JR Blog: Dreamer Comment, Hogan’s Comments, Draft and More

Jim Ross is back with another blog update at jrsbarbq.com. Here are some of the highlights:
- WWE sold out two nights in the same arena in Dublin to the tune of over $1.4M for the doubleheader. Cologne, Germany this week did a whopping $800K at the box office with over 10,000 fans in attendance. Matt Hardy had to have some stitches thanks to his brother Jeff at the Cologne event.
- Please check out www.wrestlersrescue.org and participate in the effort to raise funds to allow Dr. Death Steve Williams to be able to have a surgery that would allow him to talk hands free. Great cause for a great guy.
- Todd Grisham and yours truly, to a lesser degree, have been taken to task by some fans of Tommy Dreamer for remarks made Monday night on Raw. I had mentioned that Dreamer was a legend and particularly an ECW Legend when Todd with tongue in cheek said if Tommy was a legend then so was the Brooklyn Brawler of which I agreed. Brawler has worked for WWE 26 years without being fired once which is in wrestling is astonishing. Bottom line is that I have great respect for Dreamer and for Brawler. It isn’t just guys who have headlined major PPV’s or have toured the world as NWA Champion back in the day that deserve to be called a legend or who have earned respect from their peers. Both Dreamer and Brawler have made significant contributions in their own way to wrestling and my hat is off to both of them. Many times on TV things are said for entertainment purposes only and are merely attempts at humor and, honestly, some times our best efforts fall short. Please take attempts at wrestling humor and tongue in cheek remarks with a grain of salt or, better said, “Lighten Up Francis.”
- I am pleased that no changes were made in the announcing teams during Draft Week. I enjoy the schedule that Friday Night Smackdown provides me on a personal level not to mention that I love the challenge of elevating the perception of the Friday night broadcast as it relates to the “pecking order” of WWE TV programs. I’m not naive enough to think that Raw will never be any thing but the #1 TV priority in WWE but I do think that SD can and has closed the gap. The SD roster is dotted with some extremely athletic and young talents who have the opportunity to enhance their WWE stock on MyNetworkTV’s highest rated broadcast.
- Some are writing us about both major titles in WWE being on Raw. That was the case last year after the Draft except it was Smackdown who had both titles. One would assume that matter will work itself out in time but if not the show will still go on.
- Why isn’t Hulk Hogan’s friends telling him to simply “lay low BROTHER” and stop making statements to the media? Hulk should consider apologizing for his “O.J. remarks” and then get off the radar for a while. Might just be me and I could be wrong but It almost seems as if Hulk’s attorney is looking to become a “star” in this unfortunate divorce case that seems to become magnified weekly.