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

JR's Blog: Todd Grisham on Ross Report, WCPW, ITV/WOS Update, Bray Wyatt, Angle-Alberto, Teddy Long HOFER!

Posted: Feb 16th 2017 By: Jim Ross

Hello everyone and thanks for stopping by our site. It's been a hectic past week or so and there's much to cover. I think that you will enjoy our latest Ross Report podcast with special, first time guest Todd Grisham @GrishamMMA where Todd talks his WWE run, being produced by Vince McMahon, his ESPN tenure, Glory Kickboxing and his recent work with @UFC. Funny stuff especially Todd's impersonation of Vince McMahon. Join us on podcastone.com, iTunes and right here on the homepage.

Enjoyed my trip to England for WCPW and broadcasting with Matt Striker the PPV Sunday entitled True Destiny plus two, Loaded TV shows Monday night before flying home Tuesday. I encourage you to check out the WCPW You Tube channel as it has over 1M subscribers which is an amazing number. If you did not see True Destiny I think that you would like it if you are a fan of bell to bell, pro wrestling, The Kurt Angle vs Alberto El Patron was sensational on all levels. Kurt looks amazing and feels even better he says plus I have never seen Alberto have a better match. The Drew Galloway vs Joe Hendry title bout was another strong presentation notwithstanding the opening match of the PPV featuring Ricochet vs Will Ospreay.

I hope that all wrestling fans discover What Culture Pro Wrestling and you will be glad that you did as they emphasize bell to bell presentations and that in ring product is sound. WCPW is a growing concern and are carving out their niche in Britain and will also be presenting a live event in conjunction with WrestleCon on the Saturday afternoon of Wrestlemania weekend in Orlando.

I appreciate that WCPW has the confidence in me to put me back at ringside to handle their play by play and working with Matt Striker was also a good booking especially for me. Matt did a great job and if you listen to what we did I think that you will agree. It's tough when people in wrestling do solid work and it is largely unnoticed because it is not a WWE presentation.

Check out the WCPW You Tube channel to find out more about the Pro Wrestling World Cup that will be held over the next 5 months including the four day final days in August. 64 man single elimination tournament is an ambitious undertaking and one that I look forward to being a part.

Enjoyed watching WWE Elimination Chamber LATE Sunday night (1-4 am) in my hotel room in Milton Keynes after our True Destiny PPV. I thought Luke Harper had the performance of the night as his match with Randy Orton was outstanding. I said here months ago that Harper was underutilized and could be a much bigger talent for WWE than he has been. It looks like WWE agrees.

The Elimination Chamber was well booked and the talents sacrificed their own health to present a great main event.

Bray Wyatt winning the WWE Title was strategic for sure. Wyatt is a significant, character baby face in the making IMO and the fans at the live events in the arenas seem to agree. The entertaining and memorable Fire Fly entrance is pure 'face and let's not forget that Wyatt's grandfather, Blackjack Mulligan was one of the great character 'faces of all time as was Bray's mentor Dusty Rhodes. Bray has worked hard on his in ring game, promos and his physique and conditioning which is admirable. He hasn't been afraid to try new material and he doesn't have the same match every outing on TV as many of his peers often times do. Bray Wyatt is a timeless talent who would be a star in any era that I have been a part of the past 40 years.

The Bray-Cena-AJ main event on SMACKDOWN Live was a strong outing/booking.

Even though many fans seemingly don't like the four man announce team on SD Live I think that the quartet does a good job managing the traffic as it is challenging to accomplish. The on camera chemistry for the SD Live broadcast team is a unique one and doesn't deserve the consternation that they receive. Broadcasting the product in WWE isn't a walk in the park but the best things in life often times aren't easy.

Had a meeting in Leicester with ITV so the matter of World of Sport returning to ITV isn't a dead issue by any stretch. Meetings are being held this week in Manchester to discuss the future. If pro wrestling returns to ITV, that would make WOS the most watched wrestling broadcast in the UK from day one thanks to the terrestrial power of ITV. ITV can be a star maker much like the early days of wrestling on TBS and eventually the USA Network.

Congrats to my long time friend Teddy Long for going into the WWE Hall of Fame this year and Teddy will join me on the Ross Report this Monday night to record a future show. Ted overcame so much during his pro wrestling journey which was sadly not overly friendly to African American talents.

Great seeing Paige in England as she was with Alberto El Patron and other of her family members. She looked healthy and happy and she was in great spirits. Her current life is obviously agreeing with her.

Speaking of Paige, Tessa Blanchard is Paige's stunt double in the Rock-lead film that is currently under production.

Next week on the Ross Report I speak with Ryback and his honestly and intelligence was refreshing to say the least.

Tickets for our two RINGSIDE with JIm Ross and Friends Shows in Orlando at Plaza Live Orlando are on sale now at www.ticketfly.com starting at only $25 while they last. Our "Friends" line up is going to be fun and certainly fan friendly.

Remember that if you live near an Ingles Market that you can score JR's products right off their shelves.

I will be in Wichita, Kansas on Saturday March 25 to broadcast a boxing event that will air on CBS Sports Network. More details coming soon.

Our Facebook is JimRossBBQ.

Check out the Ross Report podcast and our newly updated Q&A's elsewhere here on the site.

We appreciate your visit and hope that you return again. Thanks!

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