Jim Ross Blog: Attending CAC Event, Edge, New Performance Center

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

Attending CAC event: Great time at the 48th Cauliflower Alley Club Reunion this week in Las Vegas. It wasn’t a money making trip as my lovely wife attended and did her part to contribute to the economy of Vegas by doing two days worth of shopping. Seriously, we both had a wonderful time seeing so many old friends and fans that we have gotten to know over the years.

CAC is a great non profit organization that does many amazing, charitable things for those in need from within the wrestling biz. CAC doesn’t look for publicity as many of their benevolent acts would bring embarrassment to many of the recipients. But, take it from me, CAC helps lots of people that you know or have heard of over the years and I’m of the mindset that more people, fans and wrestlers alike, should join the organization. For more info check out the CAC website at http://www.caulifloweralleyclub.org.

Presenting Edge with an Award: I had the pleasure of presenting Adam Copeland AKA Edge the Male Wrestler Award from CAC in a surprise presentation. Only three people knew of this matter as it was a total surprise to Edge. I followed such powerful and serious presentations as the DDP/Jake the Snake Roberts duo and the late, Paul Bearer/Percy Pringle presentation so I attempted to ad lib my way into a more light hearted mood in what felt like a somber room and rightfully so at that particular time of the evening.

New performance center: The announcement earlier this week of the construction and soon to be opened for business WWE Performance Center in Orlando is HUGE news for the long term future and success of WWE and is a personal dream come true for me. Back in the mid 90′s when we started the developmental system in such markets as Louisville, Memphis, Cincinnati, and Los Angeles, I always wanted to someday have a NFL-like facility where athletes could be trained in all facets of the business. To successfully recruit world class, Division 1 like college athletes, we needed to have a facility that would fit every need and compete with the facilities that many of these high level athletes were accustomed to frequenting.

Bruno Sammartino Talks About Meeting with Vince McMahon

- 2013 WWE Hall of Famer Bruno Sammartino recently appeared on The NB Show and talked about meeting with Vince McMahon during WrestleMania 29 weekend:

“The private meeting that took place was at MSG that evening [of the Hall of Fame],” Bruno said. “His son-in-law Triple H and Stephanie [McMahon] came to my dressing room, I had my own dressing room, and they asked me, you know, Vince is waiting in his dressing room down the hall and if I minded going over there. I went. Stephanie opened the door and I went in and she shut the door so Vince and I were alone.

“He was standing toward the back of the room. And as I came in I was waiting for him to make the first move to see what he was going to say before I responded. And actually as I walked in he looked at me and he smiled and said ‘Bruno, welcome home’ just like that. And I said ‘Well Vince I’m glad to be home, but we both know the situation and what brought me back home. I have been very critical of you.’ I told him right to his face, ‘You know I have been very critical of you, but I also will recognize the fact that you have made drastic changes and for that I applaud you. But for all these years, I did not like what happened to the business that I spent 25 years in and the turns it took; drugs, nudity, etc.’ Vince said, ‘Well Bruno, I know you were always very outspoken about what you believed, I hope now you are satisfied of the changes. They are in the past, we want to go forward and we want to do a better and better product. And we are very happy that you are back.’

“He did say this to me which I appreciate, ‘When it was the World Wide Wrestling Federation you were the main reason for this organization to become as big as it did. So we want this (HOF Induction) to happen and we’re thrilled that it has happened.’ And that was it. So I said, ‘Thank you. As long as things stay that way and keep moving forward with improving the product. At this stage of my life there is not much I can do to contribute, but if there is something, especially with young talent, I’d be willing to do that. As long as the product gets better and better.’ And that was it basically.”

Hall of Famer at RAW, WWE Stars Promote Morrison’s DVD, Birthdays

- Vickie Guerrero turns 45 years old today while WWE Hall of Famer George “The Animal” Steele turns 76 and Paul London turns 33.

- Several WWE Superstars were tweeting about John Morrison’s new Out of Your Mind workout DVD yesterday. It’s currently up for sale for $97 at ooymfitness.com.

- WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair was backstage at last night’s RAW from Greenville, South Carolina, likely just visiting friends.

HHH Suffers 2nd Degree Burns, News on Foley’s HOF Elbow Drop

- Triple H revealed on Twitter that he suffered second degree burns from some dry ice that got on him during his match. Here is a photo of the burns.

- WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley noted that the elbow drop spot on Chris Jericho wasn’t something that they had planned beforehand during an interview with Raj Giri of WrestlingInc.com.

“It came as a complete surprise to me, as did CM Punk coming out doing the very un-bad-guy thing with doing the three count and hugging me on stage. For that one night, there are no good guys and bad guys.”

WWE HOF on TV Tonight, Did WWE Win a Shorty Award?, Mysterio & Cara

- WWE came up short at last night’s Shorty Awards, which honor the best in social media. WWE was nominated in six categories but did not win any awards.

- The 2013 WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air tonight on the USA Network at 10pm EST and will run until 11:15pm. WWE will be showing clips from the inductions of all Hall of Famers – Donald Trump, Bob Backlund, Trish Stratus, Booker T, Mick Foley and Bruno Sammartino.

- Rey Mysterio was not in attendance for last night’s RAW from East Rutherford, New Jersey. He revealed on Twitter that he left back home for San Diego on Monday afternoon. On a related note, Sin Cara is scheduled for tonight’s SmackDown tapings in Boston.

WWE Hall of Fame News: Trump Challenges McMahon, Trish Stratus Pregnant, More

- Here are some news and notes from tonight’s WWE Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Madison Square Garden:

* CM Punk held a large sign for people to applaud Mick Foley when he came out.

* All of the speeches, including the inductors, ran longer than usual.

* Stephanie McMahon debuted a new theme song.

* During Mick Foley’s speech, he talked about never pinning Chris Jericho. This led to Jericho coming on stage, taking an elbow drop from Foley and Punk counting the pin.

* Donald Trump challenged Vince McMahon to a match at WrestleMania 30, noting that he wanted to break pay-per-view records.

* Trish Stratus announced that she is pregnant. Her and her husband Ron are expecting their first baby this September.

Rob Van Dam In Attendance for HOF Ceremony, WWE’s Website Asks If He’s Returning

- WWE has a new article up revealing that Rob Van Dam is in attendance for tonight’s Hall of Fame ceremony. He told the website:

“I’m here to support my boy Booker T. [It’s great] seeing a lot of guys I haven’t seen since I left.”

WWE.com asked the former TNA star if he has plans to return to WWE and he replied:

“There’s always a chance.”

Here’s a photo of him at Madison Square Garden:

Former NFL Star Appearing on Monday’s Raw, Details on WWE HOF Broadcast

Former NFL quarterback Kurt Warner will appear on this Monday’s episode of Raw, USA Network announced via press release.

The two-time NFL Most Valuable Player will be promoting The Moment, the new USA reality series that gives individuals the opportunity for a second chance at their dream career. A “sneak peek” of the show will air following Raw.

The synopsis for Raw reads, “The Superstars and Divas from the World Wrestling Entertainment® Universe take the stage live in front of thousands in attendance at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, NJ and millions watching at home. MONDAY NIGHT RAW continues to be the most watched regularly scheduled year-round program on basic cable television. RAW Superstars include John Cena, CM Punk, AJ Lee, Daniel Bryan, Kane, The Miz, Eve and Zack Ryder. Special guest appearance by legendary NFL quarterback Kurt Warner, host of USA’s new reality series THE MOMENT.”

USA also confirmed that Tuesday’s television broadcast of the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be centered on Bruno Sammartino and Donald Trump. During Raw, a commercial promoting the broadcast indicated that the inductions of Sammartino, Donald Trump and Trish Stratus would be televised.

