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Happy 4th of July! Enjoy JR's New, Blog..Hitman, Lawler, EDGE, Jeff Hardy & Eric Bischoff to The Ross Report, Heenan Twitter Impostor, Thanks @InglesAdvantage

Posted: Jul 4th 2016 By: Jim Ross

Greetings one and all and thanks for paying our website a quick visit. The Q&A's here on the site have been updated so check them out if you have the time. I had a great week in beautiful, Asheville North Carolina working with our partners at Ingles Markets along with Headlock on Hunger raising money and food for hungry, school aged children. Giving back to those in need feels good and is something that I encourage everyone to consider. Find a cause that suits you and give them a helping hand. You'll be happy that you did.

Enjoyed catching up with Adam Copeland while was in Asheville where he and Beth Phoenix live with their two, beautiful baby girls. Adam is in great spirits, loves being a dad and living in one of the most beautiful parts of the USA that one can find. He's looking forward to season two of the 'Edge and Christian Show' that will likely begin production in a few months.

Happy that Jerry Lawler has been reinstated by WWE and I look forward to seeing Jerry back on WWE TV at some point in the future. I knew all along in my heart that The King was not a domestic violence participant and that alcohol was the culprit in this unfortunate and embarrassing matter.

Next week I will welcome both Jeff Hardy and Eric Bischoff to The Ross Report Podcast that drops, as usual, on Tuesday night at 9 pm ET/ 6 PT on podcastone.com and iTunes.

We are on Facebook at JimRossBBQ.

Time is drawing near for UFC 200 and we are excited to attend this mega event, the biggest ever in UFC history, and to support Brock Lesnar in his effort to have a successful return to the Octagon. I'm of the belief that Brock's fight versus hard punching Mark Hunt won't make it out of the first round as one of the two heavyweights likely won't survive past the first five minutes.

Brock getting Hunt to the ground and demonstrating superior striking defense are two, major keys to this fight.

Lots of speculation as to the WWE brand split that will be coming up soon. Seems as if many hardcore fans "need" info on what's going to go down as it relates to who will comprise the rosters. I'm more than happy to watch the first live, Smackdown and watch this matter play out. As I've said on our Podcast, I think it will be until WM33 until a true sense of what has transpired can be intelligently judged as to whether this major development by WWE is a success or not.

I do think the WWE brand split can be one of the most significant business maneuvers that WWE has done in years.

We are getting closer to finalizing details on our RINGSIDE Shows for WM33/Orlando and hope to be able to announce our plans soon. We are looking at doing a series of matinees and are hopeful that you will join us if you are in Orlando for the festivities.

BTW...when Brock Lesnar says that he doesn't care what anyone thinks of him returning to the Octagon and him taking a short sabbatical from WWE, he means it. Lesnar is a unique animal and cannot be judged on how his peers in the pro wrestling game traditionally conduct themselves. Lesnar is not a huge, fan of the pro wrestling genre but instead is a fan of earning huge money and enjoying his life. Not a bad philosophy IMO.

For the record, Brock Lesnar being added to the UFC 200 PPV line up has made every fighter on the card who gets a piece of the PPV revenue a ton of new money.

Side bar: One issue that many pro wrestlers today make is that many become totally committed to the job at the sake of back burnering the most important parts of their lives which is certainly NOT their job. When people allow any job to become the most important thing in their life, trouble is just around the corner.

Trust me as I know of what I speak on this matter.

Lots of "Oliver Stone" conspiracy theorists who are hellbent on becoming amateur sleuths as it relates to uncovering the details of Roman Reigns 30 day suspension for violating the WWE Wellness Policy. If the old adage of "Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Wrestler" still holds true then details that some are 'Jonesing' for will be revealed in due time even if there is no story to be told.

When fans discuss the brand split they often overlook NXT which will be affected by the RAW/Smackdown shakeup as well. Lots of moving parts with this development that can potentially 'freshen up' WWE a great deal.

Excited that @FITETV App is airing ROH Wrestling every Monday night for FREE on the app at 7 PM ET and then it's available in the VOD area. If one has a smart device and WiFi then you can enjoy ROH any where in the world. ROH next PPV is in August from Las Vegas.

OklaMania tickets are on sale at www.ticketmaster.com for the July 17 wrestling event and OklaCon fanfest. I hope to see you there as it is going to be a fun tribute of sorts to Mid South Wrestling. Sting headlining the event on Sunday July 17 is eagerly anticipated. The wrestling event is going to be one of the top indie shows of the year any where.

Happy 59th Birthday to Bret "Hitman" Hart! A damn good man and an amazing in ring talent who could make any opponent seem better than they were while contributing to the WWE in a major way during his career. I hated to see Bret leave WWE for WCW but anyone with any brains would have done the same thing as it provided Bret and his family some major money near the end of his storied career.

Still of the mindset that the WM13 bout between Bret and Steve Austin was one of the best in ring stories ever told at a Wrestlemania event and it did amazing things for the advancement of the Stone Cold persona.

Thanks for the feedback on our work on NJPW on AXSTV with Josh Barnett that airs on Friday nights in the States. Will be doing more voiceovers for this show in Los Angeles in August.

Often asked who impresses me most on the New Japan roster and that's a tough one to answer as many athletes stand out but I really like the upside of Katsuyori Shibata who is a smooth, tough thoroughbred in the ring.

I'm told that the @RealBobbyHeenan Twitter account is bogus. It's a damn shame that someone would portray themselves as "The Brain." Gives many fans a bad name. How this fake account got a blue check mark is confounding.

FYI my ONLY Twitter account is @JRsBBQ and all others are fakes.

The voice over that I did for Fox Sports on the NASCAR Truck Series scuffle has struck a nerve as it looks like I might be doing more of these in the future on a variety of wacky, sports moments. Stay tuned.

Hope that everyone has a great weekend, be safe and enjoy the 4th of July for those of you that celebrate America's birthday.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