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

Nice short trip from Norman to Topeka, Kansas for Monday Night Raw this week. Thanks to Southwest Airlines, yours truly was back at home, in Norman, by 8 a.m. Tuesday! I actually thought about driving the 300 miles, one way, which would have been a lay-up in the territory days, but opted out… thank goodness. King rented a Dodge 300, or something to that affect, as his rental car this week and let me tell you that the Hemi-powered vehicle was fast… really fast. I thought I was riding with Ricky Bobby of Talladega Nights fame for a while there on the flat, Kansas interstate. Jerry said the car had more power than the Corvettes he has owned. Too damn fast for me, nonetheless. As you can tell our webmaster is doing lots of work on our site. We apologize for any inconveniences this construction may have created. Please send us your feedback and suggestions on the site as we want to locate the bugs and make all the improvements that we can as quickly as we can and you can certainly be a big asset in that process. How do you like our Gift Buckets?? We think that these uniquely packaged items will make not only great holiday gifts but fun gifts for any occasion. Be sure and stop by our store and check out all the specials we have for you. Order them now in time for the holidays worldwide. Hey kids, have you heard about “J.R.’s Nuts”?? We are getting in the peanut business which I think is absolutely super. I love to snack on great tasting peanuts especially with a cold beverage. Oklahoma has many peanut farms and we are getting our peanuts fresh and directly from the growers. These too make awesome gifts so take a look at “J.R.’s Nuts” before you leave the site for the big news on our new peanut business! HUGE football game for Oklahoma this weekend in Lubbock, Texas as the Sooners face off with the dangerous and offensive minded Texas Tech Red Raiders. The Sooners are favored by 9 points or so but I will tell you that this game is going to be a dog fight. It is going to be televised on ABC Saturday night in prime time. Check your local listings. This is a massive challenge for OU as Tech always gives the Sooners fits and I expect this Saturday night to be much of the same. I don’t have a “peaceful, easy feeling” about this one I can guarantee you that. I am hoping to be in Lubbock on Saturday night and then arrive in Miami Sunday for the Survivor Series. The 21st Survivor Series is Sunday in Miami on pay per view. It is hard to believe that this is the 21st edition of the annual, November classic from the WWE. It is shaping up to be a really solid event and I assume that all 3 broadcast teams will be utilized more than ever as there are many bouts with all three WWE brands involved. When 6 talking heads are all trying to cover one bout, it often times becomes a “malfunction at the junction” and can be a train wreck but at times an entertaining train wreck to say the least. Someone pointed out to me that an internet site reported that my contract with the WWE had expired a few weeks ago and that I was working without an agreement with the company. That is not true. Bar-B-Qed Feedback: John- What is lacking in today’s wrestling marketplace? Several things could possibly be mentioned but one thing that seems to be universally discussed is the lack of “stars”, especially “stars” who can step in the ring and put us on the edge of our seats with their fundamental skills, physicality and ring psychology. See why the territories were so important? Mark- Do YOU think that Jim Neidhart deserves to go into the WWE Hall of Fame as a single wrestler? Why are there all the Neidhart questions all of the sudden? Jim’s best work was in the Hart Foundation for my money. Kerry- The WWE owns virtually all the Magnum T.A. footage, except for Mid South Wrestling, and I think telling Terry Allen’s story would be compelling TV and would make for a helluva DVD. Time will tell but I personally like the concept. Freakyfan 10- To me the best finishing maneuvers are those that are executed quickly and “out of the blue”….so I like “Sweet Chin Music” and the “RKO”. Jake- I have heard of no details on an upcoming Brian Pillman Memorial Show in Cincy but would be interested to hear of such if they are materializing. Les Thatcher is a wonderful man and is certainly in my personal HOF. Kam- We have no plans at this time to add a Philly Cheesesteak to our Bar-B-Q menu. For the record, ol’ J.R. really enjoys a great Philly Cheesesteak from time to time. Jack- I have heard zilch about D’Lo Brown returning to the WWE any time soon. D’Lo has been wrestling in Japan and has always been a guy I liked being around. I wish him well no matter where he lands. DeanUK- Santino Marella is a talented talker, albeit somewhat agitating at times, but entertaining nonetheless. As I have said before, Marella has been a positive addition to Monday Night Raw. Jarrod- As Eddie Guerrero mentioned in his autobiography, I had strong words for him after he continued to make significant errors in judgment regarding his personal life. I did tell him once that he was embarrassing his family with his conduct and I meant it. Eddie and I talked about that many times afterwards and he said it helped him “wake up”. Whether it did or not, I am proud that Eddie got past his demons and became the man later in his life that he always wanted to be. No one had a better heart than Eddie Guerrero, who was a genuinely good person. Ironically, Eddie’s wonderful heart tapped out on him much too soon. Warren- I do not recall Dan Severn ever being strongly considered as a potential Steve Austin opponent, but certainly if Severn’s popularity had grown that match might well have been made. Severn vs. Shamrock was discussed but that did not materialize either for a variety of reasons. Dan Severn is a class act and was a credit to the WWE locker room while he was with the company. Tyler- The city of Buffalo, N.Y. isn’t going to allow the Bills to relocate to Toronto, but I can certainly see where the Bills organization needs T.O. to help them fund the Bills and help the team become more profitable. Toronto is a great city and I can see the Bills doing well there at the box office, on occasion. Lee- Chris Masters did have a great future in the WWE until personal errors in judgment changed such. Masters would have been well served to have been able to wrestle in territories for 3-5 years before debuting in the WWE, but that was not the case. My advise to Chris would be to wrestle as often as he possibly can with the best opponents he can and focus on his