The Jim Ross Report
Release Date: August 29nd, 2018
Recap by: Joe Aguinaldo
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0:00 – Intro (Podcast actually starts at 1:33)
Welcome back to another week of Slobberknocker audio with J.R. Ric Flair was on J.R.’s podcast before Summerslam however, they spoke so long, J.R. got two podcasts out of it. The second part of their discussion will be coming up. Additionally, Dan Murphy will be on the show to reveal this year’s PWI 500 and will have the winner of the number one spot on the podcast too.
3:29 – What’s On J.R.’s Mind
J.R. and his writer Paul O’Brien signed a deal to work on the sequel to Slobberknocker. The goal is to release the book by the holidays of 2019. The book will have some heavy topics such as his wife and his parents passing and Bell’s Palsy. They plan to balance that out with some lighter stuff.
J.R, was saddened to hear the passing of Ed Cohen who was a long time executive with the WWWF to the WWF to the WWE. He worked with arena managers and did business with the biggest venues in the world. Cohen had a hand in making the WWE the success it is today and went from booking a regional territory (the North East) to an international territory. Ed was a good man who J.R. loved working with and will be missed.
Impact Wrestling will be producing TV shows in Mexico City on September 11th and 14th. On Saturday, J.R was on Don Callis’ podcast (Killing The Town) talking about announcing philosophies.
J.R. was reading the PWInsider website and saw that Neville was no longer under contract with the WWE. He doesn’t know what the issue is but loves Neville’s work and thought Neville would be the centerpiece of the cruiserweights. J.R. says when someone leaves a company it’s usually because of either cash or creative. J.R. thinks in this case it’s a creative issue. Neville is a hell of a hand and whoever gets him will get a player.
Ronda Rousey is looking to renew her current WWE deal and thinks it’s because she is having fun. He also thinks this is a sign she may postpone starting a family and disagrees with people who say Ronda hasn’t paid her dues.
WWE announced Toronto will host Summerslam 2019 which will include NXT Takeover, Summerslam, RAW and Smackdown. J.R. also reiterates he thinks Smackdown should be a live show when they switch over to the Fox network especially given the amount Fox paid for the WWE rights.
Everyone is talking about All In at Chicago. J.R. plans on flying to Chicago after watching the Oklahoma University football season opener. It’s a great card and should be a great event. J.R. is proud of Cody and the Young Bucks and says they will make sure the future of the business is in good shape. You can watch the event on the FITE app if you’re unable to be at the event. WGN will be showing an hour of all in starting at 6:00 pm ET/5:00 pm CT. J.R. will be appearing at Starrcast on Sunday.
The MLW Wargames event is getting closer and closer. The ten man Wargames match should be a lot of fun. To grab tickets go to www.mlwgo.com. The two teams are John Hennigan, Tommy Dreamer, Shane Strickland, Koto Brazil and Barrington Hughes vs Sami Callaghan, Jimmy Havoc, The Death Machines and Abyss.
Thoughts on RAW:
- J.R. loved the Seth Rollins/Kevin Owens match. If J.R. was running a territory, he would want Kevin Owens on his talent roster.
- J.R. liked the Trish Stratus/Elias segment.
- J.R. assumes Braun Strowman is supposed to be a villain but he’s not really sure. He likes the idea of Strowman vs Reigns at Hell In A Cell but the villain thing didn’t move J.R.’s needle.
- J.R. can see the Shield being positioned in a way to help the company (i.e. be good guys and sell merch). Braun as a villain will be unique. J.R. also says he’ll be shocked if Drew McIntyre is not the WWE or Universal Champion within a year.
- Finn Balor needs to be restarted. He should be the head of a faction as an angry, undersized guy who thinks he’s 300 lbs. Balor is too good to be booked the way he’s currently being booked. J.R is done with the Baron Corbin storyline.
31:18 – PWI’s Dan Murphy
J.R. thanks Dan for being on the podcast. The PWI 500 will be released digitally on August 29th at www.pwi-online.com. The print magazine will be available about 2 weeks later. This is the traditionally the biggest PWI issue of the year.
J.R. calls Kenny Omega (yes…that Kenny Omega)….and Dan congratulates Kenny for being the Number One wrestler in the PWI 500 for 2018.
Ken thanks Dan and says he wasn’t expecting to hear this but is happy and honored. Dan says Kenny’s first appearance was in 2008 at position 422. Last year Kenny was #5 and this year, the IWGP title win put Kenny over the top. Beyond that, Kenny has been a buzzworthy figure as the cornerstone with NJPW having done it on his own. The PWI editors agree that nobody quite has the pulse of the wrestling industry quite like Kenny Omega does.
Kenny accepts the honor and hopes whatever photos are used for the article are half decent. J.R. got a sneak peak of the cover and says Kenny will love it.
J.R. congratulates Kenny and they sign off.
J.R. says no one is more deserving to be ranked #1 than Kenny Omega. Kenny starting at 422 and finally being number 1 is an example of living the dream and not ever giving up. The rest of the top 10 are:
2) A.J. Styles – terrific year as WWE Champion and one of their workhorses. Was the early selection for number one until Kenny won the IWGP Title
3) Kazuchika Okada – first Japanese wrestlers to get the number one spot last year. Loss to Omega bumped him down.
