WWF Ross Report: Triple H, HBK, Rock, Austin
Random thoughts from under the black Resistol hat. Another big week, with the Survivor Series days away, the BBQ project about to be finalized, the official WWF cookbook -- "Can You Take The Heat?" -- selling very well, another huge weekend for my Oklahoma Sooners and some random thoughts about the superstars of the WWF.
Triple H had two gut-wrenching days at TV this past week due to severe pain in his back. Originally, it was thought that the pain stemmed from his S.I. joint; however, after going to a back specialist in Dallas, Triple H found out that his S.I. joint was only one of his problems. He also has a tear in the membrane that surrounds the disc in his back, and the tear and the aggravation from the treatment of the S.I. joint has caused him to endure a lot more pain. The Game had an MRI on Friday, and we'll have the results of the test on Monday. The doctor in Dallas recommended that Triple H stay flat on his back for a few days, so it is not yet known if he will be at this week's TV, but he will be involved with the broadcasts in one form or another. One thing I can say is that if I had to pick an MVP of the Federation for the year 2000, without a doubt, it would be Triple H for his contributions. What he has done this past week at two very important days of TV for RAW and SmackDown! will not go unnoticed. He is a consummate professional, and I wish we had more people like him.
His work ethic and integrity make him a wonderful student of the game, and I commend him for working through excruciating back pain, when an average human being would most likely have been in a hospital bed.
The Rock, who is in great shape and spirits, will take on Rikishi at Survivor Series. He is also actively preparing for his huge movie role next year in "The Scorpion King."
Stone Cold Steve Austin, by his own admission, "feels like a million bucks." He is still not at 100 percent, and he is still working on regaining his timing and sharpness, but I would say that by the Survivor Series, when he takes on Triple H, the Rattlesnake will be very close to being at the top of his game. More realistically, at least by Armageddon in December, Austin should be at 100 percent. Physically, he is feeling great, as he has had no pain or issues whatsoever.
The Undertaker had a great week at TV. His torn groin is absolutely healed, and since having his gall bladder removed, he has been feeling great. He is hovering around the 320 pounds mark now, but I would say he'll be getting down to about 300 pounds as we move forward. He's looking forward to making a huge impact in 2001.
Look for the Road Dogg and the competitor formerly known as K-Krush, who will now be known as K-Kwick, to be seen on Sunday Night HEAT this week. We expect great things from these two, both in the ring and musically. Road Dogg has been having some problems with his shoulder. He had one shoulder surgically repaired when he was in the Marines. The other shoulder has some strained tendons and ligaments from activity last week, but he’s not expected to miss any television time.
X-Pac has missed some action due to problems with his neck. He is also recuperating from a cold. He is undergoing physical therapy, and he’ll be continuing his treatment throughout this coming week. It like he will be able to return to the ring at some point in early December, which means he will not be able to be a part of next Sunday’s Survivor Series.
Rikishi broke the cartilage in his nose last weekend. He’s had trouble breathing, but he’s still hanging in there and competing. He will not miss any significant time.
Billy Gunn is having some pain in his repaired shoulder. Doctors have said the pain is attributed to the unique movements that happen in the ring, which can’t be replicated in therapy sessions. Billy also will not miss any television time.
Bob Holly will return to action this weekend. He’ll be wrestling in Cincinnati on Saturday and Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday. We’ll see Bob return to TV on RAW from Columbus, Ohio. Bob, of course, broke his arm in a match against Kurt Angle several months ago, and he is really looking forward to returning.
Christian has been fighting some shoulder issues. He’s had some numbness in his arm, but that has gone away. Doctors feel that a stinger was the root of his problem.
William Regal has had some lower back pain. He’s being treated by our trainer, and he will be on the road this week.
Tori, along with Terri and Trish, has been in Jamaica this week taking part in the latest WWF Diva photo shoot. Tori is continuing her rehab exercises while in the Caribbean, and it looks like she will be returning somewhere around December’s Armageddon Pay-Per-View.
Bradshaw has been suffering from some broken ribs, and he’s pretty frustrated because of his physical limitations. He will most likely not be available for Sunday’s Survivor Series.
Faarooq had knee surgery last week and has since begun rehabilitation. He has some fluid on the knee because of the extensive scoping that was done. He will also probably be back around Armageddon.
At the weekly weigh-ins for the Big Show and Mark Henry, Big Show weighed in at 441 pounds, down 39 pounds from his initial weigh-in at Ohio Valley Wrestling. Mark Henry is down to 336 pounds. He started at 415 pounds, so that makes his weight loss a whopping 79 pounds! I’m very proud of both of these guys. They have very positive attitudes, and have worked very hard since they have been sent to OVW. It’s quite a culture shock to go from a WrestleMania-type environment to good old Ohio Valley Wrestling, but Big Show and Mark Henry are making the most of their opportunity, and I’m happy to say that they have greatly improved their chances to returning to the main stage.
With the Survivor Series just a week away, we know that Stone Cold will be facing Triple H, The Rock battles Rikishi, and Taker faces Kurt Angle for the WWF Title. From what I hear, Chris Jericho will probably go one-on-one with Kane. I expect Ivory to hopefully defend the Women’s Title against Lita, as it seems that would only be fair. Rumors are also saying that we will most likely see Molly Holly -- Crash’s cousin -- involved next Sunday as well, possibly in a six-person match against Trish Stratus and T&A. I would expect that there will be at least a couple traditional eight-man elimination tag formats at Sunday’s Survivor Series.
