Jim Ross New Blog

Steve Austin is very excited about hosting the new season of Tough Enough. It will be interesting to see how much star power and expertise is put in place when the training staff is announced. My instincts say that Austin will have a strong team to help him with the trainees. This will be a great opportunity for Stone Cold to be Stone Cold and to re-engage his many fans on a weekly TV series of which I have great expectations for and will be watching and DVR'ing every week. I do not know the status of Tough Enough airing outside the USA for those that are asking.




Talked to Jesse White, Big Van Vader's son, recently and he is working hard to earn a look from WWE sometime in the future. Jesse is around 6'1" or so and around 240 pounds and was an outstanding high school football player who has a degree from Oklahoma University. Making it today in the wrestling biz isn't easy and I hope that Jesse is able to facilitate his dream of having a successful career in the squared circle if that's what he truly wants to do.



Recruiting college educated, athletic, charismatic young people to try their hand at sports entertainment is the best route to take in my opinion. Some will make it and most won't but by recruiting these types of individuals one increases their chances of success.



Best wishes go out to former wrestling manager Sir Oliver Humperdink who is apparently battling kidney cancer. Hump was a great mouthpiece in the 70's-80's and we got to know each other way back in the day. Hump's team of the original Hollywood Blondes of Jerry Brown and Buddy Roberts was one of the most underrated tag teams I ever saw. Great wrestling villains with a manager that could tell their story and be a factor at ringside. God Bless Hump and keep him in your prayers.



Hopefully Hump will be feeling well enough to join us at the CAC function in Vegas in April. For more info on the wonderful organization, the Cauliflower Alley Club, check out www.caulifloweralleyclub.org.



How egocentric and ill guided is NFL star defensive lineman Albert Haynesworth who recently had a alleged physical altercation with a fellow motorist? Haynesworth seemingly needs professional help in making better decisions or he's going to end up being the moral of a sad story.


Emailer asked why 'surprises' in pro wrestling are so rare these days. My take is that it's the information age and people do a great deal of talking/texting/emailing notwithstanding that many shows are taped in advance of airings which releases a fair amount of info on which folks run with and report. As a fan, I don't have such a thirst for the 'dirt' and enjoy being surprised. 'Spoilers' are what they are but I generally refrain from reading them so that I can draw my own conclusions to a wrestling, TV show and not be pre-conditioned by what others decree.




Twitter follower @JRsBBQ wanted to know if Dusty Rhodes is interested in getting back into announcing wrestling bouts. I don't know that answer but I know that 'Dream' is a valuable asset in WWE's developmental system and enjoys working with the young talent and not traveling as extensively as he once was required to do. The last three hours of FCW TV that I saw produced in Tampa were excellent.



Speaking of developing young wrestlers, there is absolutely no more important facet of any wrestling organization than the development of young athletic, charismatic performers. The future of the biz depends on the stars of tomorrow. No one has the ability to wave the proverbial magic wand and create a star. It takes time, 3-5 years as a rule, for a competitor to develop their game to the level that one can actually see what their true potential is going to be and how they are going to fare with travel, enduring physical and mental challenges, and what kind of 'team player' they are.



Are there exceptions to the '3-5 year rule?' Obviously, but that's an arguable time line for most.



Emailer...Who invented the 'Coal Miner's Glove Match?' I have no idea. Does any one know the answer to this one? BTW this isn't referring to the voice of WWE Michael Cole's favorite bout.



Chris Jericho's latest book is getting excellent reviews by many that have read it. I'm due to get a copy soon and look forward to reading it. Chris' first book was a compelling read and sets the bar high as it relates to his literary efforts.

The Sting stories that have been on line regarding him coming to WWE have taken a life of their own. Will Sting ever come to WWE? Does a 51 year old guy want to engage in an ambitious,  road schedule or any schedule? Could a deal be done and all the pieces be put in place before WM27? Is Sting even remotely interested in re-entering the squared circle on any level? I don't know the answers to these questions nor, would I suggest, does anyone but Sting himself. Agreed, any thing is possible but what is feasible, doable, etc are questions that none of us can answer. I have seen Sting once in approximately 15 years and that was for about 5 minutes in Charlotte last year at the annual fan convention. I do know that he is a great human being after being around him for over two decades beginning when he came to work for Bill Watts as one half of the Bladerunner tag team with Warrior. They were known as Sting and Rock as I recall when they began their careers with the large Cowboy. Some of my best memories of calling wrestling