Flair Country
09-10-2007, 03:26 PM
Jim Ross has posted his latest blog entry, which you can check out by clicking here. Some highlights from this edition:
- I feel ECW is still a work in progress and the final form it eventually takes could be termed as “still to be determined.” I am not a major fan of a weekly hardcore or extreme rules match because they cease being special if one sees them every week and these matches increase the odds of a wrestlers getting injured. With the overall lack of quality depth available, injuries should be avoided when they can. I do think that C.M. Punk is a “find” and will continue to grow into the asset the WWE needs to cultivate more of going forward. For those that are holding out for the “old ECW” to emerge, I would suggest that isn’t going to occur any time soon but I do feel the current brand is steadily improving. I watch it every week and enjoy most shows.
- I have no idea why the first War Games match was not on the Four Horsemen DVD, unless there were simply space limitations. I would expect to see many more DVDs in the future that would provide a nice platform for War Game matches from the past.
- Good people are not immune to making stupid and ill-conceived decisions, such as evidenced by the several athletes who were recently suspended for violation of the WWE Wellness Program. The key here is education and learning from one’s mistakes and not allowing a negative part of history repeat itself. In the meantime, now is certainly time to make hay while the sun shines for many athletes who will be provided an opportunity with so many of their teammates on the sideline.
- The Raw vs. Smackdown 08 video game is big time to say the least and the addition of Rick Rude, among others, is huge for all gamers. If you are a wrestling fan and like to play video games, I don’t see how one cannot make this purchase.
- Drug abuse in our society is a horrible thing, not to mention wrestlers who use poor judgment and abuse drugs. This problem is far reaching in our society and there are many that need to assess their accountability for rampant, illegal or ill advised drug usage. I often wonder why the FDA even allows HGH to be sold so easily and frequently when it was created to help treat dwarfism but has been spun into several other arenas’s since its creation. Plus one has to wonder why the FDA can continue to condone internet drug sales of any kind. I get bombarded with junk emails soliciting me to buy prescription medications over the internet. I am smarter than I look and I am not taking any thing without the counsel of my personal physician who is not a “celebrity doctor” and takes care of my health, not any childish needs I might attempt to fabricate.
- I heard when I first came to the WWE in 1993 that there was going to be a Hulk-Hitman match or matches, but that Hogan had second thoughts.
- To the best of my knowledge, Ric Flair is still an active member of the WWE and is still on the payroll. The rumors surrounding Ric’s future are flying, but Ric has not told me he was quitting. I will believe it when I see it and as I have said on many occasions I feel that Ric still has a great deal to offer the business, as his legacy could be enhanced and should live forever. It would be very easy to build the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame class around “Naitch.”
- My remarks on “Beyond the Mat’ was to an athlete that simply needed to spend more time in the gym focusing on his upper body, which would have enhanced his look naturally. I never inferred that for this wrestler to “get bigger” that he needed to do drugs. That’s a little Oliver Stone-ish of a theory and is insulting to boot. I have repeatedly said that I do not feel an athlete needs to be 6’2”-250 to be a star, but that they do have to be in shape and have a natural, athletic look which this individual did not have at that time.
- I am all for the WWE revealing the names of the individuals who fail a wellness test and wish they had revealed the latest results. I do think it will be a positive tool in deterring the abuse of illegal substances and over medicated athletes by physicians without character or a conscience. Being singled out publicly could be an embarrassing moment for many performers and one would think that this would make one think twice about doing something so stupid.
- I am in hopes of re-signing with the WWE and talks are on going. I don’t see any immediate issues on the negotiation horizon. This is another story that has taken a life of its own and many internet sites have written about it as if they know exactly what is going on, but none of them have talked to me about it, which should illustrate that there are times when some sites simply take a rumor and run with it as fact. My goal is to continue to work for the WWE, but if that were not to work out, I still have plenty to do to keep me busy. My wrestling career has been a blessed one that I would have never envisioned over 30 years ago, but all things have to come to an end at some point. Our Bar-B-Q biz is going to continue to grow as we hope to start rolling out more store stores in 2008 and plan on building several stores over the next few years.
Again, you can read the full blog entry by clicking here (http://www.jrsbarbq.com/blog/2007/09/09/sooners-hang-%e2%80%9chalf-a-hundred%e2%80%9d-on-the-canes-and-your-feedback/).
