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JR's Blog: HOFer Teddy Long on New, Ross Report, FITE App to Present Ringside Shows on PPV, Hardy's Debacle Avoidable, @IAmPeteGas Book

Posted: Mar 1st 2017 By: Jim Ross

Thanks for stopping by our site and we hope that you will continue to pay us visits. A new, Ross Report podcast drops tonight at 9 PM ET at www.podcastone.com, iTunes and here on our homepage. 2017 WWE Hall of Famer Teddy Long joins me plus I share my thoughts on the Hardy Boys departing Impact, RAW, Fastlane and much more. Subscribe for FREE at @iTunes to the Ross Report and you wil never miss a show as they will be downloaded into the device of your choosing when a new show drops plus it helps us in our marketing efforts when you leave a comment and a rating. Thanks for supporting all our projects.

We are excited to announce that FITE will present a special PPV edited from our three, Dallas RINGSIDE SHOWS at WM32 in the House of Blues beginning on Wednesday March 8. We did three, sold out shows in Dallas in conjunction with Wrestlemania there and we've taken what we perceive to be the best material from the three events and have edited them into one, fast paced, entertaining PPV TV special that FITE will present. Spread the word!

Great convo with Teddy Long on this week's podcast especially when Ted describes his early days growing up in racially divided Alabama and the price he paid for simply being a young, black man. From the ring crew to the WWE HOF is quite the trip w/o a GPS. Teddy has come a long way from fetching Dusty Rhodes Diet Cokes.

I'm not buying the alleged reason that the Hardy's and Drew Galloway decided to not re=sign with Impact Wrestling was because during the sale of the company that this matter simply either got backburnered or it fell through the cracks. No matter the reason, it's inexcusable for any company to allow these high level negotiations to crash and burn as they did. Fundamentally, to present talents with new contracts essentially only a few days from the TV tapings isn't good business from my perspective.

The two most vital elements in any company promoting any combat sport, including pro wrestling, is talent and television. If either one of those two elements are missing then failure isn't far behind. For Impact Wrestling, what was more important then stabilizing the existing talent roaster especially the top level of the roster for which Matt and Jeff Hardy and Galloway were a part?

Nonetheless, I do have a heightened level of optimism for Impact since the return of Jeff Jarrett and his hand picked team. Jeff and Co will likely make sound, in ring, wrestling decisions and not subject their TV audience to embarrassingly bad acting in long skits (especially, in ring bad acting) and vignettes that do as much to encourage fans to channel surf as any thing one can arguably do.

Bottom line on this matter is two fold...WWE will likely get stronger if the Hardy's return to their original, home base and Matt and Jeff's departure opens the door for some other, hungry talents to seize their opportunity to become a main event players.

Impressed with how WWE has booked Braun Strowman as he's being brought along slowly, obviously out of necessity, and not being put into situations that Strowman is not ready to handle. One gage of how Strowman is improving has to do with how he sells, or better said, registers, which is becoming a lost art especially for a giant sized TV persona like Braun who must walk that thin line of believability. Strowman should win Sunday at Fastlane over Roman Reigns which has every thing to do with Braun and less than one would image to do with Reigns.

Somewhat disappointed in the creative development of the talented array of Cruiserweight talents that has been assembled in WWE. Great job on finding and signing these athletes but not so good in the development of their TV personas. I want to like these "205 pounders" more but I need a reason and I must know more better who these men are. Having a tag team match with 4, Cruiserweights that lasts just under two minutes helps who?

Seemed to be a bad night for Oscar jokes.

Foley is one step closer to getting his hip replaced or so it seems based on the interaction between Mick and Stephanie McMahon. I liked their interaction. Steph is a great villain and Ol Mick is easy to have natural empathy for and always has been.

The HHH-Rollins storyline is the most intense, personal issue that WWE is currently booking. This match at WM33, oh, yes, it will happen, should be a slobber knocker and if it's not I will be shocked.No reason that this can't be the match of the night in Orlando.

The contract signing was well executed and I understood the story when all was said and done even though I thought the processing of the info of Reigns breaking the turnbuckle came about a bit too quickly to keep it organic and shocking as if one did not know it was going to occur. Small point and also consider the source as I feel that announcers should know damn little of what is planned creatively on any TV show. See what is in one's monitor and the use one's natural instincts and talents to put a narrative with it.

Mike Johnson of PWInsider will join me next week on the Ross Report to chop up Fastlane, Raw, and all other things pro wrestling plus I will welcome back to the show the great, Shawn Michaels to our Podcast. This promises to be a can't miss show that I hope that you will download.

Thanks to those of you that have visited our Tee Shirt store at www.prowrestlingtees.com/jimross. We've added some new designs and as always we stock up to 5X and will ship to you anywhere in the world.

Our You Tube channel is free and is at jrsvideos.com.

Had fun catching up with former member of the Mean Street Posse Pete Gas @IAmPeteGas who has a book coming out entitled 'Looking at the Lights: My Path from Fan to a Wrestling Heel.' The book wil be out very soon and you can get more info on it at amazon.com. My conversation with Pete will air in early March so please stay tuned. It's a good one.

The Q&A's here on the site are updated.

Tickets are available for our two, loaded shows in Orlando at Plaza Live Orlando Saturday April 1 and Sunday April 2. VIP tickets are beginning to get scarce but there are plenty of general admission tickets still available starting at only $25, all at www.ticketfly.com. RINGSIDE with Jim Ross and Friends in Orlando promises to be our best Wrestlemania shows to date.

We're on Facebook at JimRossBBQ

The hay is in the barn for WWE Fastlane but will it be enough to do the business @WWE needs/wants? MOre on Fastlane here on a soon to be posted blog.

Here's hoping that you have a productive, healthy and happy day.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