4) Brock Lesnar – one of the other editors felt Brock should be number one. While hs is not as active as the other when he is in the ring he’s dominant
5 through 10 (in order) – Seth Rollins, Braun Strowman, Roman Reigns, Cody, Tetsuya Naito and The Miz.
J.R. says lists like this are meant to be debated and are great for discussions. J.R. agrees with Omega at one and can’t argue A.J. at number 2. J.R. thanks Dan for being on the show and they sign off.
40:59 – Slobberknocker Of The Week
Candidates Include:
- Margeau Martin (Maryse’ mom on Miz and Mrs). She may be the star of the show and scares J.R.
- Becky Lynch did some great things this week. J.R. doesn’t know if she’s fish or foul and doesn’t know why he should dislike her. It’s hard for him to get mad at Becky for jumping Charlotte especially given their size disparity.
- Robin Leach who recently passed away. He was the host of the show ‘Lifestyles of The Rich And Famous’. He wishes Robin’s friends and family heartfelt condolences
- Manu Ginobili who is retiring from the San Antonio Spurs
- Conrad Thompson for spearheading the Starrcast event
This week’s winner is Senator John McCain who is a legit American hero. He was in a prisoner in a Vietnam concentration camp for 5 and a half years. He was a great American and any heros who affect your life should always be respected and revered.
49:55 – Pet Coon Goofy Award
Candidates Include:
- Tom Brady – His personal trainer Alex Guerrero has caused tension with Bill Belichick and the team medical staff. He’s been banned from official team gatherings. When Tom was asked about it during an interview, he hung up on the interviewer.
- The situation with the Ohio State coaching staff. Urban Meyer lied during Big 10 media days and dropped the ball on the disciplinary issue with one of his coaches. It seems that revenues trump honesty and ethics in Columbus, Ohio.
This week’s winner, the organizers of the video game contest in Jacksonville where a mass shooting took place. If you’re going to have an event like that and don’t have a police presence, you’re fooling yourself because that’s the world we live in.
57:22 – This Week In Wrestling
46 years ago – September 1st, 1972 – Chicago, Soldier Field – Dusty Rhodes defeated Wahoo McDaniels, Verne Gagne defended the AWA title against Ivan Koloff, Dick The Bruiser and the Crusher beat the Blackjacks in a cage match.
46 years ago – September 2nd, 1972 – MSG – Pedro Morales defended the WWWF title against the Big Cat Ernie Ladd.
26 years ago – Summerslam – August 29th, 1992 – Wembley Stadium – Davey Boy Smith defeated Bret Hart to win the Intercontinental Title.
26 years ago – September 2nd 1992 – 20th Anniversary Clash of Champions – Bill Watts convinced Andre The Giant to be part of the festivities. Andre was in bad shape and in a lot of pain that day but he was there and showed his respect. Ron Simmons defended the WCW title against Cactus Jack.
25 years ago – Summerslam – August 30th, 1993 – Lex Luger beat Yokozuna via count out.
19 years ago – The Rock N Sock connection defeated the Big Show and The Undertaker to win the WWE Tag Titles.
Birthdays:
Mike Weber who ‘babysat’ talent during interviews in the WCW days, Mickie James (39), Jeff Hardy (41), Sami Callihan (31), Tracy Smothers (56), Sam Snuka (47), the late Bam Bam Bigelow would have been 57, the late Rocco Rock would have been 65, Karma (41) and Jerry Jarrett (76)
1:14:05 – Mailbag
Send questions, feedback and suggestions to thejimrossreport@gmail.com
Q: There seems to be a lack of storylines in women’s wrestling and many talent are sitting on the sidelines or going through the motions. Maybe a tag title or three person tag title would give more women meaningful storylines?
A: J.R. says this is a good point and thinks the exposure the women are getting tantalizes fans and they want to see more stories. He thinks the Becky/Charlotte business has been well played and thinks Asuka is a big money player even though she’s on the sidelines right now. That said, he doesn’t think the women are underbooked but rather the WWE is taking their time building stars.
Q: Even though J.R. is well traveled, what made J.R. love Oklahoma enough to stay there?
A: J.R. says it’s family. His family has had roots in Oklahoma since the early 1900s.
Q: Does J.R. think Carlos Colon was part of Bruiser Brody’s death or not?
A: J.R. hasn’t heard that story so he says he doesn’t think so. He does think it was a travesty and that there were politics and politicians involved.
Q: Should WWE institute a mid-year superstar shakeup?
A: Only if they made bad decisions across the board. It’s a bad indictment of your planing if you have to blow it up every six months. J.R. understands keeping it fresh but that’s what smart writing should do.
Q: Was there ever any plans to show WWE documentaries on cable TV like ESPN?
A: J.R. doesn’t know but knows all original WWE programming will be on the WWE network.
Q: What are J.R.’s thoughts on the upcoming college and NFL seasons?
