Ross Report

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

5TH JULY

Ross Report -- July 5, 2002
Greetings from under a rather warm black Resistol hat while enjoying a couple of days off -- except, of course, for this Web column, our live events and the beloved telephone. In any event, I hope all that celebrated the Fourth of July had a super day and counted their many blessings!
Injury update:

X-Pac had an inflamed sciatic nerve that put him on the shelf Monday. Is off until this Monday in Philadelphia for RAW.

Kevin Nash's right biceps has healed and he's been medically cleared to return to work. Nash will return to house shows next weekend and will be in tags to assist in his conditioning. We really need Kevin to be able to step up into main events very soon.

Triple H's elbow is doing very well since surgery and The Game should be 100 percent in about three or four weeks.

Kane is about four weeks away from returning from biceps surgery. Along with Terri, Kane will be traveling to Sydney and Melbourne, Australia, next week to do promotional work for World Wrestling Entertainment's Aug. 10 event in Melbourne. Kane is not scheduled to wrestle on that event as we speak.

Maven, who suffered a broken fibula in late May, is expected to be released from doctor's care in a couple of weeks.

Agent Dave Hebner had major knee surgery and will be back on the road in a few months.

Referee Tim White had major rotator cuff surgery after Judgment Day and will be out of action for about four months. He will substitute for Hebner as an agent starting in about two weeks.

Lita will have to wear the hard collar for two more months -- which is no day at the beach. She feels good but is obviously very frustrated to be off work so long. She looked great last weekend and it was good to see her cameo on RAW. We will have a better estimate as to when she will be ready to return to the ring sometime in January 2003. My guess is we will see her at WrestleMania in a big way.

All other injured talent seem to be progressing on target with no unfortunate surprises to report.

Random thoughts, opinions and other useless information:

The Undertaker-Jeff Hardy match on RAW really had a big feel to it from where I was sitting. There were moments in the match that were very dramatic, which resulted in some compelling television.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report: Nash/HHH Injury News, Goldberg/Steiner To WWE, & More
Story By: Matthew Boone
July 12, 2002

The following are news highlights from this week's Ross Report at WWE.com:

Triple H has been in Birmingham rehabbing his surgically repaired elbow with HealthSouth and is expected back in the ring in early August.

Kane is currently in Australia doing promotional work and is about three to four weeks away from returning from a torn biceps.

Maven is still three to four weeks away from returning from a broken fibula, which is healing well.

Godfather has been having some neck problems and is currently undergoing therapy.

Agent Dave Hebner is beginning physical therapy for his knee.

Rhyno will begin light in-ring workouts in August and looks to be on target for a November return.

Lita will remain in a hard collar for another month or two, but her neck is healing very well. She is expected to be back in action at 100 percent sometime around WrestleMania.

Referee Tim White is rehabbing his shoulder after rotator cuff surgery and will start helping out the SmackDown! team next week as an agent.

Jazz is expected to return to action in September or October from ACL knee surgery.

Longtime World Wrestling Entertainment staffer Jimmy Miranda passed away today after a long illness at his home near Providence, R.I. Jimmy worked for many years in the company selling and managing merchandise at the arenas.

Bubba Ray Dudley, who suffered another death in his family, has been unbooked from the live events today and Saturday. Bubba, however, will be at the Bethlehem, Pa., event on Sunday and then at RAW from the Continental Airlines Arena on Monday night.

X-Pac has been unbooked from live events this weekend.

No one with WWE has talked to Goldberg or with Scott Steiner.

Ron Waterman and Chad Collyer (HWA-Cincinnati) have both been eliminated from the developmental roster.

Jeff Hardy does an on-sale autograph signing Saturday morning at KeyArena in Seattle at 10:30.

Triple H makes an appearance in Pasadena, Calif., this Saturday for UPN.

Rhyno hosts RAW at The World in New York City this Monday night.

WWE is participating with Ozzfest with talent appearances at several concerts.

Rhyno, Jazz, Scotty 2 Hotty, Perry Saturn, Big Valbowski, Christian, Stacy Keibler, Test, Randy Orton and Mark Henry will all be making personal appearances in Toronto on July 20 at Woodbine Raceway for a charity affair.