PWInsider
- I feel ECW is still a work in progress and the final form it eventually takes could be termed as “still to be determined.” I am not a major fan of a weekly hardcore or extreme rules match because they cease being special if one sees them every week and these matches increase the odds of a wrestlers getting injured. With the overall lack of quality depth available, injuries should be avoided when they can. I do think that C.M. Punk is a “find” and will continue to grow into the asset the WWE needs to cultivate more of going forward. For those that are holding out for the “old ECW” to emerge, I would suggest that isn’t going to occur any time soon but I do feel the current brand is steadily improving. I watch it every week and enjoy most shows.
- I have no idea why the first War Games match was not on the Four Horsemen DVD, unless there were simply space limitations. I would expect to see many more DVDs in the future that would provide a nice platform for War Game matches from the past.
- Good people are not immune to making stupid and ill-conceived decisions, such as evidenced by the several athletes who were recently suspended for violation of the WWE Wellness Program. The key here is education and learning from one’s mistakes and not allowing a negative part of history repeat itself. In the meantime, now is certainly time to make hay while the sun shines for many athletes who will be provided an opportunity with so many of their teammates on the sideline.
- The Raw vs. Smackdown 08 video game is big time to say the least and the addition of Rick Rude, among others, is huge for all gamers. If you are a wrestling fan and like to play video games, I don’t see how one cannot make this purchase.
- Drug abuse in our society is a horrible thing, not to mention wrestlers who use poor judgment and abuse drugs. This problem is far reaching in our society and there are many that need to assess their accountability for rampant, illegal or ill advised drug usage. I often wonder why the FDA even allows HGH to be sold so easily and frequently when it was created to help treat dwarfism but has been spun into several other arenas’s since its creation. Plus one has to wonder why the FDA can continue to condone internet drug sales of any kind. I get bombarded with junk emails soliciting me to buy prescription medications over the internet. I am smarter than I look and I am not taking any thing without the counsel of my personal physician who is not a “celebrity doctor” and takes care of my health, not any childish needs I might attempt to fabricate.
- I heard when I first came to the WWE in 1993 that there was going to be a Hulk-Hitman match or matches, but that Hogan had second thoughts.
- To the best of my knowledge, Ric Flair is still an active member of the WWE and is still on the payroll. The rumors surrounding Ric’s future are flying, but Ric has not told me he was quitting. I will believe it when I see it and as I have said on many occasions I feel that Ric still has a great deal to offer the business, as his legacy could be enhanced and should live forever. It would be very easy to build the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame class around “Naitch.”
- My remarks on “Beyond the Mat’ was to an athlete that simply needed to spend more time in the gym focusing on his upper body, which would have enhanced his look naturally. I never inferred that for this wrestler to “get bigger” that he needed to do drugs. That’s a little Oliver Stone-ish of a theory and is insulting to boot. I have repeatedly said that I do not feel an athlete needs to be 6’2”-250 to be a star, but that they do have to be in shape and have a natural, athletic look which this individual did not have at that time.
- I am all for the WWE revealing the names of the individuals who fail a wellness test and wish they had revealed the latest results. I do think it will be a positive tool in deterring the abuse of illegal substances and over medicated athletes by physicians without character or a conscience. Being singled out publicly could be an embarrassing moment for many performers and one would think that this would make one think twice about doing something so stupid.
- I am in hopes of re-signing with the WWE and talks are on going. I don’t see any immediate issues on the negotiation horizon. This is another story that has taken a life of its own and many internet sites have written about it as if they know exactly what is going on, but none of them have talked to me about it, which should illustrate that there are times when some sites simply take a rumor and run with it as fact. My goal is to continue to work for the WWE, but if that were not to work out, I still have plenty to do to keep me busy. My wrestling career has been a blessed one that I would have never envisioned over 30 years ago, but all things have to come to an end at some point. Our Bar-B-Q biz is going to continue to grow as we hope to start rolling out more store stores in 2008 and plan on building several stores over the next few years.
Again, you can read the full blog entry by clicking here (http://www.jrsbarbq.com/blog/2007/09/09/sooners-hang-%e2%80%9chalf-a-hundred%e2%80%9d-on-the-canes-and-your-feedback/).
PWInsider