Backstage Drama

[goodhelmet]

Instead of doing a weekly News and Notes with stuff just getting buried in individual comments, I am going to make separate posts based on Meltz's news. We'll see how this works out and if it increases conversation.

 

Anyway, this all appears to be written before the surgery announcement so we'll have to see how it plays out in next weeks' Observer...

 

--- One writing staff member claims Steaphanie buried Ross many times in the past few years. Stephanie referred to Johnny Ace, who she is tight with, as a head of talent relations who works with the creative and not against it.

 

--- Some members of the writing staff believe Stephanie was behind the move, insisting that since Ross moved back to Oklahoma and cut back on his announcing duties that he should be removed from the air because he had bigger priorities than WWE.

 

--- Others noted that if Rock and Austin were stil lthe stars, this would have never happened.

 

--- Meltz says a company person, who is not a fan of Ross, feels bad about the situation. This source also blames Steph and HHH. Supposedly, HHH had issues with Ross from a few years back over pay and when Ross was Vince's hatchet man/ head of talent relations, Ross was instructed to play hardball in negotiations with Trips. When Trips went to Vince, he played babyface and put the blame on Ross. HHH had also complained about the old talent relations dept. being knee-deep in Ross loyalists. When Trips was out with the quad injury, HHH would ask people what Ross was saying about him.

 

--- When Trips busted JR open and blurred his vision in one eye in the MSG match, many believe this was Trips roughing up Ross and this move only confirms those suspicions.

 

--- HHH was upset wih Ross because he was pushing for HHH and Flair to turn babyface because more than 50% of the crowds were cheering for a heel Trips and no one wants to boo Flair. Trips felt Ross was trying to control his career direction because he and Flair wanted to remain heels.

[Guest WidowsPeak]

It's all Triple H's fault.

 

Surprise. Surprise, people.

 

[Guest Sass]

This move could bite the company in the ass big time. Pissing off the guy who probably knows every dirty story and secret this company has to hide doesn't sound like a good idea. Maybe JR will end up writing a column in the WON now.

[Guest SweetMama Scaat]

Or Austin could beat Coach at TT and they can bring Ross back.

 

I think thisll be one of those whats a work/whats a shoot situation?

[sek69]

If this is all a work, what's the point? a JR vs Vince match headlining a PPV?

[JHawk]

Would it really have been bad to say "Jim Ross needs surgery and will be out for a month, so it's just Coach and King for the next few weeks"?

 

I knew this was a Stephanie and/or Triple H thing as soon as Stephanie showed up on TV last week (which is what, three times they've welched on the "She'll never be on TV again" stipulation?).

 

I'm very glad I'm only watching Raw on videotape anymore, because if I were still trying to watch this shit live I'd be changing the channel to Monday Night Football. Is it any coincidence that ever since the McMahons came back to Raw that SmackDown has felt like the better show?

[goodhelmet]

SD! has been the better show for quite awhile. They have definitely been putting on the better matches... uness you are a Kurt Angle fan.

[Mad Dog]

I think the only reason Smackdown is watchable is because no one on the writing staff gives a shit about it.

[goodhelmet]

I'm in the camp that thinks that the only reason Ross was removed was because he needed surgery and knew he needed surgery long before Mike Goldberg was asked to join or the McMahons came back or whatever. To be honest, while the HHH and Stephanie rumors are intriguing, and completely believable, the timing of Ross's "firing" and his scheduled suurgery are too close together. I would be interested to se eif Ross rescheduled his surgery when they found out Goldberg would not join them on the 10/3 show.

[Guest Dangerous A]

I think Ross did know he needed surgery for awhile, but perhaps he didn't tell anyone until recently. Plus, WWE has been at it for a long time trying to get a replacement for Ross, so when Goldberg backed out, they decided to cover their bases and do the storyline so Ross could come back. Don't think for a second though if Coach and King click with Vince (doesn't matter if they click with us, the fans) that they won't bring Ross back to TV and will have something like Shane bring him back for the internet broadcast.