DDP is going to the U.K. soon to do promotional work for Vengeance, which will air there on Sky Box Office.

Jim Ross is attempting to do a better job of managing and delegating more projects to staff members. John Laurinaitis (Johnny Ace) has been assigned the position of managing the developmental area, along with SmackDown! agent duties and expanded duties at TV events.

Ross plans on working out of Florida some the next few months to finish the next WWE cookbook and the stories that are to accompany it.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report: More Roster Cuts, Hogan, HHH, Kane, more
Story By: Matthew Boone
July 27, 2002

The following are news and notes from this week's Ross Report written by Adam Martin of WrestleView.com:

Ross puts over that he has been in Los Angeles since Tuesday helping evaluate the new contestants for Tough Enough 3.

Ross mentions that it has been a very scary and challenging week for Chris Kanyon. Chris was hospitalized to drain his infected shoulder and was then moved a day later to the intensive care unit due to breathing problems involving fluid in his lungs. As of Friday, the fluid from his lungs are believed to be gone. It is still not known what caused the fluid in his lungs but he will be held for observations over the weekend.

Randy Orton is recovering well from his concussion and should be fine in a few days.

Kane is expected to be cleared to return to the ring by the end of July.

Triple H looks to return to in-ring action in early August after recovering from his elbow surgery.

Maven is expected to be cleared to return to the ring in a few weeks after suffering a broken fibula.

Lita will be able to remove her hard collar neck brace unless she is involved in exercising or driving.

Ross puts over a "superb week" of WWE TV starting with Vengeance on Sunday.

Ross said quote, "Michael Cole and Tazz, who certainly deserved the opportunity to broadcast at Vengeance, did an outstanding job with their half of the show, also." This comes as news due to the rumors going around with both Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler not being happy with sharing broadcast time with Michael Cole and Tazz at Vengeance.

Ross mentions that B.J. Payne, Flash and Sharmell Sullivan have all been removed from the WWE's developmental roster.

Jerry "The King" Lawler's biography is expected to be released in December.

Work is being done on Hulk Hogan's biography and a release date has yet to be announced.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report, August 9

The main event for Melbourne will be a Triple Threat match for the WWE Undisputed Championship pitting The Rock vs. Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar. Another outstanding contest will feature Edge vs. Jericho. The Un-Americans will defend the tag titles, and Hurricane Helms challenges Jamie Noble for the Cruiserweight Championship. Nine matches total make up this SmackDown!/Raw live event.

Saturday’s main event will be the first for Triple H since undergoing elbow surgery several weeks ago.

With The Rock’s movie schedule as it is and Hogan’s back problems, the competition for the coveted “top spots,” especially on the SmackDown! roster, seem to really be wide open, which should result in some new talents being provided with excellent opportunities to move up. This process seems to have already started.

It was great seeing Kane this week, and he looks to be very well-rested and in great shape following his bicep injury. The young monster’s return is much-anticipated, but the question is, will he be appearing on Raw or SmackDown!?

Bull Buchanan has looked good in recent matches and may be closer to being utilized on SmackDown! much sooner than later. Buchanan, a native Georgian, is 6-feet-6 and 260 pounds. And moves like a cat. He is at his best when he stays very aggressive and takes advantage of his athleticism, which he was done in recent weeks. Bull is a high-character talent who has certainly paid his “dues” and deserves a chance to hunt with the big dogs.

Ric Flair will lead the Florida Gators on the field when they play their in-state rival Miami Hurricanes, The Rock’s alma mater, in September in Gainesville. The Nature Boy grew up in Minnesota, has lived in North Carolina for years, but roots for Florida during the college football season. Go figure.

I would love to see a best-of-seven series between RVD and Y2J. They have great chemistry from where I sit.

Y2J’s band Fozzy will play at The World on Friday night, August 23 in Times Square in New York City. Tickets are available now for the high-energy concert.

I’m liking the Rock-Lesnar training videos we have been seeing on TV. Great stuff. The Rock is scheduled to be in Seattle both Monday for Raw, which is sold out, and Tuesday for the SmackDown! taping.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report news and notes. (16th August)

Here are some news and notes from this weeks Ross Report over at WWE.com:

Chris Jericho's band, Fozzy, will play live this Monday on Raw.Jericho is in the process of finalizing a new long-term contract with WWE.

