J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q

Firstly, I want to wish all of you who celebrate Thanksgiving here in the States a wonderful day that will hopefully create lasting memories of quality time with family, friends, and loved ones. This just may be my favorite holiday of them all as my wife is a wonderful cook, she uses my late Mama’s corn bread dressing recipe, and you know I enjoy watching football! I received some interesting emails regarding my recent contract signing with the WWE which we finalized on Monday. To set the record straight, I signed a one year contract with the WWE which was a win-win for both sides as I look at it. I am at the stage of my career where I still love what I do and being on the air live on Monday nights is still an adrenaline rush and, bottom line, a helluva lot of fun even after all these years. On the other hand, going to the airport approximately 51 weeks a year and dealing with the hassles of traveling in today’s world is a pain in the backside. Plus, as remiss as I am to admit it I am not getting any younger. I will be 55 on January 3 and with that said I think it makes the most sense for me and the company to take my status with the WWE one year at a time. I do not want to outlive my welcome nor do I want to stay past my time to where my work suffers. The business deserves better than that. Last year at this time, I was recovering from a colon cancer scare which is why I have a renewed value of my health and am thankful to the Good Lord of the many blessings He has bestowed upon me and my family. With that said, good health is not guaranteed which is another viable reason to take my contractual status one year at a time. I sincerely intend to end my career in the WWE and I hope it won’t be any time soon. I have said on many occasions that coming to the WWE in 1993 was the best career move I have ever made. I remain steadfast in that opinion to this very day. I have seen the WWE grow into a publicly traded, global brand and have had the privilege of signing some of the biggest stars in WWE history as EVP of Talent Relations not to mention broadcasting hundreds of matches and some of the biggest events in the history of the business. I have been truly blessed with my career that simply started out as being a fan who watched one hour of wrestling a week religiously even while enduring ridicule from some family members and many of my pals. The business has changed a great deal since I first started doing commentary and play by play. The emphasis from a creative and production stand point on doing actual play by play has changed to being more of a storyteller. That’s simply what we are produced to do. Just like my Dad taught me, if one takes a man’s money for working for him then by all means do the best job one can and follow the boss’ marching orders whether one agrees with the orders or not. I am not paid to agree but paid to describe what I see within the guidelines for the current philosophy of TV production. Another point to clear up is that my contract expired on October 29 but I signed a contract extension of the old document while the WWE and I were negotiating my new deal. I was never NOT under contract but simply had my old contract extended while the company and I were talking. God willing I will be around for many more years to come with the WWE. If not, I have had a wonderful “run”. It was a “run” I could never have predicted in the early days of my career. Again, I have truly been blessed and the quality of life I have been able to establish via the WWE has been life changing. So from here on out, unless I change my game plan for some undetermined reason, we will take it one year at a time and hope for the best. I want to work as long as it remains fun and my work doesn’t suck pond water. Nonetheless I will always be a fan of the business that has been such an important part of my life personally and professionally for well over 40 years. I hope all of you will come along for the ride and continue to be in my corner as you have for many years. Just as we all don’t like the same food, the same sports, worship the same, watch the same TV shows, or listen to the same music, the current sports entertainment product may not be every old schooler’s cup of tea but the business is ever changing and just like the Oklahoma weather, if you don’t like it today just wait until tomorrow. I am excited about the future of the business because I feel there are many exciting changes on their way and I am curious to see what young talents step up and hunt with the big dogs and become main event stars in the future. This business is about building and developing “stars” and the stars of tomorrow are out there somewhere. Many of them probably don’t even know it. Interesting times lie a head. Thanks and have a great Thanksgiving and a safe weekend. J.R.