Jim Ross updated the blog section of JRsbarbq.com. The following items are among the highlights.

-Ross on the talent and office cuts: "Black Friday in Stamford at WWE world HQ was a challenging day for many as several people were laid off due to budget cuts backs and a challenging economy with the hope of making the WWE more cost efficient in an overriding effort to reduce $20M in operating expenses. Any one who has followed the economic state in America and watches the news on TV even periodically should not be surprised at these unfortunate developments. I have no idea who all internally got released but I am sure that there are some that I worked with in the corporate side since the mid 90's. I was surprised and particularly saddened by the release of Tim "The Friendly Tap" White, former referee turned talent/live event producer who was one of the nicest guys in the business. Tim will be just fine but I will certainly miss him.

Powell's POV: The cuts obviously aren't exclusive to WWE given the sad state of the economy. Here's hoping those who received pink slips will land on their feet. White is a popular person in WWE and I was surprised to see the longtime employee among those cut.

Ross on the new name of John Cena's finishing move: "Speaking of Cena, I hear his FU finishing maneuver is being renamed 'The Throwback' which works for me and is certainly easier for me to communicate to my 5 year old granddaughter who's a Cena fan of sorts. It will be interesting to see how much knee jerk reaction this name change creates in the illustrious media. Knowing today's trends and the vocal minority of some fans who have enough product knowledge to be dangerous, too much."

Powell's POV: I never really thought about it, but I'm surprised in retrospect that the name didn't change sooner given the shift to PG programming.

-Ross on a conversation he had with Hulk Hogan on the Bubba the Love Sponge radio show: "I was surprised when Hulk Hogan called in. It was good to hear from him after all the hell that he has gone through, that woman scorned thing, divorce, etc, and we talked about the well worn story of a possible Hulk vs. Stone Cold match at WM25. I still don't think it will even happen but I do think two things, 1. it would overshadow virtually every thing on the card if it were built over an extended period of time and 2. there would need to be a conclusive winner. Now, with all that said, no matter the fan interest, the match still isn't going to occur in my view. I will add a 3. 'Never say Never' just to keep the seemingly endless conversation alive."

Powell's POV: Hogan is making his annual pitch to get on the WrestleMania card. He event went so far as to say that he would do the job for Austin. Of course, the trick is convincing Austin to take the match. He health issues are obviously a concern, and Austin and Hogan have not been best buds over the years.

Other topics include watching the BSC National Championship Game with my favorite NFL running back, the Cauliflower Alley Club convention, more on Steve Austin, and Ted DiBiase Sr..

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