In one of his more brutally honest blog posts, WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross issued some scathing comments towards TNA and WWE for lackluster live crowd reactions that occurred at both the recent TNA Sacrifice PPV and this week's episode of Monday Night Raw in St. Louis. JR also has a podcast update on his upcoming Ross Report interview with Shawn Michaels where HBK will talk about how close he came to returning to WWE to face Daniel Bryan in a match, the end of The Undertaker's Streak at WrestleMania 30, and more.
Jim Ross on WWE Monday Night Raw Crowd Reactions from St. Louis Episode:
"Some thoughts on pro wrestling's live audiences.....St. Louis wasn't great for WWE Monday night and the lack of noise adversely affected the broadcast IMO. Here's how I look at that matter: No one buys a not so cheap ticket, packs up the car, drives to the venue and parks to come in and have their mind made up to NOT make noise. The commitment to get to one's seats is too great to come and act as if one is watching golf or tennis. The product that one sees before them is what is going to motivate a crowd to emotionally invest and to be loud and proud. The St Louis crowd, normally a very good wrestling crowd, apparently did not see enough to make the show sound special. There were moments but not enough of them over the three hour show."
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CB's Analysis: Ross hit the nail on the head here. Monday Night Raw this week seemed pretty disjointed just from watching on TV, so I can only imagine having to slog through that episode for three-plus hours in person. Ric Flair's bizarre appearance didn't help.
Jim Ross on the TNA Impact Zone in Orlando being a "Kiss of Death":
"TNA had a PPV a week ago where the smaller crowd in a sound stage was embarrassingly quiet and provided little to no motivation for the talents, some of which had excellent bouts. TNA is in an especially precarious position as they are in the closing months of their TV rights deal with Spike and have zero momentum or leverage with which to negotiate.
Trying to save money by having the TV's in the same venue more often than not in Orlando is the kiss of death. If the crowds that attend IMPACT events there don't react to what they saw on the loaded PPV card then they are unlikely to 'pop' for much of any thing. That makes the TV show sound uninspired and not 'must see' TV. It's a good thing that Impact is going to do some of their tapings outside the Orlando sound stage going forward as that scenario is one designed for failure."
"I am all for Impact and all wrestling companies for that matter to succeed because he more places that talents, crew, etc have to work the better it is for the overall business."
CB's Analysis: TNA is in that tough situation of trying to be a national TV promotion without having the WWE-like money and marketing machine to really go on the road full-time. Because of that, the product suffers by being presented at the Impact Zone sound stage, especially during live events like TNA Sacrifice.
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Jim Ross Podcast Update on Gail Kim and Shawn Michaels Interviews:
"Right now we feature a fantastic interview with the amazing Gail Kim including a cameo from her husband Chef Robert Irvine of the Food Network."
"Next week is the blockbuster part one of my interview with Shawn Michaels who discusses how close he came to returning to the ring to face his former student Daniel Bryan, his reaction while sitting at the infamous Gorilla Position during WM30 specifically when The Streak ended, his HOF experience this year and so much more including analyzing many of his most memorable moments. Shawn offers a perspective on CM Punk's WWE departure that might surprise you and our conversation in San Antonio that was the catalyst for HBK returning to WWE after a four year hiatus."
CB's Analysis: The Gail Kim interview on the Jim Ross podcast is a must-listen, and I am looking forward to hearing what HBK has to say in his two-part interview.
You can check out all of JR's thoughts here
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