The synopsis for the Hall of Fame broadcast reads, “WWE Superstars and fans pay tribute to the legends of the past at the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in front of a sold out crowd at New York’s Madison Square Garden. The ceremony will include the induction of “The Living Legend” Bruno Sammartino and Donald J. Trump. Sammartino is a two-time WWE Champion and the longest reigning WWE Champion in history, holding the title for a combined 11 years. Trump has been a part of WWE’s most popular events and storylines dating back to WrestleMania® IV in 1988 and WrestleMania V in 1989 when he hosted the pop-culture extravaganzas in Atlantic City. In his most famous WWE storyline, Mr. Trump challenged Mr. McMahon to a “hair vs. hair” match at WrestleMania XXIII, resulting in Mr. McMahon’s head being shaved at the hands of “The Donald.”

Foley Upset About His WWE HOF Speech Not Airing on TV?

- Mick Foley tweeted the following about his WWE Hall of Fame induction not airing on TV:

“Thanks for all the messages of support concerning #WWEHOF. I’ll give the best speech I can, and let the decision makers make the decisions.”

Foley later watched a copy of his upcoming WWE DVD with his kids and wrote this:

“I’m in a much better frame of mind after watching my new DVD with my kids. I have SO much to be proud of. No way I’ll give fans anything less than the best possible speech I can. And if the powers-that-be decide not to air my speech on television, I’ll accept that it was a simply a decision that was beyond my control, and do everything I can – through the passion for my profession – to make that decision look as glaringly stupid as possible.”

Foley also tweeted with the hashtag #DumpedForTrump, a reference to Donald Trump’s induction airing on TV next week. Foley also told one unhappy fan that a “WE WANT FOLEY” chant during Trump’s speech would be a “perfectly acceptable reaction.”

Stephanie and Trish Talk About Saturday’s WWE HOF Induction

Trish Stratus talks to Diva-Dirt.com about the decision to have Stephanie McMahon induct her into the WWE Hall of Fame this weekend. Trish told Diva-Dirt:

“It was a difficult [choice]. There’s so many people who have had such an influence on my career and shaped my career. Getting a nod to be in the WWE Hall of Fame, it’s a look back at your career and at the end of the day, there would have been no career, no opportunity, no revamping of the women’s division if Stephanie wasn’t behind it all. When we feuded, there’s something about when you have an experience with someone that you bond with them. When we had our feud, we bonded then and we remained close ever since. She’s just always supportive of showcasing a strong, powerful woman. There would be no division and none of the women would have gotten the push that we needed, or the encouragement we needed. She and I have remained friends. I’ve watched her evolve into a businesswoman. We were at the same level — green workers having fun wrestling and then she really just got behind the scenes and became a businesswoman. It’s very empowering to see the position she has now. I retired and went into the business world and with all my endeavors, it’s a tough world for a woman. I admire her greatly and respect her greatly.”

Stephanie talked with TrishStratus.com about the induction:

“It’s hard to believe that it was a little over 10 years ago that Trish and I were in storylines together. We had a lot of fun together. I said it in my Tweet last night – she was my favorite person to slap. We both started around the same time, we were both ‘green’ as you would say.” Trish went on to become an incredible Diva in the ring… but we had the opportunity to start in a similar place. To be able to tell the story that we told was quite an amazing opportunity at a really entertaining, attitudinal time in our business. That’s one of the things that is so remarkable about Trish. It’s not common, in anyone really, to be able to develop their own brand on television and then know how to market that brand to audiences all around the world. To take Trish Stratus and the Stratusphere and turn it into an actual business that is successful and also allows you to continue to raise your profile as you market different products, and become more involved in many different opportunities. Trish is truly a business woman, and as a business woman, I appreciate and respect that, especially as Trish has really done that on her own. She is a strong, powerful, smart woman, and we need more women in leadership roles.”

Chyna Teases Future Hall of Fame Induction

- Former WWE star Chyna noted on her Twitter that she recently spoke to Vince McMahon and induction into the WWE Hall of Fame is possible. Here's what she wrote: 

"For everyone who keeps asking, No I'm not in love with @TripleH. He is married to @StephMcMahon." 

"I moved on and so should people that have asked. I'm happy as a person and have a wonderful man by my side that I love." 

"I am currently on good terms with @WWE and keeping it that way. I spoke to @VinceMcMahon and a #WWEHOF MIGHT be in the near future."