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

Happy Holidays everyone! I wanted to try and do another blog before the grand kids gets here and we shut things down for “family time”. Yes, for the 100th time, Owen Hart will definitely be in the WWE Hall of Fame some day but I do not know when. Any one wanting to do play by play for the WWE needs a “reel”. That is a video tape with illustrations of one’s work on it. To come off the street with no experience in broadcasting and to think one might get an audition isn’t going to happen. A college degree and a couple of years broadcasting experience is a must in today’s marketplace. Commercial breaks during matches are a damn if you do damn if you don’t proposition. I personally don’t like them but I understand why they are there. Commercials pay the bills to a large degree in addition to rights fees. They are here to stay during long TV matches. I would guess the next announcers to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame will be Howard Finkle and Gordon Solie. I suspect J.R. will be considered right after Izzy Slapowitz. The decisions to utilize certain arenas and not others is made by a separate department who has a long check list of items that must be in place in order for the WWE to be able to use a particular arena for televised events. Truck parking, ceiling height, backstage space, ability to use pyro, etc. are just a few of the considerations. There are many young talents that I like in the WWE and out but the one thing I will say that concerns me is their consistency and the fact that many of them are on the lazy side. What did I think when Mick Foley fell off the Hell in a Cell? I thought Mick had taken his last fall and may have been mortally injured. I think the WWE has the potential to do good business with WWE Films. Just like any other company, great material equates to great movies. The WWE marketing machine and the loyal fan base globally is something no other company has. I look for the Austin film to be a hit. Lighten up Francis, I made a joke about having to have security with me if I ever interviewed Randy Savage. Randy is not a psycho or an ax murderer. I have no idea who owns the watered down NWA name these days. The NWA last meant something in the 80s with Crockett but meant the most when Sam Muchnick out of St. Louis was running the consortium. Announcing from ringside is 100% better than being back by the stage and pyro where the RAW announcers were once stationed. That placement in my opinion was a joke. I think that Tony Schiavone is doing radio in the Atlanta area but I don’t know that for 100%. Will Mr. McMahon ever take the time to write a tell all book? Only he has that answer but I would speculate no on the tell all stuff. I have no idea who will be inducted into the 2007 WWE Hall of Fame but I would provide an educated guess that Dusty Rhodes will be on the list. I hope the list is somewhere between 7-8 inductees. The chance of a Hogan-Austin match at Wrestlemania 23 is about as likely as ol J.R. become a Texas Longhorn fan and turning my back on the Sooners. That isn’t going to happen and I don’t think this “dream match” will happen either. Nice to hear Nitro and Melina were nice to some fans at a gym. Pleasantly surprised me. Nice news. A one off Legends wrestling event might be the scariest concept I have heard this week. Can you imagine the physical shape some of the legends would be in and what kind of matches they would be forced to wrestle? I like selected Legend’s matches but not an entire card. Why was Chris Kanyon Fired? I have no idea. I was in Oklahoma and not involved whatsoever in talent relations when the dismissal occurred. Why I was dragged into the matter by Kanyon is still puzzling. I always thought Kanyon had an upside and above average abilities. I was not aware Kanyon was gay even though I could have cared less. Kanyon lashing out at me doesn’t give Kanyon’s cause much credence. I wish him well and have no ill feelings toward him. Marty Janetty is no long in the WWE. Perhaps he will return someday as stranger things have happened over the years. Marty would probably make a nice coach to some of the young wrestlers. I don’t think the WWE Magazine, which I happen to really like now that it has endured a make over, or any other publication can ever tarnish Kurt Angle’s legacy. A lot of the WWE Magazine’s content is humor based much like J.R. being named WWE Announcer of the Year according, I’m sure, to my critics. It is doubtful that there will ever be a J.R. playable figure in a video game because it would knock out a deserving wrestler from being in the game and adversely affect their income. I would not be for that. Plus, I can’t wrestle a lick. Sadly one gets used to a certain amount of blood at ringside after seeing in for over 30 years but it is still disturbing especially in the amount