Hollywood Hulk Hogan and Jerry "The King" Lawler are puttingthe finishing touches on their books. Both are due to be released by the end of the year.

Booker T is preparing to do another Hungry Man commercial.

Trish Stratus and Bubba Ray Dudley are also doing another Stacker 2 spot.

Maven is seeing the U.S. Ski Team's doctor this week to geta better read on his broken fibula and nagging ankle problems.

And finally... Torrie Wilson is headed to the U.K. on Aug. 27-31 for promotional work.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report news and notes (23rd August)

Here are the latest news and notes from this weeks
Ross Report over at WWE.com:

WWE and Sean Waltman, aka X-Pac, have mutually
agreed to part ways. "Sean is one of my all-time favorite
people in our business," Jim Ross said. "I truly wish him
nothing but success in the future."

Maven will be out eight more weeks while his ankle heals.

Kanyon is still recovering from his shoulder injury and
subsequent infection, and needs at least two more weeks
to deal with the open wound on his shoulder. It is estimated
that Kanyon is a couple of months away from getting back
in the ring to resume preparation to continue his career.

Jazz is doing well and healing nicely from anterior
cruciate ligament surgery, which was done on May 16.
She is expected to be out a total of four to six months.

Kevin Nash, who is expected to attend SummerSlam,
will be returning to Birmingham, Ala., next week to resume
physical therapy for his surgically repaired quadriceps.
His surgery was on July 9 and he is expected to need six
to eight months to heal.

Perry Saturn had ACL surgery on April 9 and was expected
to be 100 percent after six months, which would make it no
later than October.

Rob Van Dam is working through elbow pain, which is
probably tendonitis or some bone chips floating around.
He will be further evaluated this week.

Rhyno had neck surgery on Nov. 2, 2001, and should be
back at near 100 percent this November. Rhyno will resume
in-ring conditioning sometime in September, it is predicted.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report: HBK Update, Fake Kane/RAW, HHH, & More
Story By: Matt Boone
August 30, 2002

The following are news highlights from this week's Ross Report at WWE.com:

JR said HBK vs. HHH was an emotional rollercoaster that could be Michaels final in-ring bout. He mentioned that no one for sure knows the future of HBK but HBK himself. He also praised HHH for his work as a heel coming off a lot more natural than his recent babyface run.

JR felt RAW was a disappointing show this past Monday. He noted that the Tommy Dreamer/RVD Hardcore/I-C title unification match stole the show.

Kane is down to only 275-280 pounds since his return. Before getting injured, Kane was in at around the 300lb mark. He buried all rumors of a new person under the mask claiming it was the real and original Kane on RAW Monday.

Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley both signed new long-term contracts with WWE. Jericho finalized his new deal with WWE over the past few days. Matt and Jeff Hardy each had their exsisting contracts extended.

Spike Dudley's aunt recently passed away after a long battle with cancer. Funeral services are being held today in the Chicago area.

Wife of WWE road agent David "Fit" Finlay, Mel, gave birth to the couples' first child recently.

Tommy Dreamer is getting married on October 12, which is the anniversary of Jim Ross and his wife Jan.

Shelton Benjamin is being prepped for a debut on the main roster in WWE. JR feels he is going to be one "helluva" wrestler.

Sean O'Haire continues to improve his work over the past few months. He has had some matches on WWE Heat recently. JR says he has the potential to be a main-event player on the RAW brand most likely.

Trish Stratus, Stacy Keibler, Terri, and Lita were all at Jim Ross's house on Wednesday for a photo shoot for the next WWE cookbook.

Bill DeMott, no longer using the gimmick name of Hugh Morrus, was involved in a tragic car accident in Los Angeles this past week. DeMott is OK and will continue his role as one of the trainers for the upcoming Tough Enough 3 seasno which is being filmed now.

Bull Buchanan will be getting a push on the SmackDown! brand soon. JR informs everyone to keep an eye out for his return to the big screen on WWE television shortly.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report: Steiner/Goldberg, Austin's Return, Nash, more
Story By: Matt Boone
September 06, 2002

The following are news highlights from this week's WWE.com Ross Report:

JR put over RAW doing better this week, but says they still didn't receive the reviews they had all hoped for. They are still balancing the in-ring work and the backstage vignetes, trying to have enough of each to please everyone watching. Doesn't know what to expect for RAW this Monday from Iowa State, but hopes for a good crowd.