bell-to-bell skills and most of all, be healthy. However, if the true passion is not there for the business within Chris, he is still young enough to be successful in other walks of life. Dave- Mark Yeaton, a former referee and ring crew member, is the individual who is so adept at throwing cold cans of beer to Stone Cold. Mark is now working in the operations side of the WWE and is a long time employee. Danny- Obviously, you are a huge Ultimate Warrior fan which is fine by me. But as far as Warrior returning to a WWE ring do, we know if Warrior is interested in such a return? Would Warrior do well for a special appearance in the WWE? Most likely, but I’m thinking that ship has sailed for all involved. But then again, perhaps not. Justin- The Raw vs. Smackdown 08 video game is truly amazing and I wholeheartedly encourage all gamers and wrestling fans to check it out as soon as possible. I have long suggested that a “Legends” video game would be awesome….seeing Bret Hart vs. Stone Cold…..Superstar Billy Graham vs. Dusty Rhodes….Bruno vs. Owen Hart…The Rock vs. Harley Race…The Rock ‘n Roll Express vs. The Midnight Rockers and the list could go on and on as the matchups are limitless. It could easily be the “Legends” against today’s stars too. Perhaps someday some one will put this idea to work as it would be akin to being able to have Roger Clemens pitch to Mickey Mantle. Stu- I feel that most wrestlers will have more success in MMA if they go directly there from college. That is not to say that Lesnar won’t do well in the ultimate fighting world. I have never seen Sean O’Haire fight in MMA, so I can’t comment on his skills. Old Graybeard- Ohio Valley Wrestling is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky. Wagdaddy- Arkansas’ Darren McFadden is no doubt a special running back but I don’t feel he will win the Heisman this year for some reason. The Hogs season hasn’t done D-Mac any favors. Honestly, I don’t know who the front runner is for the Heisman, but I do wish it would not be voted on and awarded until after all the bowl games. Danny Boy- Tennessee Vols head football coach is definitely a top job, most likely a top ten job, but I don’t see head coach Phil Fullmer heading out the door in Knoxville any time soon. However, if Fullmer ever got his “walking papers” there would not be any shortage of great candidates for his job. Adam- I enjoyed being on Family Feud back in the day with the social Brian Pillman, etc. On the panel, I faced off against Jackie Stallone, Sly’s mom, which kinda made me look smart….in all due respect to Mrs. Stallone. Chris- I didn’t “hate” the Nitro Girls, but that sort of thing is best in really small doses in my view. I like WRESTLING….good, hard hitting, WRESTLING between individuals who have a clearly defined issue and who can carry their share of the water. Steak is my cup of tea (how’s that for a play on words) but with every steak there needs to be a proper amount of sizzle, in moderation, in regards to what happens bell to bell. That’s just my old school opinion. Nick- IF, and it is still an IF, OU makes it to the Big 12 Title Game I won’t care who they play. I do know it is hard to beat a great team like Mizzou twice in the same season but then again KU is undefeated as we speak and a helluva team. This scenario might equate to “damned if you do and damned if you don’t”. Grant- Bret Hart deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as Hogan, Flair, Sammartino, Funk, Brisco, Austin, The Rock and any other great that one can name. It’s as simple as that in my eyes. Bret Hart is one of the ten greatest wrestlers I have seen in person in my 30+ years in the biz. Trey- For me, a little of most of the Divas in the ring actually wrestling goes a long way. Sunday’s Survivor Series features a tri branded, 10 Diva Tag, but it isn’t an elimination match which works better for me. This match should be entertaining. MIke/UK- The recent L.A. RAW was hot largely because of the enthusiastic, sold out crowd, the reunion of DX, who the fans love, and Steve Austin, still a beloved legend, returning to RAW with a clear cut reason (Santino) for being there. I agree that particular RAW was really good. Chad- Does Alex Wright still wrestle? I have not seen him in a long while. Does anyone know? Tom- I have never met my fellow Okie, Garth Brooks, but would like to. He’s a talented son of a gun and a former Oklahoma State track athlete back in the day. I have not seen the latest Mid South DVDm but depending on what is including it is most likely a helluva DVD as far as content is concerned. Jeana McGee- I hope all is well in the Barron Fork Creek area of Adair County. Let’s make sure and keep old, Pee Wee happy with the best Bar-B-Q sauces he ever devoured. My best to all in my old neck of the woods. Come see us in Norman! Anthony- I actually don’t know what Savage is up to these days but there are so many devotees of the Macho Man’s that visit our site, one would think that someone could update us. Doug- What were YOUR reviews of the Hitman and the Jericho books? You have read them both…I haven’t yet, but I’m going to. Everyone I have talked to without fail lauds both these books. Dave- I do not want to be in the storyline business on this site, nor do I care to be involved with anyone’s creative process whatsoever for my day job or otherwise. Patrick- I would rather eat Rachel Ray’s cooking any time, if my wife Jan’s Italian delicacies were not available. I am a fan of Rachel Ray for the record. James R.- Edge’s return date?? Soon. No big star will ever be canned due to the Wellness Program, you say??...I hope that you are correct but, if the shoe fits….. Kevin- I thought the CNN piece on wrestling was only a so-so piece of business to start with, but after the truth came out regarding the seemingly unfair and misleading editing of the piece, I was really disappointed in CNN. I keep looking for solid solutions to the matters addressed and not having the issues/problems rehashed over and over. The problems have been thoroughly identified and now it is time to earnestly work on solutions for them. I have found myself down on most professional politicians and on most cable news networks who are selling sizzle, their personalities, and who proclaim in large part to be “fair and balanced”. That’s real fertilizer. Thanks for checking out the site, our newly designed store, and for your feedback. Our store is open 24/7 so be sure and order your holiday Gift Buckets today for immediate shipping. Plus, remember we ship worldwide! Please keep your feedback coming. Be well everyone. BOOMER SOONER! J.R.