The Ross Report

JR is in Orlando, on-site at the WWE Performance Center and he's joined by TWO incredible WWE Hall of Famers - Lita AND Madusa. The ladies sit down with JR on the podcast this week to look ahead to the first-ever WWE Mae Young Classic and its impressive crop of competitors, breaking down the stories behind some of the finest women wrestlers in the world. Also, JR gives his thoughts on WWE's Great Balls of Fire including why Brock Lesnar and Samoa Joe are not finished with each other, the importance of the time limit in the RAW tag team championship match and the upside of Braun Strowman. All this plus so much more!

Its a loaded show this week as Stone Cold Steve Austin stops by to chat with JR about his experience at the New Japan shows in Long Beach this past weekend as well as what he thinks makes Kenny Omega a stand-out talent as well as who else on the NJ roster impressed him from the event. Then, later in the show, Mike Johnson from PWInsider gets on the line with JR to further discuss the New Japan event, give some backstage news from Global Force Wrestling's Slammiversary event, preview the Joe/Lesnar bout coming up this Sunday at WWE's Great Balls of Fire PPV and offer up his takes on JR's forthcoming book!

The incomparable James E. Cornette returns to the Ross Report this week as JR and Jim catch up on some old-school memories involving Bill Dundee, Jerry Lawler and Jerry Lee Lewis as well as discuss a few current pro wrestling items. Jim has got a lot to say about The Revival, Joe vs Lesnar, his return to the WWE at this year's Hall of Fame and the upcoming New Japan event in Long Beach. Also, Jim talks about his recent podcasting adventures, what ROH needs to succeed, young John Cena in OVW and so much more!

Joining JR this week on the podcast is ProWrestling.nets Jason Powell to discuss all of the developments from the WWE Money In The Bank event including the controversial result of the first-ever Women's Money In The Bank match, the rather abrupt ending to the Smackdown tag team title match as well as the big money potential the WWE has in a match between AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. Also, JR and Jason talk about this week's WWE Raw and the return of Braun Strowman, the important task ahead for Cody Rhodes at the New Japan event in Long Beach, how significant the upcoming Slammiversary event is for Impact Wrestling as well as Ring of Honor's television future.

Bellator heavyweight fighter Matt Mitrione joins JR on the podcast this week to discuss his upcoming Bellator PPV fight on June 24th against Fedor Emelianenko in the historic Madison Square Garden; confronting the mystique of Fedor; predictions for other fights on the card including Chael Sonnen vs Wanderlei Silva and the influence of pro wrestling on Matt's promo style. Later in the show, JR is joined by pro wrestling's hottest free agent Adam Cole (BAY-BAY)! Adam talks with JR about his experience as a headliner in Ring of Honor, the charm of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla, how Jim Cornette helped him in ROH, his dentist / pro wrestler girlfriend, predictions for WWE Money In The Bank this coming Sunday and most importantly, what's next for Adam Cole (BAY-BAY)!

John Pollock from the Fight Network and Live Audio Wrestling joins JR this week to discuss all of the news coming out of WWE's Extreme Rules including Samoa Joe's win in the Fatal 5-Way and his forthcoming match with Brock Lesnar; whether or not the concept of the Extreme Rules event needs to be revised; how the Miz has elevated his game since pairing with his wife Maryse on WWE television; the confusion over the rules of the tag team cage match; and the surprising yet positive effect of Alexa Bliss varying her moveset in her women's title match against Bayley. JR and John also discuss the upcoming events for New Japan including the rapidly approaching card in Long Beach, CA on 7/1 and 7/2; the connection between the Fight Network and Impact Wrestling, how Impact Wrestling needs to upgrade its domestic TV presence outside of PopTV and the state of MMA in 2017 specifically the lack of bonafide stars in the current scene.

WWE and Pro Wrestling Hall of Famer Paul Ellering joins The Ross Report to share his experiences of his recent return to the WWE and NXT as the manager of the current NXT Tag Team Champions, the Authors of Pain. At over 60 years of age, Paul jumped at the chance to bring his old-school mentality to one of the hottest pairs of talents in the business today. Paul shares epic stories about managing the legendary Road Warriors throughout the 80s as well as memories of working in Mid-South with Cowboy Bill Watts and JR! Plus, Paul discusses breaking into the AWA and their grueling camps, his daughter Rachael and her recent entry into the business, the Junkyard Dog, The Last Battle of Atlanta and what happened to Rocco!

PW Insider's Mike Johnson returns to talk WWE UK, NXT, WWE Backlash, and Monday Night RAW. Hear Mike & JR breakdown Jinder Mahal vs Randy Orton and what that means for Jinder's WWE future; AJ Styles vs Kevin Owens and what that sets up; Dolph Ziggler vs Shinsuke Nakamura and why you should care; Luke Harper's break from the Wyatt Family; Samoa Joe's main roster position; and Impact Wrestling's upcoming Slammiversary 2017 show. They also cover ROH, NJPW, and Tommy Dreamer's House of Hardcore, and they take questions from the fans.

Roddy Strong returns to The Ross Report, and this time not only as a member of NXT (and a future WWE main roster member), but also as a new dad! We'll hear how Roddy's enjoying fatherhood, and whether his fiancee MMA fighter Marina Shafir has plans to return to the octagon in the near future. Roddy also talks about the day-to-day at the NXT Performance Center, learning from the great Shawn Michaels, and who's on his Mt. Rushmore of Pro Wrestling. Plus, he's weighs in on Shinsuke Nakamura, Samoa Joe, and taking apron bumps!

Author Patrick LaPrade wrote "Sisterhood Of The Squared Circle: The History & Rise Of Women's Wrestling," and is sharing some of the stories he chronicled in his book about trailblazers like Mildred Burke (and her promoter husband Billy Wolfe), The Fabulous Moolah, and Mae Young. Hear about the politics, real-life grudges, scandals and beatings they endured and overcame to make women's wrestling popular and dominant in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Patrick also discusses the women's division today, Ronda Rousey, and Shimmer's effect on it all.