Jim Ross Posts In-Depth Thoughts On SummerSlam PPV

Jim RossThe following is an excerpt from the latest online blog entry from WWE Hall Of Fame announcer Jim Ross:

I was worn out tby the time the PPV started but the adreneline and the 17,000 plus fans helped erase any fatigue I had once the pyro went off.

There is also always that "twinge" of competition between the other announce teams, expecially the Raw team and that always adds to the presentation.  Todd Grisham is still improving daily and I would have to think that with Grisham being the competitor that he is that he will some day want to sit in the chair that I occupied for so long on Monday nights.  I realize that ship has apparently sailed for me but through the coming years the competitoion between Grisham and Cole should be fun to watch.  Both men are the long term future in that role for WWE and we should not discount Josh Mathews.  I felt bad for the ECW guys as their evening essentially consisted of calling a 7 second bout and a subsequent beat down of ECW Champion Christian who seemingly has multiple opponents to deal with on a brand that doesn’t have a long talent roster. There is no doubt in my mind that bigger days lie ahead for Matt Striker and  Mathews even if Josh’s distinctive shirt that he wore on Summerslam looked like a table cloth for a country picnic or a uniform from the Cracker Barrel.

From the SD perspective,  I think that our bouts either delivered what was basically expected or over achieved. I realize that I am not unbiased plus I’m coming off a 22 hour day so I may be more delirious than usual.

Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler got the event off to a superb start and Ziggler once again got "this much closer" to winning the IC Title and, at the same time, continued to build upon his persona. Ziggler is a keeper and will hopefully continue to push himself to raise his personal bar of PPV performances. Rey  is simply tremendous and is the most unique performer in all  WWE for my BBQ dollar.

Kane vs. Khali was never going to be a Brisco-Funk classic because that’s not the type of bout two, massive men have. I’ve seen big men have great matches with smaller men on many occasions but pairing two "monsters" together is often times challenging. BTW, Dick Weber is a famous pro bowler which was a loose reference to "bowling shoe ugly" wrestling bouts. I thought this bout was what it was going to be and not to sound like former Arizona Cardinal Football Coach Denny Green, "They were who we thought they were!!"

Chris Jericho and Big Show had a solid bout with Cryme Tyme and the Undiputed Tag Champs won as most expected. Not a bad night for Cryme Tyme either as they got in the game on a major PPV and they continue to establish themselves in the ring and continue to establish their body of work.

Jeff Hardy vs. C.M. Punk….WOW! TLC matches are all about the risks, car crashes, and "Holy S**T" moments that so many fans feed off of during these bouts that have no pinfalls,etc.  As I was visiting with Todd Grisham on our way to Phoenix from LA  late Sunday night, I discussed with him that wrestling bouts that eliminate pins, submissions, count outs and disqualifications make them more one dimensional  and make the high risk stuff the star of the show. This match was tremendous and if you could have been sitting at ringside as we were you could not have helped but feel the angst and element of profound danger that Jeff and Punk put themselves in on multiple occasions during this World Title Bout.

I hope to see both men Tuesday night in Phoenix where both are expected to be as they were in no condition after this match Sunday in LA to want to visit with any one. Nonethless I am so proud of both men and what they did to entertain the fans in arguably the best one on one TLC match I can personally recall.

So, do I think that we’ve seen the last of the Jeff-Punk rivalry?  I don’t know for sure but I "think" not and more specifcially I "hope" not. I just have a feeling that Tuesday night in Phoenix will equate to must see TV Friday night on MyNetworkTV for Smackdown viewers.  

Of course, the surprise return of The Undertaker was HUGE and seemed to add the exclamation point to what seemed to me to be a surprisingly strong Summerslam that my lovely wife thought rivaled Wrestlemania.  Nothing at Summerslam could have topped the Undertaker-HBK match for me based on my long history with both me but from a female viewers standpoint I can  easily see where the Mrs is coming from.

Cena vs. Orton was a scene right out of the "Wild West" and reminded me of some of the Mid South days with all the crazy goings on that lead to the RKO victory by Orton that I certainly did not see coming when I sat down at ringside.

The return of DX was memorable and their entrance with all the production values was cooler than having a ‘fridge full of JR’s Sauces and Ketchup. It was great to see HBK back in a WWE ring and his paring with HHH certainly brought back wonderful memories of the "glory years."

Check out the complete blog online at www.JRsBarBQ.com.

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