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

This past weekend in Texas was a blast and with sell out crowds in San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston the fans from the Longhorn State certainly proved to be WWE fans in a Texas sized way. As I have said many times, the enthusiasm the fans bring to any event, especially a televised event, enhances any broadcast. My personal thanks to the fans in San Antonio and Dallas for helping make my job that much easier at the Rumble and on Raw. I have received many comments as to why I did not get the assignment to broadcast the Rumble match. Obviously, I don’t make these assignments and I would have loved to have been a part of the match, which I thoroughly enjoyed by the way, but that wasn’t the decision from the home office. I have done my fair share of Rumble matches and had no problem watching the match from the locker room area and listening to Michael Cole handle the play by play. With Michael and the King originally penciled in to handle the broadcast side of the match, the wild card in the equation was the addition of another Smackdown announcer, JBL, to the mix and not an ECW representative. I have no issues whatsoever with the way the Rumble match was broadcast, but having two Smackdown announcers, one Raw announcer, and no ECW announcers had me scratching my head. At the end of the day, I felt like the Rumble match was excellent and over delivered my expectations, especially the final few minutes when it was The Undertaker and HBK one on one. I can vividly recall an Undertaker-Michaels Hell in a Cell match a few years ago that was off the page. If I recall accurately, that was when Kane was introduced to the world. Nonetheless, Taker and the Show Stopper rocked the house that night. DVDs- Once AGAIN, I do not know what DVDs will be released or when but I occasionally make suggestions to the powers that be. I can virtually assure you that a Mr. Perfect DVD will be released in 2007 but that is not etched in stone, more an educated guess. Curt certainly deserves it and the stories from the wrestlers about “Perfecto” should be priceless. I loved every Bret Hart-Austin match I ever saw. To me, what those two did is what the business is all about. They told a great story, sucked me into their matches and had me sitting on the edge of my seat every time I had the opportunity to call one of their contests. Also, Stone Cold came up with the Austin 3:16 material himself. Finally, I was asked if it hurt when Austin beat me up in OKC years ago. Hell yes it hurt and I still have a scar on my head to prove it. Austin is what is known in the biz as “heavy handed” and his knuckles are build for bare knuckle brawling. The Garvin Stomp- In all due respect to Ronnie “Hands of Stone” Garvin, it has been suggested to me that I call the move the “Randy Orton Stomp” to which I have done. Is Jeff Hardy in the doghouse? I would emphatically answer no to that one. Jeff is doing great, has made the Intercontinental Title have more significance since returning to Raw, and is one of the most popular superstars on TV. Not faring well against the Great Khali Monday means simply that Jeff did not fare well against the Great Khali Monday. Last I looked Jeff is still the IC Champ. J.R. Action Figures- I assume there are a few of them out there some where. I don’t think there have been any new ones done in quite some time. I will try and find out if any are in the works but I won’t hold my breath on that one. When asked about being the opening voice at many Wrestlemanias, it is an honor to simply be working the event much less do the intro. Even if I don’t do the intro, the thrill of being at the “Super Bowl” of wrestling is enough. Seriously. However, doing the intro adds a little “sauce to my brisket” if you know what I mean. Will Hulk Hogan wrestle at Wrestlemania 23? The absolute truth is that “I don’t know.” I have not heard any internal talk of Hulk being a part of WM23 but remember that I reside in Oklahoma and the business of the WWE is conducted largely in Connecticut. It would seem, nonetheless, that if The Hulkster was going to be involved in the April 1 event, word would have leaked out or at least people would be talking about it. I can say that if any is STILL JONESING about a fantasy match between Hulk and Austin...forget it...it ain’t going to happen in my humble opinion. Kerri…The OU team will run the ball in 2007 much like they did with AD because coach Stoops wants offensive balance and O-Coordinator Kevin Wilson is a smashmouth running kind of coach who also likes to get the ball down field vertically. I look for the OU offense this season to be explosive and balanced. With the new clock rules as they are, having a running game to use the clock as an ally is imperative. I don’t know who the QB will be at OU but Sam Bradford is my early favorite. I have not see the freshman Keith Nichol from Michigan throw yet. OU loses only 7 players who played much so whomever is the QB will be surrounded by talent. Would Sting have made an impact in the WWE? Sting is a quality human being and is or would be an asset with any organization, in or out of wrestling, that he chose to hang his hat. My thoughts on Goldberg? I have known Bill since his high school days at Tulsa Edison where he was a dominating defensive lineman. I like Bill and feel he had as much natural charisma as any one to come along in the biz in years. I truly wish Bill’s experience in the WWE had been more positive for all involved. Bill is a winner nonetheless and what ever he decides to do as time marches on I am sure Bill will do just fine. My only regret about Billy is that he went to Georgia instead of OU. BBQ- Meat or Sauce? Which is more important? Great meat needs little sauce to make it that much better. Great sauce, like we sell, will help average meats but bad meats are bad meats and the greatest sauces in the world can’t hide that fact. Our