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

My thanks to those of you that have responded with such positive feedback over the past few days. It is refreshing to read of the positive energy from so many especially for a business that is about entertainment and not about any of the urgencies that we face in many aspects of our every day lives. Wrestling is intended, in my opinion, to be fun and entertaining and to not be over analyzed as it so often times is. There is no doubt that TV wrestling is subjective and that some weeks are definitely better than others. Just like we have some days that are better than others, some wrestling programs are better some weeks than other weeks. I plan on doing my best to keep this site positive and fun and to not allow myself or what I do for a living to be taken too seriously. The product should be entertaining, but without fail some weeks will be more entertaining than others and no broadcast will ever be perfect. I’m still looking for that perfect show even after 4 decades of trying. I will continue to seek the perfect broadcast even though I fully realize I am likely to never experience it. But I will continue to have fun and enjoy what I do and the day that ceases is the day the black hat disappears from your TV set. It was a great weekend for yours truly on a personal level as I attended the Big 12 Title game in San Antonio and watched from the OU sideline as the Sooners won another Championship over a talented Missouri team, that had a super year. Now it is on to the Fiesta Bowl for my team and I plan on attending the festivities in the desert, come January 2, when Oklahoma plays a really strong West Virginia team. This Monday is really a wonderful milestone in broadcasting, as it will be the 15th Anniversary of Monday Night Raw. It is amazing that this program has lasted all these years in the volatile world of cable TV and in prime time to boot. Kudos to the many men and women who have contributed to the show’s success over the past 15 years. I am proud to have been a small part of the process and hope to continue to be sitting at ringside every Monday night for the foreseeable future doing what I love to do and that is broadcast wrestling and to, hopefully, entertain people. There isn’t another two hours of the entire week that I enjoy more than being at ringside as a part of Monday Night Raw. I also wanted to thank the many folks who are doing some of their holiday shopping at our store here on the site. “J.R.’s Nuts” are selling wildly as are our new T shirts. Yes, they are attention getters and edgy but all in the spirit of fun. Our “Redneck Gift Buckets” are rolling out the door just as quickly as we can ship them. The beautiful thing is that the store is open 24/7 and that we ship your orders within hours of receiving them. You still have time to allow us to be a part of your holidays and we are honored that you would consider giving our products as gifts. Don’t forget to check out the limited edition, number and signed shirts that are bona fide conversation pieces that can’t be matched any where. Our sauces are superb as is the variety of flavors of beef jerky and who doesn’t like food as a gift. It sure beats another tie or something that doesn’t fit. Bar-B-Qed Feedback: Matt- The late Gordon Solie is widely considered the best announcer ever in the business. I had the privilege of working with “The Dean” toward the end of his career and those shows created some wonderful memories for me that will last a lifetime. The “I Quit” match we called pitting Ric Flair vs. Terry Funk was one of my personal favorites as our styles were more old school, sports oriented focusing on athleticism and drama. I don’t watch too much of the older stuff that I have done in my career, but that particular Clash of Champions was one of my favorites. For me to do play by play while sitting beside Gordon Solie, who excelled in that area, was a “moment.” Regarding the TV ratings of RAW, etc I am not overly concerned about them as they still out perform virtually all if not all the programming on USA. RAW is consistently in the top 5 or so programs on all of basic cable and with the exception of Monday Night Football, RAW still dominates many demographics. The fragmentation of the TV audience is a concern though for any one who produces television as many of us sit with the remote in our hands and are quick to change the channel if we are not being entertained. Squiggy- I hope the “J.R.” action figure you finally found doesn’t scare your son! Perhaps next year there will actually be a new version of the action figure or at least that is what I am told. I don’t feel as if I did anything special in getting the negative comments out in the open as it would have easy to bury them so that they would not have seen the light of day. I value everyone’s opinion even though there will be some comments that we will not post simply because they lack taste and how much criticism do the masses want to read about the same, old stuff? And congrats to the Ohio State Buckeyes! The Buckeyes vs. LSU should be a real slobber knocker and it will be interesting to see if OSU can handle the Bengal Tigers speed. Pat- Who do I think is the more “handsome”, Paul Roma or Rick Martel? Is this Pat Patterson asking the question and if so will you quit fooling around Pat?! :) Martel was the better wrestler…how’s that? Randy- The Legends Roundtable discussions on WWE 24/7 are really fun to be a part of as they are free flowing and not over produced. I am sure there is plenty of good stuff that hits the cutting room floor but that is simply the nature of the beast. I don’t know when we will gather again to tape more shows or what the subject matter will be but I am “in” when the time comes. It is sort of like traveling down the road in the old days with a van load of wrestlers shooting the breeze and expressing themselves. I do agree that Abdullah the Butcher was/is a badass because as you said no one can have Abby’s longevity without being a tough human being. Abby strikes me as the kind of man who would have no issues “gutting” someone if provoked. Brooks- You have a healthy attitude about the rasslin business. I agree that it isn’t imperative to know what someone earns, who they date, why they aren’t in main events, who’s a nice person and who is not, etc. At the end of our respective days does it really matter. Obviously not. I, too, am happy Chris Jericho is back and when Jericho is on the mic being a wise ass he is at his best. And I mean that in the nicest of ways. Chris is a competitor and I guarantee you that Jericho will bust his ass to have a big time main event at Armageddon in his first outing back on PPV. Craig- I personally like Charlie Haas as he is an Oklahoma kid that I signed to a contract in the WWE many years ago along with his late brother Russ. Charlie is a superb athlete, but he needs to continue to evolve his in ring personality so that fans can make the all important “emotional investment” in him. I assume Charlie will fly solo now that Shelton Benjamin has gone to