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

It’s great to be back in soggy Oklahoma from my brief, but enjoyable trip to North Carolina, flying into Raleigh and driving to Fayetteville. This trip was supposed to be fun, and in a large part it was, but my Raw road trips are not the same without King, who is the “wheel man” and handles renting the vehicles. My rental overheated and the AC wouldn’t work, so on the way to Fayetteville I had to turn around and go back to the RDU Airport and exchange the car, which is always fun getting to stand in line, again, and then having to explain to quasi brain dead people why, again, I was returning the car after only a few hours. It was over 100 degrees in the Carolinas on Monday and having no AC and a car that was over heating was a bad combination, as I felt like I was sweating “fried chicken.” I had planned to eat lunch at the BBQ Shack in Fayetteville, but my transportation woes prevented that, which was a bummer. I can’t say as Booker T. (no “king” Booker reference here) brightened my evening, but Booker may experience some less than positive moments come SummerSlam this Sunday on PPV against HHH. Wouldn’t that be a shame? Nonetheless, SummerSlam looks really solid on paper and with a huge, sell out crowd on hand this Sunday the atmosphere should motivate everyone involved with the process. I am looking forward to Sunday, I can assure you. I leave again this Saturday for the personal appearance/autograph signing I have committed to attending this Saturday night in Union, New Jersey at Amazing Heroes which is located at 966 Stuyvesant Avenue in Union. Their website is www.amazingheroes.com and their telephone number for more info is 908-687-4338. I will be at Amazing Heroes from 6-8 p.m. and hope to see you there if you live or will be in the area. The Bar-B-Q business is really doing well, much better than we expected or forecast when we opened our place. Our team at the restaurant is amazing and getting better and better by the day. The food has been consistently excellent and the service is friendly and helpful. I really appreciate the many of you that visit our site for making the effort to come by and enjoy the slow smoked, old school “Q” as some of you have traveled some mighty distances to visit with us. We are already talking about building a second store, which would be located a few miles north of the original store but our eventual plans to build outside Oklahoma are still being discussed. Plus, we are making great strides in getting our J.R.’s Beef Jerky in convenience stores in the Oklahoma area, which I will keep you abreast of, and remember you can visit our store here on the site and we will ship you Jerky right to your home in matter of days. The Oklahoma Sooners have named a starting QB, Sam Bradford, which was the “hot button” since the graduation of wide receiver turned QB, Paul Thompson, who is now trying to stick with the NY Jets. The Sooners open their season on September 1 against North Texas, which happens to be the alma mater of one Steve Austin. Stone Cold is not scheduled to be in Norman for that game, but does have plans to attend at least one OU football game in Norman in 2007. Let’s get to your comments: Mattitude- I think that sometimes life imitating art can get “too close to home” and that might have been the case with the Matt Hardy/Edge/Lita issue of some time back. I have great respect for all three individuals and felt badly for them at times with all the personal matters in their lives being made so public. Jamie- Killer Kowalski’s school has produced some outstanding talents headed by HHH. I am not familiar with their day to day activities to date but if one lives in the northeast and is interested in being trained to wrestle this school would be one I would definitely check out. Chad- It occurs to me that the WWE is returning to Washington D.C. for the Cyber Sunday PPV on Sunday, October 28. Charlie- I thought Eric Bischoff was not only a great guest on the WWE 24/7 Roundtable, but was also a good sport and a class act when being “hammered” by members of the panel. It was all done in the spirit of entertaining the viewers and was one of the most fun “Roundtables” we have done. I look forward to doing more of these in the future, as they seem to be one of the most popular features on my favorite WWE platform, WWE 24/7.  