JIM ROSS TALKS ABOUT MICK FOLEY, FANDANGO VS JERICHO, ROCK VS JOHN CENA, RIC FLAIR AND MORE

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has published a new blog entry on JrsBarBq.com. Here are some highlights.

Terry Funk Inducting Mick Foley: "Great choice by Mick Foley to select Terry Funk to induct Mr. Foley's baby boy at the 2013 WWE HOF induction ceremony. The Funker is Mick's mentor and idol. I think it's pretty cool when a Hall of Fame inductee can actually have their all time favorite wrestler, their father like figure within the business and their role model as it relates to in ring style and approach to the game induct them."

Ric Flair's Medical Situation: "Got a text from Ric Flair early this morning and Naitch is feeling great and has been provided medication to dissolve the blood clot that is in his leg. The doctor's are highly optimistic that the meds will do the trick and eliminate a potentially, dangerous issue. Ric and I will get together Wednesday evening in Jersey to catch up which is one of our WrestleMania traditions."

Fandango vs. Y2J: "Fandango is a lightning rod right now because many or perhaps a few vocal 'fans' don't like the TV persona even though they have yet to see it fully on display in a match of significance. I'm of the persuasion that I'll reserve my opinions until I actually see the talent get it on bell to bell. Chris Jericho is the perfect opponent to perform with Fandango at WM29 because Jericho is all about stealing the show ala the great @ShawnMichaels no matter Y2J's role. Fandango can also expect Jericho to beat the hell out of him along the way. Believe that!"

The Rock vs. John Cena: "Enjoying the serious nature that the Rock/Cena rivalry has taken the past few weeks and it is a departure from 2012 or so it seems to me. Closing a WrestleMania with such high expectations and having a 'different' match than last year are tremendous responsibilities notwithstanding the fact that the match is for the WWE Title which should be the primary issue. Cena vs. Rock is a target of varying levels of controversy from some fans but pales in comparison to what their own peers will place upon the show closers in their own matches at WM29."

CHRIS JERICHO RESPONDS TO CM PUNK'S INSULT

As we reported here on the site earlier today, CM Punk appeared at the Ringsidefest collectibles event in New York City over the weekend and took a shot at former WWE star Chris Jericho.

Chris Jericho has responded to Punk’s comment, tweeting the following on Monday afternoon::

“What’s worse…Dancing With Celebrities or Playing With Muppets?”

CHRIS JERICHO TALKS ABOUT WRESTLERS STEALING HIS STYLE

Former WWE star Chris Jericho was recently interviewed by Duane Doogan of the Wrestling Voice radio show. Jericho had some controversial comments regarding WWE talent stealing his moves & ideas and also responds to Vampiro recently calling him a liar. Here are some highlights of what Chris Jericho said about:

Wrestlers stealing his moves and gimmicks in WWE today and lashing out at CM Punk for doing so: “There seems to be a lack of respect for the forefathers who came in and did it first and it’s not just [CM] Punk, it’s a whole litany of guys from Miz to Cody Rhodes to Mason Ryan to Sin Cara to Kelly Kelly, everybody is stealing moves, looks, ideas. Brian Pillman once told me if you want to make it in wrestling you have to do something that nobody has done before and nobody is doing that and they are coming off as second rate copies of Chris Jericho, and that’s maybe why these guys aren’t striking and I watch it and think, ‘Seriously, again?’

“A couple of years ago you had ‘Miz 4, John Cena 0′, where did that come from? Conspiracy Theory, where did that come from? Best in the World, where did that come from? Wearing suits, talking slow, using big words, using certain moves, you know Miz used the word “troglodyte” a few weeks ago and I’m like seriously? If there ever was a word associated with Chris Jericho that would be it. These guys have to start thinking of their own stuff and some times I see some of them and I’m like oh come on. It’s not like it’s influenced. At least give credit where credit is due.”

Vampiro calling him out and labeling him a liar in a recent video: “It’s funny because I just recently complimented him on the documentary they put out about him, but Vampiro joins the long list of guys like Superstar Billy Graham, Larry Zbyszko, and Scott Hall who don’t like it when they are called out for being dicks at certain point in time, and everything I’ve written in each one of my books is true.”

MASON RYAN COPYING JERICHO'S ENTRANCE

During his entrance on Superstars, Mason came out to the stage and turned his back to the crowd, raising his hands in the air as he looked up to the Titantron. A fan showed Chris Jericho this on Twitter, saying Ryan was stealing Jericho’s entrance, and Jericho replied that Mason had “no respect.”