Made mention that SmackDown! was solid this week. For about the fifth week in a row he made sure to throw in the fact that it's taped so they have the editing advantage as opposed to a live RAW show. Mentioned the controversy over the Billy & Chuck marriage angle.

JR downed rumors of WWE getting serious about negotiations with Scott Steiner. Why is this unexpected? Anyways, he mentioned new talents and things of that nature are part of his department and there are no plans to go after Scott Steiner as of now.

Gave everyone an update on Bill Goldberg. Made sure to point out WWE is still interested, but the ball is basically in the court of Goldberg and all of his represenatives. Says they are planning their future without Goldberg as they do not know of his interest in working for their company.

Rock isn't expected back until the beginning of next year due to movie commitments. Downed rumors of a third movie project being set in stone and said WrestleMania next year, March 30, 2003, will be heavily involved leading into the annual wrestling classic.

Gave his two cents on the Steve Austin situation. Despite internet rumors there are no conversations between Austin WWE, the usual. Made sure to inform everyone to not listen to anyone who says "sources say" or "backstage talk was" in reports. Made mention that Austin is more concerned with straightening out his domestic situation in Texas with wife Debra, before even thinking about getting back into WWE.

Put over the competition between the RAW and SmackDown! rosters. Quite the rant actually. Mentioned competition is good for business, but they do not want to do anything that would have a negative impact on one of the two rosters as they are all want what's best for WWE.

Undertaker is suffering from elbow pains lately. He hyperextended his elbow and has been fitted with a brace and vowed to work through the pain. Commended Undertaker for his efforts and pointed out how lucky the SmackDown! locker room is to have his leadership.

Mark Henry sprained his ankle in Louisville on Wednesday. It was a mild sprain and Henry will most likely work through the pain.

Christopher Nowinski took a bad hit in the mouth a few weeks ago and is experiencing discomfort in his jaw. Won't be keeping the Harvard graduate out of action though.

Rosie (one half of the Island Boyz, or Rosie and Jamal) is feeling better from his hip flexor and his condition improves more and more each day.

Rhyno has been cleared to start light workouts in the ring. Mentioned that the workouts will be at less than half speed. Targeted return date for Rhyno is November.

Kanyon continues his therapy and light workouts after suffering a severe infection to his arm. He will be re-evaluated on September 10.

Maven is expected to be out of action for another six weeks or so while his ankle injury continues to heal.

Kevin Nash continues his therapy in Birmingham, Ala. from his torn quadriceps injury that took place back in July. Nash still has a long road ahead of him and several months of rehab to work through.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

13th September

Ross Report: Scott Steiner/WWE, RAW Controversy, & More

The following are news highlights from this week's Ross Report:

JR started off by looking at the unfortunate injury situation with Bradshaw tearing his biceps muscle during his match on RAW. Noted that they didn't just lose a great talent in the ring, but a leader in the locker room, someone who is constantly keeping spirits good backstage.

Sean O'Haire tore a muscle in his stomach recently. JR commended him for still attending workout sessions in Ohio Valley Wrestling despite not being able to work in the ring.

Rhyno started light workouts in the ring for the first time since neck surgery several months ago. Rhyno is tenatively scheduled for a November return, and will probably be sent to OVW to work off ring-rust before being brought back to the main roster.

Tough Enough 3 tapings are now completed. Ivory and Bill DeMott (Hugh Morrus) will be sent back on the road to work shows with WWE in October. Al Snow, the head trainer of Tough Enough, will be given a few weeks off before going back on the road with WWE for house shows. JR put over Bill DeMott and said he hopes he is brought in with serious impact upon his return as he is a very impressive talent who has paid his dues and earned the right to get a shot at the big time.

JR discussed the RAW controversy from this past Monday over the 'Hot Lesbian Action' segment for a bit. He mentioned that he is an old-school fan and prefers solid in-ring work, but understands that meaningful promos and segments are needed to get over the work in the ring.

When comparing RAW and SmackDown! lately, JR said "The SmackDown! crew is to be commended for its efforts and the results of its efforts are that SmackDown!, right now in my view, is the better of our two primetime shows."

WWE road agent, Jerry Brisco's son has signed a developmental deal with WWE. Nephew of former NWA champion and pro wrestling legend Jack Brisco, Wes, will be working in OVW shortly.

JR brought back up the Scott Steiner situation by saying "sources" on the internet are wrong and WWE has had no discussions with Steiner lately. He feels Steiner can be a valuable edition to the WWE roster on a part-time basis, and noted: "Creative could have a super concept for him (Scott Steiner) and all of the sudden he shows up on RAW or SmackDown! next week."

JR put over the Oklahoma Sooners again and mentioned this coming Monday's RAW in Denver, CO. saying he wonders if Leon "Vader" White will drop by.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report: Nash Update, Booker T, Unforgiven Changes

The following are news highlights from this week's Ross Report:

Booker T is going to be shooting a segment for WWE Confidential with Philadelphia eagles linebacker Levon Kirkland. Last month, there was some news in the sports media about Kirkland's habit of staring at his hand, and how he was a huge WWE/Booker T fan, and WWE wanted to spotlight him.

Kevin Nash will be in Little Rock, Ark., live on Saturday, Sept. 28 to launch the on sale of tickets for the October WWE PPV, No Mercy.

Lita will be doing a live on-sale promotion in Jackson, Tenn., on Sept. 28, as well.

Chris Nowinski is having surgery on his jaw and will miss 4-6 weeks.

Kanyon is about 2 months away from a WWE TV return, with a month more on the sidelines and a planned month at OVW.

Sean O'Haire has another month or so of healing for his abdominal injury.

Maven is about three weeks away from being ready to return, and will probably spend some time in OVW before returning to WWE TV.

Rhyno's return has been pushed back slightly to a late November/early December date.

Jazz is about a month away from returning.

WWE's Sunday PPV Unforgiven, airing in Los Angelos, has not yet sold out. Jim Ross mentioned that tickets were still on sale in today's Ross Report.

The Rey Mysterio/Jamie Noble match is off the PPV, and may be replaced by a match between Rey and Chavo on Heat. The match would be a Smackdown match on the Raw-branded Heat program, but there may be an exception because it is a pre-PPV show.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report -- Sept. 27, 2002

RVD has an injured hand which limited his effectiveness at Unforgiven and on RAW. This young man is a magnificently talented athlete who is working through pain but will not miss any of his commitments. His TV persona is still evolving.

Chris Nowinski had jaw surgery Tuesday in Boston and will be out of action approximately 4-6 weeks. Everyone here really likes this Harvard grad's upside.

Chris Kanyon hopes to get a medical release in about a week or two and will then report to OVW for an extended stay to get back in ring shape. He has had some tough hands dealt to him and sure deserves some good luck.

Rhyno is scheduled to get back in the ring this week and begin light workouts preparing for a late November/early-December return. We are all anxious for this Detroit hand to get back to developing into one of our best all around performers. A quality human being, too.

Jazz has begun her in ring workouts following ACL surgery and should be 100% in December if not a little sooner. She will head back to RAW with the majority of the other female grapplers.

All other injured athletes are progressing on schedule.

Mike Awesome, Shawn Stasiak, and Mike Bollea -- aka Horace Hogan, have all been released and we wish them all well in their future endeavors. Stasiak, in particular, has potential and will hopefully head to Japan for more seasoning and a different learning environment.

Matt Hardy's new TV persona is developing slowly but surely, from where I sit. Another life long fan who really seems to be "getting it".

John Cena seems to be a natural antagonist and will someday, I predict, be one of our best at that role.

As good as our cruiserweights are now, by adding a few more quality hands to this group, this roster will be untouchable.

It's hard to believe I'm sure for some, but Billy and Chuck are rapidly becoming significant fan favorites.

Raven, Justin Credible, D'Lo Brown, and Steven Richards are among the talents who are under utilized on our roster. Same goes to a lesser degree to Tommy Dreamer and Spike Dudley.

I think that Lance Storm and Christian are one of the potentially better teams we have had in WWE in quite some time. More aggression and a more pronounced mean streak is about all they need.

Bob Holly has been unbooked after being dropped on his head recently and is feeling much better. Another very tough human being who hates to miss work.

Recent tag team work by Eddie and Chavo Guerrero has been off the charts.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

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Ross Report -- Oct. 4, 2002
Greetings from under the black 200X Resistol hat from an Oklahoma Sooners fan who is coming off one hellacious week and is very concerned about my Sooners' trip to Missouri tomorrow night in Columbia.
Injury update:

An MRI revealed that Bob "Hardcore" Holly has a ruptured disc in his neck that will require surgery and will probably put Holly on the shelf for approximately six months. More info will be known later today or early this evening as Bob is down in San Antonio today consulting with Dr. Lloyd Youngbood about the situation. Apparently Bob had a preexisting injury that was aggravated in his match a couple of weeks ago with Brock Lesnar. Bobby is a tough S.O.B. and this is d**n sure a back run of luck for him, but he will work through it, as always, and we will be ready for him when he gets back to 100 percent.

Randy Orton separated his shoulder during his two matches on RAW and consulted with a specialist in St. Louis this week. Tests are being done, including an MRI, to determine why he is having chronic shoulder issues at this point of his career. Randy will also be evaluated by Dr. Jim Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., soon and Dr. Andrews will perform the surgery if it is necessary. Randy is obviously unbooked this weekend and his return to the road and to TV in the ring will depend on the results of the tests.

Mark Henry received a CAT scan on his ankle Thursday by Dr. Andrews' staff and surgery at this time is being discouraged. Dr. Andrews wants Mark to do two weeks of therapy and then get reexamined.

Agent Dave Hebner has had two surgeries on his knee and is back in the hospital in Richmond, Va., for another procedure after traveling to Birmingham last week to be examined by Dr. Andrews.

Kurt Angle has been diagnosed with a hyperflex of his elbow but is reportedly improving somewhat and will not miss his bookings but will also not be 100 percent.

Rob Van Dam is working through a hand sprain.

Rey Mysterio is getting an MRI today to check out his knees. He has been performing with two sore knees.

Undertaker's hyperextended elbow is not getting any better and will require surgery in the future. Until then he will continue to work a reduced schedule of TVs and the No Mercy Pay-Per-View along with the upcoming international tour.

Bubba Ray Dudley seems to have bounced back from the pinched nerve issue he had a week or so ago. Still not 100 percent but close.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report -- Oct. 4, 2002

Kanyon hopes to be released to return to work next week and then will begin in-ring training and conditioning. Our plan is for Chris to work in Ohio Valley Wrestling until he is 100 percent and the creative staff is ready for his return.

Maven hopes to be released from doctor's care for his ankle around Oct. 22 but that remains to be seen. Maven will also report to OVW once he is cleared to get back in the ring.

Sean O'Haire is recovering from a torn abdominal muscle and will be out at least three more weeks.

Bradshaw is rehabilitating his torn biceps and dropped by Houston's RAW to say hello to everyone. He'll be doing a ton of international promotion for us in the upcoming weeks.

Chris Nowinski's jaw surgery was successful, and he is progressing well. He is still slated to be out of commission up to six weeks.

Kevin Nash continues to rehab his torn quad aggressively and has set a goal to return to the ring by the Royal Rumble, but that would be a photo finish based on the severity of his injury.

Jazz will be back to 100 percent in December.

Lita debuts on MTV's HEAT this Sunday night and will continue to make a variety of appearances for the company while she heals from neck surgery. We hope to have her back in the ring in May of next year.

Rhyno looks to be on target for an early December return to the ring after neck surgery.

Scotty 2 Hotty's neck surgery was on May 7, and Scotty is expected to be out of action for one year as a result. He will continue to make appearances for the company while he rehabs.

We obviously have many outstanding talents on our injured list and I often wonder how much better things would be if we had our full compliment of talent 100 percent healthy. One of the media's biggest misconceptions is that "wrestlers don't get hurt" which is another one of the press' uninformed views of what these talented athletes endure in their professional lives.

Random thoughts and opinions ...

