Backstage Updates On Steve Austin & Jim Ross

Source: The Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter

- The early number is out for October's WWE No Mercy PPV. The show received about 195,000 buys, this number is even lower than what WWE was expecting. WWE was hoping for at least 200,000 buys, and even that number isn't impressive to them. The fact that they achieved less then the bare minimum that they wanted to has caused some internal fears within the company.

- The story being told by WWE officials this week is that Steve Austin didn t show up at RAW or Taboo Tuesday because he hurt his back at home over the weekend. Many within the company feel that this is simply a cover for his unwillingness to do the job for Jonathan Coachman. The belief is that were Austin booked in a high profile match, or if he had been slated to get the win over Coachman, he would have shown up for the shows. Being that things didn t go the way he wanted, it seems he thought it better to stay home and care for his ailing back.

- The latest news regarding Jim Ross and his status with WWE is that there has been no decision on how Ross will be used by the company in the future. While J.R. is under WWE contract as a Senior Advisor through October 29, 2006, his contract as an on-air talent is rumored to be expiring early next year, which leads to speculation about what, if anything, WWE will offer J.R. to re-sign. This could develop into a big story in 2006, depending on whether or not Ross eventually returns to RAW broadcasting either on television for via the WWE Unlimited webcast.