of Flair and HHH recently. J.R. merchandise in the WWE ShopZone will be a reality right after I lose my Oklahoma drawl, recover fully from Bells palsy, and stop eating Bar-B-Q. In other words, the company’s philosophy is largely that the announcers don’t mean enough to merit merchandise. Of the tradition WCW guys who have the best chance to go into the WWE Hall of Fame, I would suggest Flair, Benoit, Booker, and Rey. There will be more but those names are nice starting places. With QB Colt McCoy back and Texas playing down the road from their campus in the Alamo Bowl, I would suggest that the Iowa Hawkeyes will have a tough road to travel. Iowa is better than their record indicates but this should be alike a home game for UT which should give them the edge. Iowa is well coached and produced my friend Bob Stoops who is the head honcho at OU Football. I have never had any regrets about getting into the wrestling business but it did cost me some football gigs over the years that I regret. I love wrestling but wish I could do both at this stage of my life’s journey. Broadcasting OU Football has always been a dream of mine. I don’t know when Monty Brown will start in the WWE but I don think Brown would be well served to get into intensive in ring training with some of the WWE best teachers like Arn Anderson, Ricky Steamboat, Dean Malenko, Fit Finley, Steve Keirn, etc for a few weeks prior to being exposed on national/worldwide TV. Monty needs some polish to go along with his natural athletic ability and charisma. I have no clue who owns the USWA footage but I think the King owns a fair amount of it. This deal really got to be a mess when the Jerry Jarrett/Jerry Lawler partnership dissolved. I am partial to my friend the King but can’t say I am as high on Jerry Jarrett which would be natural comparing him to Lawler for me personally. No matter who owns the material it would be great to see on WWE 24/7. Joey Mercury’s serious injury will not stop the WWE having Ladder Matches. The beloved, extreme, Holy S@#* moment was underscored in this potential career threatening situation. If one wants to be a wrestling manager, I suggest one enroll in wrestling school in OVW/Louisville. Danny Davis is one of the best teachers around for all phases of the business. I always liked Kevin Kelly and felt he had potential to become a really good play by play talent in the WWE or where ever he chose. I always respected Kevin’s passion and the fact that KK was a fan first. I wish Kelly had received a better break in his professional career but he has strong faith and that will take him to places the wrestling biz might not have. I would bet Sunny gets into the Hall of Fame right after yours truly. In other words, let’s not hold out breath on either one of us getting inducted. On a serious note, I always like Sunny and truly hope her life is going well no matter what she may be doing these days. She had a great aptitude for the business. I do not know the Saturday Night Main Event schedule but I “assume” it will be back in 2007 prior to Wrestlemania 23. LAX is an entertaining entity primarily because Konnan can really talk. Who is the future of ECW, RVD or C.M. Punk? I would give the slight edge to RVD but only time can tell for sure. I don’t think Stone Cold was disappointed in his book but I am sure he would approach it differently if he were to write one today because of his time and schedule. Steve was very active in the writing of the book as was Dennis Brent and yours truly. I just received Chris Nowinski’s book and hope to read it soon. Chris is a good young man who should be successful no matter what he decides to do in life. I can always say I once hired a “Harvard Man”. For someone to compare Kurt Angle to Lex Luger screams of one needing a drug test. Brad Armstrong has been under contract to the WWE for quite some time. It was nice to see Brad do some commentary on ECW last week. I am anxious to see if there will be more to come. Brad is a funny, witty, knowledgeable guy. Would I be interested in going back to Talent Relations some day? If it meant leaving Oklahoma, no. I am not a good fit corporately to be honest with you. My presentation skills leave something to be desired as I am too blunt and sometimes too honest for my own good. My philosophy of who the WWE should and should not hire probably doesn’t fit the corporate mind set either. Bobby Lashley has potential galore. Time will tell if Bobby becomes the consummate student of the game and studies tapes of his predecessors so that Bobby can have the success some of the WWE’s biggest stars have attained. Both Magnum T.A. and “Mad Dog” Buzz Sawyer were extraordinary talents but as different personally as night and day. Buzz lived for the moment and was not the most popular guy in the locker room. But what a badass! Great powerslam! Buzz even taught Magnum the basics of