By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross published a new blog on jrsbarbq.com today discussing topics in the news including Triple H and Chris Jericho's futures, last night's Raw, the hype for Hell in a Cell, Michael Cole's on-air persona, and other topics.

-- Regarding Triple H's in-ring future, Ross said he didn't get an impression of when Hunter will return. Ross said he visited with Triple H backstage at the Night of Champions PPV in Chicago to discuss WWE's business and future talent.

"Had a great talk with (Triple H) in Chicago who is also looking good but I do not know his future plans re: returning to the ring. The Game has a very bright, insightful mind for the business. I like his personal business philosophies on wrestling," Ross said, adding that Hunter was "interested in my upcoming trip to FCW this week."

-- Ross said he does not believe Chris Jericho is "leaving WWE for good," as he views Jericho's expected time off to be more of an opportunity for Jericho to recharge.

"I do think that Chris will continue to focus on Fozzy not to mention promoting his upcoming, 3-disc, WWE DVD (Awesome BTW) which might necessitate that he not appear on weekly TV on a regular basis," Ross said. "Stepping away from the weekly grind isn't a bad thing for anyone and allows one to recharge their batteries and enjoy the fruits of their labor."

Caldwell's Analysis: That's a great thing for Jericho to step away from the full-time schedule and allow himself to pursue outside projects. It should be built into the WWE schedule, though, with mandatory time off for all talent during the year.

-- Ross reviewed last night's Raw, with emphasis on The Miz's strong heel performance, Randy Orton being the right choice as WWE champion appealing to the male demographic, and the need to create strong hooks for a packed slate of WWE PPVs over a five-week stretch.

"Getting three PPVs to be financially successful over the next handful of weeks won't be easy simply because many folk's disposable income is limited," Ross said. "These events are all attraction driven and hopefully if the attractions are hot enough and come with the right 'hooks' then they'll do well."

Ross added: "More fans buy PPVs because of what they see on Monday Night Raw than arguably all the other weekly TV shows combined."

-- Ross also talked about the change to fellow broadcaster Michael Cole's on-air persona to create more conflict among the announcers during WWE TV programming.

"That's simply the creative direction that he's moving and I actually feel that if and when he masters that dynamic that it can add something unique to the TV presentation. Conflict at the announce table is entertaining to me as some of my best days doing PXP were when the King was a villain and Paul Heyman was simply being himself....and I mean that in a positive way," Ross said.

"Think of how effective JBL was on commentary and he certainly never positioned himself as a 'good guy.' Point is that controlled conflict helps facilitate most broadcasts as long as the talent and what we are seeing on our TV screen remains the focus and it doesn't become about the broadcasters."

Caldwell's Analysis: The problem is that Cole is also the lead pitchman for WWE's product on their flagship show selling the monthly PPVs. WWE is trying to position Lawler as the babyface broadcaster waving the "good guy" flag, but I believe Cole's split personality is breaking down the trust between the viewer and the company. If Cole sounds delusional one minute, then tries to sell the audience on the "greatness of a PPV" the next minute, it sends mixed messages and the audience essentially loses trust in the company selling the product. WWE needs a credible voice to re-establish right and wrong to get over the stories that are designed to get people to spend money on the product.

An example was how WWE handled Chris Jericho's "I walk away if I lose at Night of Champions" stipulation. No one was there to call him out on "lying" as a heel when he reneged, which also falls under the category of WWE doing these types of storylines so many times in their history that it's a Boy Who Cried Wolf syndrome where no one takes them seriously on stipulations anymore.

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