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

JR's Blog: AXSTV New Japan Pro Wrestling Deal Done, Lex Luger on a new, Ross Report Podcast, Ingles Markets Promotion w/ JR's Products, RAW Feeback

Posted: Jan 20th 2016 By: Jim Ross

We appreciate you stopping by our site. Crazy week but a good week here on many fronts. Lex Luger is my guest on a new Ross Report Podcast available at podcastone.com and iTunes plus here on the homepage of our site. A new show drops every Tuesday night at 9 ET. Lex is amazingly honest and blunt about his life and the chaos and heartbreak that he has endured in his professional career. It's an amazing story of a man who very well could be dead but instead Lex has survived Hell and Tragedy to come to a place where he wants to give back and to help others. I hope that you wil listen to this show as it will provide you a candid look at the career of 'The Total Package.'

My thanks to all of you that have given us your good wishes on our new gig with AXS TV and New Japan Pro Wrestling that starts on Friday night March 4. I will be filling the chair of the talented Mauro Ranallo who left AXS to take the WWE Smackdown play by play job and I will be working wth Josh Barnett, former UFC Heavyweight Champion and pro wrestler, who's evolving into a helluva broadcaster. I am excited to get started and I've already begun my prep for our first voice over session which is in the second week of February in Los Angeles.

I'm looking forward to teaming with Josh Barnett on these broadcasts and our goal is to be the best broadcast team in pro wrestling. End of story. We're coming to kick ass and have fun and to continue to help build the NJPW brand on AXS.
NJPW is a proud company that has long been one of the premier wrestling promotions in the world and I am honored to being the play by play voice of this company in North America.

I never felt like I left the broadcasting side of the wrestling business the right way and this will give me a chance to correct that self perceived negative exit.

Every Friday night will be my own personal 'Wrestlemania' as I hope to hit the ground running on this new opportunity on AXSTV. Business has picked up...and I am grateful!

RAW Feedback:

I watched the three hour Odyssey via DVR as usual.

The live audience seemed to have checked out early as they were not overly helpful in making this broadcast better than it was.

Interesting night for Chris Jericho who's annual return to WWE is a positive. Y2J and @HeymanHustle had some nice moments verbalizing.

Roman Reigns is improving in virtually every phase of his game which is not to say that he's a 'made man' just yet but he took a cold match vs Rusev and made the audience apparently care. Reigns needs to talk in sound bytes and NOT the long, filibuster type monologs IMO. I expect Reigns to win the Rumble and/or to get through the hellfire and brimstone only to figuratively get bit in the backside by the 31st entry in the Rumble match which might be HHH.

Stephanie McMahon had another strong night on the mic and again proved that she understands how to be a villain much like her father, Mr McMahon. Being a heel is a mindset that some individuals grasp quite naturally and easily while others stumble through attempting to play the role of an antagonist.

The Wyatt Family had a solid night at the end of the show disposing of both Reigns and Brock Lesnar which created ample 'heat' going off the air for the go home RAW leading into this Sunday's Royal Rumble in Orlando. I'm still of the mindset that Bray Wyatt should be a character 'face as he could be a main eventer who sells tickets and merchandise with the best ot them.

On a side note, what does it take for a pro wrestling heel to get legitimate heat and create the right amount of angst in today's marketplace? I know that it can be done but, granted, it isn't easy. This Wyatt storyline, in hindsight, feels a few weeks too late for fans to remotely believe that a Wyatt Family member will actually win the Rumble match IMO.

Good to see the continuity not lapse in the Charlotte/Becky Lynch storyline. What would happen if Charlotte publicly kicked her famous father to the curb in the storyline? I say it would make Charlotte a much hotter villain.

Nonetheless I am pleased that Becky Lynch is getting a shot at something significant even though she may be preparing Charlotte for Sasha Banks at Wrestlemania. If that is remotely true, Becky still has the opportunity to build her body of work and her star status.

Is creative angry with the Social Outcasts? The TV persona of this new faction was iffy to begin with but after Big Show ate them alive Monday night does that spell the end of the Social Outcasts? If so, why? It may not have been the idea of the year but it now seems to be on a short leash. Perhaps Kalisto could explain this to the masses.

BTW, is Big Show a fan favorite or a villain? Anyone??

Big continuity glitch with the pairing of Nattie Neidhart and Paige. Weren't they rivals not that long ago? Pretending that their issues never occurred isn't good business.

I am entertained by New Day but in no way do I perceive them as villains. They might come off as a little obnoxious at times but do I dislike them like I'd ideally want to with them allegedly being positioned as heels? Nope.

Ingles Markets with over 200 stores through out the southeast USA is currently having a major promotion on JR's products that they now stock. I'd appreciate it if you have an Ingles store near you that you check out our products there. Tweet me pics if you can to @JRsBBQ.

www.wweshop.com and www.aericansoda.co.uk are both fully stocked with JR's products for your convenient online shopping and fast, home delivery.

We are now on Facebook at JimRossBBQ.

The Q&A's here on the site are updated as of Tuesday evening central time.

Again thanks for all the well wishes on our new relationship with AXSTV. It's great to be back in the game and it's a privilege to be calling New Japan Pro Wrestling bouts. This old dog was not ready to sit on the porch and I'm going to be ready to hunt come March 4.

Remember to check out the Lex Luger edition of The Ross Report podcast that goes live tonight at 9 ET on podcastone.com, iTunes and the homepage of this site. It's a compelling show that I'm proud to bring you.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