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Jim Ross Interview Recap

Posted: Mar 22nd 2008 By: mikeiles

WWE Hall Of Famer, the voice of Monday Night RAW, & the winner of the 2008 Wrestling Radio Award for Media Interview Of The Year, Jim Ross, was the special guest on this past week's special edition (03/20/08) of Monday Night Mayhem (presented by Sweet Sunshine Sauces: the official finishing sauce of "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio") -- which can be heard in streaming audio every week (hosted by The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL, and heard LIVE at 8PM ET/7PM CT every Monday night) exclusively on The Monday Night Mayhem Radio Network (http://www.MondayNightMayhem.com, http://www.OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com, & http://www.ITunes.com).

JR's return to "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" can now be heard for FREE in Real Audio.

March 20th Monday Night Mayhem (streaming audio): http://www.mondaynightmayhemarchives.com/waxfiles/032008.wax


Also, check out the official MNM Podcast Page, presented by VisuWalls, the extreme wall graphic (featuring the 03/20/08 edition of The Mayhem, in addition to more than 85+ archived editions of "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio"). You are able to download your favorite editions of The Mayhem...and listen to them at your own leisure. Another exciting feature for you, our loyal listeners -- brought to you by "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio."

Here are some of the highlights from JR's interview on the show, provided by The Mayhem's senior show correspondent, Dan "Ho-Ju" Dan Kriegbaum.

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The Big Mosh, Blade, & DFL welcomed J.R. to the show, as "The Road To WrestleMania XXIV" nears it completion one week from this Sunday @ The Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL. The Mayhem is proud to present their WrestleMania XXIV Countdown Special (beginning WM Sunday, March 30th @ 11AM ET/10AM CT) -- with plenty of guests from the wrestling, sports, & entertainment world joining the program.

The Mayhem Crew wished to thank J.R. & the fans around the world for voting for "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" in the 2008 Wrestling Radio Awards, as MNM was the proud recipient of the 2008 WRA for Media Interview Of The Year with J.R. himself! Remember fans, head on over to http://www.jrsbarbq.com, where you can purchase J.R.'s famous BBQ/Chipotle Ketchup/Honey Mustard Sauces, as well as check out his weekly blogs/Q&A sections.

Mosh started off by asking Jim how he thinks the WWE has changed from a year ago until now. J.R. said that the WWE is continuing to grow, both globally & financially, with a solid core of "main event" level talent, and a plethora of others on the verge of rising to the top. He also mentions that, with the exception of Rey Mysterio, the roster is "healthy" & "ready to rock".

The Big Mosh then asked J.R. for his thoughts on the upcoming Triple Threat main event match upcoming at WrestleMania XXIV in Orlando, Florida, Randy Orton putting his WWE Championship on the line against John Cena & Randy Orton. J.R. mentioned how Triple-Threat matches are more unpredictable with the extra competitor, and it comes down to who can "isolate & exploit" in order to win the match. He stated that being the champion in this kind of match is "irrelevant," because it all comes down to who can pin their opponent, or make them submit first, with no chance of retaining by disqualification or count-out. He also stated that one of the other two guys could win without having to pin the champion, using the example that Triple H could pin John Cena.

Mosh & DFL then talked about the World Heavyweight Championship Match, with Edge defending his title against The Undertaker. J.R.'s prediction is that The Undertaker goes in to the match as the favorite to win, and Edge will need "an extraordinary effort & an extraordinary performance" to defeat The Undertaker. He then broke it down more saying that Edge would love to go down in history as the man who defeated The Undertaker at WrestleMania, but he personally does not think it will happen, although it could.

Blade then asked all of the Mayhem listeners to stop asking J.R. about "The Macho Man" Randy Savage getting inducted into the WWE Hall Of Fame. J.R. added that although he's a member of the Hall Of Fame, he does not have a vote or say as to who gets inducted, even though he has always been a Randy Savage fan. He also recommended Randy Savage vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat from WrestleMania III to any young wrestler who likes to learn & study from watching tapes.

