Ross opens today’s show by congratulating Abyss on his induction into the Impact Wrestling Hall of Fame. Ross notes that he’s always been a big fan of Abyss, and he thought Abyss would have been a great opponent for The Undertaker. Abyss is so athletic and good that he would have been able to have a great feud with Undertaker, but unfortunately it never happened.
Ross thought the highlight of RAW this week was the interaction between Ronda Rousey and Nikki Bella. He’s not a fan of the memorized dialogue, but he thought Rousey and Bella did a great job with their lines. He thought this interaction did a lot to help the build towards their match at Evolution.
Ross says he’s really looking forward to the tag team match between Lita/Trish & Mickie/Alexa. He notes that Alexa is red hot right now and Mickie James is a reliable veteran who seemingly continues to redefine herself. He says he’d open the show with this match, and he’d close the show with the Smackdown Women’s Title match between Charlotte & Becky Lynch.
Ross is happy to see that WWE appears to be backing Drew McIntyre heavily at the moment. Ross thinks McIntyre is a great talent, and suspects McIntyre will win either the Universal or WWE Title at WrestleMania this year. Ross also likes the turmoil in The Shield right now but he wonders whether Ambrose will actually turn heel, adding that perhaps Seth Rollins will be the one who turns.
Ross thinks Braun Strowman is an attraction and is on television too much. He thinks Strowman should be kept special and limiting his television time would help in that matter. He also thinks Bobby Lashley is going to be a much better heel than he was a babyface.
He notes that it was great to see Rey Mysterio return on Smackdown this past week. Mysterio had a good, solid match with Nakamura and Ross is excited to see what WWE has in store for Mysterio in the future.
Just like last week, nothing topped the Becky Lynch/Charlotte storyline on Smackdown Live. He notes that this is such a great rivalry right now, similar to Dusty Rhodes vs. Ric Flair in the sense that fans don’t want it to end, and we should appreciate just how special it is.
Ross comments on the ongoing news surrounding Saudi Arabia and the Crown Jewel event, saying that if he were WWE he’d move very cautiously right now. This is a hot button topic, and they need to be very careful. The one thing that needs to be guaranteed is the health and safety of all the employees and performers that are travelling there, and if that can be guaranteed he thinks WWE should go.
He doesn’t think any talent should have to go if they don’t want to, and he doesn’t think WWE will make them. However, he doesn’t want to be the guy who criticizes talents for making money. He notes that he was paid handsomely for his last trip to Saudi Arabia – probably more than he would have paid himself admittedly – and he thinks it’s important for wrestlers to make money when they can.
Ross says he’s not a fan of commentators using the same generic lines over and over again. He notes that he used to have adjective sheets, and sheets with synonyms for a lot of words that might come up regularly in conversation. He notes that sometimes commentators get comfortable and complacent and that’s never good.
Ross shares his thoughts on Shawn Michaels coming out of retirement. He thinks it’s great for Michaels, and Ross isn’t worried about ring rust at all. He recalls Michaels being off for four years during the attitude era, and Ross urged him to return because he couldn’t let his career end like that. For the sake of his legacy alone, Ross pleaded that Michaels should return. Michaels came back and was great again right from night number one.
Ross welcomes Matt Hardy to the show.
Ross asks Hardy if there’s any resentment in the locker room towards veterans returning on a part time schedule and taking main event positions. Hardy says that everyone needs to look at it like a business, and most people in the locker room recognize that. He notes that if the young guys are smart they’ll learn from these veterans when they return on a part time basis.
Hardy adds that the legends need to be used in the right way when they return in order to maximize their value. He points out that Triple H has been very giving in the way he’s been booked the last couple WrestleManias. He’s allowing young talents to shine and is helping them move up the ladder.
Hardy says he loved working with guys like The Undertaker and Eddie Guerrero. He says that Guerrero was unreal in the ring, and could read the crowd like no other. Guerrero was able put a different spin on a match every single night, and he learned so much from him.
Ross asks Hardy how long he thinks his brother, Jeff will continue wrestling. Hardy mentions that Jeff was gifted with an amazing ability to stay healthy, and he has somewhat of an indestructible body. He suspects Jeff will wrestle another couple of years before hanging up his boots.
Woken Matt Hardy makes a brief appearance to promote the upcoming House Hardy Halloween Special that will air in the coming weeks on the WWE Network. He notes that this special will be quite entertaining, and will focus around a “dark force” that attacked the Hardy compound.
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!
