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

Saddle up Pilgrim and let’s ride…

Kyle asks if I like “Celebrities” in wrestling? I would have to say yes, but only as long as they are utilized logically and in a timely fashion. That doesn’t include David Arquette winning the WCW Title or Jay Leno wrestling, but to each his own.

Steve- Boomer Sooner is like the “war cry” or rallying cry for fans of the Oklahoma Sooners athletic teams. It is a positive thing in my perspective, even though Texas Longhorn fans and other rivals will disagree, which is cool, but I look at it as a good thing.

Kevin- I, unfortunately, did not see Trish (dammit) in Toronto last Monday, as she threw out the first pitch for the Yankees-Blue Jays MLB game at the same time we were working. Trish is one of my all time favorites and is preparing to host a major TV show in Canada, which we will talk more about in the upcoming weeks. And no, I don’t expect to ever see Trish wrestle again.

Matt- I can’t apparently say it clearly enough and I do not mean to be a wisearse, but the old ECW is dead and is not coming back. The new ECW is being built as we speak, like it or not, and one would assume ECW will get a shot in the arm following the WWE Draft on June 11th. I am a loyal viewer every Tuesday night on Sci Fi.

Paul- You are half right, I did take notes during Raw in Toronto per usual, but the King “doodles” with some good and oftentimes hilarious drawings, and does not take notes.

Jim- When I first got into the wrestling business in the early 70’s, it took me a long time, perhaps a year, to really be accepted by “the boys.” The wrestling fraternity is a tough nut to crack, but I persevered and things worked out well. When the wrestlers saw that I wasn’t going to give up on my dreams, many became allies, or at least most of them did. Today’s newcomers to the business have it so much easier than my generation did breaking into the business and being accepted in the locker room.

Mike- The Original Sheik would be a big star in today’s marketplace if he were in his prime, but would no doubt need a great manager to maximize Sheik’s earnings potential. Great timing and ring psychology such as the Sheik had, never go out of style.

Rev. Funk- Here is a Vader story… one time Leon forgot to unpack his wrestling bag while he was home for a few days and when he returned to work his sweaty gear was “gamey,” to say the least. Several of the wrestlers cried the blues because of the undesirable odor that sweaty ring attire can provide and they swore that they could not even remove the odor via a shower. It was sort of like the Seinfeld episode where Jerry could not get the undesirable odor out of his automobile and Elaine couldn’t remove it from her hair. But don’t confuse this story with Vader not being as athletic a super heavyweight as I ever saw in the ring. Vader was damn special in his prime.

Gerry- Thanks on the Randy Savage update that I am sure many Macho Man fans appreciate, as do I.

Matt- Where was I during the 2006 Rumble? I had been removed as the voice of Raw in October and then had colon surgery to remove 13 inches of intestines. October ‘05 was when I had my cancer scare. Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten the beloved Dr. Heiney already??

C Rodgers- Why is Raw the “A” show? Personally, it is the #1 show in my mind because that’s the show I work on and I take great pride in being a part of the Raw process. That’s my ego and my pride of being on the brand speaking. Secondly, is it the longest running of all the WWE produced TV shows, and it regularly is the #1 rated weekly cable TV series on all of cable television. Honestly, it is a very subjective matter, and a good case can be made for Smackdown being the number one show because they are on “broadcast” TV, but you asked my opinion and I gave it to you. I watch all our shows, so I might not be the guy to ask, and week to week the shows vary as to who has the best matches.

Andrew- Norman, Oklahoma is less than an hour’s drive from Seminole and Shawnee, Oklahoma. And yes, the Bar-B-Q will be well worth the drive.

Booker- Where did you get the impression I don’t like “constructive criticism”? I read lots of feedback every week, not only on our site, but on a ton of wrestling sites after Monday Night Raw and often times after I post a new blog. I know I can do my job better and that is my goal every Monday night and at every PPV. Some week’s I feel like I get my hand raised and some weeks I am not pleased with my work whatsoever. I am tough on myself, I assure you. However, I don’t enjoy reading the bitching and moaning that I experience from some people who just seem P.O’ed at the world and enjoy griping about every little thing about the business, especially things I have zero control over. Do you have a specific example, Booker, to better illustrate your point? I can say that at no other time in my 30 plus year wrestling career, has the audience been more outspoken and critical of the product, which is simply a by-product of today’s society, for better or for worse. Looking back on my tenure in this business, if I can’t take deserved criticism, then I need to move on because I have had some challenging days and seem to have endured them o.k. so far.

