First off. I am writing this article as a follow up to my article posting that was comments from TNA and WWE stars on the passing's of Micahel Jackson and Farrah Fawcett. This is also a confirmation that in fact Michael Jackson was indeed a WWE fan. I feel the need to write and post this article with an excerpt from Jim Ross' latest blog because fellow writer Joe Burgett came under scrutiny for including the passing of Jackson in his Wrestling 411 column this past week. The argument was made that Jackson was ilrelevant to wrestling. I think the following only validates the connection to Jackson and WWE, not to mention the fact that I believe Jackson had a such an impact on pop culture in the 80's that it effected and helped WWF around the same time. Michael Jackson revolutionalized music video's and combined  visual and musical art together. During that time in the early to mid 80's you began to see wrestlers start to use theme music. One of the first was Kerry Von Erich using Rush's "Tom Sawyer". Hulk Hogan began using "Eye Of the Tiger" in 1985 WWF debuted it's first wrestling album. And of course who can forget WWF and MTV partnership which created such fued's as Roddy Pipper and Hulk Hogan and Wendi Richter with Cyndi Lauper by her side. It's incomprehensible for me how anyone could not see the direct connections between Jackson's impact on pop culture and MTV and WWF's rise to national level  promonice and pop culture frenzy in the mid 80's. In my opinion Jackson clearly paved the way for a larger then life show that wrestling quickly saw and joined during this 1980's visual art revolution. Jackson made mini movies/video's the norm. Please then tell me how "Piledriver" the video is not a direct effect of Jackson's pop culture influence.

The following is Jim Ross's blog on Jackson. His latest blog can be found at .

Memories of Michael Jackson, who was believed to be a WWE fan: "Many years ago I turned down an opportunity to join my wife, along with several WWE corporate types, at a private function at Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch. I believe the occasion was a birthday party for a Jackson family member. My wife recalls the Jackson kids asking if "J.R. was o.k." as that apparently was around the time Kane BBQ'ed yours truly. Many within the Jackson household followed WWE on TV regularly as Jan remembers getting bombarded with questions and some of the Jacksons have attended WWE events over the years. My wife recalls the experience as being a great deal of fun and remembers being pretty sure that she saw Michael in costume wearing a "fat suit" so as to not to distract from the other family member's birthday celebration by causing a commotion amongst the visiting guests. Neverland Ranch was an extraordinary place for an individual's residence even someone as unique as Michael Jackson. Coming off the untimely death of Jackson this week at only 50 years of age, in hindsight I wish I had accompanied the Mrs on this trip. Jackson was an impeccable showman with precision like timing and possessed amazing crowd psychology.....which are all enviable traits of a great wrestler in any decade past, present or future.

"One thing left behind at the Neverland Ranch, by request, was a signed cookbook, "Can You Take the Heat" and a few bottles of J.R.'s BBQ Sauce. Small world indeed."