ECW. Charlie is a naturally intense individual who has a degree from Seton Hall in Economics. E.S.F.on Earth- The marketing slogan of “J.R.’s Nuts are Bigger” obviously refers to our locally grown peanuts and is a true statement. Nonetheless, it is an edgy and somewhat controversial slogan that our marketing folks came up with and that I thought was funny. No harm no foul, but I have no issues with your opinion. It’s “out there” but it is simply a play on words and is not intended to be taken seriously, but I promise that the shirts are selling and some people think the slogan is hilarious. But, just as in some aspects of wrestling, it might not be for everyone. Jeremy- Soccer in the States might get over the hump in the years to come as so many young, American kids are playing it now that when they get older they may lead the way in supporting it. However, the David Beckham craze has already subsided here, for the record. I like to watch soccer when I travel to the UK, but it is taken so much more seriously there with the passion of the fans being such a huge part of the presentation. Sounds familiar doesn’t it? Riley- The Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy match was a classic. I truly mean that. Taker is one of the last guys I would have put in a Ladder Match environment but, man, did he deliver. Jeff Hardy got the ultimate “rub” from the Deadman and on that night Jeff Hardy showed us all what he can do in the spotlight. Now Jeff has the opportunity to do it all over again with his upcoming match at Armageddon against HHH. Alf- I could never work off a script. My acting skills suck. What you hear is what it is…for better or for worse. I feel for announcers that have to work off a script or who do not have natural instincts for the product. Lee- The “Kiss My Ass Club” was a mechanism to create angst and make Mr. McMahon more disliked. I think it worked really well especially the first few times it was seen on TV. Yours truly having to do it in front of my family and friends in OKC wasn’t one of my most sterling, career achievements. MJR- It is my understanding that Eric Bischoff, among many others, will appear live on the 15th Anniversary edition of Raw on December 10. Past that one should never say never but I think the ship has sailed for Eric to be involved full time in the wrestling biz…but that’s just an opinion. Robert- Thanks for making the trek from El Reno, Oklahoma down to Norman to try out our food at J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q. Our team really tries hard to make every one feel special and our food is thankfully damn good. I’m not bragging, but simply stating a fact. I eat there several times a week, no jokes please, and I assure you that if something isn’t good we fix it. I am probably more critical about our food than most of our guests. I hope you visit us again soon. Ted- I am not sure how much a 3 minute match helps anyone. The overall improvement of the in ring product within the business is imperative. You will get no argument from me about that I assure you. Chyna’s Ding a Ling- First of all that’s a helluva screen name and I hope I did not inadvertently just put something profane on our little website. Nonetheless, the “formula” for a successful wrestling show is no secret. You pretty much hit the nail on the head when you eluded to clearly defined storylines that have continuity and feature talented performers. But to say I have lost my passion because I “condone” the WWE creative is a disconnect for me. In essence what you seem to be suggesting is that I quit my job in protest. That seems like an awful drastic measure to me. Do I like all the wrestling I see on any given wrestling show? Usually not. Am I in a role to change what I don’t like? No. Do I sit up nights worrying about it? Absolutely not. That has nothing to do with passion but common sense because if one constantly worries about things they cannot change they are asking for health issues and I damn sure am not going there. Finally, who says Eric Bischoff was remotely right when he says in his book that “all of Jim Ross’ ideas were too old school”? Old school means fundamentally sound athletes involved in reality based storylines. It doesn’t mean the bad guys all wear black, wool tights. Perhaps more “old school” principles these days would invigorate the business. JD- Fresh talent that can perform will always help any company but the issue many company’s have is how fast some younger talents progress. Some younger guys who have not fully developed their skills start making good cash and stop trying to get better but only to maintain. They find their comfort zone and want to stay in it which is truly the kiss of death. The key to talent development is to do one’s best to place each talent in the best position possible for them to improve. New, talented faces can help any organization but the continued improvement of everyone on the roster is what is key. When one stops growing they start dying. Fred- I will let The King handle the physicality as that has never been one of my goals and it is certainly not an area that I excel. The issues with Tazz in the ring seem like a million years ago. In hindsight, who did it really help and was it simply a waste of TV time? Both arguable points. Collin- Your opinion on the spinner title belt is good by me but I still could care less about what the championship resembles but more about who is wearing a title belt around their waist and not slung over their shoulder. Nathan- Indeed the OU-WVU Fiesta Bowl will be a great one. I wish your Mountaineers the best of luck. We will talk more about the January 2 confrontation closer to the game I assure you. Best of luck at Marshall. Reggie- Harry Smith is back on the active roster. I saw him recently and he looked good and with a smile on his face. “DH” is a good kid. jeremyindiana- “Pro Wrestling This Week” was hosted by Gordon Solie and Joe Pedicino. At least the version that was done out of Atlanta. It was a very entertaining show and provided a great look at several territories every week. For the hardcore wrestling fan PWTW/Atlanta version was a must see show. The Florida version of the show was with Gordon and Buddy Colt as I remember it but it wasn’t with me. Perhaps some one can shed some light on this matter. K. Michael Carlock- I love the sweet tea analogy. I realize as you do that many who vent here are frustrated with the overall landscape of the business in general and its current direction. I understand those frustrations. I also like healthy debate and just as in sports, etc I have strong opinions on what I like and what I don’t like. I like physical wrestling contests that are prompted because of personal issues. I don’t expect everyone to like me because sometimes when I hear my work back I don’t like me. Where’s Dr. Phil?? Thanks for checking us out and for all your feedback. I hope you will continue to provide us with opinions and questions. The posts are getting better and better all the time. My thanks to you all. Our store for business is open as we speak! BOOMER SOONER! J.R.