This Thursday, Commissioner Mick Foley will be a guest on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien.” He will be promoting “Christmas Chaos,” his book that was illustrated by Jerry “The King”Lawler. It’s a great book, and I think you’ll love it. You can purchase it right now in the WWF ShopZone.
Speaking of books, the official WWF cookbook – “Can You Take The Heat?” – is ranked No. 6 on the New York Times’ chart for books of its type. The WWF Superstars have done a great job putting this book together. I’ll be doing a book signing in Columbus, Ohio, this Monday from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Waldenbooks, located at 193 Columbus City Center Drive. I’ll also have a book signing this Tuesday in Indianapolis from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Borders Books & Music, located at 8675 River Crossing Blvd.
Another big weekend for the WWF, as we’ll be in Cincinnati on Saturday, and Dayton, Ohio, and Huntington, West Virginia, on Sunday. WrestleMania tickets also go on sale this weekend, and it will be interesting to see how we do getting out of the block. 66,000 tickets are available for WrestleMania, which takes place at the Reliant Astrodome on April 1, 2001. Already, fans from 38 states and 10 foreign countries have put orders in for tickets. This past Wednesday, we were in Houston for a WrestleMania press conference, but it was more of a pep rally-type atmosphere than a press conference.
Houston is going to be a great host city for WrestleMania, and with 66,000 seats available, fans that thought they would never have a chance to see the annual event can now take part in the spectacle. Tickets start at $20, and old school Houston Oilers fans know that there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
Just this week, we finalized JR’s BBQ sauce. We did the final tasting from the private bottler this week, and it came out great – exactly like my wife cooked it in our kitchen. It’s made from our recipe, and the bottling company in Omaha, Nebraska, did a great job. We should have some more information right here on WWF.com next week concerning how you can buy the BBQ sauce. There will be some distributors involved as well, and we hope to be in grocery stores early next year, but until then, keep checking WWF.com and WWF New York. I’m really proud of this – almost like an expecting father. I’ve talked about it so much that I’m almost embarrassed to mention it again, but as the shameless marketer that I am, I think that if you try it, you’ll like it. It’s been a real labor of love for my wife and I, and I’m very proud with what we’ve come up with.
The Big Boss Man returns to the road this Sunday in Dayton, Ohio. Boss Man is returning from a knee injury that required some arthroscopic surgery.
Shawn Michaels has some personal appearances via the WWF this weekend in the New York City area. Also, next Saturday, HBK will be signing autographs beginning at 10 a.m. at the Frank Erwin Center Box Office in Austin, Texas. Tickets go on sale that day for a special RAW IS WAR taping on Friday, Dec. 29. Everywhere I go, fans ask me if I think Shawn Michaels will return to the ring, and I say the same thing every time – I hope so. I’d love to see him again in a big match environment, and I’d love him to have the send-off that he truly deserves. There would certainly be no better place for that than in his own home state of Texas for WrestleMania. It all depends on how healthy his back is and how he would hold up physically, but if it wasn’t going to jeopardize his future, there is nothing I would like to see more than to see him in a big match atmosphere at least one more time.
Television ratings for RAW and SmackDown! were very strong this week again. We had over a 5.0 rating for RAW on TNN, and SmackDown! was over a 6.2. Both shows were strong shows, thanks to the great fans. The fans of Columbus and Indianapolis this week have a huge challenge in front of them if they want to try and top the crowds last week in Texas.
We are definitely building some significant momentum going into next Sunday’s Survivor Series. We have some real unique one-on-one match-ups that, quite frankly, I like. The fact that the Survivor Series may only have a couple of the traditional eight-man elimination tag matches doesn’t really hurt my feelings. They’ll be good, but I think the one-on-one match-ups that we have are the ways we need to go right now. The event in Tampa should be a very spirited and emotional show. Hopefully, if we get a break, Triple H will be 100 percent by then. We are doing all we can, and, as you know, the Game is doing all he can to be there, and whether he is 100 percent or not come Sunday, he will, as always, give more than 100 percent. More often than not, the individuals in this locker room always give their all in front of the thousands of paying customers.
Great things are happening at Ohio Valley Wrestling. Sheldon Benjamin looks like a can’t-miss prospect. Brock Lesnar is getting an MRI on his knee, but nothing serious is expected to come out of that. Sylvester Terkay has had arthroscopic surgery and is on his way to full recovery. We have some outstanding prospects there, and some great human beings. I feel very good about the future of the WWF, and these young men will continue to bring character and integrity to the locker room so the recipients of these traits – the fans -- will be getting what they pay for.
It’s imperative that the fans come first, and they always are in the WWF.
I hope you have a great week. Thanks for joining me here again on WWF.com. I’ll see fans at the WWF cookbook signings this Monday and Tuesday in Columbus and Indianapolis. This week’s TVs are the last programs before next Sunday’s Survivor Series Pay-Per-View live from the Ice Palace in Tampa, Florida. These ‘go-home’ TVs, as we call them, should be red hot, and I hope that they live up to our anticipation, and, knowing our staff and locker room, they will.
Have a great weekend and stay safe. Please pull for my Oklahoma Sooners, unless you are a Texas Aggie fan. As you are watching football this Saturday, you know exactly where you can find good ol’ JR. I’ll have my big Oklahoma rear-end parked in my chair, with a little BBQ sauce and a cold beverage near by – probably non-alcoholic – watching my Oklahoma Sooners defend their No. 1 ranking against a very dangerous Texas A&M team. Thanks, and I’ll talk to you next Friday.
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