David- The WWE doesn’t like Scotland?! As our favorite New Jersey crime boss would say, “Poor you, David.” The WWE embraces all of the UK and just because Scotland has not hosted a Raw, etc. doesn’t mean you are unloved. It could be building issues, routing issues, etc., that have prevented the WWE from producing TV in Scotland, but no one in the WWE hates Scotland, I absolutely assure you.

Rick- Yes Rick, as I have indicated, I personally feel a Randy Savage DVD would be a good seller. Contrary to the popular myth, that ship has not sailed, as of yet.

Kyle- OU vs. Miami on September 8 here in Norman will be the match up of two of college football’s all-time great programs. I am looking forward to this one, and I am already looking for more tickets for family and friends. It should be a fun home and home series.

Bob- You are the man, sir, being retired from the United States Air Force after serving our country! I have described Mr. McMahon in many ways, perhaps some accurately and some not, but I will say without a doubt in my mind that the Chairman of the WWE is as patriotic as any man I have ever met. That’s not wrestle-talk either.

Miguel- Why don’t I acknowledge that TNA is on the rise? Miguel, I have never intentionally spoken a negative word about TNA. The more places wrestlers have to wrestle and to earn a living, the better. I am pleased that they are doing well.

Wes- I didn’t know I needed to keep score on how many times you have emailed us without getting a response to your comment, but I will attempt to do a better job in the future. Nonetheless I don’t feel Minneapolis is the ideal locale for a WWE Hall of Fame. I think a city more centrally located and/or located in a tourist area might be more feasible. You got Adrian Peterson on the Vikes now, what else do you want?? (That last statement was an attempt at humor Wes. Lighten up Francis!)

Kev- I do remember being on Family Feud in the 80’s while I was employed by WCW. We taped all 5 shows in one evening and had a great time. Brian Pillman was, as always, the life of the party and I don’t think Brian actually slept while we were in LA for “The Feud.” The late Ray Combs, the host at that time of The Family Feud, told me some classic stories about Bob Barker, host of The Price is Right and who shared a studio with the Feud, and who was apparently, according to Combs, quite the ladies man, even well past his AARP years. Barker’s Beauties may have had a dual meaning.

Archie- Do I think that Yokozuna was overrated? Heck, no! Yoko had uncanny timing and great in-ring psychology. Yoko was unfortunately his own worst enemy, as he could not control his eating disorder. I remember the WWE sending him to Duke University’s weight loss department and Yoko sneaking out at night for fast food or paying “insiders” to bring him a pizza late at night. Yoko, like many Samoans, was an athletically amazing talent, especially when he was around 400 pounds.

Stephan- I would agree that there is a good chance that Santino Marella’s last name is no coincidence and the late Gorilla Monsoon (Bob Marella) may have been the inspiration for it.

Tracey- Are the Brisco Brothers past due to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame? Good Lord, yes! Well past due, in my opinion. If I could name two inductions for the 2008 class in Orlando, it would be the Brisco Brothers and Gordon Solie. (Please, Savage fans don’t take this as an affront to the Macho Man.)

Attention Readers/visitors have asked me the question as it relates to my preference of ribs; Pork or beef? Hands down it would be pork.

Some have inquired if I will be a part of the San Francisco Fan Fest in October of this year. Firstly, I have not been invited, secondly I am somewhat hesitant about appearing at wrestling reunions because I don’t enjoy hearing some wrestlers bitch and moan about the past or their opinion of the current state of the biz, and most importantly, it is college football season and I don’t plan on missing any OU Sooner football games!

