Interesting Ross Report tidbits

[sek69]

Someone asked him about the future of tag team wrestling in WWE, noting that they've pulled away from tag wrestling lately.

 

JR's response:

 

 

I too am a fan of tag team wrestling, but an old wrestling adage says that single stars sell more tickets in main event slots than do tag teams. The lack of top-line tag teams in WWE is a reflection of the overall lack of quality depth in the business in general. I would not be surprised if we see a few new teams arrive on the scene much sooner than later on both RAW and SmackDown! and be put in a position to make an impact. Whether these teams can carry the ball to the Promised Land remains to be seen. I sure hope so as opportunity waits. There is no tag team bias in WWE, just a lack of enough good teams to make this “division” as interesting as it could be.

 

 

Tag teams don't get as over as singles? That must come as a surprise to the Rock n' Rolls, the Midnights, Von Erichs, Freebirds, Road Warriors, Fabs, and about a zillion other tag teams that were the top draws of their promotions.

 

I almost agree with him about a lack of quality team until I remember they break up every tag team as soon as they get a small amount of success. The moment a team debuts, they immediately start planning their breakup. They don't even do that well either, since instead of a potentially hot breakup angle the usually just have the draft break teams up and it's never mentioned again.

 

Hell, even when they did have a tag team break out as potential stars (MNM), they ended up jobbing them out to a hastily made novelty act just to pimp DVDs.

 

 

This also was another knee-slapping moment of hilarity when asked about wrestling in the 90s compared to today:

 

(empahsis mine)

 

 

I see nothing wrong with a dad and his son watching RAW together. I wish my Dad was still alive to watch us on Monday nights. In my opinion, the biggest change in the business today as compared to the early 90s is the shallow talent pool available today as compared to 15 years ago. There is also more wrestler talk incorporated into the TV shows, which is a significant change from the previous era. Wrestlers who can express themselves verbally can become a hot commodity in today’s TV marketplace. Wrestlers who attempt to be something they are not on our TV shows can be embarrassing. But the bottom line is and always will be, who can get it done bell to bell? That’s what every wrestling company I know of is constantly searching for. I am glad you are still entertained after all these years. I know that feeling.

 

 

Yeah, like Rob Conway: Male Stripper, Eugene, Jillan the Mole Woman, the Boogeyman, Rosey the 400lbs Superhero, Road Warrior Heidenreich, and Simon Dean.

 

Jesus, it's like JR doesn't even try anymore.

[Guest Drake]

Jesus, it's like JR doesn't even try anymore

JR gave up years ago. He's become a parody of himself almost

[sek69]

It seems like "trying to be something he's not" is how they're pushing Chavo now, so maybe he was just furthering the angle.

[Guest Cam Chaos]

I wish he'd go home and take Lawler with him. Just stick Coach and Heyman in there instead.

[Loss]

I think JR would improve tenfold with better booking and a better broadcast team. Bring Michael Hayes back from the abyss and get rid of Lawler. When the product was good, no one compared about JR.

[sek69]

More JR gems this week, I never get tired of finding these:

 

 

Internet observation of the week: ?Ric Flair is a pervert for grabbing Carlito?s privates!? Sure he is. Now, turn off your computer and go to bed.

 

 

Ooh, another scathing JR burn to the internet fans. Is he just recycling his Ross Reports from 1999 or what?

 

 

Too many young wrestlers have the basic same look, tattoos, hair, etc. Individuality is seemingly becoming a lost art. This business is so much more than a mullet, a few tattoos, some baby oil and the willingness to execute untimely high-risk maneuvers just for the hell of it.

 

 

 

Says the man working for the company who wants all his wrestlers to cut their hair and work the same boring but safe style.

 

 

Jake Roberts? father, Grizzly Smith, was missing in New Orleans for several days following Hurricane Katrina, but, thankfully, he was found alive.

 

 

 

*must not make a joke about the bars in the French Quarter staying open*

 

 

Why do some wrestlers wear jewelry such as earrings in the ring? I just don?t get it.

 

Why do some announcers wear goofy cowboy hats? This man is beyond parody.