The mood after the camera stopped rolling was fine as it relates to Eric or anyone else on the panel. I think every one who is involved in the process has fun being involved. Deanny O’- Bathroom breaks for ringside announcers come AFTER the show ends. That’s SOON after the show ends for many of us. Until then, we squirm like a kid on a long car trip and hope for no “accidents.” Darth- The “chase” for a title or the “chase” for one to get their hands on an adversary is often times as exciting as the “capture” as it relates to wrestling. The proliferation of PPVs does affect the “chase” but doesn’t make it impossible. I still feel that Ric Flair “chasing” one last opportunity to become Champion has legs. Whether or not that occurs isn’t my call, but I would emotionally invest in this matter as a fan. Scott- Jim Carrey truly channeled Andy Kaufman on the set of “Man on the Moon” or at least what Carrey perceived Kaufman to be like. Therefore, Carrey and Lawler did not get along on the set as Carey/Kaufman did all he could to remain a staunch adversary of Jerry’s while making the film. Carrey stayed in character the entire film and would not answer to any name other than Andy or Mr. Kaufman. I know King enjoyed slapping the fire out of Carrey during the filming of the David Letterman scene for the film. Courtney Love was a real piece of work as one would expect and at times was “out there.” She flashed me one morning in the make up trailer which opened my eyes better than the coffee I was drinking. Ryan- The Godfather, aka Charles Wright, is living in Las Vegas with his family and managing multiple Gentlemen’s Clubs. Charles is doing really well and is a helluva guy, to be honest with you. I have played many hours of dominoes with Charles and try to get a game with him and his friends when I frequent Vegas. Sean C. - I agree that without a doubt the Undertaker is one of the top “big men” of all time. Taker is on the “Andre level” when it comes to talent and being an attraction. However, Taker’s tenure may forge him ahead of any other big man ever in the business when all is said and done. Few men I have ever met in my 30+ years in the biz have earned the respect of The Undertaker. If I were to start a wrestling territory, and no, I am NOT thinking of such, and had to pick 3 talents to start the company; Taker would definitely be one of the three. For the record the other two will remain nameless for the time being. Leck- For the Super Bowl in 2008 I would consider New England and Chicago. Indy and Dallas, along with San Diego and Philly, could easily be in the hunt as well. Getting to the Super Bowl is about staying healthy, which speaks to depth, which is hard to predict. QBs staying healthy is key and for the Bear’s Grossman simply not beating one’s self is his key. Mid South went off the air back in the day “hot” to provide an episodically  produced “cliff hanger” which motivated fans to tune in “next week” to see what happened after we went off the air. With today’s Internet craze, where every piece of wrestling info that can be dug up and reprocessed is used, that formula might not be as effective. “Spoilers” are well named and I am not referring to the late Don Jardine. Samantha- I personally do not expect to see HBK at SummerSlam, but who in the heck knows for sure? I know Shawn is improving but I am under the impression he is still a couple of months, at least, away from returning. Graham- We don’t have any sauce outlets in Orlando, but you can order it online and we can ship it to your hotel if you are going to be in one place for a few days. Philip- I have heard zilch on the return of the Tough Enough franchise. The Diva Search is alive and well but I can’t say the same for Tough Enough. Jason- “Enhancement wrestlers” as you referred to them are also living their dreams of getting the chance to be noticed by the powers that be. Even though many of these wrestlers take a pounding, many of them love every minute of their time in the ring. I admire these guys and hope that more of them graduate to better roles as times go on. One has to love what they do and pay their dues, as a rule, to make it to the Promised Land. Tommy-Ray- Wrestling crowds are motivated by several factors, including what they are seeing, how long it has been since they sampled the product live, the location of their seats, their mood, and their overall current philosophy of the product. I think many crowds are as good as they ever were, but there are more fans who like to cheer for the villains than ever before. Charles- I have not heard where the WWE will perform for the troops this December, but I assume that they will still be doing such. I hope you stay safe and you will be in our prayers in Iraq. Thanks for your service to our country and for visiting our site and I hope we can bring a little “home town” feel to your life. Bill- Alabama is no doubt smack dab in the middle of “Bar-B-Q Heaven” and I have had many fine meals at Dreamland BBQ. I think in the future that the WWE will definitely be hosting major PPVs including Wrestlemania on various continents. It just makes too much sense not to do it for a global entertainment company. The whens and wheres I do not know, but I feel confident that it will occur. Joe- Ole Anderson is simply being Ole Anderson when he “knocks” people, as you say.  I have great respect for Ole even though he probably has zero good things to say about me, which is his prerogative. I have heard that he is in ill health, which is unfortunate. Ole had a great mind for the business and was a tremendous in ring talent who loved being the villain and realistically portrayed one as well as anyone I can ever remember.  