A: J.R. says there are a lot of good teams and lists Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Oklahoma as some of the top teams. In his view, the National Championship is going to go through Bama or Clemson. J.R. will always cheer for the Pittsburgh Steelers because his wife Jan was a huge fan, otherwise, J.R. cheers for teams that have Sooner representation. That said, it’s too early to think about the Super Bowl just yet.
1:21:53 – Ric Flair, part 2
J.R. welcomes Ric back to the podcast.
J.R. brings up the All In event and gives credit to Conrad Thompson for his work on Starrcast. He says may be the best marketer affiliated with the wrestling business that J.R. has seen.
In Ric’s estimation, Conrad has transcended the podcast business. Ric thinks Conrad is a genius and should take podcast conventions to every major event like Summerslam and Wrestlemania.
Ric and J.R. talk a little college football and how J.R. will be watching the OU football game on September 1st. The new coach has welcomed J.R. into the OU football family. They also talk about the recent QBs who have been drafted to the NFL such as Baker Mayfield who Ric is a fan of.
Q: Will Ric be a part of All-In in any way?
A: Unfortunately no as Ric will be at a comic-con from Thursday to Monday. Conrad did ask if Flair could attend but ultimately no.
J.R. recently called the three Omega/Okada matches and talks about the ‘89 Flair/Steamboat match in Chicago and the booker told J.R. what was going to happen although he didn’t want to know. He had also never seen anyone submit to a double chicken wing (the ‘89 Clash of Champions match) which J.R. thought was awesome. Ric said they wanted to try something new on that finish.
Ric brings up guys wanting to use other guys finishing moves and how it was stricter in the past than it is now. J.R. says it’s different psychologies these days and a guy like Bill Watts would have jumped through the TV if he had seen stuff like that in his territory.
Ric asks about Bill Watts who is living in Florida. His son Erik lives in Atlanta Georgia.
Q: Was Ric surprised that ROH and NJPW got an MSG date on the Saturday of Wrestlemania?
A: Ric completely segues and says the good thing about the situation is that Harley Race will be in St. Louis and won’t be pulling a gun on anyone. He brings up a story of Harley Race doing that to Hogan in Kansas City when the NWA and the WWE were in the city at the same time.
Ric apologizes for giving J.R. sh*t about Jim’s comments regarding Ric on the 30/30 show. He also said Jim shouldn’t feel bad because Ric told off everybody. Ric says when you open your life up to something like that there will be negative feedback. He’s learned that it’s hard to hear the truth.
Ric brings up that he hated time off and loved being on the road. They talk about partying together at the Excelsior in Tulsa or the Holiday Inn in Little Rock. Ric brings up a story of wrestling in Lincoln, Nebraska. The crew was going back to Kansas City but Ric didn’t feel like driving through a snowstorm and stayed at a Hilton Hotel. Ric made a bet with a bartender (who was a beautiful woman), and said if she lost, she would have to come to Starrcade that year.
J.R. says when Ric is feeling better, he should go to Oklahoma to hang out with J.R. at an OU game.
J.R. brings up a story about meeting Adrian Peterson.
Flair brings up meeting the Heisman Trophy winner from OU (Steve Owens) and how Ric had to carry him out of the bar after a night of drinking.
Ric brings up that he was there the night J.R. met his wife Jan. She was a flight attendant on their flight. J.R. says he’s happy that Ric has found Wendy and has a good home life. Ric loves that she has her own money.
J.R. is glad that Ric is feeling better and Ric says thanks for having him on the show and they sign off.
1:47:09 – Show Wrap
J.R. says Natich is feeling better and thank God for that. He’s back in the gym and is on the road to where he wants to be. J.R. and Ric have been friends for decades and J.R. hopes you can hear that on the podcasts.
J.R. goes over some of his five star reviews, talks about the Starrcast event (check it out on the FITE app), re-iterates that he and Paul O’Brien have started on the second book, thanks Ric Flair for being on the show, congratulates Kenny Omega for being number one on the PWI 500 and that’s a wrap.
Rating – 7/10
This podcast wasn’t as strong as the last two. Many of the things he discussed on the ‘what’s on my mind’ segment were things he’s repeated in the last few podcasts so there wasn’t anything too new. Also, the Flair interview was OK but they did talk a lot about college football which I wasn’t too interested in. They also jumped around from topic to topic so honestly, this was hard to recap…I don’t know if I did it justice. But, you can definitely hear the decades of friendship when they talk which is always cool to hear.
Timestamps
0:00 – Intro
3:29 – What’s On J.R.’s Mind
31:18 – Dan Murphy
40:59 – Slobberknocker Of The Week
49:55 – Pet Coon Goofy Award
1:14:05 – Mailbag
1:21:53 – Ric Flair Part 2
1:47:09 – Show Wrap
About Joe:
Joe is a long time wrestling fan from Toronto. One of his life goals is to be a guest host on one of Wade Keller’s post show podcasts but until that happens, he’ll keep writing for PW Podcasts. He doesn’t consider himself any sort of expert, mark, smark or IWC type. He just likes wrestling. Check him out on twitter and instagram @ja113.
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