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JR's Blog: Bob Holly on Ross Report! More on Austin & McMahon, CM Punk, WWEShop.com has restocked JR's, Wrestle Kingdom 9 Prep

Posted: Dec 4th 2014 By: Jim Ross

Good news is that http://www.wweshop.com/jimross has restocked on all our products after a minor, shipping snafu and business has picked up to say the least. Our products make for outstanding Holiday gifts and stocking stuffers and we are grateful to all of you that support our efforts. Let's grill...

Hardcore Bob Holly is my guest on the latest, Ross Report Podcast available to download for FREE at podcastone.com and via iTunes. Bob is brutally honest as he talks about the controversial, Brawl for it All, being the last person to likely speak with Chris Benoit before the multiple death tragedy involving Chris and his family, Bob's reputation for being a 'bully,' and how he lasted so long in WWE. I encourage you to check this show out and you can do so right here on our site by going to the homepage and clicking on the Ross Report icon. It's that easy. Also while you're on the homepage check out our schedule of podcast guests that we have coming up. It's a diverse and interesting list I can assure you.

Still getting questions and feedback on the Tulsa RAW conversation that took place between Steve Austin and Vince McMahon on the @WWENetwork Monday night. Very strategic of WWE to hold this compelling piece of business on Dec 1 as I'm sure it attracted some new subscribers to the Network. I enjoyed the interview and that was after investing over 3+ hours in the RAW broadcast. Some of my Twitter followers and Q&A folks here on the site are going a little Dr. Phil in over analyzing the interview one could argue.

I can understand the point being made that the locker room today is different than it was during the Attitude Era. The Attitude Era had a complex roster that included many guys who had worked in the territory system to some degree and that helped them cope with the pressure of being in the number one wrestling company in the world. There was fierce competition in the locker room for better paying, upper level "spots" on the roster that were up for grabs with Law of the Jungle rules...the strong survive and often times thrive. Many interested fans of the biz are learning more and more each day how big of a detriment the absence of the territory system is to today's product. It's put the business in some ways at a crossroads. By that I mean that the organizations that prepare best for the future as it relates to developing talent and motivating athletes to become great in ring performers will do well while others will be just like old school managed territories....they will vanish.

This I believe to be true....no company in the wrestling business has a more important task or responsibility than developing new stars. That starts with recruiting and rolls right through training and the introduction and sustained launch of new, TV personas.

Been watching lot of NJPW videos today as I continue to prepare for the PPV Wrestle Kingdom 9 January 4 in the Tokyo Dome. This four hour mega event will be available in North America on most major cable and satellite providers and outside North America on the @FlippsTV app. It's a daunting task to study an entire roster as they prepare for their version of WrestleMania. The more that I watch the videos the more I am in awe of the level of talent that New Japan Pro Wrestling has. I could easily see disconnected pro wresting fans really getting into this presentation.

One more thought on demise of the wrestling territories is what was the cause of this unfortunate situation? A large part of the reason is the failure of many old school promoters to develop new stars and subsequently get them involved in the upper card mix after 2-4 years of territory experience. Plus many of the good old boy network refused to use all the marketing tools at their disposal such as radio, as simple as that may sound, to promote their events. In other words, the majority of the promoters looked at any change as a negative.

Still getting @CMPunk questions and I am sorry that I have no answers for Punk fans. I'm a Punk fan too but I'd suggest that he's done with the pro wrestling business and has happily moved on to the next phase of his life that includes building a happy marriage. If you are a fan of Phil Books then be happy for him that he's doing what he wants and is apparently enjoying not being a pro wrestler. Obviously it is too bad that a breakdown in communication resulted in the finish I'm sure that most did not want to see occur.

Remember to checkout our products at http://www.americansoda.co.uk, http://www.beyondtheropes.co.uk and at http://www.prowrestlingtees.com/jimross.

Thanks following me on Twitter @JRsBBQ where we're at 1.2M followers. We are grateful.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRaBBQ