Same old shit different day,
Gotta get up gotta get up,
Same old shit different day,
Gotta get up gotta get up.

"Nobody Told Me"--Puddle of Mudd

Anybody miss me?

It's been 8 months since my last column and while time went out the window, a lot has changed. Some of the things include, Jerry Lawler and his skanky wife departing the WWF, Vince McMahon purchasing WCW for chickenshit, Steve Austin turning heel, Triple H tearing his quadricep causing him to miss six months of action, CRZ ditching that abortion known as Wrestleline, Chris Benoit going onto the shelf via neck surgery, and WCW & ECW talent making their mark on Federation television. It's been really an interesting year in the industry, that's for sure. Enough to make Good Ol' J.R., Jr.'s head spin.

I caught Unforgiven this past Sunday and I thought it delivered. A solid 7 out of 10 from where I sit.

The opening 4 team elimination tag match delivered what it expected to. Everyone worked hard and I believe Big Show may have found his niche. In short bursts he looks good and his weaknesses are hidden.

Raven and Perry Saturn worked hard, but the crowd in Pittsburgh just wasn't into their match. Just a sign that the Moppy storyline was a failure. Live and learn.

Christian and Edge left me underwhelmed with their match. I believe these two are capable of delivering a better match and they will have the oportunity to do so. No Mercy seems like the place and time.

Do I even need to comment on Kronik-Undertaker & Kane? Of course not, but I thought it was hilarious hearing Undertaker call spots so vocally. "Over the top, baby!" "Get down!" "Fuck!" Oh wait, that last one wasn't a spot. My bad.

Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho delivered in spades and then some with their match. They worked snug and in my humble opinion their match stole the show. RVD's future looks very bright as he'll be a main eventer in a few months time while Chris Jericho will continue to play his role of star maker.

I liked the effort in The Rock-Shane McMahon-Booker T match, however, it was a bit of a mess at times. That tends to happen with the 3-way/handicapped match format. I realize wrestling is Shane's personal wet dream, but he needs to leave the high profile matches to the real talent. I'm a fan of Booker T's work and The Rock is always at the top of his game.

Tajiri-Rhyno did what it was intended to. It allowed everyone to take a deep breath (or make a quick run to the concession stand or fridge) before the main event. Rhyno is not only a hoss, but a stud.

I thought the main event was a great way to cap off the evening. The intensity of the storyline coming into the match was where it needed to be, the match told a great story, and the finish gave a satisfying result. Kurt Angle and Steve Austin worked their collective asses off to accomplish those three things. The controversial finish is great because it puts focus on something as simple as an ending of a match. From where I sit, this is quite refreshing as finishes and matches in general had been downplayed in favor of soap opera-ish storylines. The action may not be ballet, but effective storytelling isn't rocket science.

TV this week was a great follow up to Unforgiven. I thought Raw was a solid 8 out of 10. Everyone seems to be upset over the fact that Stone Cold wasn't on either Raw or Smackdown, but his lack of appearance is apart of the story that will unfold over next week's television.

This Saturday Good Ol' J.R., Jr. will finally get his announcing career off the ground. I'll be boarding a flight to suburban Chicago as I'll be calling matches for a backyard wrestling group out of Portage, IN--I have no idea what the group calls themselves (as if it matters), however, they're paying my a good sum of money so I figure, "what the hell?" Yes, I realize I'm a whore. So be it. If any of this talent impresses the Junior Okie, I'll be sure to put them over in next week's report. I doubt I'll be making any calls to Les Thatcher or Jim Cornette though.

That's all from under the Sooners helmet for this week. 'Til next week, keep your head in the sand and keep reaching for the BBQ sauce.

That's my prerogative.

Jim Ross, Jr.
The Best Damn Columnist on the Damn Internet