Ross Report for Week 2, March 2001

Random thoughts from under the black Resistol hat...

Another week in the books - another week closer to WrestleMania X-Seven. Battle lines are being drawn ahead of the 'grand daddy of them all' - this is going to be a night you do not want to miss.

The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin continue to play mind games with each other ahead of their blockbuster main event at WrestleMania. The next two weeks of television promise to be unpredictable when it comes to these two superstars. While I do hope that cooler heads prevail, if I was a betting man I'd have to bet on Rock and Austin colliding before their date with destiny in Houston.

The prodigal son returns! Shane McMahon appearing last night on SmackDown got a huge reaction from the live crowd. Shane's return brought a lot of excitement and drama to the show and I for one cannot wait to see what happens if he does come face to face with his father next Monday night on Raw.

Kurt Angle has been nothing short of incredible since debuting in the WWF. Since losing the WWF Championship to The Rock at No Way Out, Kurt seems to be much more self critical and driven to improve. He's already proven that he can hang in the main event picture, but I think we will be seeing a new edge to Angle going forward.

The shocking and brutal beat down of The Undertaker at the hands of Raven sent shock waves through the WWF. Raven has arguably been struggling to find a place here in the company, but after last night's bloody scenes, perhaps Raven is entering sink-or-swim mode. By taking the fight to a legend like The Undertaker, a man who has been building an incredible career over more than a decade, Raven is going to have one heck of a fight ahead of him.

The stipulation for Triple H vs. Chris Jericho at WrestleMania was announced last night on SmackDown. After being forced into a hopeless gauntlet match by a bitter Vince McMahon, Triple H attacked Jericho with a sledgehammer and declared that he would face Y2J inside of Hell in the Cell. Triple H has proved his effectiveness both inside and on top of the evil structure, so the odds are indeed stacked against Jericho.

Big Boss Man had a brief return last night on SmackDown during the aforementioned gauntlet match. Ray is still rehabbing his nagging injuries, but he hopes to bring himself back into ring shape. While I may not have liked what went down in the ring last night, I was happy to see Ray back in action - even in a limited capacity.

Rumour control! We have been in talks with up and coming indie wrestler CM Punk about bringing him to Ohio Valley Wrestling. Punk is looking to head out on international tours to hone his craft and build some experience before signing up with our developmental territory. Punk has expressed interest in working Mexico and Japan - we wish him the best of luck on his travels.

WWF Superstars will be making promotional appearances next week before Raw and SmackDown at Toys R' Us. Come meet and greet the very best in sports entertainment and make memories that will last a lifetime. Our partners at Jakks Pacific are continuing to produce some excellent WWF action figures and playsets, so be sure to check your local toy stores - there's even a mini J.R.!

Take care,

J.R. (Boomer Sooner!)