Greetings from under the black, custom black hat of a guy who’s been busier than a fruit merchant, with travels to Detroit and Tampa, Fla., this week before heading to Omaha, Neb., Saturday for Sunday’s Judgment Day and then taking a road trip with the King down to Kansas City, Mo., for Monday Night Raw. Plus, along the way we’ve been doing a ton of media for the upcoming June 30 Monday Night Raw in Oklahoma City. Whew!! (Yes, J.R.’s Family BBQ, www.jrsbarbq.com, gets some love too. Is that so wrong?!)
This week’s Raw Superstar of the Week is without question the guy who arguably got the biggest reaction of any WWE Superstar in Detroit Monday night, and that would be the prodigal son of North Carolina … the thrill seeker … Jeff Hardy. (more…)
By GREG OLIVER - Producer
SLAM! Wrestling
To hear Jim Ross talk about the art of smoking meat just right is to have one’s mouth water. Just as he is an expert on describing what’s going on in a wrestling ring, he’s damn good at explaining what makes his barbecue joint so special.
"Smoking is kind of a lost art in the restaurant world, ostensibly because it’s so darn time consuming," he explained to SLAM! Wrestling recently. At his restaurant, J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q, located on 353 Interstate Drive in Norman, Oklahoma in a refitted Krispy Kreme Doughnuts shop, a few employees arrive at 4 a.m. to get the outdoor smoker started each morning. The pulled pork, for example, made from pork shoulder or pork butt, is a 12-hour process. (more…)
Dear friends,
Two more of our ‘community’ transitioned … the ‘bell is tolling again’… and we are losing way too many quality friends… members of our culture… pro-wrestling…
This time: Leo Garibaldi and Penny Banner…
They impacted many lives… in many ways… I was never ‘really, really close to these two… but certainly they were a part of ‘our wonderful community’… in this crazy business of pro-wrestling… and were two who ‘rose above the rest’ in so many ways… so as to leave a mark…
Leo… I first met when he was ‘promoting’ Austin, Tx. for the Houston office…. way back when I was ‘Bruiser Bill Watts’… in my first year in the business… in early 1963… and I was booked there to wrestle Mark Lewin… and the Dalton’s were on that card too… in fact… Leo had recently had a ‘quick draw contest’… in which they had taken part… this was an era where many things were tried… including the ‘tar and feather matches’… using… I believe… chocolate syrup and feathers… (more…)
Whether one is a fan of the Hogan Family, Hulk Hogan, Hogan Knows Best, etc, one has to have a degree of empathy for this entire ordeal that saw a young Marine crippled after returning from a war, that most of us still don’t fully understand why we are in, and to see a young man who had life seemingly by the Spauldings sitting in a jail cell for the next several months. I watched the majority of the hearings on TV and have a few observations. First, I share no glee in what has transpired and feel badly for all involved especially the victim, John Graziano. The question has been raised since the sentencing if the penalty for Nick Bollea was strong enough. My first instinct was to say "yes". Then my wife asked me what if the victim had been one of our granddaughters and I had to re-think my original statement. Just like in sports entertainment, when one makes an emotional investment in an issue, the issue generally takes on a whole different light. Still, in hindsight, I don’t think Nick Bollea got off too lightly.
Another point, Hulk should have lost the doo-rag, without question, in the court room. Staying in an 80’s character, "brother", was questionable judgment and it made Hulk come off looking as if he were in performing mode. The doo-rag was distracting and not in a good way.
The civil suit that is likely to follow this mess will be just that….a mess….and an expensive one. No one asked me, but the term "out of court settlement" works for me on this one which seems to be a layup for the victim’s family. (more…)
It was not really a major surprise that lovely Torrie Wilson was released from the WWE this week, as Torrie’s chronic back issues were becoming problematic. Torrie has had an outstanding run in the business and came along in a timely fashion and had some really nice years financially with WCW and WWE. Torrie was a tomboy at heart and was much more athletic than many fans realized. I remember booking a live event card once in her home town of Boise, Idaho and thanks to Torrie’s efforts doing media, the live event over achieved. She was a great interview and there wasn’t a male DJ in the world that didn’t love having her as an in-studio guest. Torrie had a great physical presence in the ring while her Playboy experiences were some of the hottest that any WWE Diva ever did. Torrie was always a good sport and worked diligently for the WWE during my days in the corporate tower. She even endured the TV storyline of her father, Al Wilson, and all that entailed. Finally, she was the first to remind me that her Boise State football team spanked my Oklahoma Sooners in the famous Fiesta Bowl that has been replayed seemingly a million times on a variety of media outlets. Was I angry at her remarks? Are you kidding me? Who could stay angry at one of the nicest ladies ever in the WWE? Sure as hell not me and especially not over a football game. Whenever Torrie decides to settle down, some lucky man is definitely going to "out kick his coverage".
Gregory "Hurricane" Helms did the smart thing by not over reacting to a negative situation that occurred in, what I understand, a sports bar after 1 a.m. recently. Gregory is a very bright young man who is still on the mend, but he used common sense in not getting involved in any physicality, even though the other guy probably deserved to have his ass kicked. The "nothing good after midnight" rule applies here, but I do applaud Helms for using discretion as the media would have loved to have had another negative wrestling story to headline the TMZ’s of the world. (more…)
Greetings from under the custom made, black hat from the state tornadoes love, Oklahoma, as we prepare to head to our last Monday Night Raw prior to Judgment Day. Gosh, that sounds somewhat ominous doesn’t it, this Monday in Detroit – the home of WrestleMania 23. Well, at least I didn’t refer to it as the “Last Supper” but it seems nowadays that WWE TV announcers never quite know for sure when they will last see catering, now do they?