[Guest teke184]

This move could bite the company in the ass big time.  Pissing off the guy who probably knows every dirty story and secret this company has to hide doesn't sound like a good idea.  Maybe JR will end up writing a column in the WON now.

Agreed, Sass.

 

JJ Dillon was in the same position, being used as the hatchet man for Vince up until 1995, at which point he couldn't take it anymore and left.

 

 

JJ has been restrained on what he'll reveal about the WWF, although he has let out about some of the craziness that happened in WCW. (Example- Vince Russo wondering aloud how much it would take to bribe a fire marshall and burn down an arena)

[goodhelmet]

To turn the tables, how much dirt does the WWE have on JR? It may be nutually beneficial for both sides to keep their mouths shut.

[Loss]

It's baffling that HHH doesn't like Ross, considering the insanely melodramatic lengths JR would go to trying to get over the most boring of HHH matches.

 

Vince has always done that to whoever was in that position. He did it to JJ Dillon and he did it to Jim Ross. The same thing apparently happened with Randy Savage and JJ Dillon in the early 90s with Savage questioning his payoff and Dillon being told to play hardball. When Savage went to Vince, Vince blamed Dillon.

 

The talent relations job is one I wouldn't wish on anyone.

 

I too am hoping Ross will air his dirty laundry. I haven't been a fan of his in some time, but with this kind of treatment, he deserves it.

 

HHH should never call anyone unprofessional again, considering the way he roughed up JR.

[Guest EastCoastJ]

Here's the Torch info from today to add to this:

 

_______________________

 

The word on Ross's political enemies is that the list is long, but not always for the right reasons. It includes Kevin Dunn, Stephanie McMahon, and Triple H.

 

Dunn, the longtime director of WWE TV shows with V.P. status, is a longtime rival of Ross's for a number of reasons, including that Ross and Dunn have fought over Vince's ear over the years, with Ross often having the edge of Dunn, which Dunn resented. Dunn now has more power because he's in the trenches with Vince every week, and Ross isn't anymore since he moved to Oklahoma, which has given Dunn a chance to flex his muscles when it comes to the cosmetic aspects of on-air personalities that he thinks are more important than most.

 

Triple H isn't a huge backer of Ross in part due to negotiations years ago between the two over a contract renewal. Before Hunter was with Stephanie, Ross negotiated his contract renewal. He played hardball with Hunter, as he was told to by Vince. Hunter felt he deserved the same red carpet treatment as Rock and Steve Austin, but felt Ross treated him like a second tier player. When Hunter years later expressed frustration with how that went, McMahon told Hunter he should have come to him - or so the story goes - when in fact Ross was carrying out McMahon's orders.

 

Ross has a well-earned reputation for not being a "yes-man" to Vince McMahon. Although he is politically astute enough to know when rein in his disagreements with McMahon and the wisdom to understand when his boss has made a decision, Ross has been vocal when he's disagreed with decisions that he wasn't part of making. He has often gone against the grain of Stephanie McMahon at times, especially when it comes to the "entertainment" versus "sports" aspects of WWE's product, and which is stressed over the other. He has had trouble hiding his disdain for certain directions WWE's writing team has taken over the years.

 

The word on Jim Ross is that he has kept a sense of humor and optimistic outlook during this trying time for both his personal health and his professional career. Ross earned $800,000 last year for his work as an announcer and as a vice president. He remains a vice president. He also has stock options worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Financially, he can afford to walk away if he so desires when his contract expires next September. But friends say first things first for Ross, and his scheduled colon surgery this week is taking priority over everything else going on politically in WWE.

 

Jim Ross had been struggling with pain in his gut in recent weeks, if not months. It was misdiagnosed at first, but recently he was scheduled to be hospitalized this Thursday to have further tests done. There was fear it could be colon cancer, but tests this week indicate it's probably not cancer. It hasn't been ruled out, though. Ross told WWE.com that doctors found "something massive" in his intestines, which will require surgery to remove.

