JR Blog: Wrestling’s “Old Days”, Upcoming HOF Honor, JBL & More

Jim Ross is back with a new blog over on jrsbarbq.com. Here are highlights from this entry:

– Yes…I will definitely be in Waterloo, Iowa on July 22-23 for the annual function at the Wrestling Hall of Fame. Receiving the Lou Thesz Award is a helluva honor for me personally. Lou was truly our Babe Ruth and I never saw him not wearing at least a sport coat and slacks when he wasn’t in the ring. A class act. If you haven’t read ‘Hooker’ written by Lou I suggest that you do. Great book on the history of the business from a legit tough guy’s point of view.

– I indeed still do speak with JBL and did so recently. He’s busy, John will be on Neal Cavuto’s show on Fox Business Channel Thursday night at 6 eastern, and is doing his share of golfing and deep sea fishing in Bermuda. I regret never getting the opportunity to never broadcast with the talkative Texan in my career. Never say never.

– Can today’s rosters be utilized like the rosters of the late 90’s and early 2000’s? Nope. Without the benefit of a viable, wrestling territory experience, many of today’s younger talents are still learning on the job. Their predecessors, by and large, learned their craft in a wrestling territory. I know that excludes the Rock who was a 3rd generation talent as that’s a different ball game, more often that not. Many of today’s wrestlers are being fed a little at a time in hopes that they will break away and take the ball and run with it.

– No…for many fans who yearn for the ‘old days,’ wrestling will likely NEVER be the same. Is that an overwhelmingly negative statement? It’s not meant to be as time will tell where the stars of tomorrow will take us. I’m optimistic of the future but it seems that some aren’t.