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JR's Blog: "Friends" list & New,Format of RINGSIDE w/ Jim Ross & Friends Orlando Shows, ITV in LA, @FightOwensFight Steals Show at RAW, Alexa Bliss Best Female in WWE? SD Live 'Draw' Controversy, Mildred Burke Film

Posted: Feb 23rd 2017 By: Jim Ross

Thanks for stopping by our site and please consider bookmarking it and even telling a friend about us. We've updated the Q&A's elsewhere here on the site plus you can catch our latest Podcast with @Ryback22 on our homepage plus we have multiple blogs that I hope that you will check out.

We are excited to announce our all star "Guest" lineup and new format for our two, RINGSIDE with Jim Ross Shows in Orlando at Plaza Live Orlando during Wrestlemania weekend. Tickers for these two shows are on sale now at www.ticketfly.com starting at $25 for general admission tickets plus we still have VIP Slobber Knocker tickets available as well but they are in limited quantity. The VIP gatherings at our shows will run from noon-2 pm and our show starts at 2:30 and will end at approximately 4 pm. Here's what we have planned:

Saturday...I will be joined for the first time ever on stage by former WCW 'voice', new podcaster and my friend Tony Schiavone who will join acclaimed novelist of the series 'Blood Red Turns Dollar Green' Paul O'Brien who is also co-writing my autobiography with me, to discuss for the first time the Monday Night Wars from the two lead announcers of the Monday night broadcasts. We will take your questions on the Monday Night wars or any thing else that's on your mind during the Q&A facet of our show.

Sunday we will present unofficial, unauthorized Wrestlemania pre game show featuring individuals who have all been deeply involved in performing, writing, producing, etc multiple Wrestlemania events. Bruce Prichard and Jim Cornette will join yours truly on stage to talk all things Wrestlemania with the fans in attendance including predictions, road stories, how the final WM33 is booked, and much more Wrestlemania content plus any thing else that may be on your mind and no questions are off limits during these super sized Q&A session.

Two, entirely different shows with provocative, first time guests will be on tap both Saturday and Sunday of Wrestlemania weekend that we will strive to make both entertaining and informative. Get your tickets for these, two, annual shows from www.ticketfly.com while they are still available.

From my perspective, Kevin Owens was the star of Monday Night Raw as his show opening, in ring promo was excellent and was arguably Owens' best verbal work since arriving in WWE. His pending WM33 bout with Chris Jericho has show stealing potential and should prove to be a major win for KO at the WWE's biggest event. Owens is blessed that he's in a program with Jericho who is as good a performer as WWE is currently featuring.

Hats off the Big Show for doing a terrific job of shining up Braun Strowman who has been strategically booked by WWE, particularly over the past several weeks. Strowman is still a massive, work in progress but the is making positive strides and presents a compelling potential, finished product over time. Big Show represented himself and the business well Monday night in the show closing match.

I'm still of the mind set that if WWE is going to feature Show vs Shaq at WM33 that it would be in everyone's best interest to put the two, giant athletes together in a team, against a skilled, villain duo.

The SD Live, Battle Royal Main Event which ended in a controversial 'draw' between Luke Harper and AJ Styles where fans will have to, gasp, wait an entire 7 days to see who will face Bray Wyatt for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania in Orlando. Not overly sure if the complaining fans were miffed about the 'execution' of the finish or that WWE decided to extend this story one more week and add more emphasis to the two, finalists especially Harper who deserves this enhanced creative treatment.

I can only assume that some fans were not pleased with the execution as I can't image how any knowledgeable fan would complain over using a 'draw' in a wrestling match to extend a storyline but that's merely my opinion. I had zero issues with the finish and it extends the storyline one more week plus it will positively enhance Luke Harper's creative value to WWE.

I thought the dialog that was picked up from the referee's discussing the controversy was lacking and came off as not reality based plus, in hindsight, Daniel Bryan should have been in the ring much faster considering this match was going to award the winner the biggest booking that SD Live can offer any one at WWE's biggest event.

This matter likely speaks to a bigger issue, IMO, that many fans have little or no patience when it come to episodic, creative development much like some younger wrestlers who are seemingly reluctant to add timely pacing and selling to their in ring presentations.

However, I'm curious...is Luke Harper a newly minted babyface? If so, what made him become a fan favorite? What did I miss?

Enjoying the TV persona development of Alexa Bliss who has arguably improved more over the past few months as any female in WWE. Alexa is arguably the best, heel female in WWE these days.

The in-show build to the Battle Royal was well done especially the talent's promos, and further stamped, for me, that SD Live has been better written/produced recently than has RAW, IMO.

Catch @Ryback22 recorded conversations Monday night with the great @ShawnMichaels and 2017 WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long that will air over the next couple of weeks on our show.

@RicFlair called me a day or so ago to catch up and he's looking forward to he and I joining @Sting the Thursday of Wrestlemania week at WrestleCon for a huge Q&A hosted by Matt Striker. The last time Naitch and I were on a stage together it was at the Summer Slam 2K13 Symposium in Los Angeles and that one did not end so well for yours truly. This will be a fun Q&A and you can get tickets for this once in a life time booking plus my rejoining Jerry Lawler for a photo op and more on Friday morning at WrestleCon by visiting www.wrestlecon.com.

ITV officials are in Los Angeles this week for more meetings which indicates their legit interest in returning the legendary World of Sport wrestling series to British airwaves this year. Many within the wrestling business are keeping an eye on this on going development.

Mentioned on Twitter, @JRsBBQ, Tuesday night during SD Live that there was no necessity for WWE to take a commercial break during the Nattie vs Nikki bout. Any show can be formatted to avoid most, not all, commercial breaks from occurring during the middle of a bout.

It's terribly disruptive and adversely affects how many bouts are perceived as it creates the need to essentially start over after a 3 minute commercial break.

For the record, we produced the New Years Eve WOS special on @ITV with no matches interrupted by a commercial break so it can be done if one is wiling to place a higher priority on the athletic aspect on the matches over the standard format that's usually utilized by most promotions.

Stock up on JR's products and have them delivered right to your home with easy, online shopping from New, JR's Blog, "Friends" list and from www.wweshop.com and in the UK and Ireland from www.ameridansoda.co.uk.

Our film project about the late, great Mildred Burke based on Jeff Leen's amazing book, 'Queen of the Ring' is in development and progressing well. Excited to see the first draft of the script soon. This is one of the most compelling, true stories that I've ever read about in my career no matter the topic and I have first hand knowledge of many aspects of Mildred's star crossed career from my first boss, Lee Roy McGuirk.

Facebook is JimRossBBQ.

Appreciate you following us on Twitter @JRsBBQ.

Have a great day!

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