the game for a large financial fee. T.A. would have been a Hall of Famer for sure if he had not been involved in the tragic automobile accident just as Terry was reaching his prime. I am happy for Steve Borden If Steve is happy to be back in the business. Steve is a class act and an even better human being. Whether Steve ever migrates to the WWE is a time will tell matter that really on Steve can address. I don’t think there will ever be a wrestler’s union because when one gets a group of wrestler’s together they can’t even agree on what to have for lunch much less agree on by-laws, officers, goals, etc. I don’t think it will ever happen. The lapel pin I wear is an “OU” pin representing Oklahoma University. Video game voice overs are done in a studio, mine in Oklahoma and King’s in Memphis. We read from a script and have some leeway to ad lib some lines if they fit into the game. It’s a fun job to be a part of. Mil Mascaras is an ageless wonder who I still have never seen with his mask off. Great physique and high flying were trademarks of this tough business man who was known to be tough to deal with behind the scenes. Terry Taylor is a great guy who is working in TNA. I am happy for Terry who is a student of the game and once worked for me in talent relations in the WWE. I have known Terry since he was a star in Mid South Wrestling. When Curt Hennig died and the WWE did a 10 bell salute and then followed up the next week with a video tribute it was because of the available time the TV facility had to get the video ready. I sure as hell had nothing to do with a lack of respect for Mr. Perfect I assure you. Nice to hear from Brandon who was originally from Bixby, Oklahoma but now unfortunately lives in Austin, Texas. Happy Holidays Brandon. We can debate the theory that “creative has nothing for a wrestler” until the cows come home. If a talent has potential but hasn’t tapped into it yet then the talent needs a serious “sit down” to determine if the talent/wrestler really wants to be in the business and bust their backside to be a star. Sometimes people are released and the true reasons may not be made public to keep from embarrassing the wrestler, too. I have had to cut many wrestlers who had the physical ability but not the mental capacity to be a star and allowed their personal life to drag them down. Plus, some wrestlers just don’t have “it”. I don’t choose to compare Don West to Mike Tenay. As it relates to wrestling knowledge, product knowledge, etc few compare to Tenay. If one compares my moaning about working on Jan. 1 to active duty in Iraq there isn’t even an argument or an issue. I will be in Miami on New Year’s Eve safely in my hotel watching some football and then will happily do RAW on Monday and watch the OU game on DVR when I get back to Oklahoma on Tuesday. What are Armed Forces do in the Middle East is genuinely heroic. I have HUGE respect for these soldiers who are fighting a war many of us are still attempting to understand why exactly we are there. Toby-J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q will open in Norman in April 2007 at the site that formerly housed the Krispy Kreme in front of the Super Wal-Mart just off I-35 and Main. All your Bar-B-Q Dreams will come true soon! It was nice hearing from Jim Powell. Nice to hear Jimmy is still doing well. Lots of hard working and talented non superstars who have contributed to the business are never given the credit they deserve. Thanks for contacting us Jim and Happy Holidays to a talented in ring wrestler. HHH behind the scenes is one of the more asked questions I receive. I have yet to have a cross word with HHH since I signed him years ago. He is a genuine student of the game who gets unfair “heat” because of who he married. I don’t think that is fair and I am not saying that to kiss any one’s ass. At my stage of the game my ass kissing days are history. HHH is an old school wrestler that I have great respect for which will not endear me to many of you but someone asked and I feel compelled to be honest. I have never left the announce position to take a “bathroom break” in over 30 years. But I have work dark pants more often than not “just in case”. I don’t know this for fact but I would provide you an educated guess that there will be no more members added to DX. When I think of wrestling in Indianapolis I think of Dick the Bruiser, Wilbur Snyder, and Bobby Heenan among others. Indianapolis was once a hot bed for old school wrestling. Now it’s known for Peyton Manning and the Colts. In hindsight, and I was as guilty as anyone, the 900# wrestling hotline was largely a scam back in the day. WCW especially was hardline on it being down but it was really a way to earn extra cash for the company. I never made an extra dollar off of it. I think the mass exodus from the WWE to any other wrestling organization is a little bit of a knee