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

There will likely be interesting times ahead for young Nick (Hogan) Bollea as he has been moved from protective, solitary confinement to a cell with three other juveniles who are most certain to all be future TMZ "quotes" and perhaps even potential authors. One could make the assumption that if the recorded phone calls between Nick and his folks had not made such a splash on the national gossip scene that Nick would have likely been provided an early released from his 8 month jail term but that would seem to be highly unlikely under the current media scrutiny. Being directly around other inmates could be a potentially volatile environment for the young man. This story is like the proverbial car wreck we often see along side a major highway....we don't necessarily want to look but for some perverse reason we still do. You can bet the TMZ's and Nancy Grace's of the world will keep us informed of this on going soap opera that is far from over.

For the record, If I am going to watch a particular wrestling show I don't read wrestling "spoilers" because it adversely affects the way I view said program. This is not an "anti spoiler" campaign but I don't see how one cannot form a certain level of a preconceived opinion of a wrestling show if they already know the outcome and have read "eye witness" accounts which it would seem would tend to mar any surprise elements that a broadcast may attempt.

It has been interesting reading all the WWE fantasy draft speculation on the Internet. Some fans and pundits have some unique ideas/suggestions, without question. I would suggest that no official draft list exists and likely won't until closer to Monday June 23 when the event takes place on a 3 hour Monday Night Raw from San Antonio. I take the under that the draft is finished with internal debate and finalized as a few hours before the show goes on the air in San Antonio.

Having the announcers involved in the draft waters down the concept in my view as it is the Superstars themselves about who fans care most. Drafting announcers would be akin to drafting referees....who cares??

It is fully expected that the Big Show will challenge Kane, providing Kane is still the ECW Champion, at the June 29 Night of Champions PPV in Dallas. The steel steps at ONS totally disrespected the World's Biggest Athlete causing a nasty gash and some structural damage. This injury is somewhat similar to the orbital bone injury the Undertaker suffered a few years ago.

With Donald Trump now getting into the MMA game, one has to wonder that while in Dallas for "Night of Champions" will Dallas Maverick owner Mark Cuban make a run at getting Vince McMahon involved in Cuban's MMA venture? Or, will The Donald himself attempt to enlist the Chairman of the WWE to "consult"? My feeling is that McMahon will remain focused on the WWE and hold off any MMA involvement at this time even though the Chairman is a fan of the genre as I understand it.

It is good to hear that Scott Hall is out of the WWE sanctioned rehab facility. I hope Scott does really well going forward and some wrestling company is missing the boat not using Scott for his wrestling acumen as Hall has one of the brightest minds in the biz.

From what I have read, the NWA group in Atlanta did not clear it with the WWE getting WWE contracted talent Ric Flair to attend the NWA Hall of Fame function this weekend in Atlanta before making the announcement to the public. If that is true, then obviously that is a major promotional blunder. Jerry Lawler, who wrestles at many indy events, told me the other day while we were in California for RAW that he hears from fans frequently that the King is falsely promoted quite often at indy events. I hope the Atlanta NWA event is a success but it seems as if it was always going to be challenging, at best, to draw a big house in the Phillips Arena for this particular event, with or without "Naitch" in all due respect for the greatest pro wrestler ever.

However, I have heard that Ric will likely be making some selected Wrestling Fan Conventions later this summer. BTW when I saw Ric recently and only briefly in San Diego he was returning from the gym with his lovely wife Tiffany and both the Flair's looked great and in enviable physical condition.

On a radio interview I did this week in OKC promoting the June 30 Raw in OKC, tickets still available, one of the hosts asked me if the UFC was a threat to the WWE and I answered that, in general, I did not think so. Certainly both the sports entertainment genre and the MMA genre share a certain group of fans but if each entity are producing good products then I see no reason why they both won't do well. I did say that in most households that there is only so much discretionary income to go around for entertainment-like events so when it comes to buying PPV's some folks might not be able to buy a WWE PPV and a UFC PPV in the same billing period and might be forced to make a decision. Then when one throws in the occasional boxing PPV, the competition for disposable, PPV dollars does become a more competitive matter.

Speaking of the MMA, I am amazed at how much the talented and charismatic featherweight Urijah Faber facially resembles a young Kerry Von Erich. The young man from Sacramento who helped sell a ton of tickets to the MMA event in his hometown last weekend has charisma galore and is exciting to watch fight. For smaller athletes like Urijah, a featherweight, MMA is the perfect fit because, unfortunately, a world class athlete like Faber wouldn't get a smell in pro wrestling.

Again, CBS's presentation of MMA last weekend has many folks talking about MMA in general which is only going to help the UFC who is the recognized leader in the field....for now.

