In a recent blog entry by Jim Ross over on his official website (jrsbarbq.com), Ross talked about the recent edition of “Cold Pizza” on ESPN that covered the current “Battle of the Billionaires” storyline between Donald Trump and Vince McMahon and was not very pleased with what he saw. Ross also talked about The Rock’s appearance on Raw this past Monday, if current TNA star and NWA World Champion Christian Cage would ever return to WWE and more. Here are some highlights:
On the Trump/McMahon coverage on ESPN:
“I saw the Cold Pizza show on ESPN, which I watch most mornings, and their coverage of the Battle of the Billionaires was done, as usual, tongue-in-cheek, so as to make sure their audience of âhard coreâ sports fans will not mistake the on air personalities as being âwrestling fansâ. Of course, the ESPN on-air personalities are opinionated, speak in sound bytes, attempt to have the most controversial statement on a given show and that is o.k. for their hip, edgy programming. For the record thatâs what wrestling personalities have been doing for decades and long before cable. But wrestling is show biz and ESPN are legit sports or so they want you to believe. They are entertainment, perhaps in their own way âsports/entertainmentâ because if their cute repartee isnât entertaining, the hosts are gone. Days of straight forward sports casting are dead and buried. I can assure you from personal experience that many of the ESPN staffers are HUGE WWE fans and, in confidence of course, several of the ESPN on air âstarsâ are all fully aware of the WWE and the WWEâs global success because they all live and die with the ratings and the Monday Night Raw cable ratings by and large kick any thing ESPN does with the exception of an occasional âSpecialâ or a big time NFL game. I am a fan of ESPN and watch their programming a great deal, but if Monday Night Raw went into a ratings dumpster like many of the ESPN shows, i.e. SportsCenter, get on a regular basis there would be MAJOR changes to the look of Raw starting, perhaps, with yours truly. I would surmise that should come as no surprise to any one who has followed the product over the past few years. Being young and being perceived as âhipâ is a fact of life in the TV business and the WWE is no different than any other producer of television. Itâs just sad that some ESPN on air personalities are so fragile and these individuals are so insecure that they have to place tongue in cheek when making any reference to the WWE or the business in general unless it is a tragedy. Then it is o.k. to lay it on thick because bad news or scandals are what draw ratings. On an airplane I once sat next to the former head of ESPN, whose name escapes me, who left them to go to work with Daniel Snyder, owner of the Washington Redskins, and he was one of the most conceited and arrogant individuals I can remember meeting. A non jock that probably got hell from his athletic friends as a kid and evolved into a first class jackass as an adult. This âIâm better than youâ attitude is sad for any one to have. Of course I reminded him that Monday Night Raw on cable earned about 4 times the rating his beloved âSportsCenterâ earns in multiple airings. He did not take that well. Tough. I hope he has gotten over it.”
On The Rock’s return to WWE TV on Monday:
“The Rock has no contract with the WWE as far as I know. I would expect to see âThe Great Oneâ again make an appearance on RAW in the future but that is only my opinion. I donât hold out the same hope for Rock to wrestle again but I wouldnât either if I were him. Making movies pays well and the chance of serious injuries is significantly lessened. I thought the Rockâs taped promo was one of the many highlights on Raw Monday night.”
If Christian would ever return to WWE:
“Will Christian ever return to the WWE? Most likely as he did not burn any bridges when he left and he is a talented performer. I recruited Christian and have a great deal of respect for his passion and love of the business. Plus, he is a great guy. Never say never and I hope to call more of his WWE matches.”
On which match will close WrestleMania 23:
“I donât know who officially will close Wrestlemania 23 but if I were calling the shots, and I am not, I would suggest it be Undertaker vs. Batista.”