last cookbook, “J.R.’s Cookbook”, is still available in many places including autograph copies here on our site where we answer tons of BBQ questions and grilling issues plus we feature some great recipes that any one can perfect. We plan on launching more sauces after our eatery opens in April as it is currently scheduled. Doing commentary with Brian Pillman was NEVER boring and some times the best material never made air for fear of being Howard Sterned by the FCC or simply fired by the WWE. Brian loved to be controversial and there is no doubt in my mind that had he lived, today Brian Pillman would be considered one of the best color analysts in the business. Brian was the consummate student of the game and “knew his role”. Steve Austin and I were talking about how much we each miss Brian just a few days ago. I don’t have the ability to explain why the UK court hammered the WWE on the World Wildlife Fund case. It makes no sense to me but I am not a lawyer. That’s just an opinion. I do know that the WWE does business in the UK and that may have had some bearing on the ruling. I am not good addressing legal issues nor do I want to become such. Bottom line is that the law is the law and the WWE is abiding by the letter of the law. Case closed…no pun intended. YES...for the 100th time Owen Hart deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. NO…I have no idea when that will transpire. What does getting beat like a government mule mean? In Oklahoma in the late 1800s when settlers came to Indian Territory, Oklahoma did not become a state until 1907, the United States Government gave these settlers 160 acres of land and mules to plow the land to make it productive, as the land produced much of the food the humans and their animals ate. Some settlers were cold hearted, did not want to work hard and were basically not worth a damn and they abused the mules the government had provided them. Getting beat like a government mule is a saying my late grandfather used to use which included a smattering of profanity. The Junk Yard Dog/Freebirds issue in the Mid-South territory was “red hot” because the Freebirds used hair removal cream in Dog’s eyes to blind the most popular wrestler ever in Mid-South. While “blinded” JYD’s wife gave birth to a daughter. That played into the storyline and fans clamored for the day that JYD would be able to get his retribution on the hated ‘Birds. This one was nothing but money because it was a “personal issue”. My 3 favorite announcing teams, in no particular order were: Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan, Gordon Solie and Roddy Piper, and Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura. I know I will be assaulted elsewhere on the ‘net for these choices especially the last pairing but it won’t be the first time. Or the last. I think Dick the Bruiser’s widow owns the Bruiser wrestling library or at least she did at one time. Rey Mysterio won’t be back in action until May or June ‘07 as I hear it but that may be early. I have often talked of Lance Storm here. I will say this, if I had a son who wanted to be a wrestler, I would love for Lance to train him. Lance Storm is a class act who is an intelligent, well read gentleman who is a credit to the wrestling business. Or any business for that matter. Edcar “Boo” Thomas was a former heavyweight at Oklahoma University who Cowboy Bill Watts broke into pro wrestling but “Boo” did not have the aptitude for it as Dr. Death did. Last I heard, Edcar was living in Tulsa working for a beer distributor. Edcar was a nice kid when I knew him. Exotic Adrian Street was one of the most flamboyant stars I ever worked with and also one of the legit toughest guys one will ever meet. Adrian and Miss Linda were a great attraction in Mid-South. Adrian’s UK based wrestling style was unique and effective. Don’t judge his book, so to speak, by its cover. I have no idea if the Ultimate Warrior had or has a twin brother. If so, I never met the gentleman. I always thought they “broke the mold” when the Warrior was made! Nathan Jones is indeed in “The Condemned” and does a helluva job it it. There are no ill feelings that I am aware of between Nathan and the WWE. Life on the road just did not fit Nathan’s personality which is certainly no crime. I never encountered a cross word with Nathan who may simply be better suited for acting than wrestling. “Trish would have never been hired if it had not been for Sable.” Are you crazy?! Both were very marketable and both made great money in the WWE. Trish simply took the wrestling side to another level. One had zero to do with the other being hired. I know. I hired them both. Dallas Page is acting now from what I know. I always liked DDP and felt he was a classic over achiever. No one out worked DDP, that’s for sure. I read that I did not know of what I spoke when I speculated Matt Hardy would not be World’s Champ in 2007. Me not knowing of what I speak is not a revelation and I hope my “educated guess” is wrong. I only wish Matt were on Raw. Apit- I can’t go the buttermilk route and my colon is fine after a few alterations. However, if i need help in this regard I will keep Khali in mind. I don’t and will not “knock” the TNA announcers. Mike Tenay is a wonderful man and talented to boot. I don’t know Don West but he works well with Mike. As far as receiving individual awards, they are always flattering and much appreciated. Positive motivation works best for many including yours truly. But always remember that a pat on the back is only 18 inches from a kick in the pants. Bruno Sammartino ranks in the top 5 champions of all time in the WWE in my humble opinion. Bruno not going into the WWE Hall of Fame yet isn’t the WWE’s fault, unless you feel Bruno should be inducted against his wishes. I don’t at this time. Even though I think the Colts will win the Super Bowl, I am pulling for the Bears. There, I said it. We will have more blogs this week. thanks! J.R.