Sideline and ringside Sooner

WWE announcer Jim Ross said he’s optimistic about the current football season.

    Oklahoma native and World Wrestling Entertainment announcer Jim Ross spoke about his views on the OU football team at a press conference for an upcoming WWE pay-per-view event in Oklahoma City.

    The Unforgiven pay-per-view event in the Ford Center Sunday will be the first ever WWE pay-per-view held in Oklahoma.

    “You know, I was talking to the WWE officials for the scheduling of a WWE pay per view in Oklahoma City,” Ross said. He said that, as an Oklahoman, he’s been lobbying to bring the event here.

    Wrestlers Kurt Angle, Ric Flair, Matt Hardy, Shawn Michaels, Candice Michelle, Carlito Cool and John Cena spoke to fans and gave them a preview of the show Tuesday.

    The wrestlers stayed in character but some were candid about their feelings on Oklahoma and OU.

    Cool, staying in character, even made a jab at Sooner fans.

    “I know that the Texas Longhorns are pretty big around here!” Cool said to a chorus of boos.

    However, Ross and Flair had kind words about OU.

    “I’m an Oklahoma fan,” Flair said. “You can’t help but like the University of Oklahoma. They have one of the winningest traditions of all time.”

    Flair said he brings his son to the Tulsa Nationals wrestling tournament.

    “He finally won it two years ago after seven tries,” Flair said. “So I will testify to the fact that wrestling is very tough in the state of Oklahoma. I’ve been coming myself since 1979.”

    Ross is an OU football fan and can be seen in his black cowboy hat on the sidelines during football games. He attended many of the preseason practices, including closed practices, and is friends with many on the OU coaching staff.

    “I’m not panicking,” Ross said. “And I didn’t come into the season with as high of expectations as some Sooner fans. I’m very disappointed in a small minority of fans that are knee-jerking their way into hysteria.”

    ”When the coaching staff is 68-13, I kind of tend to go with those odds,” Ross said. “I’ll take those odds to Vegas and buy me a ton of black hats.”

    Ross said he is not apologetic and is honest with the problems the Sooners have.

    “I ask the same questions a fan would ask,” Ross said. “Why isn’t Bomar carrying the ball more? Why aren’t we throwing the ball to the tight end? We can’t win if we don’t have a balance between offense and defense.”

    He said he believes the Sooners will beat UCLA on Saturday in a close game but he said he thinks the receivers need to make plays.

    “Where has Travis Wilson been?” Ross said. “He’s not in the witness protection program. He wears number four. He goes to class at Oklahoma University. He can be found by everybody but the football on Saturday. He’s one of those playmakers.”

    Ross said that OU’s 6-feet-3-inch, 298-pound senior defensive tackle Dusty Dvoracek has the look of a professional wrestler.

    “I’ve been friends with Dusty since he was a freshman because I saw the same thing that others saw,” Ross said. “This kid had a look for pro wrestling with the hair and the tattoos.”

    Ross said that Dvoracek is going to be an NFL player though.

    “Dusty’s going to be a stud in the NFL,” Ross said. “But he has expressed more than a keen interest that someday, once the NFL has come and gone, that the WWE is something he’d like to consider.”

    Ross said Dvoracek would be a natural in the ring along with the other athletes.

    “Contrary to what people think we do as a sports entertainment entity,” Ross said. “Anybody that has been around any levels of athletes or athleticism knows that we have some of the best athletes in the world.”