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JR's Blog: JR Returns to Chicago, Toronto Show Update, Ross Report Podcast News, Fox Sports 1, Daniel Bryan Skepticism, Watch out for Lesnar

Posted: Apr 25th 2014 By: Jim Ross

It's the stormy season again here in Oklahoma aka Tornado Alley when everyone pays attention to the weather. Luckily for us the National Weather Service is located here in Norman and provides us with timely info but there's no guaranteed defense from the wrath of Mother Nature. We need to erect a storm shelter. Let's roll with this blog while there is still daylight....

This week we announced our first show ever in Chicago which will be Saturday AFTERNOON May 31 at 2 p.m. at the House of Blues. Tickets to the general public go on sale this Friday April 25 via ticketmaster.com. There are only 80 VIP Meet/Greet tickets so please don't delay if that ticket is of interest to you. One must be 17 and above to attend our Chicago event @HOBChicago.

Chicago is a very special city to me inasmuch as it was in Chicago in 2007 at a Monday Night RAW where it was announced that I would be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame class that year at WM23. That was a night that I will never forget and I hope to return the favor by providing the Chicagoland fans an afternoon that they will never forget on Saturday May 31. The doors open at noon and the show starts promptly at 2 p.m.

Tickets are moving very well in Toronto for my first Canadian show which is drawing near as we will be at the Danforth Music Hall on Friday night May 9 which is the night before the ROH-New Japan event. Tickets for our Toronto show are available at ticketmaster.ca and this one night only, one show only event starts at 9 p.m.

JR's products will be available with no shipping or handling charges at both events in Toronto and Chicago.

This week's Ross Report podcast is going great guns with guest @TheJimCornette as we essentially solve all the ills of today's pro wrestling genre. Seriously, it's one of the best discussions that I have ever participated in regarding the business that many of us still embrace. I hope you will check it out at podcastone.com or via iTunes.

Next Tuesday pm our conversation with the amazingly talented and beautiful Gail Kim drops and we explore Gail's career, the major differences in working in WWE vs. Impact Wrestling, Gail's overall take on women in wrestling, her future, the delicate balancing of her career and her marriage to celeb chef Robert Irvine of the Food Network and much more. Gail is dead on honest about every topic and her candor was extremely refreshing.

This past Tuesday night I talked for almost two hours with Shawn Michaels and it was the most compelling interview that I've done to date as HBK shares what it was like to to sitting at the Gorilla Position at WM30 specifically when the Undertaker's Streak abruptly and shockingly ended. It's a perspective that can't be replicated and that Ross Report Podcast is excited to premier on Tuesday May 6. Shawn's openness and straight talk makes this one of the most riveting and informative podcasts ever.

This week I also confirmed Lance Storm and MVP for future Ross Report Podcasts as we keep cranking them out and hope that we can continue to build our audience by producing and recording some stout shows.

WWE Hall of Famer Jerry Brisco has an amazing roster of world class athletes from the amateur wrestling world set to descend on Orlando and the WWE Performance Center soon to begin the process to see if they have what it takes to transition from amateur beasts to sports entertainment performers. I saw some of Jerry's recruits at the Division One Nationals recently in OKC and from a physical standpoint they are damned impressive. The key is to see if they have the aptitude and the personality to match their physical gifts. That matter becomes a collaborative effort between the talents and their coaches with the results, hopefully, being positive for all involved specifically the fans if these men make it.

With grilling season just around the corner, I invite you to shop for JR's products online from some superb business partners including wweshop.com, americansoda.co.uk and beyondtheropes.co.uk.

Got word that our T Shirt biz has picked up at http://www.prowrestlingtees.com/JimRoss. They have several designs, every size imaginable and can and do ship worldwide.

Saw where @steveaustinBSR spoke up in favor of marriage equality. Totally agree with his stance as it seems some forms of organized religion interpret the Bible in a variety of unique ways. Bottom line is that everyone deserves to be happy no matter them living a non traditional lifestyle or not. For the record, I will not engage in conversation/debate about religion or politics in the Q&A section of this website. Why? Because it's my site and I don't choose to travel that road. Everyone has a right to their opinion and I have expressed mine. Live and let live folks.

Remember, our tomorrow's aren't guaranteed so encourage all people to be happy today.

Amazing that some 'fans' are jumping off the Daniel Bryan bandwagon now that the highly skilled star has won the WWE World Title and the reason is that they feel that the 'chase' is over and therefore DB has no more challenges ahead of him. Has anyone noticed that Bryan is STILL smaller than virtually everyone he wrestles and is STILL an underdog even as the champion? Keeping a fan favorite in varying levels of jeopardy or peril works....it always has and always will. It has worked in films and in main stream sports since their beginning, which is why they keep score, keep track of the standings, and play for something at the end of the year. If Bryan can continue to amazingly overcome the odds and retain the WWE World Title in non fluke wins, when the time comes for him to lose the championship, to Brock Lesnar would be my suggestion, say at Summerslam or even in November at Survivor Series, DB won't fade away. The best pure wrestler in the world isn't going to disappear unless he is removed from TV or he suddenly forgets how to perform his craft.

The Daniel Bryan situation as it relates to going forward this year is seemingly being 'over thought' by many fans who have WAY too much free time on their hands.

IMO Lesnar should not lose in 2014....at some point become WWE World Champion and then pass the imaginary torch to a young, up and coming star at WM31 ala a Roman Reigns, etc.

Just my independent opinion which arguably is no more viable than your's.

Please follow me on Twitter @JRsBBQ. Thanks

My narration of a @FoxSports1 feature on the young, boxing son of the late Tommy Morrison airs Monday night on FoxSports1. I will tweet more info when I receive it. Morrison was a distant relative of John Wayne, defeated George Foreman for the WBO Heavyweight Title and died much too young at age 44. The native Oklahoman was also a star high school football player at Jay, Oklahoma and I officiated some of his games when he played there back in the day. It's a really cool feature on Trey Lippe Morrison who's looking to impact the heavyweight division in the world of boxing.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