Mad Dog Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 The rumor has floated around on various sites and he confirmed it in today's Ross Report in his usual babbling way. I think Ross has had to go along with Lawler since at least 2002. He's been a parody of himself and I think you can blame a lot of the lower card guys not getting over on the fact that the announcers just ignore them to talk about Triple H or Austin during their matches. Normally I would see this as a positive but Lawler's probably still going to be around and the fact that the WWF doesn't have one good announcer under contract, not counting Cole and Tazz, has me worried. I think they'll manage to stick someone in there that'll have me wishing Ross was back by the end of their first show. EDIT: Ouch I messed up on my spelling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 I'll fix the title. This is only good if they have a strong replacement already in line. Ross has gotten bad, but there really isn't anyone ready to step into that role that fits the WWE mold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted October 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 PWInsider said something that they might be looking to replace him with Mike Goldberg. I don't think he's what they're looking for in an announcer. Lacks emotion and not a good shill. He only fits in with UFC because it's a real sport. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 I just read the Ross Report. With everyone else who's burned a bridge that they've brought back, it amazes me that they still take potshots at Randy Savage. He left on amicable terms in 1994 and he and Vince remained friends, so I don't understand why they're so hesitant to give him a Legends deal now. He's also one of the five or ten biggest stars they've ever had. Unless the Stephanie rumors really are true, that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted October 6, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Unless the Stephanie rumors really are true, that is. That was my thought as well. Maybe they think he'll be turning up dead soon after he's ODed on something and don't want to be associated with him if that does indeed happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 Then again, they're now associated with Roddy Piper and Kevin Von Erich. Of course, maybe they're clean now, I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest teke184 Posted October 6, 2005 Report Share Posted October 6, 2005 It's about time... Now if Lawler would just head off to pasture, as he actively made the match-calling worse by saying random shit to crack Ross up, no matter how little it had to do with the match at hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bruiser Chong Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 I guess I'll be the one to ask: what Stephanie rumors? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Who knows if it's true or not, but if it is, Savage and Steph had a fling when she was *ahem* quite young. 1994-ish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 OUCH! E-mailed Dave Meltzer and this was his response: When I asked, I was told it's because Savage is insane. I noted they have Piper, and was told, there's a huge difference in sanity between Piper and Savage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted October 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 I would tend to agree with him. I think Piper's just a little eccentric and some of it's a show but Savage seems to actually think he's the Macho Man character from the 80s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Back on topic, Meltzer has confirmed this story as being true and says Mike Goldberg has told friends he's accepting the offer. Also, on the Canadian feed of Smackdown, they are hyping Monday night as Vince firing someone and says that one should be pretty obvious now. Goldberg knows nothing about wrestling and isn't passionate about the product, and everyone in the company thinks this is a mistake. I'm now wondering about the future of Jerry Lawler. From the way Meltzer is talking and from some of the crypticism in JR's Ross Report, there are some really baffling decisions being made on a daily basis right now backstage in WWE, but Meltzer says it's best to not talk about everything going on just yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted October 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 It seems like a bad decision to me as well. He definately can't get by without being emotional about the product. It only slides in the UFC because it's a real sport and he's not trying to sell some silly storyline. Just look at Don West. He annoys people but he at least has passion for what he's watching. I don't know who they could've gotten though. I think Scott Hudson is the only acceptable PBP man around. People will say Joey Styles but his quirks will get tiring within a few weeks on Raw. I personally would sign Jim Cornette or Gary Michael Capetta but that's just me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 The smart thing to do would be to put him, and their writers for that matter, through OVW, but they'll never do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted October 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 I don't think you can teach the guy to get excited about something he doesn't care about though. I don't think Goldberg is capable of playing off of a heel color guy. He usually just let's Rogan control the flow during UFC stuff. It can't be worse than the McMahon/Savage/Bartlett era Raws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 It can be. At least Vince and Savage understood and cared about wrestling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Dog Posted October 7, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 I'm trying to think of potential young replacements for Ross and getting nothing. There really is a lack of quality wrestling announcers these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TheShawshankRudotion Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 I think you are way-off base on your assessment of Goldberg. Rogan himself praised Goldbergs ability to direct the flow of the show, to shill, and bring everything together, after he (Rogan) was in the position at UFC 42 (and I thought did a pretty darn good job with Phil Baroni). The only area where you are spot-on is the emotion dept. And even then, Goldberg can bring more than anyone that the WWE has currently, aside from JR. It's a tremendously difficult area to master, because you have to find balance and connect with the audience. Don West overdoes it and I can only watch handfuls of TNA because of it. Part of it is having the right voice, part of it is knowing when to lay it on thick, and part of it is knowing when enough is enough. The only person, I feel, who is able to do it is Paul Heyman (I'd say Akira Fukuzawa if I understood what he was saying). Hell, Heyman did a better job in ROLLERBALL, than the majority of wrestling announcers. Goldberg was good at providing emotion in the UFC, but fighting is so much more exciting than wrestling that it's not difficult to express that excitement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Piss Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Maybe it's just me but after Raw on Monday I was expecting Bischoff to get fired instead of JR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SweetMama Scaat Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 As far as the Savage thing goes it was mentioned over at wikipedia that his relationship with Gorgeous George ended because he wanted to involve her then-underage sister... As fas as That big ole hunk of goodness JR goes, 1-Why would you have a wrestling announcer who knows NOTHING about wrestling? 2-Theyve got Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews, Steve Romero and prolly some others lying around doing nothing worthwhile. 3-Who here CURRENTLY watches Raw? Since Coach had been added the announce team seems to have a balance. JR talks about Wrestling and actually does it in a reasonbly intelligent manner. Hes the best PBP man hes been in awhile, alot less confused about wrestlers names and movee. Coach does the heel job talking about how great rob conway is and how nobody should speak during Chris Masters entrance.Lawler instigates on the side, rooting on Coach and occasionally carrying off of a conversation with JR that Coach wouldnt have automatically been able to run with. He says funny things every once in awhile and since he has to keep up to strong vocal performers in Ross and Coachman his pervy "I love tities and Im old" stchik is still around but kept to a minimum. Raws announce team is the best its been in years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Who knows if it's true or not, but if it is, Savage and Steph had a fling when she was *ahem* quite young. 1994-ish. Yep, and she may not have been legal either. (Steph was born on September 20, 1976, and Savage was definitely gone from the WWF by September of 1994.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goodhelmet Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 When is Ross's last day on the job? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loss Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 Depends on when Goldberg signs his contract is what Meltzer said. He's expecting it to be this Monday night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest TCRwasmurdered Posted October 7, 2005 Report Share Posted October 7, 2005 How many times has Jim Ross been kayfabe fired? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Famous Mortimer Posted October 8, 2005 Report Share Posted October 8, 2005 4? It might work with Goldberg. I'll give him some time and see how he does. I don't mind him in UFC, so who knows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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