From one heavyweight championship, to another, to yet another, Blade asked J.R. his thoughts about the ECW Championship match at WrestleMania, where 24 WWE superstars will be in a battle royal where the winner immediately faces Chavo Guerrero for the ECW Championship. J.R. stated that he thinks the fans make a good point when they say that this match seems thrown together just to give another 24 guys a spot on WrestleMania, but then added that it's "a privilege" to be on WrestleMania, not necessarily "a right." J.R. went on to say that there are a lot of hard-working guys in the company, but with only so many spots on a show, the remedy to get them all involved is for a Lumberjack Match, a Battle Royal, or another match with more people involved.

The next match talked about was The Big Show (in his first PPV match since his return)against Floyd "Money" Mayweather. Blade asked a question that a lot of people are wondering, being just what match will these two be participating in? J.R. said that, as of now, he believes it is just a traditional "Boxer vs. Wrestler" match, where Floyd will wear gloves but The Big Show won't, but as we all know, card subject to change. J.R. also mentioned that he does not see Mayweather coming into this match without his hands protected, since he makes his money by using them. He went on to talk about the size & weight difference between the two, and said that if The Big Show is able to get his hands on Floyd Mayweather, "the thing is history." Regarding Mayweather's alleged $20 million dollar pay, Jim said that he does not see it affecting anyone else's pay on the show.

J.R. & The Mayhem crew then begain to break down the "Career Threatening Match" that has "The Nature Boy" Ric Flair putting his career on the line against Shawn Michaels, and Ric's Hall Of Fame induction. J.R. said that he thinks a lot of tears will be flowing WrestleMania weekend, including the Hall Of Fame Ceremonies. He added that the Hall Of Fame will always have critics questioning why someone is in, while someone else is not, but the "theory of the Hall Of Fame is very sound." J.R. talked about his close friendship with Ric that has gone through marital issues, employment issues, both thinking that they were not respected by the people they worked for at certain times, & other events. He added that Ric is really looking forward to the Hall Of Fame induction more than anyone that J.R. has talked to, and his unedited speech for those that will be live in attendance at the ceremony will be "priceless." He also addressed the rumors that several TNA wrestlers will be in attendance to "pay their respects" of sorts, which he said would be "admirable" but he has since heard that they have "put the kobash on that." J.R. then went on to talk about the match, and said while he loves to play Texas Hold Em, he would not be a lot of money that Flair will lose at WrestleMania. He ended by saying that it's hard for him to believe that March 30th will be Ric Flair's last match, unless "that's just (him) being hard-headed."

On the topic of the WWE Hall Of Fame, The Big Mosh named off the rest of this year's inductees, including "The High Chief" Peter Maivia, Rocky Johnson, Mae Young, Jack/Jerry Brisco, and Eddie Graham, and asked J.R. his thoughts on some of the inductees, and the show itself. J.R. stated that watching the ceremony on USA will be enjoyable, but it will not come close to being there live, or even watching the entire thing when it is released on DVD. J.R. then went on and highlighted some memories of all of the inductees, and mentioned some of the stories he hopes to hear at the event. In regards to The Rock inducting Peter Maivia & Rocky Johnson, J.R. said that anyone who thinks Johnson & Maivia are only being inducted to have The Rock involved in the weekend "is crazy."

The Mayhem crew then looked at the rest of the card, beginning with the Money In The Bank Ladder Match. They began to address Jeff Hardy's situation, and Mosh asked how the match has changed now with Jeff's suspension. J.R. said that losing a competitor like Jeff in the match is not going to do any favors in the pre-match build-up department, but now there is an opportunity for seven guys to step up with "a more level playing field." He added with the exception of Chris Jericho, the other six guys can really become famous even if they do not win. He used the example of past TLC Matches, and how he cannot remember who won, but he can tell you who was in them due to their great performance. In regards to Jeff's future, J.R. mentioned his past release when Jeff said that he did not believe that he had issues, and said that he was excited when he came back, up until his recent push, and he sees even better things in the future "if he makes the right choices."