JERICHO AND MIZ ATTENDS CONCERT

Chris Jericho and The Miz were in attendance for the Def Leppard concert in Universal City, California last night. The Miz noted on Twitter that Maryse gave him his tickets to the show as an early birthday present.

CHRIS JERICHO TALKS ABOUT CM PUNK, PG-13 ERA

Former WWE Champion Chris Jericho spoke with Betweentheropes.com this week. Below are highlights :

On whether or not if feels like 12 years since he made his WWE debut on Raw:

“It doesn’t really seem like it was 12 years unless I think really hard about all the stuff that’s taken place since then. But I can remember writing that promo that I did like it was yesterday in the apartment I was in on the floor, just kind of writing down ideas and writing out the whole promo because back in that time there was no writers or creative as they call it. It was basically you were just on your own. You might have a couple of ideas to throw around but most of it was just coming from your own brain and just saying it the way you wanted to say it. There was no rehearsals or anything like that. You would just go out there and do it. So that’s the biggest change between the WWE in 2011 and the WWE of 1999.”


On the current PG-13 programming in WWE:

“I don’t care about PG-13 or Attitude Era. If you’re a great performer, you can make it work no matter what it is. And I never really cared because I might have gone 5% into the Attitude Era or 5% into the overly PG era but I pretty much just did my thing and made it work with whatever was given to me by the boss of the company. That’s a copout if people say ‘well, I don’t like it because it’s PG-13 or I can’t work within the PG-13 system’. That’s BS. It doesn’t matter. If you’re a good guitar player, you can play Van Halen or Georg Jensen jazz. It’s just an excuse.”

On simplistic storylines and playing into the current one with CM Punk:

“That’s what it’s always been about man. It’s always been about that and the best guys can do that no matter what rules or guidelines are given to them. That’s why the Punk thing worked so good because it was something different. It was Punk vs. the status quo of the WWE. It wasn’t so much the insider topics. I’m sure guys like you and me thought that was funny but your average person doesn’t have a clue about stuff like that. They just know that Punk is doing something he’s not supposed to be doing and saying something he’s never said before. That’s also why I don’t think the thing (Kevin) Nash worked out so well this week because they went too inside.”

GOLDBERG TO RETURN AT RUMBLE IN THE JUNGLE II?

 As noted before, Bill Goldberg recently shot a promotional video for an October show in the African Congo, billed as the “Rumble in the Jungle II” after the legendary “Rumble in the Jungle 1″ between boxers George Foreman and Muhammad Ali decades ago.

Goldberg said he would come out of retirement to wrestle on the show. In the promo, Goldberg talks about the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo backing the wrestling show. Rick Bassman is reportedly booking talents for the show and he went to Africa last month with Luke Gallows and Nathan Jones to promote it.

Several other big names are being promoted for the show including Kurt Angle, MVP, Matt Hardy, Batista, Shawn Daivari, Chris Jericho, Ric Flair and Shelton Benjamin. At least one of those names knew nothing about the show when contacted and another said his manager was contacted but turned it down.

JERICHO SMASHES SIN CARA

A fan wrote to Chris Jericho on Twitter last night that the new Sin Cara used his Lionsault as his finish on last night’s SmackDown. Jericho responded: “Not surprised. Just another Jericho ripoff…”

SUPERSTAR OF THE WEEK BY PRATEIK MALAGI - CHRIS "Y2J" JERICHO

Well its Wednesday and this week its special because i m going to discuss about a superstar who has definitely changed the landscape of this industry, He stands second in my the best list (off course the first is Triple H)... this man is a true genius in whatever he does and is internationally acclaimed for that.... well i m talking about "The Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla" - Y2J Chris Jericho.

You give him Mic he rocks, make him face he will make you smile, be villain he will make you boo out of ur hearts. thats what is the ability of Jericho... now lets see some of his career highlights..........

He started wrestling at 19 in Hart Brothers School of Wrestling along with the likes of Lance Storm, Edge, Christian, Rhino.

He then moved to CMLL to learn Lucha Libre style in 1992.

He wrestled his first match in ECW after being recommended by Benoit and Perry Saturn to Paul Heyman (who else is a Paul Heyman guy!!).

He then moved to WCW and wrestled with the likes of Rey Mysterio, Disco Inferno.

In WCW he was involved in a lengthy and one of the best feuds with Dean Malenko who was known as a man of 1000 holds.

He then moved to WTC and left the company briefly after a squash match loss against Goldberg.

After spending 3 years in WCW, Japanese promotions he finally signed to WWF(E).

