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

Lots of questions about video games that are in development but I am probably the wrong guy to ask. My voice over session was cancelled last week due to the ice storm Oklahoma received. Stay tuned. Many have expressed an interest in the Legends Roundtable on WWE 24/7 and I fully expect it to continue, including taping new shows, perhaps in February. I am not sure of the status of all the panel members, but would assume most will remain in tack. Perhaps the Mike Graham chair will be used to rotate other contributors but that is only speculation. The Hall of Fame list Hulk discussed on Bubba The Love Sponge’s radio show is news to me. I assume it was merely a list of many names under consideration and some probably are marginal candidates at best including yours truly. The final decision lies with the Chairman of the WWE after consultation from several individuals. I would assume the final HOF list will include 10 or less inductees and will be finalized within a few weeks but may not be made official to the public for several weeks. Rosie and The Donald- this was 11 minutes or so of satire that did not work for some viewers which is the risk that is taken when things such as this are presented. Sometimes it is feast or famine. Our job as broadcasters is to do our best to enhance the segment whether we like it or not. As a matter of fact, it is irrelevant whether the broadcasters like what is being presented. What is relevant is that the announcers not take away from the presentation, no matter their personal feelings. Over the years I have broadcast MANY things I did not personally like but that is and always has been the nature of the beast. This segment was produced to be funny and topical. Whether it achieved its goal is entirely up to the viewers. My Raw column on wwe.com last week was also satirical in nature which is why I picked the Trump character’s wig as the Raw Superstar of the Week. Some folks inferred that being an old school guy that I should have essentially refused to broadcast The Donald-Rosie business. Wow. That would not have been too bright on my part and it was satire so how seriously can it really be taken? Apparently, very seriously by some. It doesn’t appear as if anyone will step in and replace HHH in DX but that is simply my guess from being at ringside for Monday Raw from Louisiana. Things could easily change this Monday from Lafayette’s Cajun Dome. HBK surviving Rated RKO was a miracle but Michaels isn’t likely to be as lucky in the future. I look forward to the Survivor Series coming back to Montreal but I sincerely hope we move past the 10th Anniversary of the Montreal “Screw Job”. I am personally over it and if anyone thinks Bret Hart will be a part of this event this fall they are sadly mistaken in my perspective. People are always saying why doesn’t the WWE bring back so 'n so? Wrestler (fill in the blank) would be great teaming with (fill in the blank) or wrestling so 'n so. The issue is that many wrestlers who have stepped away from the ring DON’T WANT to come back and wrestle. They are over it. They don’t want to risk injury or to deviate from their present professional lives to reinvest in the wrestling business. It is not always about money but about personal choices. Why doesn’t The Rock, or Stone Cold or Jericho come back and wrestle? Often times it is because they simply have moved on and are focusing on other things in their lives. That is not a mortal sin and is actually refreshing and healthy for those who make these choices. The WWE Divas get a nice payday from Playboy so financially the opportunity to be in Playboy is lucrative. The publicity that the WWE receives from a WWE Diva being in Playboy just prior to Wrestlemania never hurts create awareness for the WWE’s “Super Bowl” either. I have no issues with this matter whatsoever. I know that Playboy would have loved to have had Trish Stratus or Stacey Keibler but neither lady was interested. The decision to be in Playboy rests with the Divas themselves and no one is forced to disrobe unless they are willing and positive about the opportunity. For the record, I have no personal issues against The Warrior. We have no relationship but that doesn’t mean I don’t like Warrior, etc. Warrior is a unique individual who speaks his mind and has the right to do just that. Whether I agree with his views is totally irrelevant and I am certain Warrior could care less. I still stand by the fact that Warrior should be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame some day. While on the Hall of Fame, I would doubt that either Tommy Rich or Buzz Sawyer will be inducted to the WWE Hall of Fame any time soon. There seems to be too many other deserving talents ahead of them in the “pecking order”. Taping the ECW TV show in South Philly or in NYC at the Hammerstein Ballroom would be unfeasible and costly. The show is a live event that airs on Tuesday and is partnered with Smackdown to make the whole production cost efficient, travel compatable, etc. The live events leading into the Tuesday broadcast where ECW teams with Smackdown for the Super Show concept prevents separate TV tapings. I think the bottom line of these ECW questions and concerns are still rooted in the fact that the original ECW doesn’t resemble the current version and it is highly unlikely it ever will. Don’t kill the messenger but that’s just how I see it. Someone asked about ring lighting. If I had my way it would be a ring light over the ring during the matches and that would be about it. I would light the arena for entrances and exits. The ring is the stage and all the focus should be on the stage in essence and not on some one on a cellphone, mugging to the ‘Tron or trying to get their insider/controversial sign displayed on TV to garner attention. Belichick. I spelled it correctly this time. My webmaster is supposed to spell check these blogs but that one slipped thru the cracks. I like the Pats but think Indy wins at home Sunday and finally makes it to the Super Bowl. I like the Bears at home but don’t be surprised to see the team of destiny, the New Orleans Saints, win on the road. At least one road team will most likely win this Sunday on what may be the most exciting day, excluding the Super Bowl, of the entire NFL season. The Black Scorpion story line back in WCW in the late 80s was a wild ride. It was created by Ole Anderson and until the very end of the confrontation on PPV with Sting, no one was sure who was actually going to be The Black Scorpion for the final match. Flair reluctantly donned the mask and wrestled Sting from the famous Keil Auditorium in St. Louis. That was my only event in the Keil. After the match, Flair signed the mask and gave it to Dennis Brent who was in charge of the WCW magazine at the time. To the best of my knowledge, Dennis still has the mask in his collection. I have no idea who would have played the role of the Black Scorpion if Flair had said no. Ole also provided the voice of the Black Scorpion. That was also the night that Stan Hansen literally beat the hell out of Lex Luger in a Bullrope Match that Hansen reluctantly lost. This was one of the most physical matches I can remember as Hansen had an amazing physical presence. If 2 Cold Scorpio has signed with the WWE, he is being paid. I would not worry about Scorpio/Flash Funk, etc feeding his 9 children, if indeed that number is accurate. Yes, Bruno Sammartino could be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame without him being there. But what is the point of doing that? I totally agree that Bruno deserves to be inducted into the HOF but I equally disagree that Bruno be inducted without him appearing in person as long as he is able. I am not sure when HOF tickets will go on sale in Detroit but I will try to find out some info for our next blog in a day or so. Don’t expect these tickets to last long either. The Fox Theatre in Detroit seems to be the locale. Will David Beckham rescue soccer in America? Not likely. Beckham’s best days are behind him. Soccer will become a big thing the day the USA wins the World Cup which isn’t likely based on all the great teams abroad where soccer or football is king. It is not king in America and is not likely to ever be. The Women’s game seems to have drawn more interest than the men have in America. The Mid South Wrestling territory was a great training ground for yours truly and many top wrestlers. The travel was extremely challenging as most of us drove around 2,000 miles per week and paid our own travel and hotel expenses and worked without a guarantee. But, as has been said, what doesn’t kill us only makes us stronger. The young wrestlers of today would all be much better served to work several territories prior to debuting on national TV including tough ones like Mid South Wrestling. I drove to Shreveport and back this week for RAW, almost 800 miles, because the OKC Airport was closed due to the ice storm. Sort of felt like old times but not something that I want to do every week. We’ll have more later this week. J.R.