, Kurt Angle, Q&A's Updated

Posted: Feb 25th 2014 By: mikeiles

The weekend is here and I hope that everyone has a great one. My 'retirement' time has been interrupted by several projects that seem to have come together in the same time frame. The old adage of plan your work and work your plan has been in full affect the past several days. Let's get this show on the road...

Excited to truly begin the countdown to our first RINGSIDE: An Evening with Jim Ross show to be held Saturday march 1 at the Gramercy Theater in New York City. Two shows at 4 and 8 pm and tickets are available at the Gramercy box office and via ticketmaster.com.

Every show features a limited amount of VIP tickets that include a Meet and Greet plus every show has our No Holds Barred Q&A's.

During WrestleMania week in New Orleans, I will do two shows both on Thursday April 3 kicking off at 6:30 and 9:30 pm at the House of Blues. Same drill with the VIP Meet and Greet tickets and the unfiltered Q&A's. Tickets are available at the House of Blues box office in NOLA and via ticketmaster.com. Due to liquor laws, the House of Blues shows will be for those 18 and over. Things could get a little edgy that night....in a good way.

Our new Ross Report podcast debuts THIS Wednesday on podcastone.com and via ITunes. Steve Austin is my first guest and we recorded so much great content from Steve that we might be able to get two, really strong shows out of the session.

Much 'Sooner' than later, we will also be taking questions over the air and via email on this site at the Q&A section and via Twitter @JRsBBQ. I plan on making the new, Ross Report very interactive.

My friend and fellow Hall of Famer Mean Gene Okerlund has launched a website at http://www.thegeneokerlund.com. Gene is one of the primary stars of the WWE reality series 'The Legends House' of which I have seen every episode.

Rumor mills are working OT regarding as to who will be the next inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame. I think that it's cool that the HOF induction ceremony will air live, as I understand it, on the WWE Network. Hopefully the live audience will mind their manners and not feel compelled to display their defiance and disrupt the show for any reason. Cheering and classy displays of support are awesome however wise ass, look-at-me chants aren't.

Solid, Smackdown match Friday night featuring Cesaro vs. Orton. Amazing what a new pairing with do as it relates to in ring performance and viewer perception. The 6 man tag featuring the Shield vs. Bryan, Sheamus and Christian was strong as well.

If Cesaro can't be put into a position, either as a fan favorite or a villain, to be an impactful talent in WWE, it will be a real, head scratcher. I see Cesaro as a fan favorite moving forward. If not, how well could Cesaro do associated with Heyman after Lesnar takes his leave again?

The business continues to evolve in so many different ways such as who would have thought that the 'Giant Swing' would become such a fan favorite maneuver? What's old is new again in so many ways within the wrestling business that it gives me hope that many of the tried and true fundamentals of the biz might some day return. (I'm still holding out for the occasional 2X3 Falls match and a time limit draw here and there.)

Legend has it that Nature Boy Buddy Rogers would often use the Giant Swing back in the day and if he was working with a non main eventer or someone that he did not like that he would release the unsuspecting victim who would go flying unable to protect themselves. 'Budrow' picked his spots.

Likely to catch some @UFC action tonight on @FoxSports1. This is a prime example of where I would be more looking forward to the fights if I knew more about the majority of the fighters competing. Casual fans become regular fans when they know more about the individuals that they are seeing. Eliminate the emotional investment into the fighters and any combat sport brand has a tough time growing.

Been asked if MVP is a game changer for TNA? I don't know that answer but a company generally isn't "fixed" with the addition of one individual. I'm a MVP fan and hope that he significantly helps the brand. However, most of TNA's issues are merely one's that have been over thought as it relates to the presentation on TV. Long term planning solves many TV Wrestling issues.

Contrary to what creative types may try to sell you, TV wrestling creative isn't as complicated as, say, splitting the atom. Seriously, utilizing logical creative and sound presentation by the performers generally cures most of what ails TV ills.

I'm hearing that Kurt Angle did NOT have ACL surgery and only had a clean up 'scope procedure. I'd love to see Kurt get healthy in all phases of the veteran wrestler's life and finish his storied career in WWE. I also don't think that Angle should be wrestling that much these days and if he is utilized strategically then his matches will have much more validity and interest. In my view, Kurt is a future WWE Hall of Famer and will, in a perfect world, have one, last, great match at a future WrestleMania. By planning ahead, this could theoretically be facilitated for WM31.

When I suggested that I thought that @HulkHogan and @Sting would be great additions for WWE to market at WM30 I wasn't inferring that the two greats should wrestle each other. Hulk can be a major asset at WM30 in many, non wrestling roles while Sting still seems to be on that 'short list' of future, Undertaker opponents. I'd love to see that match especially if it were be built over a long period of time. Nonetheless, the window for that bout ever occurring is rapidly closing.

http://www.wweshop.com has a great page of JR's products for your review. The signed by me, @RobSchamberger artwork is the best package that WWE has put together based on sales. Signed artwork, not a faux signature, and JR's products priced less than $10 and the signed photo is valued at $20!

Q&A's here are updated. For those complaining, I can't possibly answer every question that is submitted but I do the best that I can. Compared to others in the biz, how am I doing? If your questions are unique and succinct they stand a better chance than not.

I invite you to follow me on Twitter @JRsBBQ.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