Ross Report

[Missy]

Ross Report for Sept. 21, 2005

Greetings from under the black, 200X Resistol hat while anxiously awaiting to launch Monday Night RAW on the USA Network with a Texas-sized “WWE Homecoming” in Dallas on Monday October 3, at a special time of 8/7 central.

Torrie Wilson, one of the “ladies in pink,” has been spotted traveling to WWE events with her rather small dog in tow. I have a hard time managing a roller bag much less a live animal while traveling. Torrie is doing a tremendous amount of running these days preparing, I am told, to run in a marathon coming up soon. Torrie looks hot in pink or in nothing as we have seen in Playboy.

Matt Hardy had a real pain in the ass Monday when I saw him after executing that unbelievable leg drop off the top of the cage onto Edge at Unforgiven Sunday night. Matt was not complaining and is a gamer, but he was really sore. Obviously, Edge was not in great shape after the cage match either.

Yours truly is taping a segment for the Oklahoma City UPN affiliate, UPN43, Thursday in my backyard for an upcoming special they are producing on the 100th college football game between the Oklahoma Sooners and the Texas Longhorns coming up on October 8. With OU rebuilding somewhat this season and after beating Texas five straight years in the big game, I am sure the Steers are licking their chops waiting this year’s Red River Shootout. Rivalries such as this one are one of the things that make college football so great.

Our crack staff at WWE.com has pointed out to me that a pundit questioned why I would compare myself to John Daley when asked by the King during Unforgiven what golfer I would be like if I golfed. Not that it matters, but I don’t play golf anymore and, as a matter of fact, I threw my golf shoes in a lake and gave my clubs away to a total stranger after a miserable 18 hole round over 20 years ago. Not that my flippant remark impacted the broadcast, but to address my seemingly strange response, Daley is a country boy from neighboring Arkansas, reportedly likes a cold beverage (me, too), obviously enjoys fried food much like yours truly, and is not the TV’s idea of what a golfer should look or sound like, which I can relate to as well.

Expect to see newly-signed Matt Striker, the school teacher turned wrestler, to be basing out of Atlanta soon to get him more opportunities to improve his game. Striker has potential but needs seasoning.

John Cena and Rey Mysterio had a successful promotional tour of Italy recently. WWE will tour Italy in November.

I love it when WWE.com polls our fans. On the favorite match poll at Unforgiven the Cena-Angle match and the Hardy-Edge match are almost in a dead heat the last I checked.

Another sage-like pundit on the ‘net called me out this week about my “overselling” of the eight-man tag team main event Monday night on RAW, as I called it “one of the biggest main events ever on RAW.” We have not had too many eight-man tags on TV and with the star power involved and the raw numbers alone in the match, it felt that big to me.

It was really wonderful to see two of the three members of the legendary rock band ZZ Top sitting at ringside Sunday for Unforgiven in Oklahoma City. I had dinner with lead singer and song writer Billy Gibbons and his crew Thursday night in OKC at Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill. Both Billy and Dusty Hill have been long-time wrestling fans with Billy growing up on Paul Boesch’s Houston Wrestling while Dusty watched wrestling as a youngster out of Dallas. The ZZ Top crew carries literally hundreds of wrestling DVDs that they watch on their buses while on tour.

How great was it for long time fans to enjoy the moment with “Nature Boy” Ric Flair when he won the Intercontinental Championship at Unforgiven? Flair is obviously at the twilight of his long-and-amazing career but this title victory seems to have invigorated the “Naitch” who still firmly believes he could have one last run with the WWE Championship before he hangs it up. Time and Mother Nature may well answer that question but it will never be because of Ric’s lack of desire to perpetuate his well-earned legacy or his passion to perform on the main stage.

I really enjoy seeing Bob Orton, Jr. on Friday Night SmackDown and would love to see other legends involved on either UPN’s Friday Night SmackDown or on Monday Night RAW. By the way, I think Michael Cole and Tazz, if that is his real name, do a helluva job broadcasting Friday Night SmackDown but I’m still jealous of them for being able to do their thing from ringside while we on RAW are broadcasting from right-center field REALLY close to the pyro.

I have mentioned this before, but I suggest you keep your eye on Mr. Kennedy on Friday Night SmackDown. I feel he has a shot at becoming extremely good SOONER than later.

Rene Dupree is out after having umbilical hernia surgery. I had that same surgery years ago and for a wrestler it is about a six-week recovery period.

WWE officials tell me they are impressed with Ashley Massaro’s attitude and desire to learn to wrestle. Getting really good in this business starts with attitude and a strong work ethic and Ashley seems to have both.

Not too sure if Cade and Murdoch are going to be fan favorites, but this young duo winning the World Tag Team Championship Sunday in OKC should certainly provide them some momentum. Murdoch has a unique look and, along with Cade, is providing a breath of fresh air to the RAW tag team scene. Whether the tag champs are booed or cheered doesn’t matter to me as long as there is a rear end every 18 inches in a sold seat to watch them wrestle.

Would you please “pass the torch?” Or the jelly.

Pass the torch. Please stop the insanity. No one is going to “pass the torch.” But the torch can be taken if a wrestler has the goods. Just ask Stone Cold.

I expect several surprises for all of us when Monday Night RAW hits Dallas on October 3. Lots of legends and Hall of Famers to be on hand as many of you already know. Three hours might not be enough time to get all this show in which is a good problem to have.

[James D.]

I had a similar type surgery that Dupree is having. Hernia operations are no fun. At all.

[J Marv]

Would you please “pass the torch?” Or the jelly.

Pass the torch. Please stop the insanity. No one is going to “pass the torch.” But the torch can be taken if a wrestler has the goods. Just ask Stone Cold.

I know he's probably speaking in kayfabe terms about something that happened or Raw that I haven't seen; but truer words have never been spoken about the wrestling business.

[Payne]

Now this sounded like a REAL Ross Report as opposed to the other crap that had been shoved down our throats.

Oh, and this got me laughing my ass off

Matt Hardy had a real pain in the ass Monday

Just reading that part alone was hilarious.

[Rumin]

Pretty good report this week. I wish Hassan would have gotten a mention, though.