Ross opens today’s show by pointing out that WWE’s Backlash PPV wasn’t received well by many fans or critics. Ross doesn’t think we should be surprised because Backlash followed two giant shows in WrestleMania and the Greatest Royal Rumble. He thought the effort was there from the talent, but he didn’t think the fans were overly kind during that show. He also notes that he saw a lot of fatigue from talents on that show.

Speaking about the ongoing notion that Roman Reigns should turn heel, Ross thinks this will play out over time and he thinks Reigns will eventually evolve into what he’s supposed to be. He doesn’t think Reigns is lost and he definitely doesn’t think Reigns belongs in the scrap heap. Much like Nakamura, Ross thinks Reigns might be better suited as a villain, but he’ll be patient in order to see what happens in the future.

Ross informs that he’s received some criticism over the comments he made last week regarding the Greatest Royal Rumble. He suggested that the female talents shouldn’t be paid for the Greatest Royal Rumble because they didn’t work the event, and he stands by those comments. He notes that he’s a huge supporter of female wrestling and always has been, but he doesn’t see why any performer would be paid when they didn’t work the show.

Ross mentions that he’s pulling for Cody Rhodes and The Young Bucks, as the prepare to launch ticket sales for their self-financed “All In” event. He notes that these men have the same entrepreneurial spirit that he had when he was their age, and he really wants to see them succeed.

Ross welcomes Jerry “The King” Lawler to the show.

Lawler informs that he’s feeling good after his recent stroke, which was quite a scary ordeal. He notes that much like his cardiac arrest, there was no pain or warning and it’s almost as if it didn’t even happen. He credits his girlfriend for acting quickly and driving him to the hospital at the first sign he was having a stroke, and he thinks that saved his life.

Ross says that he doesn’t think he’s ever been on a trip as challenging as their recent trip to Saudi Arabia. Ross spent 36 hours on a plane in total, much of it with Lawler, and Lawler notes that the first class travel made it bearable.

Ross notes that the security at the venue in Saudi Arabia was quite intense. Lawer adds that he was actually concerned about wearing his “King” outfit over there in case the Royal Family would be offended by it. The Royal Family actually requested that Ross and Lawler make the trip, demanding that the “guy with the crown and the guy with the cowboy hat” be there. If they knew him for wearing a crown, Lawler assumed it’d be okay for him to wear his outfit there, and he didn’t have any issues.

Lawler and Ross both laugh as they discuss Titus O’Neil’s trip as he was making his Greatest Royal Rumble entrance. Lawler mentions that he texted O’Neil right after the show, telling him that this might be the best thing that ever happened to him. O’Neil has a great ability to laugh at himself, and he handled this situation perfectly in Lawler’s opinion.

Ross informs that he and Lawler are promoting a series of two-man shows which will begin in August and they’re both really looking forward to it.

Ross gives major props to Chris Jericho this week, after Jericho made his return to NJPW to shoot an angle with Naito. He points out that Jericho is everywhere right now and he’s a star wherever he goes. He recalls negotiating Jericho’s original WWE contract. He told Jericho at that time that he couldn’t offer him as much guaranteed money as he was making in WCW, but he could guarantee that Jericho would make more money in WWE. That turned out to be true, and Jericho’s been a star ever since.

Ross notes that he’s always been a fan of voice-over work, and for this reason he’d love to be a character on an upcoming season of Camp WWE. He notes that he might have to mention that to Vince McMahon the next time he meets with him.

A listener writes into the show and asks Ross if he thinks WWE would ever travel to Cuba or North Korea to do shows. Ross says after the Saudi Arabia trip, nothing is off limits. WWE could very well be traveling to Cuba in the coming years.

Ross informs that his book, Slobberknocker, has been flying off the shelves and is in its 4th printing. In addition, he’s already brainstorming ideas for a second book which he hopes to have out in time for the holidays in 2019. The new book will pick up where the last book left off, and will include discussions about the attitude era and being moved from RAW to Smackdown, which was a very tough day for him.

That sums up today’s episode of The Jim Ross Report. You can listen to the show yourself anytime here, and I’ll catch ya next week for another recap!