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

J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q Restaurant update: We hope to have our place open sometime in the month of April at I 35 and Main Street in Norman, Oklahoma where a Krispy Kreme was formerly located. We are working diligently on getting the menu and recipes as we feel they should be in addition to gutting the building and getting it ready to seat approximately 150 people. We have a great location and our sauces have been selling well off our site plus we have the smoking aspect of preparing the meats down to a science. The smoked turkeys, hams, pork roast, and prime rib we have available on the site are all main event level items that are cooked “low and slow” and are great for any family gathering or special occasion. We are hoping to work with grocery stores in the future but at this time the sauces and other products are only available on our site and at Louie’s Westside in Norman. I really appreciate all that have tried our products and we also appreciate your feedback. I will keep everyone posted on the progress of our place and hope that many of you get to visit it in person if you are ever in our area and that you continue to shop with us here on line for our premium sauces and exclusive merchandise. The WWE Brand Extension- I have heard nothing of the brand extension going away. I feel in the long haul, especially when more talent depth can be developed, that the brand extension is definitely the way to go. Until then, I will remain patient that the talent roster will continue to grow and that wrestlers will realize the opportunity that they have and step up when they are called upon. The brand extension offers more wrestlers job opportunities and extends many of their careers by being able to change brands and wrestle different opponents. This may not be the popular opinion among some of you but I can only be honest and express how I personally feel about this matter. Regarding the WWE becoming the WWF again- it is highly unlikely that it will ever happen. The World Wildlife Fund convinced a UK judge to rule in their favor on the lawsuit of a few years ago which resulted in the name change. Unless something I am totally unaware of happens in court the WWE will remain the WWE. How a judge could confuse a panda with wrestlers will always be a great mystery to me. Fan Access at Wrestlemania- I don’t know what all the WWE has planned to allow the Superstars to interact with the fans, but one would assume that there would be plenty of opportunities throughout the week in the Detroit area. I have not seen my personal schedule for that period of time, but hopefully I will be included in the activities. As it relates to HHH, I have no idea what his role at Wrestlemania will be, if any, but I do know it will not be in the ring due to his quadriceps surgery. Hulk Hogan- We get lots of feedback regarding the Hulkster. Why do many of Hulk’s peers not like him? I don’t know how accurate that question is but my take on it would be jealousy from a fair amount of old timers. Many old timers felt they were better in ring wrestlers than Hulk and perhaps some of they were but they did not come close to generating the revenue that Hogan did. I have known many excellent wrestlers who, for what ever reason, could not sell tickets and that is the name of the game in pro wrestling, generating revenue. No one likes a great, pure wrestling match better than me, but selling tickets is still the bottom line. Period. I also know of no issues between Hogan and Paul Orndorff at the Hall of Fame Ceremony of a few years ago and I was there. If there were ruffled feathers, everyone kept it under wraps in the spirit of the evening. Who is the best wrestler we have been asked, Hogan, Flair or Thesz? All three are unique. Hogan drew more money. Flair has charisma and in-ring skills while Thesz had great in-ring skills and a unique presence during his over 5 decade career. All three men are really special in their own way, Hogan, the showman/performer; Flair, the wrestler/showman; and Lou Thesz, the wrestler’s wrestler. Honestly, all three of these men have made great contributions to the business in their own unique ways. It comes down to a matter of personal preference and style. How old is too old to be a wrestler? I can’t provide an exact number, but when a wrestler ceases selling tickets or connecting with his audience it is time to think about hanging it up. It actually may be more of a mental thing than a physical thing. I have seen veterans who were physically limited and still could sell out arenas and have their fans in the palm of their hand. DVD Releases- I do not have a schedule of when DVDs will be released. I do know that I usually can’t wait to watch them when I receive my copy. The WWE does an excellent job in this area. It goes hand in glove with the content on WWE 24/7 which as you know I throughly enjoy watching. The Wrestlemania 23 card- I have been asked my opinion of what I would like to see at ‘Mania on many occasions. I have not answered that question and I don’t plan on answering it. I have my old school opinions and some of my ideas might be good and then again they might suck pond water. The general idea is to produce the best event for the fans and as we can all see there are dozens of different opinions from fans as to what is good and what is not. The general idea is to book the freshest issues available while having the best in-ring product possible. Could I book a Wrestlemania card? Of course, and so could you. Whether or not the masses would like what we put on paper is an entire other issue. Don’t put too much credence in what you may read about what is being planned for Wrestlemania as that info is just hearsay for now. Certainly, after this Sunday’s