Ross opens today’s show by discussing the new addition to Bobby Lashley’s presentation on RAW. It appears as if Lio Rush will be Lashley’s hype man or Manager moving forward, and Ross hopes that this combination works because he’s a big fan of Lashley. However, he notes that Lashley is perhaps a better heel than a babyface, and babyfaces rarely need Managers.
Ross notes that John Hennigan (Johnny Morrison) will be a contestant on the upcoming season of Survivor. He congratulates Hennigan on that achievement and wishes him the best of luck. He points out that Hennigan is a newlywed and we should all show him some support.

Ross also congratulates Renee Young on becoming the first full time female member of the WWE commentary team. He points out that Young is a tremendous talent and will only continue to improve over time. Jonathan Coachman will be moving to the Kickoff Shows where he will host, and Ross thinks this was a great move for everyone involved.
A listener writes into the show and asks Ross if he thinks Vince McMahon would consider airing WrestleMania as a 4-hour event on FOX. Ross doesn’t think that would ever happen because McMahon and WWE are trying to build the WWE Network, and WrestleMania is a huge part of that.

Another listener writes into the show and asks Ross if he thinks Kenny Omega will make the jump to WWE. Ross says that Omega could definitely make the jump to WWE, but it would all depend on negotiations between both parties. Some might assume that Omega wouldn’t want to work as many dates as WWE would require, and Omega also likes to have creative control over his lengthy matches. Ross notes that all those things can be addressed in negotiations, but he doesn’t get the feeling that Omega is ready to make that jump at the moment.

Ross is asked to construct a fantasy wrestling card featuring today’s performers and performers of the past. Ross says he’d love to see Steve Austin vs. Bruiser Brody, Kurt Angle vs. Jack Brisco, Undertaker vs. Andre the Giant, Hulk Hogan vs. Braun Strowman, DX vs. The Four Horsemen, Ric Flair vs. Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks vs. Rock N’ Roll Express, and Charlotte vs. Ronda Rousey.
Ross welcomes ProWrestling.net’s Jason Powell to the show.
Ross asks Powell which match he thinks will close Hell in A Cell this Sunday. Powell says he’s leaning towards Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns. Ross agrees, noting that WWE is continuing to build these two talents and it would make sense for this match to close the show.

Powell notes that it was great to see Mick Foley back on RAW this past Monday, but he thought the special guest referee announcement came out of the blue. He almost wishes this announcement came earlier. Ross thinks Foley’s role in the match added an intriguing layer and he notes that Foley looks great physically. However, he hopes that Foley doesn’t do anything to hurt himself.
Powell thinks WWE fans are growing tired of the simplicity in WWE’s main event storylines. He notes that Smackdown has been pretty good, but RAW has taken a turn for the worse lately. He thinks WWE has been telling some good stories on Smackdown, but RAW has been a confusing cluster of varying storylines setting up matches at multiple big shows such as The Super Showdown, Hell in A Cell and Evolution.

Powell and Ross both agree that WWE made the right move by having Renee Young and Jonathan Coachman switch roles. Powell points out that a big part of Corey Graves’ presentation is the way he creates conflict with other commentators, and he wonders if that’ll continue with Young at the booth. Ross notes that when a man is talking to a woman on television he needs to be very careful as to not sound threatening, so in that sense it certainly could affect Graves’ performance. However, Ross thinks Graves can still be compelling and entertaining.
Powell notes that FOX might have something to say about who works at the commentary booth when their Billion dollar contract kicks in. He also notes that they may influence the production and look of Smackdown. Ross agrees, noting that the Smackdown set could very well change for instance.

Powell asks Ross if he thinks Vince McMahon is aware of what Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks are doing right now. Ross doesn’t think it’s a huge blip on McMahon’s radar, but he certainly believes that McMahon is aware of what these guys are doing. Cody Rhodes will always be a member of the WWE family and The Young Bucks are arguably the best tag team in the world, so there’s no doubt that they have McMahon’s attention.

Ross and Powell discuss which women’s match at Hell in A Cell should be positioned later on the card. Powell thinks the Ronda Rousey/Alexa Bliss match will be featured later just because of Rousey’s star power. Ross agrees, noting that although Charlotte and Becky Lynch will certainly have a great match, Rousey is being paid the most money and will probably be positioned later on the card.
That sums up this week’s episode of The Jim Ross Report. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!