jerk reaction from uninformed people. Will some people leave the WWE when their contracts expire…probably. But that’s not big news is it? The most money to be made in this business that includes several different money streams and worldwide exposure is still with the WWE. Some wrestlers may want a lighter schedule but the cash is still the thing no matter what most people say. Kenny Dykstra has an unlimited potential. But so did Mookie Wilson…only kidding. Kenny now has a last name and obviously has many physical skills for such a young kid. Hopefully he will not acquire any stupid, bad habits that retard his professional growth and that would put him in the “idiot category” many wrestlers with “potential” have. My favorite U.S. city to work in is Oklahoma City because I can drive 20 minutes south and sleep in my own bed with Mrs. Ross which I still enjoy for an “old dog”. UK cites like London and Manchester are great as are Canadian cities like Toronto and Montreal but I have had some great times in Vancouver and Calgary too. Same for Tokyo. It’s hard to narrow it down to one international city as each have their own set of exclusive “benefits”. The Boogeyman is an interesting entertainer but I don’t know yet what sort of wrestler that he will become. Get back to me on this one. I hope we NEVER see J.R. in another storyline ever again. I don’t like doing it and don’t merit the air time over a deserving wrestler. I can see where an astute fan could favorably compare Johnny Nitro with a young HBK. I hope Nitro has the burning desire to become the best at what he does as Shawn has. Bull Nakano was a phenom. She was an extraordinary talent who exuded physicality and amazing ring psychology. I also think she and the King would have made a cute couple. I really don’t remember why Raven left the WWE. I am sure it was either over his creative positioning or money. It’s usually one of those two matters. Raven is a bright individual who I used to enjoy talking with when we worked together. I wish him great health and peace of mind. From what I understand Bary Windham will soon be joining the WWE as a producer/coach type person. BW was one helluva hand in his day. I have heard nothing new on the much discussed Paul Heyman situation. Again it is unfortunate for all involved as Paul has so much to give but some people, me included, are not ideal fits in a corporate environment. Don’t mistake the performance of the 2001 Survivor Series and me hammering Heyman as an indication that I did not or do not “like him”. We were performing plain and simple. If you want to hear some classic battle between the two of us then listen to some of the old WCW tapes when we worked together and fought like cats and dogs. My gut instincts tell me Heyman will be much happier in the future writing screen plays, etc than being involved in a corporate structure he never was apparently designed for. The U.K. fans are often times more emotional than the U.S. fans because the U.K. fans don’t get to see as much of the product live. Both fans are great and help pay my salary so thanks to you all. I know so little on the wrestling show that will start soon on MTV I am not a good person to provide an opinion on it. However, never being one to back away from a question, unfortunately, I would have to give their chances of survival as being a long shot. Who will be their stars? I have heard zilch about a pending Rock DVD but I would buy it. It would work best if Rock had the time to devote to picking out his favorite matches and to be interviewed for it as well. The Rock is one of my all time favorites and one of my greatest, personal hires. What is the status of ECW? This question is asked virtually every day. I do not have the answer except to say it is a work in progress, it is being re-designed, it will probably take a year or maybe two to get it to where the WWE wants it, Bobby Lashley seemingly is being positioned to be the “face” of the brand if he can handle the load, and that I am willing as a fan of the genre to patiently wait to see how it evolves. I also know that long time ECW fans will most likely never be happy with the new ECW. I also feel that Paul Heyman leaving ECW will not automatically doom the brand which is no knock on Heyman. I watch the brand every week. If it causes consternation to you to watch it don’t do it. It is a TV show, plain and simple. Happy Holidays everyone and check back with us again soon. I appreciate all those that have bought caps, shirts, books, sauce etc and continue to do so. Without doing some business we can’t maintain our site which I am having a blast doing. We will be introducing Beef Jerky in mid January which I have been deeply involved with the development of the product and am so proud of how it has turned out. Be well and take care everybody and enjoy Christmas from Baghdad Monday night on RAW. J.R.