Like many of his generation, Ole would prefer to see wrestling as it used to be and is a man who speaks his mind and always has. Craig- Tazz stopped wrestling due to injuries, especially because of his neck issues. Tazz is having knee problems again as we speak and may need another surgery for that issue soon. I think Tazz had a magnificent debut in the WWE when he made Kurt Angle tap out at MSG, but for whatever reason, Tazz never seemed to have the opportunity to run with the ball in the WWE. I wish things had been different for him as I really enjoyed his in ring work. Davy in Scotland- I am not sure of the true heritage of the Highlanders but I do think they have some Scottish heritage in their family tree. I have zero issue if Muhammad Hassan returns to the WWE but only if his heart was totally into the business. Hassan had some talent, without question. I do think a Jerry Lawler DVD with all his conquests, in ring conquests that is, would be great. Lawler’s career over the past 3 decades is incredible. Josh and Jenni- Congratulations on the wedding!! And thanks for making our J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q restaurant one of your stops on your wedding getaway. I am thrilled you loved the food and hope you come back again. Best of luck in the future from your friends in Norman, Oklahoma. Lee- My memories of Brian Pillman would fill up a chapter or two in a book. Brian was a friend and a great athlete who over achieved his entire life but definitely had a pronounced, wild side. Brian processed great drive and determination, mental toughness, and had no fear of any situation. Brian was his own worst enemy in my view. Brian had a great mind for the business and his long term future, due to his severe injuries, especially his ankle, were as a broadcaster, producer, trainer, manager etc. After the Hummer wreck, Brian’s wrestling days essentially ended when he had to have his ankle fused. Brian was the life of the party and was very social to say the least. I loved him like a little brother and think of him virtually every day. I attended his wake with Vince McMahon in Cincinnati and it was like attending the services for a family member. I am happy that I was able to play a role in getting Brian hired at WCW from the Calgary territory and then helping facilitate bringing him to the WWE. I sure wish things had turned out differently for Brian, who would be a blast to be around if he were still with us. Fat Jesus- What I say on WWE 24/7 Roundtable discussions are my personal opinions, which is why we all like doing these features, because we can speak our minds in this particular context. I do think that strictly promoting talent by their size is “Jackass Dumb.” That may not be everyone’s opinion but it happens to be mine, contrary to what a company or others may believe, which is their prerogative as well. Max A- Mick Foley is under contract with the WWE but I have no idea of the particulars nor would I express them if I did. I am happy to see Mick around anytime and wish he had a more frequently used role on TV.  An emotionally invested Mick Foley can still be one of the game’s greatest assets. Stefan- I have never been, unfortunately, to Vienna but I have eaten the sausages. Seriously, I would love to visit Austria some day. Tomshort/UK- Welcome to the wonderful world of American TV with plenty of commercials to go around for everyone. That’s the way the networks earn a living and keep their programming on their air is to sell ads within particular shows. Skittles is a frequent sponsor and they pay money to the WWE for their copy to be read on the air. I try to have fun with it and apparently many folks notice it, or more importantly remember it, which will hopefully translate into sales. If you are staying up until 2 a.m. to watch Raw one would think you could tolerate a few commercials or simply just get some sleep. Thanks for the comment. Rickie- It would seem the Seattle Sonics will eventually relocate to Oklahoma City, especially if Seattle doesn’t build a new arena for the team that fits everyone’s criteria. The new owners of the NBA team are Oklahoma City guys, very rich guys for the record. As to the rumor of Vince McMahon contacting Kurt Angle about being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, it sounds like someone has been smoking some loco weed as I don’t feel that conversation is feasible at this point in time. In the future, who knows and I wouldn’t bet against but right now it sounds like internet B.S. Scottie- I have no idea whatever happened to Bruiser Bob Sweetan. I wish someone could tell us. His real name was, I think, Bob Carson and I also heard that he went to jail years ago but that may not be true. If anyone knows any updated info on Sweetan/Carson who was a native Canadian let us know. He was a solid hand in his day but challenging to be around. Noah- Be careful with any drinking games and attempt to act responsibly inasmuch as NO DRINKING AND DRIVING! VA Tech fan- Michael Vick has “stepped in it and tracked it into the house” as my Dad used to say. Jail time for sure and then who knows? I don’t think his playing days are over, to be honest, but his days of being a starting QB in the NFL probably are. He did the right thing, finally, with the plea. Jay- JBL is an excellent broadcaster who is quickly