[WWW] 8.18.08 Ross Report - Summerslam... Roster Cuts...HBK Needs to Stay... Hell in a Cell could well be a Classic... Bar-B-Q Biz is Boomin'
Evad Seltzer
Summerslam... Roster Cuts...HBK Needs to Stay... Hell in a Cell could
well be a Classic... Bar-B-Q Biz is Boomin'...
Yours truly will be heading to Indianapolis Saturday afternoon to
prepare for Sunday's Summerslam pay per view. I want to do ample home
work to get ready for this event which is has the chance to be
special.
Great PPV's are the one's when matches one expects to be bad are
actually watchable and when good matches become great or at least
exceed expectations. Plus every great PPV needs that one match that
provides the "Wow" factor.
Another tough week for some WWE talents who got news that they were
being released. I know that there are some really good human beings
who will be soon looking for work and I sincerely hope that none of
them stop chasing their dreams. Perhaps the cuts of the past two weeks
indicate that several of the young talents from Florida Championship
Wrestling are on the verge of being called up.
I read an interesting article about Tito Santana's transition from
wrestling back to civilian life. Tito, a WWE Hall of Famer, got his
college degree from then West Texas State where he played tight end on
the college football team. Getting a degree in education allowed Tito
to get into teaching once his wrestling days ended. Young wrestlers
should strategize how Tito made the transition and copy it if
possible. It all starts for me with a college education so that when
one gets "future endeavored" that there are other viable options.
I have no idea what HBK is going to tell us Sunday at Summerslam but I
hope it is that he is staying active at least on a part time basis.
The WWE and the wrestling business needs Shawn Michaels more than HBK
needs to wrestle. Shawn makes everyone around him better and is still
the best in the business for my money especially when it comes to
performing in a major match.
Edge has been as good as any one in the WWE or elsewhere in recent
weeks and quite frankly I don't recall Edge ever being as compelling
as he is as we speak. Edge has transformed himself into a demented,
sick and evil man who seems to be looking forward to a jaw dropping
outing Sunday inside the Hell in a Cell vs. The Undertaker. This match
should close the show at Summerslam and will likely be a train wreck
that includes casualties.
With Edge's recent dalliance with wedding planner Alicia Fox, does
that make Edge the "John Edwards" of the WWE?
Candice Michelle had surgery on her twice broken collar bone and has
been working out in Tampa at Florida Championship Wrestling. Raw is
lucky to have the gorgeous Candice who is a Wisconsin tom boy at
heart. I hope Randy Orton follows suit and has his twice broken
clavicle surgically repaired so that Randy doesn't have reoccurring
issues with it in the future. From what I hear, Orton is lucky to be
around to tell the tale of his recent motor cycle accident. Thank
goodness for helmets.
After putting in a dominating performance at UFC 87, it was obvious
that Brock Lesnar took massive steps from his Frank Mir loss to his
Heath Herring destruction. The Lesnar that I know will not stop until
he is the best in his field that of being the heavyweight in MMA. As I
understand it Lesnar has one more fight contracted with UFC and then
he can either negotiate a fatter deal with the UFC or listen to other
MMA organizations as to what they would be willing to pay the monster
in the making. Lesnar made more money faster, north of 7 figures kind
of money, in the WWE than any one I know including Steve Austin and
The Rock who both did quite well 'rasslin. Lesnar walked away from the
money to try his hand at the NFL which did not work as Brock had
planned. The UFC was next. Point is that Lesnar is a nasty,
perfectionist who is a big game player and has only scratched the
surface as to how good he can be or will become in the future. I know
that there are some MMA purists who like to rip my opinions of MMA but
no one asked those individuals to read our blogs in the first place.
Those handful of jerks who slam pro wrestling are no better than the
politicos of the world who don't understand MMA and think that it
should be banned. You know, like Senator John McCain once spoke of.
Pro Wrestling is entertainment featuring great athletes and showmen.
The MMA is an exciting, new sport that features great athletes and the
athletes that can also become great showmen, as well as win fights,
will end up making the most cash.
Yeah, I got it...the man's name is B.J. Penn. He's a stud without
question. I called him B.J. Noons in a recent blog. I fumbled on that
one by writing in the middle of the night and not paying enough
attention. At least I am willing to man up and admit my mistake. It's
all on me but go a head and pile on 'cause I can handle it. I swear
this was not a wellness issue.
How great would it be if Jeff Hardy vs. MVP kicked off Summerslam?
Opportunity knocks for every performer Sunday and its always fun to
see who comes to play on game day and who doesn't. Those that don't
take the day seriously need to be "future endeavored".
Former ECW broadcaster Mike Adamle is doing a really solid job as the
Raw General Manager. I still believe it is easier to be a reoccurring
character such as a GM than a play by play announcer or color
commentator in today's world of sports entertainment. I'm not too
objective but the demands on today's wrestling broadcasters is far and
above it has ever been in my career that started in the mid 70's. With
publications, live events, seemingly a pay per view every few days,
dot com, text voting, and the occasional wrestling match to call, the
job has taken on entirely different demands.
Please say a prayer for Killer Kowalski who suffered a heart attack
recently. As I write this Killer is trying to kick out and make the
proverbial comeback on his adversary. There are some classic Killer
Kowalski matches on WWE 24/7 that I checked out recently that were
awesome.
Yours truly has been busy working on my travel schedule for this
football season so that I am organized and ready to make my WWE
commitments. For example, I will go to Waco, Texas and watch OU play
Baylor and then hustle back to Dallas to fly to Portland to
participate in No Mercy the next day. The weekend the Sooners play at
Texas A&M is the same time frame I have to prepare to fly to
Manchester, England (great city) for Smackdown. It's all about long
term planning and time management plus having a very understanding
wife.
I hope you are enjoying our new site. Don't forget to check out the
Q&A's and our store which has several items including caps and shirts
for under $10.
See you Sunday in Indy and Tuesday in Moline. You might see me in
Moline Monday afternoon looking for a good BBQ place to try or I might
hit the John Deere Steakhouse as I am told that it is really good.
Enjoy Summerslam and eat more "Q"!
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.