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JR's Blog: Ross Report Podcast Has Big Plans, Masked Superstar, Jeremy Borash, Lex Luger, Maria Kanellis, ROH PPV, NJPW, UFC, @HOBDallas Shows, Ideas to Ponder

Posted: Dec 21st 2015 By: Jim Ross

Happy Holidays to all where ever you may be. Busy days going into Christmas including more Ross Report Podcast work Monday night. Our most recent podcast with Vince Russo is still getting varied feedback but no one has said that they thought the show was boring. Check it out at podcastone.com, on @iTunes where you can subscribe for FREE and never miss a show plus it's available on the home page of this very website. The Masked Superstar Bill Eadie joins me this week to talk about his career as a masked man at the highest level, his dozens of trips to Japan while working with Andre, Hansen, Brody and Murdoch, among many others, while there. This is really fun and informative show that drops at 9 pm ET Tuesday night as always.

Hope that your Holiday shopping is going well and please accept our sincere thanks to those who are giving JR's products for holiday gifts. Your support is much appreciated. www.wweshop.com is restocking the site as we speak after getting a stout run on our goods and www.americansoda.co.uk has another order in route to Manchester, England at this time as well. Both online sources still have some JR's products but their inventory is low.

If you are in an Ingles Market in your area please check out their inventory of JR's BBQ Sauces, Chipotle Ketchup, and Main Event Jalapeno Honey Mustard. Ingles has over 200, big time stores in the Southeast USA.

CONGRATS to Ring of Honor on a solid PPV Friday night as their wrestlers really performed at a high level. The fans there seemed to have enjoyed themselves which helps the perception of any TV wrestling show.

All these fighters @UFC calling out Conor McGregor, obviously because the Irishman is the new "it guy" in UFC and that's where one will find the money...the big money. Two quick points, I hope that McGregor has a great financial planning in place where he's saving much more than he spends on toys, etc plus that this reminds me of when Hulk Hogan was white hot in WWF and when the booking sheets would be distributed that the boys on the road, when three shows a night was the norm, would first look to find Hogan's name and where he was booked and then examine that card to see if their name was listed too. Everyone wants to follow the money and being on Hogan's live event cards was where the big money was as a rule back in the day.

McGregor needs a great tax advisor considering his professional and private residential geography and having at least two governments holding out their hands....the Irish and the USA.

Nate Diaz shot his own angle on the post match interview after he easily won his fight in Orlando on Fox Saturday night against Michael Johnson. Most fun fight of the night.

Wrestling companies like WWE could easily use a top ten or top 15 type rankings system, like UFC and, back in the UWF, that would essentially allow creative to not to have to book too many cold bouts considering that the rankings could be utilized in many contests.

I see the reason that some wrestling TV shows need to stretch some bouts through one or more commercial breaks but I'm sensing that most matches that carry through a break, or two, disconnect from many fans thanks to the three minute commercial break or even a two minute break. I'd like to see more matches start and end in the same segment which should help maintain the focus of the fans and consequently help get talents over more, or so I feel. If that means that if a promotion has to format a shorter, reset segment to get back on their timeline then so be it.

Two small points that could arguably make many TV wrestling shows better, utilize a logical Top Ten or Top 15 to book matches and also to present the vast majority of bouts in one segment on a show. Also, by using a rankings system it puts more spotlight on the titles of which could all could mean more in every wrestling company. Titles may be perceived by some inside the business as props for a fictitious TV show but that can't be the case for how Titles are perceived on air.

Who gets over when they are involved in more impotent, non finishes that are used like count outs, disqualifications and the like? Many are throwaway finishes that many of today's fans discount as being unimaginative and then they easily emotionally disconnect from the presentation.

Broadcasters who are forced to speak on loosely connected topics such as what's trending on Twitter even though it's graphically displayed on the TV screen and don't stay true to the talent are on course to not get the talents over. If I'm watching TV and am visually seeing physicality and athleticism but I'm hearing yet another train of thought what of it am I supposed to process?

Exactly.

I went back and looked and the live audience at the NXT Takeover London event and the live crowd did actually sing a pop tune while Bayley was 'selling' and it did feel strange. Is this type of crowd reaction good for the business? I'm leaning toward the negative side of that answer. But as everyone knows, I'm an old school, bitter dude who's angry at the world and I yearn for the days of wool tights and mullets.

If a creative type needs a multi segment match on TV why not simply make it a two out of three falls affair?

We still have great seats left for all three of our RINGSIDE with Jim Ross and Friends Shows in Dallas at the House of Blues during Wrestlemania weekend. Saturday April 2 we will do shows before and after the WWE HOF Ceremony which will be held just an 8 minute walk from the America Airlines Center to the @HOBDallas. We will also do a big show AFTER Monday Night RAW on April 4 that will begin at 11 pm CT with RAW ending about 10:15 pm CT. Tickets start at $20 and all our tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com. I will be joined by three, different guests on all three shows as we will bring you uncensored, Q&A's from the stage at the House of Blues that has a magnificent bar and a great menu. If you're coming to Wrestlemania, then try and catch one of our shows if you can.

Planning on talking to both Lex Luger and Maria Kanellis Monday night for future Ross Report Podcasts. Looking forward to both these conversations.

Jeremy Borash joins me on December 28 to talk about All Things Borash including his world in TNA Impact Wrestling, his on going work with noted chef and Food Network star Robert Irvine, his career in WCW, his radio work including the Howard Stern Show, and his passion for England and his life there away from Nashville. Jeremy and I had a wonderful visit and we connected immediately. Good stuff with a talented guy. That's next Tuesday December 28 at 9 pm ET on podcastone.com, iTunes and the homepage of this site.

Thanks to all who shopped at www.prowrestlingtees.com/jimross. Great team in Chicagoland and if you're ever in their neck of the woods stop in and say hello.

Counting down the days until the Orange Bowl game in Miami between my Oklahoma Sooners vs #1 ranked and undefeated Clemson who spanked OU last year in a bowl that I have erased from my memory. Still scratching my head over the Sooners being dropped to the fourth seed after winning their league but apparently having a conference championship game is essential . I get the feeling that the CFB Playoff Committee is learning what they want actually while on the job and as they proceed. Bottom line is that my team is in the hunt and needs two wins to capture their 8th National Title.

Our friends at Maryland Championship Wrestling are having a huge, Holiday event on Saturday December 26 in Joppatowne, Md at the Joppa Market place headlined by Chyna, EC3, Ashley Massaro, and TWO cage matches. Visit www.MarylandWrestlingcom for all the info.

Because several have asked, as best that I know it was TV Asahi that pulled the plug on presenting Wrestle Kingdom 10 on North American, UK, etc PPV of NJPW's Tokyo Dome event. Kevin Kelly, Matt Striker an Yoshi Tatsu will provide the English commentary for New Japan World which is NJPW's digital platform that is akin to the WWE Network. Also, the PPV numbers outside Japan were above our goals and the show made a profit outside Japan specifically in North America and the UK. No one does pro wrestling better on a consistent basis than NJPW that airs every Friday night on AXSTV.

Thanks for stopping by and be well.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