mastering his craft. The role of the antagonist announcer is fading but JBL has renewed it with gusto. I don’t think Jerry Lawler will ever go back to being a straight away bad guy announcer, as he once was, at this stage of his game. I could be wrong but I don’t think a color analyst has to be an antagonist to be an effective on air personality. I would like to work with JBL on a show some day as I am sure it would be entertaining and the “fur would fly.” OU4LIFE_ Southern Cal is the obvious #1 choice for pre-season national champ of Division I college football as they have loads of talent, strong coaching, and don’t have to play a conference title game. OU will force the Trojans’, not the company that Mr. McMahon spoke of suing recently, hand if OU gets a break or two, including winning at home against Miami and in Dallas against UT. I am not concerned at this time about how well QB Sam Bradford will play as I think Sam will facilitate the Sooner offense really well and with 18 starters back, OU is loaded.  I plan on attending every Sooner game, at home and on the road. GW- editing and taking focus away from Chris Benoit content is the right thing to do for now. In time, I would guess that the Benoit footage might return to certain platforms but I don’t see Chris’ legacy exploited in the future. Chris- Glad you enjoyed being at MSG, as did I. Great time in NYC as always for me. As far as who is the future of the WWE, I wish I knew. I don’t think those chapters have been written and they will be largely decided by the evolution of the talents themselves and how well they progress and grow as performers. For me to put the onus on individual talents at this time would be unfair for all involved. However, I am just as anxious as the next guy as to who will be the next Austin, Rock, Hogan, etc. John P. - It looks to me as if Cryme Tyme is heading for a tag title scenario with Cade and Murdoch. I will say that the team of Cryme Tyme is working hard to improve their in ring game to go along with their obvious charisma. Cade and Murdoch are one of my favorite tag teams to come along in a good while. David- I have definitely tried Montgomery Inn BBQ in Cincy and have a bottle of their sauce in our fridge as we speak. My friend and OU offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson used to coach at Miami of Ohio and turned me on to the Montgomery Inn.  Good stuff to say the least. I recommend it without reservation. Joey- I am counting down the days until September 8 when the ‘Canes invade Norman to take on the Sooners on ABC at the ridiculous time of 11 a.m. Central here in Oklahoma. The OU-Miami rivalry is memorable and the Sooners are due some retribution. I am hoping the Rock makes it to Norman to see his team “The U” collide with the Sooners, but scheduling issues may adversely affect such travel. Ivan- Thanks for the kind words Ivan. Steve “Sting” Borden has to rank with many of the all time greats over the past 20 some years without fail. I think coming to the WWE would have sealed the deal for Sting in that regard, but we could never get a deal done which is not an indictment of anyone. I have always liked Sting since his “Bladerunner” days in Mid South Wrestling.  There was never a “vendetta” to keep Sting out of the WWE, I assure you. If I could have done a deal with him it would have definitely gotten done. My condolences that you are a Longhorn fan. JBL Fan- I sincerely doubt that the WWE in general recognizes Mr. McMahon or Funaki’s birthdays on August 24. Have Mr. McMahon and Funaki ever had a joint birthday celebration? Uh, I don’t think so, but it sounds like someone might be smoking a joint to think that they would have….in all due respect.  However, perhaps the WWE will consider August 24 as being a special day now that you point out the dual birthdays. But, for some reason, I don’t see Mr. McMahon sharing the spotlight on his birthday, but I could be wrong JBL fan. Warren- I see no reason to comment on how successful or not a wrestler, A.J. Styles in this case, will or will not be if they ever come to the WWE. Firstly, this wrestler is not in the WWE, is not on his way to the WWE, but if he ever does sign with the WWE I might make a prediction. Styles is talented, if that is what you were looking for. And a good person, from what I hear. Troy- We will see the Austin-Hogan match right after I swear off Bar-B-Q, stop following Oklahoma football, stop listening to ZZ Top, denounce my citizenship,  and become a cabana boy for Siegfried and Roy.  Ain’t gonna happen, Troy. I have not talked to Amy Dumas in a long while, too long actually, but she is a wonderful young woman who I really like. Will she ever be back in the WWE? I have learned to never say never. Thanks for checking out the site and for all your feedback. We also really appreciate your business and hope you do some shopping before you leave us today. We will have another blog before I leave Saturday for an exciting trip to Jersey for the Saturday night appearance, Sunday’s SummerSlam, and Monday Night Raw in Boston, which will air Monday night live on Sci Fi and NOT USA, due to tennis.