On to the Belfast Brawl & the "RAW vs. SmackDown" showcase (pitting JBL against Finlay & Umaga against Batista respectively), The Big Mosh asked J.R. for his comments on these two hard-hitting encounters. J.R. said that he sees the Belfast Brawl as another name for a No-Disqualification Street Fight, so he expects to see JBL get hit frequently with a shillelagh in what will be "an ugly, tough match." He referred to the Batista & Umaga match as two bulls going at one another. While he does not see either being "long, epic" encounters, he described them as being "hard, fast, furious & physical" matches.

The Playboy BunnyMania match is then talked about to round out the WrestleMania XXIV card preview, with Candice Michelle & Maria teaming up against the current WWE Women's Champion, "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix & Melina. Mosh mentioned Candice Michelle's re-injury of her clavicle this past week on RAW, and how or if that will effect the match. J.R. said that he knows she was taken to the hospital to see how much she did to her injury, but he has not heard as of yet that she is out of the WrestleMania match, which he considers good news. He added that if the injury was that serious & the decision was made to take her out of the match, it would have been reported by now, but he hopes she will still be able to participate.

The celebrities will be in attendance at "The Showcase Of The Immortals," as Snoop Dogg will be the "master of ceremonies" at WrestleMania, while Kim Kardashian will be the special guest hostess -- plus many more! The WWE may have a beautiful reality television star, but "Your Home Of Wrestling Radio" invites all of our fans to check out our new Mayhem Girl, Helena! Check out our official website (www.MondayNightMayhem.com) & our official MySpace page (located at http://www.MySpace.com/MondayNightMayhem), as you will be seeing more of this beauty as part of our new spring season!

On the recent passing of "Playboy" Gary Hart, J.R. gave his insight on his past. J.R. recommended that the younger fans of wrestling get a hold of DVD's, or watch the WWE 24/7 programming to see some of Gary Hart's great work. He said that Gary Hart played evil to a tee, and would have been a great villain in movies. He considered Gary Hart one of the top three managers that he would pick if he were to run a promotion, only behind Bobby "The Brain" Heenan & Jim Cornette. J.R. said that he was with Michael Hayes last Sunday when he received a voicemail from Gary Hart the night before, and then got a phone call almost right after from Kevin Von Erich saying that Gary had passed. J.R. also said that a lot of people could have learned from Gary Hart in today's era if he had a more prominent role in today's industry. As an example, he named Santino Marella & Matt Striker as guys who, while they might not never main event a WrestleMania, they could go on to be great "manager material." with Gary as a great teacher. The Mayhem Crew, along with J.R. wish to extend their deepest condolences & sympathies to Gary's family down in Texas. We will never forget the great moments & memories he left, not only us, but millions of fans around the world.

J.R. also wanted to let the fans know that his current plan is to build four-six more of his BBQ restaurants in Oklahoma, with two being built more this year. He mentioned that his business partner has high success in franchising other restaurants including Steak & Ale and Chili's, so as J.R. would say, "business is about to pick up." He mentioned Ilio DiPaolo's Restaurant (in The Mayhem's hometown of Western New York), which is another good "wrestler-backed" restaurant, but he is hoping that JR's will franchise quite possibly down a street near you. He ended his MNM return appearance by mentioning that he wants to leave a legacy to his grand-daughters & other family members to come, more so than just "slobberknockers" & "scalded dogs."

Also in this near 90-minute interview, J.R. talked about other "Boxer vs. Wrestler" matches he has witnessed before, who he thinks is a "shrewd son of a gun", his memories from the WWE Hall Of Fame inductees, more on the Jeff Hardy suspension/his future return, the difference between WrestleMania's in years past compared to this year & it's effect on ones career, some of the good running backs to come out of Oklahoma State (including the Buffalo Bills' own Hall Of Famer, Thurman Thomas), and much more in an early candidate for 2009 Media Interview Of The Year.

Tags: WWE, Jim Ross, Ric Flair, TNA, Mae Young, Jack Brisco, Jerry Brisco, Beth Phoenix, Gary Hart, Jim Cornette, Michael Hayes, Kevin Von Erich