 

Jim Ross is still under a ten-year WWE contract, which expires on October 29, 2006. Ross is currently earning $300,000 per year and he receives a cut of house money from each show as part of his talent relations contract. Even if Ross's firing on television translates into actual termination from the company, Ross is entitled to a full year's salary if the firing is "without cause." Ross is also entitled to 51,250 stock options that he can exercise anytime until July 20, 2009. A reasonable scenario of receiving a 10 percent yield upon exercising the options would translate into approximately $394,000 upon exercise

[Guest Spaceman Spiff]

Hunter felt he deserved the same red carpet treatment as Rock and Steve Austin,

Hi-larious.

[sek69]

 

When Hunter years later expressed frustration with how that went, McMahon told Hunter he should have come to him - or so the story goes - when in fact Ross was carrying out McMahon's orders.

 

 

That reminds me so much of the bosses I had when I worked retail, they'd tell us to never give in to customers no matter what. The customers would then usually just ask to speak to the manager, who would promptly cave in and make me look like an asshole.

[Strummer]

PWI:

 

There was some talk earlier in the week of WWE possibly moving Michael Cole into the Raw announcer's slot formerly held by Jim Ross, but the company is still seeking out an outside name. It is still expected that when he recovers from his colon surgery, Ross will be slotted into a WWE.com announcing spot. Given the negative feedback, it's also possible Ross will be returned to his position but that's considered something of a longshot. Ross' current deal expires in a little under a year.

[Guest Crucifixio Jones]

When Hunter years later expressed frustration with how that went, McMahon told Hunter he should have come to him - or so the story goes - when in fact Ross was carrying out McMahon's orders.

That reminds me so much of the bosses I had when I worked retail, they'd tell us to never give in to customers no matter what. The customers would then usually just ask to speak to the manager, who would promptly cave in and make me look like an asshole.

If the INTERNET SMARTS somehow know that Vince is to blame for his talent relations reps playing hardball with their contract renegotiations, how could the wrestlers NOT know and blame JR? That doesn't make sense.

[Marty]

When Hunter years later expressed frustration with how that went, McMahon told Hunter he should have come to him - or so the story goes - when in fact Ross was carrying out McMahon's orders.

That reminds me so much of the bosses I had when I worked retail, they'd tell us to never give in to customers no matter what. The customers would then usually just ask to speak to the manager, who would promptly cave in and make me look like an asshole.

If the INTERNET SMARTS somehow know that Vince is to blame for his talent relations reps playing hardball with their contract renegotiations, how could the wrestlers NOT know and blame JR? That doesn't make sense.

Even if they know, what are they going to do?

 

Blame and bitch at Vince over it?

[sek69]

That's it precisely. They can't bitch at Vince, so they shoot the messenger. Freud would have a field day with HHH transferring his issues with Vince onto JR.

[Guest EastCoastJ]

With WWE so serious about their web presence lately, I wish they would start broadcasting Smackdown live on WWE.com on Tuesday night with Ross calling the action. They shoot Smackdown live to tape on Tuesday night's anyway and beam it live to their sattelites rather than to homes, so it really wouldn't require all that much extra work.

[sek69]

 

The latest Coachcast, with Mick Foley as guest, is here. Coach of course gives his opinion on recent IWC criticism of him as the lead voice of RAW, that's been borderline racist.

 

 

Beautiful. I guess the new WWE line is if the internet doesn't like the Coach, its because they're racist.

[Guest Bruiser Chong]

I know that's why I don't like him.

[Mad Dog]

 

 

The latest Coachcast, with Mick Foley as guest, is here. Coach of course gives his opinion on recent IWC criticism of him as the lead voice of RAW, that's been borderline racist.

 

 

Beautiful. I guess the new WWE line is if the internet doesn't like the Coach, its because they're racist.

I find that amusing. Out of the 5 million reasons I've read about why he sucks and no one has ever mentioned his race.

 

But like I always say. When none of the facts back your argument up just play the race card.

[Loss]

If the INTERNET SMARTS somehow know that Vince is to blame for his talent relations reps playing hardball with their contract renegotiations, how could the wrestlers NOT know and blame JR?  That doesn't make sense.

Simple. JR probably told Meltzer and then Meltzer published it. So they found out when we did. Not that they should be surprised, as Vince has a long track record of blaming whoever is in that position for his tough decisions.