Some have brought up the deconstruction of the UWF after it was purchased by Jim Crockett Promotions in 1987. I will speak more about this in the future, but the dismantling of the UWF was one of the great blunders I have ever personally witnessed in this business. It was near sighted and ego driven and thus, extremely poor business decisions were made and the results, or lack thereof, of this matter and others from that period of JCP are well documented.

How do I feel about the fans’ “mixed reactions” toward WWE Champ John Cena? It used to perplex me, but really, not any longer. I like John, as I have said many times, and he is one of the best recruits I ever signed. So I may not be totally objective, but I do genuinely like the guy and I love his work ethic. John, too, is used to the mixed reaction and simply forges ahead with what he needs to do to earn his living. By the way, I did not like the Spinner Title Belt in the beginning either, nor the Smoking Skull Title Belt, for the record, but I am a traditionalist. I’m not sure that is a blessing or a curse, but it is what it is. However, now the Spinner Title Belt doesn’t annoy me whatsoever. I have bigger fish to fry and plenty of other things I could bemoan, if I chose to pull a “poor me.”

John Cena getting booed and Spinner Belt question subjects are closed.

I do not, and will not, talk about wrestler contracts on this site. I feel that would be unprofessional on my behalf and it really isn’t anyone’s business what an individual earns in the wrestling business. If the wrestlers themselves want to talk about their income, so be it. Needless to say, the opportunity to earn well north of seven figures exists in today’s marketplace.

Carmen- I agree that Miss Elizabeth should be strongly considered for the WWE Hall of Fame in the future. She was a pioneer in many ways for the Divas that followed her in wrestling.

Chris- I remember spending many Wednesday nights in Ft. Smith, Arkansas at the Jimmy Lott Sports Arena on Towson Avenue refereeing matches featuring the legendary Danny Hodge, Cowboy Bill Watts, General Scandar Akbar, and so many more great names from the past. I never made more than $40 for a night’s work as the only ref on the card, but occasionally we got a bonus of some unsold hotdogs from the concession stand and from the promoter who didn’t have a “stellar reputation” when it came to reporting the accurate dollar figure for the live gate. We also only had one shower to use and being the low man on the totem pole, I don’t ever recall ever taking a “hot” shower, as the hot water was always long gone by the time I got access to the shower stall. Working in the “Oklahoma Territory,” beginning in the 70’s, was invaluable to me and that’s why I will always be indebted to LeRoy McGuirk and Bill Watts for giving me my first job in the biz.

PK- New grilling ideas for steak? Use rib eyes… wash them thoroughly and then pat them dry with a paper towel, season both sides with seasoned pepper, seasoned salt, garlic powder, and hickory liquid smoke (don’t over do the liquid smoke). Wrap the steaks in aluminum foil or put them into a sealable container and put them back in the ‘fridge over night. Grill them the next day over low to medium heat. Do not poke the steaks and try to turn them only once or twice at most if possible. Once they are finished cooking, take them off the grill and let them set for 3-5 minutes before eating them. If you want to try something else, you can brush the steaks with our Bar-B-Q Sauce a minute or two before they are finished cooking on one side. Let me know how they turn out. Also, sometimes I use Montreal Steak Seasoning or Bar-B-Q dry rub to season my steaks, which isn’t a bad deal either. It just depends on your mood and what you are hungry for.

Some visitors to our site have asked why some of their comments don’t make “the cut” and get posted on our site. It could be many things. It could be profanity, overt and unfounded complaining about issues I can’t solve or want to read about, it could be the umpteenth time we have had the same question or subject asked, or it could simply be people attempting to perpetuate unfair and oftentimes totally inaccurate, personally damaging rumors to individuals in the business. The bottom line regarding this matter is that I never see the comments that don’t make the grade, nor do I want to. From time to time we have comments that do make the site that I would not have selected, but so be it.

Our store is open for your shopping pleasure 24/7. Don’t forget that WWE.com’s Shopzone ships many of our products WORLDWIDE, so I hope you will visit WWE.com and check that out. My Raw column on WWE.com also appears every Friday, in case you have missed it.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you come back to visit us.

BOOMER SOONER!

J.R.