He debuted in what is known to be the most historic entrances in WWE, when he interrupted The Rock's promo on Aug 9, 1999 edition claiming himself to be "The Countdown to the new Millennium".

He lost his first title shot against Chyna but later a controversial win made both of them the co - owners of the Intercontinental title.

He had an intense feud with Triple H which lasted in Jericho losing a LMS match to him.

He and Benoit then defeated Triple H and SCSA to win their first WWF(E) Tag team titles.

He then had a intense feud with his co worker in the Invasion angle, The Rock which lasted for about a year.

During this time at Vengeance, he defeated The Rock for WCW title and SCSA for WWF title in one night to become the first ever Undisputed WWF Champ.

He later lost the title to the 2002 RR winner Triple H when he defeated Jericho at WM X - 8.

He continued his feud with Triple H and ended the feud when he lost to Triple H in HIAC match at Judgement Day.

His next feud with HBK ended at WM XIX following a loss to HBK.

He had notable feuds with Goldberg (reminiscent of WCW) and Christian (for Lita) which turned him fan favorite.

He then feuded with Evolution stable and later with John Cena which ultimately led Jericho to leave WWE following his loss to Cena in a You're fired match.

He returned to WWE in 2007 interrupting Randy Orton's promo in what is dubbed as The Second Coming.

He then renewed his feud with HBK by attacking him in his "Highlight Reel" segment.

During his feud with HBK he won the WHC title in a Championship scramble match and later lost it to returning John Cena at 2008 SS.

He was fired by Stephanie Mcmahon as a result of verbal abuse to her but was later re hired by VKM following an apology.

He then had a lengthy feud with Rey Mysterio Jr. which culminated in Jericho defeating Rey by a seated senton and Codebreaker to win his 9th IC title.

Later at Extreme Rules he and Edge won the Unified tag titles but, Edge was replaced by Big Show following a torn Achilles tendon.

His long reign of Unified titles came to an end when he and Big Show lost the titles to DX (Triple H and Micheals) in a TLC match at TLC PPV.

He won the EC match and WHC title by defeating The Undertaker following an interference by HBK.

He then feuded with the 2010 RR winner Edge whom he defeated at WM 25.

He eventually lost the WHC title to Jack Swagger who cashed in his MITB contract on Jericho following a spear by Edge.

He then had minor feuds with Cena and the Nexus before he left WWE following the expiry of his contract.

It is reported that Chris Jericho is scheduled to feature at the 2012 RR.

Apart from his expectional in ring work and mic abilities he was also a gentleman who helped many superstars in their career. he is also the lead vocalist of the heavy rock metal band "Fozzy". here are the list of his accomplishments.......

He has won 30 titles in total.

He is a six time WHC champ and a record nine time IC champ.

He is the first ever WWF Undisputed Champ.

He is also a fourth Grandslam and Ninth Triple Crown Champ.

after looking in all such accomplishments there my be hardly anyone who can dispute over Jericho's ability. He truly is one of the very best wrestling world has ever to offer, i would just say "All Hail The Ayatollah of Rock and Rolla"

JERICHO TALKS ABOUT NOT RETURNING TO WWE RIGHT NOW

Chris Jericho spoke with FortMcMurrayToday.com this past week to talk about Fozzy. Regarding pro wrestling and returning to the ring any time soon, Jericho said:

“I have no plans for it right now. Like I said, I didn’t leave wrestling for any bad reasons, it’s just that I had a lot of other stuff that was going on in my life that I’ve been wanting to work on, and Fozzy is one of the main reasons for that. I know sometimes that pisses wrestling fans off, but I don’t care. I do what I do to make myself happy. I’ve done wrestling for 20 years and I’ve been in Fozzy for 12. Fozzy is in the same place now after 12 years, that I was as a performer after 12. Just really on the verge of becoming something bigger. So I’d be crazy to not to devote as much time to the band as I can and take it as far as we can go. Wrestling is always there, it’s not going anywhere. Will I come back? I don’t know. But I have no plans of it right now.”

Jericho also noted that Fozzy will be recording a new album in December of this year and early 2011. The album will likely be released in May of 2012, keeping him tied up for a while.

JERICHO'S TWEET AGAINST CM PUNK IS A PART OF STORYLINE?

Chris Jericho caused quite a stir on Twitter last night, reacting negatively towards CM Punk mentioning his name on WWE Monday Night Raw. Jericho tweeted:

"Everyone is so excited that @CMPunk mentioned me on Raw. Newsflash...I don't give a shit. Mind ur own business and stop rippin me off Punk." 