It was nice seeing the Cauliflower Alley Club's Karl Lauer and his wife Barbara in our restaurant in Norman, Oklahoma this week enjoying a late lunch as they took a time out from their drive from their Missouri home to Las Vegas for next week's CAC Reunion. Karl has been one of the driving forces in keeping the CAC alive over the years and making it the strong and healthy organization that it is today. Over 220 former wrestlers are scheduled to attend this year's event June 9-10-11 at the Riviera Hotel in Vegas. I am anxious to hear some great stories and visit with many old friends including Terry Funk who Karl and Barbara were going to see in West Texas the day after leaving our place on the Lauer's long drive west.

Speaking of BBQ Restaurants, our newest J.R.'s will now open in Moore, Oklahoma just after the July 4th holiday. Randy Orton donated the tights he wore when he defeated RVD to win Orton's only IC Title. Plus The Undertaker was kind enough to give us one of his black hats which we received about a month ago and will carefully frame and proudly display at J.R.'s Family BBQ. We also have the mask Rey Mysterio wore when he returned from injury last August at Summerslam among many, many other great pieces of memorabilia from the world of wrestling, pop culture, music, our John Wayne and Mickey Mantle collections, etc. Our pal Phil Savage, General Manager of the NFL's Cleveland Browns, also send us some really cool Browns' gear including an autographed Browns' jersey from ex-Sooner and current Brown DB Brodney Pool. The Indiana Pacers also sent us a beautifully autographed Larry Bird basketball which is one of the most unique and hard to come by items we have received as of late.

It is shocking to read about the recent financial difficulties being endured by two men who have made a ton of money in their lives, boxer Evander "The Real Deal" Holyfield, and former Tonight Show sidekick and professional pitchman Ed "Don't call me Vince" McMahon. Divorces, booze, and bad investments have allegedly cost Johnny Carson's old pal McMahon who is on his third, much younger wife....not that there is any thing wrong with that. Evander, who allegedly has "at least 9 children", owns a 54,000 square foot mansion near Atlanta with 109 rooms! How can either of these two talented individuals be in such financial duress including having their homes foreclosed after the careers that they have had? The reason that I bring this up is that we can add these two popular individuals to a long list of names that includes former athletes, entertainers, and pro wrestlers which was my general drift of even bringing up this matter. Young wrestlers need to be taught how to save their money and to file their taxes at an early age so that they are better prepared for stardom and the earnings that success brings. It is heart breaking to see so many talented in ring performers of years gone by do little or nothing to prepare for their future to the point of not even being able to pay their child support. My two cents says it is not the wrestling businesses fault as every one, no matter their profession, knows the rules of Uncle Sam, taxes and what is morally and fiscally expected of them. However, the wrestling business can do a better job in educating their own athletes about basic financial responsibilities and obligations. I will be eternally grateful to guys like General Scandar Akbar and Cowboy Bill Watts for pounding into my head at an early age the theory that it isn't and never will be about what one makes but instead about what one saves. I tell young wrestlers all the time that in this country that Uncle Sam is the Champion and that our powerful "Uncle" will never lose the title and that one never wants to go one on one with the government especially the IRS.

Not unlike the national media and a few wrestling pundits, the local OKC sports media continues to grill my friend and OU head coach Bob Stoops about the lack of success the Sooner football team has had in recent BCS Bowl games. They usually fail to discuss that Stoops' Sooners have won back to back Big 12 Titles and have won 5 Big 12 Titles since the league was formed which is more than any other university including powerhouse Texas who has won one Big 12 Championship. Fact of the matter is that most people, I am not immune either, are more motivated to read about controversey than a good, 'Ol human interest story.

Thanks to our many friends that have checked on us in recent weeks during the Tornado season here in Oklahoma. We have had some tree damage and some other landscaping issues but our home is still standing, which is more than many folks can say, and we are safe which is the bottom line.

While there is so much talk about who the greatest NBA player of all time is, I would likely vote for Michael Jordan, a case can be made that the greatest player to ever play in the NBA was the Boston Celtics' Bill Russell. I would have a difficult time debating that point after watching Russell play when he was in his heyday in Boston even though MJ is the popular choice in most circles. It sure isn't Kobe Bryant at least yet it isn't. Time will tell on Kobe but don't blow off the theory that some experts and fans have that Bill Russell wasn't the greatest of 'em all.

The Mrs. and yours truly are going to a fundraiser this weekend that is an annual affair given by my fellow Oklahoman Toby Keith to benefit children with cancer. This is always a great time and it's hard to debate that there is a more worthy cause one can devote their time and money to than this one. Roger Clemens and David Wells are attending along with many former OU football players and current NFL players.

Believe it or not our vastly improved website is almost there. We're "this close" so stay tuned. Thanks for checking out our site and for those of you that take the time to visit our store. We will have another blog soon. Be well.
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.