Jim Ross Gives the Brand Split a B+, Says Strowman May Have Problems Being a Heel

URGENT NOTICE: For the time being, ONLY access the site using 411WRESTLING.COM. Bookmark that URL and only access the site via that address. 411mania.com has been compromised and for your own safety, don’t use that domain for now. You’ll notice that all the links already go to 411wrestling.com URLs. Please only use that domain until further notice. Thanks.

– Jim Ross’ latest Ross Report podcast is online. You can check out some highlights below:

On Dash Wilder breaking his jaw: “Wilder has a fractured jaw and will be out a couple of months. Here’s how I perceive this: Dash Wilder and his partner, in times of somewhat rehabilitation, let’s say, they are going to come back better than they left because they are going to study and put the mental pieces back together, take it apart and put it back together. I feel badly that Wilder is hurt, but I believe he will come back a more viable talent than ever before he left because he has two months to study his game and heal the rest of his body, which isn’t a bad thing.”

On this week’s Raw: “Monday Night Raw was not a bad three-hour show, obviously, the vocal point of the program was Braun Strowman. Strowman is a monster and is a big, athletic kid who I met before WrestleMania. Before my commentating gig he came up and introduced himself to me, and is a very nice young man, very classy, but boy he is a fascinating prospect, he really is. He started Raw and ended Raw, with the match against the Big Show and the ring imploding. Yeah, we have seen it before with Show and Lesnar, but what does that even mean? We’ve seen it before? Have you seen a headlock before? A near-fall? False finish? What the hell haven’t you seen before? That might be part of the issues that is plaguing the business by saying that you have seen it before, which makes talent keep going up the bar up the bar to the point that becomes a safety hazard for the talent, which goes past common sense to do something you haven’t seen before.”

On the challenges of Braun Strowman being a heel: “I wonder sometimes, just asking out loud here, is Strowman such a strong character that there will be a pocket of fans that live through that vicariously as a big monster, therefore it might be challenging him to be that traditional big heel that we have been used to seeing over the years. Is that a bad thing? I’m just talking out loud here with my talking points, but I like Strowman, but I just think it might be challenging with the way he is working, and his look, with his destructive mission, which might be challenging for him to be this monstrous villain because what is there really to hate? Especially working with Roman Reigns, who is controversial as well, so Braun Strowman beating up Roman Reigns does not make him a heel, so it’s going to be challenging. I believe both guys are going to be big stars, which is what you want, for them to be big stars.”

On the success of the brand split: “I give the brand-split a good solid B+ because it is providing more opportunities to further refine that has been happening over the past couple of weeks. It is imperative that these companies continue to grow and build up each roster to give the creative folks at SmackDown and Raw to utilize these talents and it is even more important for these talents to bring something a little extra. I’ve said it before and I believe there are different ways to do this, but if you are a pro wrestler ad you are not doing something daily to better yourself then you are cheating yourself and your family and the company you are working for and are damn sure cheating the fans. What you eat for breakfast is making yourself better theoretically. Watching the WWE Network, going and watching a YouTube video, studying things, reading books, there are things you can do where you are not killing yourself physically and are becoming better daily, so I think the brand split is successful and I think it is going to continue to become successful. When guys break through and become hotter than hell on Raw and SmackDown then I think we will all be in agreement, that is when it will truly be verified and validated, so good for them.”

URGENT NOTICE: For the time being, ONLY access the site using 411WRESTLING.COM. Bookmark that URL and only access the site via that address. 411mania.com has been compromised and for your own safety, don’t use that domain for now. You’ll notice that all the links already go to 411wrestling.com URLs. Please only use that domain until further notice. Thanks.