Royal Rumble we will all have a clearer picture of at least what one of the main events will be. Yes Dr. Death will go into the Waterloo, Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame this summer. I would love to attend if schedules permit. Doc is a walking miracle from God being cancer free for over two years now. Doc was a 4-time wrestling All-American at Oklahoma and was a main event pro primarily in Japan where he had some dominating years. Speaking of Oklahoma, Joel Watts, the brilliant young producer of Mid-South Wrestling in the 80s is in the Tulsa area the last I heard working in TV production. Joel did some amazing work, especially on music videos back in the day with the Rock ‘n Roll Express, The Midnight Express, The Freebirds, Magnum T.A., and Terry Taylor to name a few. Joel and I also did some broadcasting together as some long time fans will recall. As I understand it, Joel, his siblings and his Mom own the Mid-South library which the WWE has had an interest in acquiring for years. Hopefully one day they will. Jason, I have talked MANY times here about how one applies for work for the WWE. For a broadcasting job one must have a degree in the field, experience of two years or so and a comp reel that is sent to the WWE Human Resources Department in Stamford, CT. As far as Cincy goes, I always enjoy Cincy especially when I get to enjoy the “Q” at the Montgomery Inn! Plus, I think of my dear friend Brian Pillman every time I arrive in town. I am not familiar with Wrestling Society X enough to comment on it. Perhaps when I can watch a few shows on TV I can better provide feedback. Sorry. The Spinning WWE Title Belt-Believe it or not I have no issues with it now that I have gotten used to it. At first, I did not like it. Now I feel it is OK and so must many younger fans who are buying the heck out of them. I think it fits the Cena persona well, but we easily could see a more traditional title belt if Cena loses the WWE Title. I feel there are bigger issues within the business to address than the look of a title belt. Just my two cents. Sherri Martel- One of the absolute all time greats who was fearless, physical, and charismatic as hell. Sherri was a natural and had the opportunity to work several territories before she made a big splash in the WWE. I have great respect for Sherri Martel and her contributions to wrestling. Sherri’s induction into the WWE Hall of Fame was a special moment. Chris Adams- greatest claim to fame for many fans today was that he trained Steve Austin. Adams was a talented in-ring performer who was also good on the mic. Adams’ out of the ring exploits haunted him until he was shot and killed. I respected Chris’ in-ring work, especially in World Class Wrestling in Dallas, but not how Chris treated women. Driving back down I-20 from Shreveport to Dallas a couple of weeks ago I remember catching a ride with “Gentleman” Chris Adams back to Big D in the mid 80s from Shreveport TV. I vividly recall that Chris drove extremely fast and it was a really good thing we did not get stopped by the Texas State Police. I would just be getting out of jail about now. Only kidding. I liked Adams’ in-ring work but I wasn’t too high on how he lived his personal life which was actually none of my business. “Booger Red”- I called the Undertaker that when his hair was its more natural red color in honor of former University of Texas All American linebacker and the first draft choice of the Atlanta Falcons Tommy Nobis who was a bad as they come. I got to know Tommy while broadcasting Falcon football and he was a class act and one would never know he had a killer’s instinct in the field of competition. Much like ‘Taker who is a UT fan, I was instructed by the home office to stop using that particular moniker but some folks still remember it. I guess it wasn’t one of my better ideas. Speaking of ideas- no I did not suggest for Kane to become Jerry Lawler’s dentist. Duh. Paul Roma and Chris Masters are not related to the best of my knowledge. Perhaps Nancy Grace could do a DNA test. Who in the hell ever said that there was definitely going to be a “new” Hart Foundation?? Is that simply more internet gossip and rumor? Perhaps it could work, but I personally feel it would be challenging to ever surpass the originals. The Hart kids will always have their family legacy behind them, but why put them in a position where failure is more likely to occur than success? And no, I have NO IDEA when any of the Hart offspring will debut. I am just as anxious as any one else to see them nonetheless. The Wild Samoans- A SUPER team who generated legitimate fear in the hearts of the fans and I am sure many opponents. Afa and Sika were portrayed as savages, but they were as smart as they came when it came to in-ring strategy. The Wild Samoans were the perfect wrestling bad guys. I loved this team and only wish there were more like them today. They came to Tulsa one Sunday afternoon for the Sunday night TV taping in their traditional attire which was quite unusual for Tulsa, Oklahoma in the early 80s. I was at the airport picking up some of the boys when a large taxi driver made a racial slur and a knock on the business directed at Afa and Sika. The two Samoans took off after the loud mouth who abandoned his vehicle and was sprinting down the street in front of Tulsa International Airport being chased by two 300 pounders with wild hair wearing lava-lavas. During the fracus/chase, two “funny cigarettes” fell to the ground. Not knowing where they came from but wanting to protect the business, Bob Roop scooped up the mysterious contraband and ate them. Afa and Sika never caught the runaway taxi driver and Tulsa’s finest never knew of the smoking materials but Bob Roop was in a laid back mood for the rest of the afternoon and evening. Afa and