INTERVIEW CLASSIC - WKPWP Interview Classic: Jim Ross on pros and cons of separate rosters for Raw and Smackdown, plus Cody, Reigns, more

Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Podcast

Wade Keller

Tv & Film, Sports, Leisure

3.9 • 903 Ratings

🗓️ 31 May 2026

⏱️ 143 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this week’s Interview Classic podcasts, we jump back to ten years ago this week (5-26-2016) when PWTorch editor Wade Keller interviewed Jim Ross with a predominant focus on WWE’s announcement that Smackdown goes live on Tuesdays in July and would include a distinct roster from Raw. Ross dissected the possible benefits and pitfalls of such a major change in WWE’s structure, looks back at the prior brand split and what is different today, his preference for how the separate rosters would be structured and how champions should be ideally featured. Also, live calls and emails delved into more aspects of the brand split and other topics. Plus some Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and NBA OKC Thunder-Golden State Warriors talk at the end.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You hear us talk about ways to unlock VIP membership through your Apple account in the Apple
0:04.6	podcast app and also through Patreon or Spotify to unlock a full VIP membership with full
0:10.0	access to archives and ad-free website and customizable podcast feeds that are compatible with
0:15.5	the Apple Podcast app and many iOS and Android apps along with streaming ability right from our ad-free mobile
0:22.3	site, go to pwtorch.com slash go VIP. That's pwtorch.com slash go VIP. That'll give you all
0:30.5	the details on everything you're missing out on by not being a VIP member. The whole array of
0:35.7	VIP exclusive podcasts, like the White Keller news bulletins, our post pay-per-view roundt member, the whole array of VIP exclusive podcasts like the Wade Keller, news bulletins,
0:39.4	our post-paper-view roundtables, the fix that I host with Todd Martin, everything with Rich
0:44.0	and Wade, and an array of other shows with different hosts and different themes, along with
0:48.0	unlocking our archives dating back nearly four decades, nearly 2,000 Pro Wrestling Torch weekly
0:53.6	newsletters. Over two decades, a podcast
0:56.0	on demand dating back to the mid-2000s, starting with pay-per-view roundtables, hundreds of
1:00.3	fascinating retro radio shows, including many that I hosted in the 1990s, and an ad-free website,
1:06.4	exclusive content on that website only for VIP members written and audio and a lightning fast smooth ad
1:12.8	free VIP mobile site for all of our content don't miss out on all the benefits treat
1:17.8	yourself to a VIP membership pwtorch.com slash go VIP go all the way go VIP pwtorch.com
1:25.6	slash go VIP. PwTorch.com slash go VIP.
1:42.7	Now, PWTorch and Spreaker bring you the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling podcast.
1:45.3	It's time for this week's interview classic,
1:55.1	where Wade Keller interviews one of pro wrestling's newsmakers. On today's Wade Keller Pro Wrestling podcast for Saturday, May 30th, 2026, we jump back 10 years to the May 26th, 2016 episode where I interview Jim Ross, one of my favorite people to interview.
2:05.6	Because in these interviews, we realized we looked at wrestling through very similar lenses.
2:11.1	In this episode, we focused on WDB's announcement that SmackDown would go live on Tuesday starting a July and would include a distinct roster from
	...

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