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Ross Report for July 14, 2000
Fully Loaded next Sunday in Dallas is beginning to shape up very well. The Rock meets Chris Benoit for the World Wrestling Federation Title, the Undertaker will attempt to maul Kurt Angle and Triple H and Chris Jericho continue their red-hot rivalry from the sold-out Reunion Arena. All three of these main events have the potential to be outstanding. Several other potential match-ups are being considered for this Pay-Per-View event and will, no doubt, be announced this Monday night on RAW. I expect this week's RAW to be a strong effort by all involved as we head home to Fully Loaded.
An interesting fact about the three main events at Fully Loaded is that it marks the first time that Benoit, Angle and Jericho have been in this high profile of a contest at a WWF Pay-Per-View. I expect all three of these men to come to Texas ready to go and to deliver the goods. All three are ready for the next level and are being provided the opportunity to shine.
Steve Blackman seems to be a perfect fit in the hardcore division. Blackman and Crash had an excellent hardcore match Thursday on SmackDown!
Amazing response to Rikishi in Oakland, Calif., on SmackDown! The Bay Area has always supported Samoan performers, especially the High Chief Peter Maivia, The Rock's grandfather. Rikishi's uncles, Afa and Sika the Wild Samoans, at one time raised hell in San Francisco's Cow Palace as fans! Afa and Sika would get caught up in the action and get just a little carried away when folks like Ray Stevens and Pat Patterson where doing their thing in the ring.
Chyna has been in Southern California this week shooting her Playboy pictorial for the November issue of the publication.
Mick Foley's promotional tour of Southeast Asia is going great and the WWF could have no better representative. Mick will be back on RAW this week, which should make for some interesting television. I've read excerpts of Mick's Christmas book, illustrated by Jerry "The King" Lawler, and it is absolutely wonderful. Wait until you see it!
Rick Bassman's group in Southern California is doing some great things and seems destined to develop many future WWF Superstars. Six of these youngsters have signed with the WWF in the past couple of weeks.
Sources say Gangrel and Tom Howard looked great together as a tag team Wednesday night at a Bassman event in Southern California.
Val Venis has a new haircut, the Intercontinental Title and an excellent future in the WWF. Here's another young man being provided with an opportunity to move up the ladder.
Tazz is doing very well with his current persona based on fan reactions I've witnessed. Time will tell how far this Brooklyn native will go in the WWF but it will not be because of a lack of effort or intensity.
I loved the DX-Hardy Boyz tag match on SmackDown! and would like to see a long-term series of contests between these two teams. I still believe, however, that the Road Dogg and X-Pac both can be big-time singles competitors if they choose to go that route.
Steve Regal continues to turn heads in the Memphis area and will probably be on the WWF roster by the end of summer, if not before. If Regal stays healthy, he's destined for great things in the not-too-distant future.
Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Rikishi and The Kat will be doing cover shoots for TV Guide next week.
Tori will have shoulder surgery next week in Birmingham, Ala., with Dr. James Andrews. Dr. Andrews is set to repair the damage done to Tori's right shoulder on Thursday and she will then begin a grueling rehabilitation schedule in the Stamford, Conn., area. Tori is expected back two to three months after the surgery. Expect to see her on television before that.
Dr. Andrews examined Shane McMahon's knee and diagnosed it as a bone bruise. No surgery.
Lots of new material to be posted on WWFDivas.com soon. I understand there are some really hot photos for your downloading enjoyment. Terri will be doing a photo shoot next Wednesday in and around WWF New York for this project.
The Big Show is ready to return to action and seems to be in better condition than in the past, especially his wheels. This young giant has all the physical tools one could ever want in a sports entertainer. Once the light bulb goes off in his head about the mental part of the game, Show could be absolutely extraordinary.
Stone Cold Steve Austin has stepped up his workouts and is looking and feeling great. The Rattlesnake's next physical exam with his neurosurgeon is about a month away.
I like the potential of the D'Lo/Chaz combination and look forward to seeing how they approach this opportunity. Both young men are intelligent and focused and in great physical condition. These two can be a top-level team, from where I sit.
When has there ever been more outstanding tag teams in one company then we have here in the WWF? Edge and Christian are really becoming an outstanding combination and should continue to get even better. I love their chemistry and promos. The Hardys are amazing, Too Cool is a very entertaining duo, the Dudley Boyz are rapidly becoming huge fan favorites, T&A has shown marked improvement over the past two weeks, and the Acolytes are so physically dominate that fans truly respect their in-ring abilities. Who will continue to improve the most, therefore getting more high-profile bookings? And what single stars will spin out of these teams? And, no I didn't forget DX, who are in a class by themselves.
Dean Malenko is a true "professor" in the ring and I, for one, would love to see more light heavyweight competition on our TV broadcasts. Again, some feel being a light heavyweight is a putdown but I certainly do not. Fans love action, athleticism, and competition and talented performers in this weight category provide all that and more, especially if they are given an opportunity to talk on the tube.
Crash is having trouble with cauliflower ears. The draining process ain't pretty.
I like the Lita-Trish involvement even though they will never be mistaken for a Brisco-Funk (dated reference) or Rock-HHH mat classic. Both these young women have lots of potential and truly want to be players. Again, I like their chemistry. (Can't wait until "The King" reads this, with his somewhat perverse mind.)
The WWF is thinking of assigning Thrasher and as-yet-unseen Scott Vick to Memphis so they can work regularly, do promos and hopefully speed up the process of making the WWF roster.
Hardcore Holly will get another cast on his broken arm next Wednesday, this one "only" up to the elbow. The present cast is all the way up to Bob's shoulder. I have absolutely no concerns about this man's healthy return to the ring, probably ahead of schedule, because no one trains harder or is tougher than Hardcore.
Ron Waterman is an intriguing prospect currently training in Louisville's Ohio Valley Wrestling territory. Ron has a master's degree, is in his early 30s, was a college wrestling standout, a high school wrestling coach and art teacher. Not to mention an 8-1 mixed martial arts record. Family man with two young sons. And he looks like a million bucks at 6-foot-2 and 260 pounds. File his name away.
Brock Lesnar will start training in OVW in August.
Billy Gunn is now due back toward the end of September. Maybe in time for Sept. 24's Unforgiven PPV.
We are working lots of overtime on the cookbook project, due out in October or November. Just in time for the holidays. I share numerous anecdotes of personal experiences with many of our superstars along with a few J.R. stories. Of course, there are lots of excellent recipes for folks to try ... it is a cookbook.
I'll be spending ample time in the kitchen this weekend (stop laughing) making BBQ sauce. We are coming down to the wire, believe it or not, and will be finalizing various versions of the sauce in the next few days. Too bad there's not a football game on TV because BBQ goes good with pigskin. (Keep those BBQ signs coming!)
It will be interesting to see how vocal our RAW crowd is Monday in Albany, N.Y. Southern crowds seem to be louder longer, but Northern crowds seem to pick their spots more. I guess it depends on what they are seeing though doesn't it?
Stay healthy and I'll see you here again next week. Thanks!
J.R.
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