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Q-and-A with Jim Ross: Talks Goldberg-Lesnar, 1-man show, Kurt Angle

Ross Report/Twitter

With his one-man show, "Ringside with Jim Ross," taking place Nov. 20 at Second City in Toronto, WWE Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross sat down with theScore for an exclusive interview. In part one, Ross discussed the event, Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series, and past names he'd like to see return.

Christopher Walder: What can die-hard wrasslin' fans expect from your show who are attending it for the first time?

Jim Ross: I'll be telling some Toronto-centric stories from my experiences in the market to get things started. We will evolve after the story-telling - you know, 40-plus years in the business you accumulate a lot of stories involving a lot of very familiar names that fans will certainly be aware of. And then we'll move into what I believe is the highlight of the whole presentation with the Q-and-A's. You've got a group of wrestling fans that are in a safe haven, surrounded by wrestling fans where you don't have to worry about being kidded.

You know how it is, Chris - you're a wrestling fan. How many times in your life have your buddies asked you why you're still watching that stuff?

I've always been of the belief that if fans are kind enough to support me and they buy a ticket to see my show, that the last thing I want to do is restrict what questions they can ask. No topic is off limits. They generally lead to a lot of fun and often times humor, but always honesty from me in answering the questions.

Walder: One of the rare singles matches taking place at Survivor Series is a returning Bill Goldberg taking on Brock Lesnar. Do you feel Survivor Series was the right time and place for a match of such magnitude to go down, with Royal Rumble at the Alamodome in January and WrestleMania 33 in Orlando next year? And considering Toronto has a history of being "Bizarro World" when it comes to fan reactions, and when you factor Lesnar residing in the country, perhaps we'll get the complete opposite response from what WWE is hoping for with Goldberg?

Ross: I don't know why we would worry about delaying it. Certainly, I think WWE is aware of fan reactions across the board, not just in "Bizzaro Land." By the way, that was a Jerry Lawler line, not mine. I never perceived our neighbors to the north to be bizarre. But I will say they're very vocal, and they're uninhabited.

I thought one of the best storylines we ever did was the Bret Hart, Canadian hero, Canada vs. USA rivalry. I thought that was very compelling stuff back in the day. Here you've got Goldberg - he's got a Canadian connection as well. He married a Canadian. He's been married to a Canadian lady for 11 years. They've got a son. They'll both be sitting ringside. So if fans feel compelled to boo Bill Goldberg simply because Lesnar bought a farm in Saskatchewan, then so be it. If you bought your ticket, express yourself. As long as you're not profane and embarrassing yourself, and putting others around you in a compromising position, you should cheer as loudly for whomever you choose as you want.

Walder: Goldberg's return coincides with the release of WWE 2K17, and as we've seen in the past, the company has used that game to aid in bringing back former names like The Warrior and Sting. Are there other former big-name stars out there on the open market, or currently working for another organization, that you feel WWE could benefit from working with on a one-off match, or a few bouts here or there?

Ross: Nobody pops in my mind that travels the new road. It's good to be able to reach out and get a former big-time WWE star to re-enter the arena, so to speak, in any form that's possible. But I really am of the belief that you make sure you don't put these people in a scenario where they can't succeed.

A lot of older guys - we want to believe they'll come out for that one night only and be just as good as they ever were, but that's normally not the case. I think it's smart marketing to tie the returns of guys like Sting and Bill Goldberg to the video game. Even Brock Lesnar once upon a time, I believe. I don't know who else is out there that hasn't already been saddled up and ridden to the big dance.

Walder: One name that always comes to mind is Kurt Angle. He's had his problems with the company in the past, and a slew of injuries. Do you think that's a road WWE would go down again in bringing back Angle?

Ross: I would certainly endorse WWE doing some business with Kurt. He's one of my favorite people. I think he's probably, arguably, the best pure technical wrestler I ever saw in WWE. He reminds me of the great Danny Hodge, who was the best scientific wrestler I ever laid eyes on, as an amateur and a pro. So Kurt's a very special athlete.

I called a match of his a month or so ago in Newcastle, England. To go out there on a sporadic basis, he's still really, really good. So could he be good every night? No. He might be, but it wouldn't be a smart booking. For him to come back for a one-off, a WrestleMania match, coinciding with a Hall of Fame induction, something along those lines - I think would be great promotion, and the fans would probably embrace that idea. He may be the last guy out there we could name that would fit the bill of the returning, conquering hero back in the fold for a one-off.

(Tickets for "Ringside with Jim Ross" are still on sale and available here)

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