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JR's Blog: Sunday Blog, Subscribe to The Ross Report for FREE @iTunes,WWE Brand Split, @HeadlockonHunger, Baylor Bears, OKC Thunder

Posted: May 30th 2016 By: Jim Ross

Greetings everyone and thanks for stopping by to our ever growing site. Happy Memorial Day to all the men and women who have served our country to fight for our safety and to ensure that we can live in freedom. Your contributions and unselfish service and bravery are patriotic acts of which many of us can only dream. God Bless you all and your families who have also made major sacrifices.

Thanks for the feedback on The Ross Report Podcast this week with former, WWE creative team member and current TV producer and writer Andrew Goldstein, @AngeGold, as we talk WWE booking, Extreme Rules, Cody Rhodes and his late father Dusty Rhodes, TNA's future and their recent string of solid TV broadcasts, the ROH product, the writer's role within WWE today and much more. The show is FREE to download at podcatone.com, iTunes and can be heard right here without leaving the site on the homepage.

This Tuesday night a new show will drop at 9 PM ET with former WWE talent and member of Cryme Tyme JTG who is a published author now as well as a budding, entertainment entrepreneur. JTG talks his time in WWE, the challenges of being a young, inexperienced, African American traveling the world along with plenty of road stories plus his unique relationship with Vince McMahon.

If you subscribe to The Ross Report Podcast for FREE at iTunes, you will automatically get each week's episode downloaded into the device of your choice as soon as the show drops on Tuesday nights at 9 ET.

Regarding the WWE brand separation, I have written about it at length on pervious blogs here on our site this week but one thing that I hope happens is that WWE only has one, World Champion. That title holder would be a 'traveling champ' and appear on both brands when applicable and that doesn't mean every week. That would make the World Title more credible while keeping it and the reigning titleholder more special and not just another talent who happens to have a title belt.

That concept would also help creative more equity and marketability for the IC and US Titles as well to my way of thinking.

Both RAW and Smackdown should also have tag teams, women and cruiser weights on them and not earmark one category to one show. RAW and Smackdown are the NFC and the AFC while the WWE holds the same role as the NFL, the umbrella for which both brands are governed.

I am enthused with WWE's decision to split their brands that should create new rivalries/storylines, instill a fresh start for some talents while providing more wrestlers the TV time necessary to ascertain if said talents are going to 'get over' or not.

Irregardless, many fans will likely never be content with the "Draft" and who will comprise these new, RAW and Smackdown rosters plus the changes on how this brand separation affects NXT and it will affect the popular, third brand.

I've been working on the cards for our July 16-17 weekend in Oklahoma highlighted by OklaMania in OKC on Sunday July 17. We've booked a great number of name worth talents from the Indies, ROH, TNA Impact Wrestling, the NWA and we feel that we have a chance to promote two, terrific shows this summer. For more info visit www.imperialwrestlingrevolution.com to see who's going to be a part of these events and the Sunday fan fest aka OklaCon. Tickets are on sale now at ticketmaster.com.

Going to be a challenging night as it relates to the TV ratings for RAW this week when one combines the Memorial Day holiday in the USA plus Game 7 of the OKC-Golden State NBA Playoff series. Sounds like it will increase DVR viewing unless the hoops game is a blowout which it well could be with the home team needing to win one game to advance to the NBA Finals.

I hope that my Thunder team can shock the world by winning this series on the road but that's a tall task to say the least.

Please help us support our favorite charity, Headlock on Hunger, which is an organization that provides food for hungry school kids who do not eat regularly when they are not in school. We are selling a limited edition tee, GOOD GAWD ALMIGHTY, at www.represnt.com/jimross for a limited time and the promotion ends in 11 days. Please buy a shirt if you can and help feed these hungry children.

My OKC Thunder squandered a golden opportunity to finish out their NBA Playoff series with Golden State at home Saturday night and now have to final game seven in Oakland to get to the coveted Finals. Hopefully OKC will hit Oracle Arena with no fear, play loose and refuse to lose to the defending NBA Champions in what is a hugely challenging environment.

Keep positive thoughts coming for George The Animal' Steele who is undergoing serious heath issues. George, aka Jim Myers, is one of the true, class guys in the wrestling business and was always professional and pleasant to me when I came to WWE from rival WCW in 1993. One doesn't forget those who were kind during the years where civility between the two, warring companies was a rarity.

Thanks for supporting @JoshLBarnett and me on the AXSTV presentation of New Japan Pro Wrestling Friday nights at 9/8CT. We are focusing on the NJPW G1 Climax tournament throughout the summer & we're privileged to broadcast some damn good pro wrestling bouts.

Stock up on JR's delicious tag team partners for your grill and your kitchen via easy, safe, online shopping from www.wweshop.com in North America and from www.americansoda.co.uk for fast home delivery in the UK and in Ireland. Plus, our friends at Ingles Markets throughout the southeast USA also stocks our products in over 200 of their stores.

I shudder to think how I would personally handle it if one of my daughters received the same treatment that apparently several young women received at Baylor University after being assaulted by some rogue, football players. An athletic program apparently run amok and seemingly with the mantra to "win at all costs until we get caught." Well, the Bears got caught and it has reverberated throughout Waco and the college football world. The Big 12 school has hit the reset button regarding the state of their football program. How this matter evolves going forward as it relates to better checks and balances within their athletic department plus the eventual hiring of a new football coach/staff will affect millions of dollars for the athletic program going forward.

Former HBC Art Briles had his dream gig and did a helluva job in Waco but his star has been extinguished for the foreseeable future as it wil be hard for the 60 year old to jump start his coaching career at any where near the level that he had a Baylor. Yes, someone will hire Briles because he knows football and can recruit but his days as a D1 coach of distinction are likely history. There had been some degrees of 'smoke' coming out of Waco for a good while and unfortunately for the respected institution of higher learning the smoke lead to unwanted 'fire.'

Lots of boxing broadcasting on tap for yours truly in June on the CBS Sports Network. Follow me on Twitter @JRsBBQ for all the updates.

Be well everyone and enjoy Memorial Day if you celebrate the holiday.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