A key WWE insider said that Jericho has been pitching for himself to work with Punk at WrestleMania next year. Additionally, we can confirm that this reaction is story line oriented, and that there is no real bad blood between Punk and Jericho following Raw tonight. 

CHRIS JERICHO RIPS OFF PUNK ON TWITTER

Chris Jericho wrote the following on Twitter tonight after CM Punk mentioned him on RAW:

“Everyone is so excited that @CMPunk mentioned me on Raw. Newsflash…I don’t give a shit. Mind ur own business and stop rippin me off Punk.”

JERICHO TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW VENTURE

Chris Jericho wrote the following today about a new business venture:

“Proud to be part owner w Derek Brooks and Chipper Jones of the D1 Training Center opening in Tampa! Best in the US www.D1sportstraining.com”

CHRIS JERICHO SAYS CENA IS A GREAT WORK

 Chris Jericho took to Twitter to praise John Cena's efforts during his storyline with CM Punk.

"As great as Punk was and is during the whole angle, don't discount Cena's work in all this," he wrote. "Contrary to what some say Cena is a GREAT worker."

WWE STARS INTERESTED IN LEAVING THE INDUSTRY

A source within WWE notes that Chavo Guerrero quitting is bigger news than most think, noting that Batista, Chris Jericho, MVP, Matt Hardy and now Chavo all asked to be released or let their contracts expire, and CM Punk is doing the same.


There is said to be a handful of other stars who have been talking about doing the same thing. Guerrero’s departure caught a lot of the WWE talents off guard and several were praising him for having the guts to walk away.

SHAWN MICHAELS TALKS ABOUT CENA, BEING LOYAL TO WWE

 Shawn Michaels spoke with Doug Mortman and Dave LaGreca of the Busted Open show earlier this week. Busted Open airs Mondays and Wednesdays on Sirius 92 and XM 207 from 2-4 EST. Here are some highlights:


His feud with Chris Jericho causing the PG era in WWE:
“Me and Chris (Jericho) would bury ourselves in the writer’s room…..just continue to add and we didn’t have any direction and I guess that my point, and I guess we just sort of said it ourselves and went from there. The process was phenomenal, thought the angle was phenomenal and truthfully we were the reason the PG thing came down and I bled like a stuck pig, there where people wanted to sponsor something and they saw me bleed like a stuck pig, they left and there was no more of that stuff.”


His reconciliation with Bret Hart:
“It was very genuine. He and I, we had been texting each other. I can’t give you a time frame. Some time before that you know me and Tyson Kidd were talking…Holy Cow! This whole thing needs to end. Tyson had passed his number along to me. And he and I had been texting, but not getting in to any detail, but we were testing the waters, like ‘Hey, we can do this, it’s been a long time and it sucks and its time to end to end it.’ We saw each other at Raw, we asked each other, but we didn’t talk about what we were going to do out there. But we did get to have a very long chat about everything and look the man in the eye and tell him I was sorry, for being a pain in his back side and it was very genuine. We have since texted one another, I think we will see each other again next week up in Stanford doing something. It’s been very nice and its been a great weight lifted off our shoulders….it was important to us and it was important to the people that saw it.”


John Cena being the face of WWE:
“I think John does a great job…..it’s gonna be impossible not to be partial to John. Because I like him and I like him because he is a good guy. He is the hardest working guy in that company. There isn’t anyone who puts in more time then John Cena. The only thing that works against John, and I tell you this with love…..you hardcore guys just decided to dislike him.”


Staying loyal to WWE and the McMahons:
“There where times when I was going threw my very tough times, just let me go, just let me go. He would say ‘No, look you would be miserable, they wouldn’t do with you what needs to be done. They wouldn’t know what to do with you, and that fact that they put that kind of time in to me.’ That was really the end of it, that’s why I always sound like a company man….its genuine, and I know the real guy, the real guy has cared for me a great deal, and no one is more committed to this business then he is. It was easy to stay loyal. When it comes to the rubber meeting the road, he is gonna still be in the game.”

CHRIS JERICHO ALMOST HOSTED WWE TOUGH ENOUGH

Chris Jericho recently appeared on the UK’s Ministry of Slam radio show and revealed that WWE almost used him as the host of the current season of Tough Enough. Jericho said:


“At one point I was in talks to host the show, but then Dancing With The Stars came up so it just wasn’t going to work out. Steve’s doing a great job – he’s made it his show at this point. But it could have been Chris Jericho hosting the show and it would have had a bit of a different slant. I don’t think I could have been as tough on those guys as Steve is. He’s like a drill sergeant. It’s fun to watch them squirm.”

