Jim Ross was not in the booth this week but he was on the sidelines.
According to a report from F4WOnline.com (via The Wrestling Observer Newsletter), Jim Ross’ absence from AEW Rampage this week was known in advance. Noting that it’s “not anything significant”, F4W’s Dave Meltzer said Tony Khan gave Ross the week off so he could be in attendance for the Cheez-It Bowl in Orlando to watch his Oklahoma Sooners football team.
Meltzer said Jim Ross will be back for the show in Portland on January 6, which is a live Rampage episode and Battle Of The Belts taping. This week’s episode of Rampage was taped (airing December 30) and the broadcast team featured Excalibur, Tony Schiavone and Paul Wight.
The Oklahoma Sooners lost this year’s Cheez-It Bowl game to the 13th-ranked Florida State Seminoles by a score of 35-32. The bowl game has gone under a number of names since its inception in 1990, as Blockbuster, Carquest, MicronPC, Champs Sports, Russell Athletic and Camping World have all been presenting sponsors of the game. Between 2001-2003 it was also known as the Tangerine Bowl.
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