This week’s Raw Superstar of the Week came down to two men, JBL or (drum roll, please) Mike Adamle. Considering that Adamle was able to sit in my chair – a seat he allegedly was hired to occupy sooner than later – for his first match on Raw (which is still WWE’s flagship broadcast for the record) and not get us cancelled was a significant accomplishment. Nonetheless, no one on Raw was more dominating or convincing than former WWE Champion JBL in his physical dissection of the son of the British Bulldog, DH (don’t call me Harry but the Canadian Bulldog is OK) Smith. (more…)
It’s hard to believe that Owen Hart would have been 43 years of age this week. Owen was one of the really good guys in the business. The youngest of Stu and Helen Hart’s children was funny, witty, an excellent wrestler, wasn’t a cry baby and never whined. Owen Hart was truly one of the really good guys I have ever met in any walk of life. Owen had character and integrity to go along with his outstanding wrestling talent. I never saw Owen drunk (I honestly can’t remember him even having a beer, although he well could have) and never, ever heard of him using drugs. Owen was also a man who honored his wedding vows. The practical jokes one hears Owen played on people were probably true and many of the much needed and funniest moments on long, gruelling tours usually came from Owen who would rather make people laugh than get drunk, get high or lay with a female that wasn’t his wife. Announcing to the world that Owen had died on a pay per view broadcast having about 30 seconds to collect my thoughts before going live to the world was one of the hardest things I have ever been instructed to do. Since then, when we have moments on Raw where the announcers have to lower our tone to embellish a particular moment and when fans or pundits refer to it as "the same tones the announcers used when Owen died" it pisses me off. No one in Internet land or sitting at home can ever put themselves in our shoes the night that tragedy occurred. My mindset and where my heart was on that night in Kansas City is far away from any place I have been since in the wrestling business. I saw a fellow the other day at an event that used to pick Owen up at the airport in a particular town, drive Owen around for free and allow the game’s greatest ribber to stay at the guy’s home just to be around Owen because Owen made every one he was around smile. Of course, Owen was saving money on rental cars and hotels so, as usual, Owen got the last laugh. 
Owen Hart deserves to go into the WWE Hall of Fame but unfortunately I feel that his widow Martha would never cooperate with such a thing which is unfortunate especially for Owen’s children who would see so many people demonstrate their love of their dad.
Happy Birthday Owen. I miss you.
The Mrs. and I received a fantastic, signed poster from Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, this week to frame and hang in J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q #2 when it opens in June in Moore, Oklahoma. We will also have an outfit Dwayne wore in "The Rundown" on our walls. Since the WWE Hall of Fame it seems that many people have voiced a variety of opinions on the wrestler turned actor with some potshots not being so flattering. Jealousy is an ugly emotion and loyalty is a two way street, but I can attest that Dwayne Johnson was the most charismatic rookie wrestler that I ever signed and his signing was one of my greatest accomplishments when I served as the head of talent relations back in the day for the WWE. Dwayne Johnson is a wonderful human being and deserves all the success he is experiencing. (more…)
Big Brown, the pre-race favorite to win the Kentucky Derby, came through for yours truly Saturday during the running of the Kentucky Derby in Louisville, Kentucky. Big Brown was positioned, prior to the running of the roses, as a cocky but talented athlete who had yet to lose even though he had limited experience.
This same theory or philosophy will work in wrestling if the athlete in question is fundamentally sound enough and charismatic enough to carry the ball. How long has it been since a wrestler "burst" onto the scene and turned the wrestling world upside down? Yeah, it’s been a long time.
Nonetheless, we will now be hearing a steady diet of "can Big Brown win the Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing"? Likely not…but it does make for a hell of a story. (more…)
Congratulations to the WWE’s Ron Simmons, the first African American recognized as a World Champion by a major wrestling organization, for being inducted into the class of 2008 College Football Hall of Fame. This is a huge honor for Ron, who was a three time All American nose guard for Florida State University in the early 80s.FSU made a huge coup when they recruited and signed the Warner Robins, Georgia native to come to Tallahassee instead of going to the University of Georgia after being named one of the top high school players in America his senior year in high school. Oklahoma playedFSU twice in the Orange Bowl during Ron’s tenure there and both times, as best as I recall, Ron was pitted against another future pro wrestler, Steve "Dr. Death" Williams, who played offensive guard for OU. My friend, former OU and Dallas Cowboy coach BarrySwitzer, still vividly remembers game planning around Simmons, whose presence at nose guard demanded that Ron be double teamed on most plays.
Former NWA World Champion, Bronko Nagurski from Minnesota who starred in the early days of the NFL, is also in the College Football Hall of Fame, class of 1951, as is another Golden Gopher, LeoNomellini, class of 1977, who wrestled in the off season a great deal while playing for the NFL San Francisco Giants. (more…)
Greetings from under the black, custom-made hat from WWE’s resident BBQ-lovin’ Okie, wondering what in the hell is going on in WWE these days!
Monday night, we have the General Manager of Raw, King William Regal, physically abuse a television director, the talented veteran, Kerwin Silfies, who is then forced to pull the plug on the main event – only for the WWE Title between new champ Triple H and “Age of Orton” innovator Randy Orton before the match’s conclusion. The actions by the “disrespected” King Regal have not made many people happy. (more…)