JERICHO TALKS ABOUT RETURNING TO WWE, EDGE'S RETIREMENT

Chris Jericho recently spoke to IGN and talked about his future with WWE. Here are some highlights:


IGN: You had a bunch of your WWE comrades in the crowd (at DWTS) there cheering you on. That must have felt great.


Jericho: It was cool. And it’s funny because at first there were going to be a lot more. For the first couple weeks there were a lot of people and then there wasn’t for a while because I think when the ratings for the show came in, I think the WWE got in trouble a little bit from the USA network. Because having them be there was, in a sense, promoting the show that runs head to head with RAW. But it was nice. It was a great show of solidarity and support from my peers. And a lot of people ask “What do the wrestling fans think of this?” but there never really was anybody ball-busting me because from the very first week they felt I could do this. I almost kind of got too good too early. I think, like, my second week Quickstep – had I done that in week 6, I would have got 10′s. But at that point in time you weren’t allowed to give 10′s. It was too early in the competition. I kind of consider myself to be a pioneer. Not only as a wrestler, but in rock n’ roll. Because I’m the first wrestling guy and the first rocker who’s done the show. And I think it tears down some of the boundaries there. I think you’re going to see more rock stars and wrestlers do it because it’s a great opportunity and it’s a lot of fun. And it really does push you as a performer. And I think that’s what you look for.


IGN: Well, that sort of feeds into my next question which is “when are you headed back to the WWE?” You said not until you can do something new with your character.


Jericho: I don’t want to go back and do the same thing. And do the same character I was doing last time. You constantly have to reinvent yourself. It’s kind of a strange analogy but I think you’ll pick it up when I say it – I always consider myself to be the Madonna of wrestling. And what I mean by that is “constantly re-inventing yourself.” Every album Madonna does, she morphs into new styles of music and new looks. And when you work for the WWE, you work 52 weeks out of the year and on TV every week. You can’t look the same or act the same every week. It gets boring. And I think that’s why I’ve had such longevity as a performer and was always the guy to watch because people wanted to see what I did next. I even did that on Dancing with the Stars. And you have to do that or else you become predictable. And that’s the worst thing you can become when you’re in show business.


IGN: I wanted to get your thoughts on Edge’s retirement, which came as a shock to everyone.


Jericho: I think it’s one of those things that a lot of people forget about wrestling, which is that even though it’s show business it’s physically taxing. I’m actually surprised that more people don’t get seriously hurt in the ring. And I’m thankful that it doesn’t happen. But Edge has been battling those problems for years and years and it was a shock and it’s sad, but I look at the bright side, which is that at least they caught it before something more serious happened. Because this is a very physical, dangerous business and I think it gets forgotten with all the pomp and circumstance sometimes. So once in a while you get moments like with Edge where you remember just how real it is.


I mean, I hate it when people use the word “fake” to describe wrestling. Yeah, it’s show business and it’s pre-determined, but it’s not like we have stunt men in there doing all our routines for us. You’re out there really paying the price physically and mentally too. Edge is one of the greats and I’m sure he’ll have a job in the WWE for as long as he wants. He’s very smart. He understands the business. I’m just glad he didn’t get seriously hurt and I’m sure he’ll be involved in the business in a lot of ways from now on.

CHRIS JERICHO ELIMINATED FROM DANCING WITH THE STARS

After scoring low on Monday night’s show, Chris Jericho and his partner Cheryl Burke were eliminated from ABC’s Dancing With the Stars last night. Jericho and Burke had also done low scores with the fan voting.


Burke wrote the following on Twitter:


“I’m so proud of Chris! Thanks to all of u for your unconditional love and support. Love u guys!!!”


While Jericho commented:


“Had an amazing time on DWTS! Thx @cherylburke for being a great teacher and friend and Thx to all of u for voting-6 weeks ain’t too shabby!”

SYNOPSIS FOR WWE'S GREATEST STARS OF THE NEW MILLENNIUM DVD

 Below is the synopsis for WWE’s Greatest Stars of the New Millennium, which comes out on Bluray and a three-disc DVD July 26th:


“The Greatest Stars of the New Millennium profiles 15 superstars that dominated the ring for the first decade of the 2000s. Each star is profiled and one of his greatest matches is included. Stars examined will include John Cena, Triple H, Undertaker, Randy Orton, Edge, Chris Jericho, Batista, and more. “