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JR's Blog: Huge, Ross Report News, OU Football, RIP Blackjack, Maryse & Miz, Enzo & Cass, RINGSIDE to NYC/Orlando

Posted: Apr 11th 2016 By: Jim Ross

Thanks for stopping by our site and for those that have downloaded for FREE this week's Ross Report Podcast with @TheJimCornette which is getting great reviews. Corney and I discuss WWE booking, the Wrestlemania week activities and much more including a BBQ eatery review. Listen for free at podcastone.com, iTunes and right here on the home page of our site with a simple click.

Enjoyed along with over 42,000 Sooner Football fans the OU Spring Game Saturday afternoon here in Norman. It' always great seeing many friends, former OU players, fans and getting a peek at the new edition of OU Football. I liked what I saw and feel if OU can stay away from catastrophic injures especially at QB that Stoops Troops will be right there in the hunt at the end of the season. The offense especially looked good IMO.

We are actively working on plans to perhaps bring our RINGSIDE Shows to the NYC area during Summer Slam weekend and also to Orlando in 2017 to produce multiple shows in conjunction with WM33. One can't begin too early to strategize these major events.

We will talk to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Monday night to record this week's Ross Report. This will be another insightful and informative show that drops Tuesday night as usual at 9 PM ET/6 PM Pacific on podcastone.com. Dave is one of our favorite guests and by the download numbers, one of your's too.

Thanks for the amazing feedback on @JoshLBarnett and my work on @AXSTV for New Japan Pro Wrestling on Friday nights. We are a work in progress and look forward to getting better with each outing until we have the best, one hour, pro wresting TV show on the air. We've got some awesome bouts coming up in the next several weeks.

Saddened to hear of the passing of Bobby Jack Windham aka Blackjack Mulligan who left us at age 73 this past week. Hard to argue that there was ever a more athletic, big man as in the super heavyweight category than was Blackjack Mulligan. He was a massive, main event star in every territory that he wrestled including the AWA, WWWF, and the NWA. I loved the story of Bear Bryant and Bum Phillips, two of the most famous American football coaches ever, diligently recruiting Blackjack when he was a high school football player. I only worked with Blackjack for a brief while when he was WCW booker George Scott's assistant in Atlanta. The stories of how legit tough Mulligan was are the stuff of legend...and they are true.

RIP Blackjack Mulligan and condolences to his family, friends and fans. If they are all present and accounted for, the Good Lord has his hands full in heaven with The Dream, Dick Murdoch, and now Blackjack Mulligan in the Promised Land.

Smart booking by WWE at first glance of placing Maryse with her husband The Miz on WWE TV after Wrestlemania. Miz needed a bit of new, sizzle and his lovely wife looks like she may well be the answer. Reminds me somewhat of Marc Mero and his then wife Sable.

Happy to see Enzo Amore and Colin Cassidy being so well received in WWE after being called up after Wrestlemania. I enjoy this entertaining duo a great deal and hope that they can help ignite a tag team division that needs some assistance. Seems as if most WWE fans will embrace the tag teams if they are made to mean more which isn't that difficult to do. For many younger fans, a hot tag team scene would be something new for them to emotionally invest.

Baron Corbin has the opportunity of a life time after winning the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at Wrestlemania in Texas. Now it's up to the big athlete that WWE covets to process all the information that he's provided and turn that knowledge and coaching into a strong in ring presentation. He's a proven athlete and now it's up to him to maximize his minutes of which I hope that he succeeds.

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www.wweshop.com and www.ameridcansoda.co.uk provide easy online shopping for JR's products for your kitchen or your grill and fast, home delivery. @americansoda delivers to the UK and Ireland daily for us.

Smart, TV creative types that produce pro wrestling shows will be better off the sooner that they realize that their audience, in many cases, will likely not be satisfied with countouts or lame, disqualification conclusions any time soon. It just takes a little more thinking and planning to provide the fans with a winner or a loser of which is always more tangible/believable than non conclusive finishes. Plus, not having time limits is truly pet coon goofy. What entity that is presented as 'real' would ever have an entire show of no time limit matches and they always seem to get all their planned content into virtually every broadcast?

There wil be some very hungry fighters competing this Saturday night on the CBS Sports Network presentation of Knockout Night at The D boxing series. For some of these young fighters, it's now or never as it relates to their professional boxing career as in they need to win now to have hopes of professional relevancy. Indeed a legit sense of urgency will be on display and it's always interesting on how some athletes respond when faced with this situation. We hit the air Saturday night at 11 ET/8 Pacific and I hope that you will check out our broadcast as I plan on bringing a little extra sauce to my return to live commentary at ringside in a new, adventure with the sweet science.

That's a 'cousin' to punching one's opponent exactly ten times in the face while mounted on the second turnbuckle and never leaving behind any DNA on the person being punched who also rarely puts their hands up to protect themselves.

WWE is smart to be looking ot sign Bobby Roode who I feel is one of the best in ring hands in the biz. Hiring Eric Young would be a nice 'get' too. Both can perform with any talent no matter that talent's skill set. Young talents cannot improve working regularly with people of the same skill set or less than them.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