 

 

From: Charles

 

I am happy with WWE's attempts to get tag teams going. The team of Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch has caught my eye. I rub my eyes watching Trevor in the Ring ? a mirror image of the Dirty One. Val Venis-Viscera is a neat idea as well. And my favorite of all is William Regal and Paul Burchill. I hope this team keeps things going, Burchill reminds me of another wrestler from Stampede Wrestling. He has that Benoit, Dynamite Kid, Johnny Smith look to him a real ring grinder. There is a chance one of these teams could take the world by storm like the NEW AGE OUTLAWS did.

 

 

 

Not sure why I am saying this, but I am getting a huge kick out of Rob Conway! That theme song is the best ever. I look forward to it every week.

 

 

 

You sound like a longtime fan and student of the game, Charles. The tag team area is ripe for the pickings and it is anyone?s guess as to which duo is going to step up, innovate and improve this aspect of RAW and SmackDown. There is big money to be made if a team can go on TV and get hot. I hope the young teams are preparing and watching tape of the Midnight Express, Rock ?N Roll Express, Brisco Brothers and the Horsemen, to name a few. There is a reason all those teams were great.

 

Yet last week, JR stated everyone in the buisness knows tag teams don't draw as well as singles.

 

 

It?s going to be very interesting to see the evolution of several younger wrestlers on both RAW and SmackDown. I am encouraged by some. One thing is for sure: any young, potential WWE Superstar better understand ASAP that this a seven-day-a-week cycle of preparation in one form or another; focusing on this career opportunity part-time will not get them to big money and longevity. Even if a wrestler takes a day or two off to physically rest, studying tapes of the great ones isn?t to physically taxing.

 

 

 

Right, you have to start fucking a McMahon in order to be able to get any time off in the WWE.

 

 

And finally, my favorite is another question-and-answer:

 

 

From: Andrew Lister

 

Dear Mr. Ross,

 

My name's Andy and I've been doing play-by-play commentary for an independent federation in Scott County, Iowa.? I have to say that you are one of my biggest influences as a commentator, and I hope to one day be as talented and knowledgeable as you are.? I have to ask you, as one PBP guy to another, what words of wisdom would you have for a guy like me?? What sort of things do you do to make yourself one of the best in the business?

 

 

 

I?ve never understood why more young broadcasters have not aggressively pursued jobs with WWE TV. Opportunity is knocking. Someone else will be doing play-by-play on RAW someday (not anytime soon, I hope), but who will it be? Andrew, never not be a fan of wrestling, study all the tapes you can, recognize match situations and transitions and out-prepare and work harder at being better than your peers. Plus, good luck never hurts.

 

 

 

A lot do pursue jobs with WWE TV, but WWE doesn't want people who are fans to work for them. I bet you if that guy who wrote this letter applied to WWE, he'd be considered too markish for them.

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

Too many young wrestlers have the basic same look, tattoos, hair, etc. Individuality is seemingly becoming a lost art.

Why do some wrestlers wear jewelry such as earrings in the ring? I just don?t get it.

Wait, he bemoans the lack of individuality, but then wonders why some people wear jewelry in the ring?

 

RVD has to tone down his style, cruisers are forbidden from doing high-risk stuff, guys who get over w/out a push are seemingly punished for it (hi Christian!), guys are pushed based on look rather than talent. Guys get punished for speaking up in the back. Yeah, I wonder why individuality is becoming a lost art?

[sek69]

This week's JR nuggets:

 

 

Another sage-like pundit on the ?net called me out this week about my ?overselling? of the eight-man tag team main event Monday night on RAW, as I called it ?one of the biggest main events ever on RAW.? We have not had too many eight-man tags on TV and with the star power involved and the raw numbers alone in the match, it felt that big to me. 

 

 

Again JR can't stop mentioning the net folks that seem to bother him so.

 

 

Would you please ?pass the torch?? Or the jelly.

 

 

 

Pass the torch. Please stop the insanity. No one is going to ?pass the torch.?  But the torch can be taken if a wrestler has the goods. Just ask Stone Cold.