Sika are definitely Hall of Fame material and will always be a team that I respect and admire. If more young tag teams would study the Wild Samoans, they might become main eventers some day instead of not making the big time and then blaming others for their failure. I have not watched “The Wire” on HBO but will check it out. However, I am a Sopranos and Deadwood freak. The NHL needs to create more stars with North American appeal. I, as many Americans, don’t fully understand the rules of the game of hockey either. I love the contact and the players’ athleticism but I need a crash course on the nuances of the game, which many of the Canadians I have worked with including Chris Jericho and Edge have attempted to do. European stars with names most folks can’t accurately pronounce make it challenging for many Americans to make an emotional investment in the game. So Chad Dick said he was treated unfairly. That is news to me. What Chad needs to do is put the past behind him and work to become the star that he achieves to be. Many of us have been knocked down, fairly or not, but it is the getting up part that one must master. As The King says, “One can’t grieve forever.” I am not familiar with Chance Prophet or Chris Severn’s work. I also don’t hire talent any longer so I would not know if they are being considered for work in the WWE or not. I do hear the WWE is hiring, however. Will Colt Cabana be hired? See above. I can’t recall, without digging out my reference materials which are still in boxes, but I think the last group of talent I personally had a hand in hiring was Benjamin, Lesnar, Orton, Cena and others around that time. Sorry I can’t be more exact at the moment. HBK-Edge rocked the house on Monday night! I loved their main event match. It was the highlight match of a highly rated Monday Night Raw broadcast. Skittles?? I read the commercials from a card. Perhaps I get a little too over the top but I am just having fun. Plus, I enjoy a fruity Skittles from time to time. Speaking of my food intake, what did you mean Bilal about how cool it is for me to be making money off my unhealthy image? It isn’t like I eat baby back ribs daily. Plus, our sauces are low in fat and are much healthier than you might imagine. When you buy your next (first?) bottle you can check the label and see for yourself. Were you trying to rile me up or just hurt my feelings? Considering where I once was health wise I am very thankful to be at the level of health I am currently in, thank you very much. Andy Jones- please explain your comment and I will attempt to answer it. Thank you. As it relates to the Undertaker and Wrestlemania, The Deadman will be a vital part of the event, as he should be, and whomever wrestles ‘Taker will most likely get more jeers than cheers. Will the Undertaker lose at Wrestlemania 23? It could happen, but my money says ain’t no way. I sure hope I just did not jinx the big fella. Wouldn’t it be something if Matt Hardy won the Royal Rumble and then won the World’s Title at Wrestlemania and I (no jokes please) ended up looking more ridiculous then when I had my surgery on Raw by Dr. Heiney? Nurse Slobber-knockers wasn’t bad though, one must admit. Even medicated I can remember her. Yes, I did enjoy doing commentary with Paul Heyman. Paul challenged me in an antagonistic way seemingly every moment of every broadcast. Paul’s TV persona is easy to dislike and I found myself no different than many fans and wanted to kill him at times. Figuratively speaking that is. Listen to some of the old WCW shows we did together and you could almost see me becoming “Yosemite Sam” and my face getting redder and redder by the moment. That was some good stuff thanks to Happy Heyman’s ability to push the right buttons on yours truly. Plus I drank too much coffee in those days. Wilbur Snyder- Wilbur was a former NFL football player in the 50s who was trained for pro wrestling by Lou Thesz, Verne Gagne, and Warren Bockwinkel (Nick Bockwinkel’s father). Wilbur was business partners with Dick The Bruiser for a time and wrestled all over the world including Los Angeles, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Montreal, Japan (for Giant Baba), Australia, and in Detroit. It has been told to me that Wilbur Snyder invented the Abdominal Stretch. Snyder had great success as a single performer but even greater success as a tag team wrestler. I hope this info helps. I have often wondered how can we move forward in our business if we don’t know where we came from? Every new athlete who comes into wrestling should be required to watch old tapes and to take written tests on the history of the business. What was old is now new again to this generation and what worked then will damn sure work now to a large degree as far as in-ring psychology and basic wrestling is concerned. It is like blocking and tackling in football. The most fundamentally sound team usually wins. Finally, I have not seen Steve Austin’s “The Condemned” but everyone who has seen it has had positive things to say about the film. I am anxious to see it and I know Steve is really happy with the way it turned out and he is not easily pleased with creative. I expect “The Condemned” to launch Steve Austin’s movie career in a huge way. And yes, he is my friend and yes I am biased so take me to the woodshed and beat my backside if you feel compelled. Bottom line (get it?) is that the focus groups and movie people love the film. Thanks for checking out our site and for telling a friend about us. You can sign up for free to receive updates when we post new blogs by checking out the home page. If you write negative things personally about me please preface it with telling me you bought something first. That was a joke but we do appreciate those of you that have bought sauces, caps, shirts, etc. J.R.