Guest FeArHaVoC Report post Posted July 26, 2002 Ross Report -- July 26, 2002 Greetings from under the black 200X Resistol hat while dodging Los Angeles traffic and participating in Tough Enough 3. I have been in Los Angeles since Tuesday helping evaluate the young men and women who are striving to be among the 13 selected to compete in Tough Enough 3. The final cuts will be made today. Three finalists dropped out over the last three days of intensive physical conditioning and some fundamental in-ring work. It is truly refreshing to be around these wide-eyed, enthusiastic kids who dream of becoming World Wrestling Entertainment Superstars. WWE Executive Producer Kevin Dunn agrees with me that this is a very promising group of athletes whose personalities should produce some interesting TV. Baltimore's John "Big" Gaburick, a former Towson University football offensive lineman, is back as the "big dog" on this show and has things well under control. It is my understanding Tough Enough 3 will begin airing on MTV in October. I think you're going to like it. Injury update: It has been a very challenging week for Chris Kanyon. He separated his shoulder, which got infected. Chris then was hospitalized to drain his infected shoulder and then a day later was moved to the intensive care unit (ICU) to better treat a breathing problem due to fluid in his lungs. Tests are being done to determine what is causing Kanyon's problems. He remains in ICU at this time. Chris is in our prayers. Randy Orton is recovering from a concussion. He should be OK in a few days. Kane looks as if he will be cleared to return from biceps surgery at the end of July. Triple H looks to be on target to return to complete physicality in early August from elbow surgery. Maven is expected to be cleared to return to the ring in a couple of weeks from a broken fibula. Lita will be able to remove her hard neck collar next week unless she is driving or exercising. All other injuries suffered by a variety of WWE Superstars are progressing on target with no complications at this time. I thought we had a superb week of TV starting with a great effort by all involved at Vengeance in Detroit. The crowd was hot, the talent took it to another level, the creative was outstanding and our TV folks did their usual stellar job. The Triple Threat Match for the WWE Undisputed Title was as good as I have ever seen, and the Undertaker, Kurt Angle and The Rock should be extremely proud of their efforts, as these three really delivered the goods. Every match was extremely solid and I was very proud of the talent for their efforts. Michael Cole and Tazz, who certainly deserved the opportunity to broadcast at Vengeance, did an outstanding job with their half of the show, also. Monday's RAW was highlighted by some strong in-ring product and the performance of Eric Bischoff. Like any great antagonist, Bischoff is very easy to dislike and seems to be settling into his role very well. I loved the Eddie Guerrero vs. The Rock match as both told a great story. I prefer to be closer to the fans but I'm sure I will get used to the new broadcast position. Longtime fans may remember that this is the same setup we utilized in the old UWF in the 80s, when yours truly broadcasted with Freebird Michael Hayes. SmackDown! was a slick presentation, and I made sure we could get UPN 13 here at our hotel in Los Angeles to enjoy the show, and we did. Production values really seemed to be awesome; that included some new camera angles if I'm not mistaken. What an awesome Cage Match between Chris Jericho and Edge! Superb debut for Rey Mysterio. Another significant outing for John Cena and the Anti-Americans, among others. Certainly, these three strong broadcasts will give us something to build on next week. We will be in Ric Flair country for TV next week, starting Monday for live RAW in Greensboro, N.C., one of my all time favorite wrestling cities, and Tuesday for the SmackDown! taping in Charlotte, N.C. With new general managers in place on both RAW and SmackDown!, I would expect both Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon to try to top last week's efforts in their ruthlessly aggressive positions. More significant surprises on TV next week certainly seem to be the order of the day. I'm looking forward to it and I hope you are too. More young talents will get a chance to continue to deliver. Please include Jim Cornette's mother, Thelma, in your prayers as she is gravely ill. Corney is one of the most talented people I have ever known in our business and his efforts in Ohio Valley Wrestling are a valuable and important asset to our business. B.J. Payne, Flash and Sharmell Sullivan have been removed from our developmental roster. OVW's new facility will open in August. I have read some of the rough draft of Jerry "The King" Lawler's book and it's very entertaining. There is still a lot of work for The King to complete but what I have seen thus far is a good read. No doubt, the veteran from Memphis has seen it all since debuting in 1971. Great stories with a ton of laughs. The book is tentatively scheduled for a December release and will be published by Simon & Schuster. How he is going to write about some of his experiences is going to be interesting. Hollywood Hulk Hogan's biography is almost finished as well and will be released by Simon & Schuster this fall. This one will cover a lot of ground, starting with Hogan growing up in Tampa through the territory days, his WWE runs, WCW and the movies. More work is being done on this project as we speak. Our superstars are certainly looking forward to our Global Warning Tour Melbourne event on Aug. 10 in Melbourne, Australia. Most will leave after the special Sunday, Aug. 4, SmackDown! taping in Richmond, Va. Long trip but it will be well worth the journey as our SmackDown! talents get the opportunity to compete and perform before more than 55,000 fans. Should be a great experience. I'm loving the direction we seem to be heading in and by what the future holds for our WWE Superstars, especially our younger talents. For many, their time has come! Thanks and I'll see you here next week. J.R. (Boomer Sooner!) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FeArHaVoC Report post Posted July 26, 2002 Kanyon, So Close, yet so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Shaved Bear Report post Posted July 26, 2002 Every match was extremely solid and I was very proud of the talent for their efforts. Michael Cole and Tazz, who certainly deserved the opportunity to broadcast at Vengeance, did an outstanding job with their half of the show, also. He must've really been bitter, cause they only got the first hour Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Zack Malibu Report post Posted July 26, 2002 I figured that with all the Divas shoots they included her in, they had something planned for Sharmell. Not exactly a big loss, though. And wasn't she at one point supposedly dating Booker T., or was that just rumor? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FeArHaVoC Report post Posted July 26, 2002 I thought she was living with Booker now? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest The Ruthless Aggressor Report post Posted July 26, 2002 With new general managers in place on both RAW and SmackDown!, I would expect both Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon to try to top last week's efforts in their ruthlessly aggressive positions. Man, they're STILL trying to get that over. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest LJSexay Report post Posted July 26, 2002 Sharmell gone?! :-/ wtf Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ripper Report post Posted July 26, 2002 I think Booker and Sharmell are actually dating...Her man is rich, she'll be ok till she finds another job. Damn, Chris...I hope he's ok. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Incandenza Report post Posted July 26, 2002 I hate to hear that about Kanyon. Damn.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest thebigjig Report post Posted July 26, 2002 That's so depressing about Kanyon... hopefully he'll pull through and come back better than ever How sad is it that Sharmell Sullivan gets cut yet Terri (aka: Skeletor) keeps her job? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest CHEAT TO WIN~! Report post Posted July 26, 2002 WHO BETTA THAN KANYON!?!??!?! Nobody. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Just call me Dan Report post Posted July 26, 2002 That's truly sad for Kanyon. Kane will be back on Raw and won't even be able to get revenge or carry the storyline over because 'Pac and Hall and Nash are all gone. I guess he'll just keep the mask and have his same old same old gimmick. I had high hopes for the guy, but they aren't building for him or anything, he'll just return to the WAY overloaded RAW roster now. There is absolutely no room for him there, and I hope Steph nabs him before he gets back so he can really be a top guy on the Smackdown side. I see him running with the belt sometime soon if he keeps up what he had going when he left. Tough Enough 3 has me eager to see who wins it all this time after the obvious failure of TE2. The first tough enough produced a decent wrestler who may actually have a shot and a great valet whereas TE2 sucked balls. Wonder which side of the road we'll get this time? RAW deserved its praise last week but Angle/Henry, Venis/D'Von and Albert/Rikishi in the 1st hour was ABSOLUTELY BRUTAL! That was a waste of my time and I was pissed. The rest of the show was decent at best and it looks to me like Smackdown better gets some more established and over guys quick or that show won't be watched by me anymore! Rey fucking rocked though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest FeArHaVoC Report post Posted July 26, 2002 I find it funny that JR didn't mention the "rumor" of him and Lawler being unhappy about cutting their PPV time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Vern Gagne Report post Posted July 26, 2002 "Who hurt more than Kanyon" It's a shame that Kanyon can't stay healthy.He's never gotten a real chance to do much in the WWE. Hopefully that day will come. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Army Eye Report post Posted July 26, 2002 WTF is going on with Kanyon? That sucks so bad. The guy finally gets his big chance in the #1 promotion and he hasn't caught a break yet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Army Eye Report post Posted July 26, 2002 "Who hurt more than Kanyon" It's a shame that Kanyon can't stay healthy.He's never gotten a real chance to do much in the WWE. Hopefully that day will come. It's weird, he went for years in WCW without any major injury, even when taking bumps off the top of a cage Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Raven_Effect01 Report post Posted July 26, 2002 I would have said that Kanyon's injuries are coming from that tough WWE work schedule, but since when has he been consistently working Raw or Smackdown, and THEN some house shows later on without getting enough time off? I hope Kanyon recovers soon, it really has been rough with him lately. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Just call me Dan Report post Posted July 26, 2002 Yeah in the famous words of JR, this aint ballet. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest bps "The Truth" 21 Report post Posted July 26, 2002 I hope Kane goes to SD! I don't want him taking airtime from the people on Raw. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Ravenbomb Report post Posted July 26, 2002 yeah, they need to get Kanyon back and have him do all kinds of his moves that he did in WCW Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Just call me Dan Report post Posted July 26, 2002 If Kanyon is back soon along with Rhyno and Awesome and Kane all go to Smackdown, the show could really build all of those guys into huge stars, IMO. Add the fact that SD would have angle, Jericho , Lesnar, Edge, Storm, Christian, and Rey and the roster would be stacked and could rival Raw's. Right now though, it looks like they are in a bit of a hole. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
