On the most recent episode of the ‘Ross Report’ podcast, Jim Ross opened up the show to discuss the recent Raw Superstar Shakeup. The episode was taped prior to the SmackDown Shakeup, so be sure to stay tuned for his SmackDown Shakeup breakdown in his next podcast. His guest for this episode is WWE Hall of Famer Madusa, and you can listen to the podcast in its entirety at this link. Below are a few highlights:
Breaking Down the Raw Superstar Shakeup:
Not a bad Raw. It moved along well, a lot of new information, and I think when you get the new information it freshens up the show some and I believe that is a good thing. I believe Raw had a little fire power. I love the Miz and Maryse pairing. I think putting Maryse with Miz was a big positive. It was a win/win. It makes Miz more relevant and they make a really good presentation, and I think that is a good get for Raw because I believe Miz and Maryse are getting ever so close to that next level, which I believe will happen with experience and time, more reps if you will that the two of them can work together and can get things done more frequently, perhaps more timely with Maryse is involved in, but I like Maryse and Miz on Raw; they’re really a good.Dean Ambrose is on Raw, who had a really good outing defeating Kevin Owens in the main event, which may mean, by the time you hear this you may know that Kevin Owens is on his way to SmackDown. Ambrose had a good night and had a nice win, Jericho is there and marries him back to Owens for their next match. Jericho is seeking retribution for losing his title.
Dean Ambrose on Raw:
Dean Ambrose is on Raw, who had a really good outing defeating Kevin Owens in the main event, which may mean, by the time you hear this you may know that Kevin Owens is on his way to SmackDown. Ambrose had a good night and had a nice win, Jericho is there and marries him back to Owens for their next match. Jericho is seeking retribution for losing his title.
WWE Not Connecting with Curt Hawkins:
Kind of interested to see what happens with Curt Hawkins. He has kind of been start and stops, start and stop, a good hand. I never really understood why he never really had a better spot, a reliable kid, and fundamentally sound without question, they just couldn’t ever connect the dots for some reason or another, it just never worked, which happens sometimes, just a bad break. Now is the time to hit the reset button for all of them by being moved to another roster. If you are being moved, somebody lobbied for that to happen, they weren’t picking names out of a black hat, picking names out of it and saying there we go. There’s thought given, so if you are one of those that moved, in general, I would feel good about myself, which gives me an opportunity to recreate myself and to better my game. People ask me how you do that? There’s a lot of ways to do that; one is called Reading, watching Videos, you have a device so check out the competition so-to-speak. Check out your peers and predecessors; study, you can do something every day to better your game and what you do for a living.
On Bray Wyatt Evolving:
Bray Wyatt calling out Finn Balor is interesting. I like both of those guys. I still think it is kind of an uphill pull to make Bray Wyatt a heel, but that’s just me. He’s a captivating character and continues to evolve.
Rhyno and Heath Slater on Raw:
Rhyno and Heath Slater on Raw, people say why and who cares? Well, somebody cares and they have a chance to put on good work and maximize their minutes, and who knows, crazier things have happened. It’s going to be up to the audience. It’s up to the audience on who gets over, along with the talent, and how they execute their plan.
Braun Strowman/Roman Reigns Feud:
Great underscoring with Braun Strowman, obviously on a collision course with Brock Lesnar, one would think. Roman Reigns is that lone wolf, some people like him or not, I don’t see the big deal and am tired of talking about whether he is a babyface or a heel. What the hell do we care? It’s not like we have jerseys of his to wear, so let him be whatever he is, and if you don’t like him just boo him, and maybe if you do like him then cheer him. Just something to think about.
Raw Needing to Create Compelling Television:
The way Michael Cole signed off on Raw was really good. The process continues tomorrow night, meaning Tuesday Night, was really good. I think wrestling fans in general like episodic television because it is fundamentally easier to follow. One of the reasons why I was a Soprano’s freak and then a Deadwood freak, and now Ray Donavon, they are compelling television. Episode 1 leads to Episode 2, the way Bill Watts used to lead in the South, which I am told there is some new Mid-South content on the WWE Network beginning in December of 1981 going through January of 1983 and you can watch it in sequence each week, and you can see how the storyboard lead from one episode to the next and so forth, pretty cool process. Here’s the deal; we were only doing one hour each week, can you imagine that sequence working today? Seeing how many hours WWE did during WrestleMania?
So, with the Superstar shakeup, if you moved then look at it as a positive and figure out how you are going to maximize your minutes and use what you learned during your previous stint with your brand on how you can improve and get better. You owe it to yourself to do that.