 

Right. Any wrestler can stumble across a catchphrase and get put into a program with Vince McMahon. What's wrong with these lazy youngin's? Not that Stone Cold didn't have the aforementioned goods, but it's not like he wasn't put in a position most guys are never in.

 

 

Now my favorte part: Reader Emails!

 

 

Name: John

 

There are a lot of Internet reports circulating that HBK has been blowing up backstage about the direction of his career. Is this true?

 

No, that is not true. Many Internet reports are often times based on second or third hand information from ?sources.? HBK is VERY competitive and often times that is misunderstood as Shawn ?blowing up backstage.? Shawn Michaels is arguably the very best in-ring performer in the business today. In the past, as HBK explains in his upcoming biography, Michaels did have attitude issues and had very little patience for others especially if they did not live up to Shawn?s expectations inside the ring. Shawn still makes his feelings known when necessary, but I see him in person on a weekly basis and I can tell you without any uncertainty that Shawn Michaels has been a changed man for the better since he has returned from his extended hiatus. I think more veterans need to adopt HBK?s mindset of demanding the best out of every opponent they face. This will make the younger wrestlers better or it will be discovered that some of the younger guys don?t have what it takes to hang with the top hands. 

 

 

 

 

So there you go kids. You wanna succeed in wrestling, be like Shawn.

[Coffey]

It's funny (about HBK) because for the last two weeks, since his PPV win over Masters, I've just noticed little things that he does to upstage people. Like when he made sure he got the last word during the backstage promo with Hardy, The Big Show & Cena. It was obvious that Cena was supposed to close that out, yet Shawn threw in a random, last second, one-liner.

 

Then, during the 8-man main event, I didn't think that it was a coincidence that Shawn was the man on top. King of the Mountain if you will. Maybe I'm just looking too deep into things but it seems as if HBK is unwilling to take the "I used to be good buy now I put people over" role.

 

Hell, even in his match at Summerslam with Hogan, he made Hogan look ridiculous. The over-selling really exposed Hogan's moveset moreso than Hogan just using it. Then Shawn buried Hogan in a promo the next night on Raw. Granted it's not nearly the same thing, since, afterall, it's Hogan, but I think that was the turning point for HBK. That's when he "snapped" and found out that he could still get away with acting like a baby.

 

Actually, if we look back farther, we see him beating Shelton Benjamin in the first round of the Gold Rush Tournament even though Shelton beat Triple H on more than one occasion. Shawn even worked himself into the Main Event program with HHH & Benoit at Wrestlemania XX. It definitely took a lot of the spotlight off of Benoit during the build-up.

[Loss]

Shawn is a selfish asshole. Coming out the night after doing a job to the guy the company wants strong to headline a dream match at Wrestlemania by making fun of it and basically exposing the business as being fake is unprofessional, any way you slice it. He's still the same Shawn he always was, he's just addicted to Jesus instead of cocaine.

[MyOwnSummer]

But didn't Vince give Shawn permission to mock Hogan? I recall reading that.

[sek69]

Doesn't matter if Vince okayed it, it was still a dick thing to do. Shawn seems to think being a baby over jobs and still doing them is better than how he used to be (being a baby over jobs and not doing them) when it's still him being a fucking baby.

[Loss]

Hogan is the only guy I can ever think of who's oneupped every Clique member at some point. If he wasn't so dastardly himself, I'd love him.

[sek69]

I can never bring myself to completely hate Hogan, just because I'm in awe of the man's sheer ability to work himself into and out of any political situation. He's like an evil Zen Master.

[Mad Dog]

Then, during the 8-man main event, I didn't think that it was a coincidence that Shawn was the man on top. King of the Mountain if you will. Maybe I'm just looking too deep into things but it seems as if HBK is unwilling to take the "I used to be good buy now I put people over" role.

No, you caught it. He went out of his way during the celebration to make it all about him.

[Loss]

I noticed it too, but didn't say anything because I thought I was overreacting. Him standing on Big Show's shoulders while Cena and Hardy stand lower on the ground is the image he knew good and well would be the last one on RAW.

[Mad Dog]

Even just climbing on top he did it in a way to upstage the other guys. Also notice he was doing the most celebrating despite having almost nothing to do with the finishing sequence.