It is totally NOT true that Hollywood Hulk Hogan has been working without a contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. No one works on TV or in house shows without the proper paperwork, and that includes Hogan, who signed a contract, which is still in effect, in January 2002. Also, my guts tell me we have not seen the last of Hulk in a WWE ring but, of course, I could be wrong.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report -- Oct. 11, 2002

Greetings from under the black 200X Resistol hat while preparing to head to Dallas for the biggest college football game of the year, the Red River Shootout between Oklahoma and Texas!

Injury update:

Randy Orton tore his shoulder two weeks ago and had surgery Thursday in Birmingham, Ala., to repair it. Dr. Jim Andrews estimates Randy will be out of action three to four months. Tough break for this kid, but he will be back better than ever.

Bob "Hardcore" Holly had neck fusion surgery yesterday in San Antonio with Dr. Lloyd Youngbood and is expected to be out of action up to one year, maybe shorter, according to the doctor. This intense athlete certainly deserves a break as it relates to injuries.

Bubba Ray Dudley was knocked unconscious in the Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match on RAW and suffered a concussion. X-rays and a CAT scan were normal, but Bubba will not compete at any live events for the next couple of weeks to ensure he is back to 100 percent. Tough rascal, let me tell you.

Chris Jericho had his "bell rung" during the TLC Match but was examined and is fine. Returns to the road this Saturday in Rochester, N.Y. Another game-day player.

Tommy Dreamer could not compete last week due to extreme lower back pain. He had an MRI and will need to rest for a few weeks before returning to work. Tommy is getting married this Saturday, and we wish him the best.

Rey Mysterio has an ongoing knee problem that may require a 'scope in December during the talents' break. But he is getting treatment, has changed knee braces and is functioning very well, as all can see.

Rhyno is still walking through drills in the ring and is on target for a December return if all continues to go well. He will not be rushed back to action and will return only after being thoroughly evaluated by Dr. Youngblood in San Antonio.

Kanyon has been doing some light work in the ring as well in the past few days and is hoping for a release from doctor's care sometime around Oct. 22. Kanyon will need several weeks in OVW (Ohio Valley Wrestling) to get back in shape and regain his timing, etc. I do not expect to see Kanyon back in the ring on WWE TV until December or a little later.

Speaking of Oct. 22, Maven is set to be released about that time as well and he too will be assigned to OVW to get ready to return to WWE action. Don't forget to check out OVWrestling.

[Stephanie McMahon's sidekick!]

Ross Report -- Oct. 18, 2002

Bob Holly is recovering at home and also has refused pain medication, which either speaks to the toughness or the stubbornness of this athlete. Bob will be out of action for about one year. I have read some observations on the Internet about this situation with some amazing conspiracy theories and alleged locker-room talk that I find to be irresponsible and ridiculous by those reporting theory as fact.
Bubba Ray Dudley has been cleared to return to work from the concussion he suffered in the Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match from Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago. Bubba has seen a neurologist, and his CAT scan and X-rays were normal.

Goldust had a trapezoid muscle strain and was held out of action Monday on RAW but has seen a doctor and is good to go this weekend.

It is expected that Kanyon and Maven will both be released from doctor's care near the end of the month and will then report to Ohio Valley Wrestling for an extended stay to get back in ring shape so they will both be 100 percent when they return to WWE television. Both will see their physicians on Oct. 22 and could be released at that time.

Sean O'Haire is about two weeks away from being back in the ring from his abdominal tear.

Rhyno will be going down to Louisville, Ky., to work out in OVW but is not ready for matches yet. He is still expected to be at 100 percent sometime in December.

Randy Orton has begun his physical therapy for his shoulder, and it is progressing well. Randy should be back in the ring by mid-February if all goes well, even though we will probably see him on RAW frequently between now and then.

According to our medical staff, all other injured talents are progressing as planned and on target to return as previously reported here over the past several weeks.

I must say that our trainers, Chris Brannan and Larry Heck, do one helluva great job working with our athletes every night on the road. We could not do without them, and they are a tremendous asset to WWE.

In another of my many senior moments, I meant to use bowler Pete Weber as a reference in a recent Al Snow-Test match where a bowling ball came into play but instead used the outdated reference of thingy Weber, who is Pete's dad. Shame on me.

I read recently where Mike Awesome returned to WWE three months early from knee surgery and against doctors' orders, which is totally inaccurate.