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

Hello again, friends and neighbors and thanks for stopping by! Remember that tonight’s live MONDAY NIGHT RAW starts one hour earlier than normal and is a 3-hour special on USA, so if you were going to record the show, set your timer accordingly. I am looking forward to doing the show with my former broadcast partners, Hall of Famers all; ”Mean” Gene Okurland, Bobby “the Brain” Heenan, who I’ve been known to call “Weasie” on occasion (sounding like George Jefferson calling to his wife) and the ex-Governor himself, Jesse Ventura. It should be a real fun show.. I can’t even imagine what the Chairman has in store for us this evening, but you know it will be interesting.

There will be a new blog of recent questions and answers posted on Wednesday. When I get caught up, I’ll write my first thoughts about the 2007 WWE Draft and put those up. I know there will be a lot of feedback and everyone will have an opinion of what should happen. That’s fine, but please, no yelling or cussing, because those comments won’t get posted. I am looking forward to the new matchups that present themselves after “reshuffling the deck.”

Let’s get to your comments with a little Bar-B-Q flavored feedback…

Jay- I don’t know if Hall and Nash will ever return to the WWE to wrestle a full time schedule, but I would strongly doubt it, at this stage of their lives. I would surmise that Hall and Nash have better odds of going into the WWE Hall of Fame than resuming their tag team career in the WWE.

Jordan- I have not heard a single word about Bret Hart returning to the WWE in any capacity. I find this rumor to be “highly unlikely,” even though personally it would be great to see The Hitman on a regular basis. There is no doubt that Bret would be a positive influence on all young wrestlers, but I hear he’s busy working on his autobiography and has no interest in a full time gig with the WWE, or anywhere else.

Amar- Firstly, I have no idea if any one in their right mind thinks that Chris Benoit is not a “main eventer.” If anyone does they need to step back and assess that opinion and then perhaps seek counseling. Benoit is still one of the best wrestlers in the world and delivers more steak than virtually anyone in the business. I have big time respect for Chris and if the WWE is smart, and they are, Benoit will be a part of the WWE family for years to come. Benoit winning the Title at Wrestlemania vs. HHH and HBK was one of the most memorable and dramatic moments I have ever been a part of in all my years in the business..

Joe- Personally, I preferred Gorilla and Heenan over Gorilla and Ventura at the announce table. I thought Ventura worked best with McMahon.

Ricky- Do I ever see Smackdown going live? Been asked this before and the answer is still a no.

Rob- Will you ever see Victoria in Playboy? Never say never, as I assume she would be willing to bare all. That would be “a nice.”

OU4LIFE- Indeed DeMarco Murray is a special running back and we look forward to #7 being a big time contributor this year for OU. Murray’s performance at the Spring Game was a head turner. Ironically, he probably won’t even start!

Fran- I coined the phrase that the Undertaker is “the conscience of the WWE,” meaning that Taker is the most respected individual in any WWE locker room due to his extraordinary long tenure in the WWE and his uncompromising work ethic. “All man and a yard wide,” as Gordon Solie would say.

Tony and others- I doubt if the Great Muta will ever wrestle in the WWE, and certainly not on a regular basis. Muta’s knee problems would prevent him from wrestling full time or from being his same old self, especially on a regular basis. In his prime, Muta was definitely special. I am sure we will all enjoy some of Muta’s best moments on WWE 24/7, when his old WCW stuff airs.

Kathy- I have never used an indoor grill. I grill outside the year-round, no matter what the weather is like. Wish I could help with suggestions, but indoor grills are foreign to me.

Mod – Is this like a Jennaire type grill combined with the stove? I had one of those once. Cooking steaks and burgers created way too much smoke and splatter for indoor cooking and cooking fish really smoked and stunk a lot. And it made a big mess that had to be cleaned thoroughly afterwards. Outdoors is where Bar-B-Q’ing is supposed to take place! Let that grease drip and flame on, baby! No mess to clean up afterwards other than cleaning the grate with a steel brush.

Ellis- I strongly prefer to sit anywhere at ringside while doing commentary. When the Raw announce team was up near the stage with all the hot and loud pyro, it was miserable. Every performer feeds off the crowd, positively and negatively, and being able to sit “amongst them” is great. The old Monday Nitro format of putting the announcers away from the fans never made sense to me.

Jebediah- I don’t even know who Treat Willams is, much less if he is looking to join the WWE in any role. However, if he sells tickets and helps garner TV ratings, bring him on!

Joshua- Another question I have answered before… the Mid South Wrestling library is owned by Ms. Ene Watts, the ex-wife of Cowboy Bill Watts.

Matt- There was apparently some talk about JBL making an attempt to return to the ring if his back injury healed to the point he could function as he once did. I have not heard anything about this matter recently and don’t know the condition of John’s back, except I suspect it is still problematic. If it is, I would recommend that JBL either stick with announcing, or call it a day in the business. One’s health is our greatest gift and not even our beloved business is worth mortgaging our health for. John is too smart to do that anyway, but I do feel he is very frustrated that he can’t compete and to end his in ring career on his terms.

B.J.- I have long been a proponent of a less taxing travel schedule for the wrestlers that work a full-time schedule and travel, train and compete approximately 51 weeks a year. I am not sure how this would be structured, but perhaps taking off the entire month of December, and only doing the TV shows would be one consideration. Also, I would suggest giving the wrestlers at least a week, and maybe two, off after Wrestlemania with the exception of doing the obligated, weekly TV shows. Injuries would perhaps lessen somewhat, if the schedule was not as challenging. It amazes me that these men and women are able to maintain some semblance of health and sanity working such a grueling schedule. Personally I am usually on an airplane 51 weeks a year, which is tough, but not as tough as doing that AND training AND wrestling, like many of the Superstars do.

Joe- I merely made a suggestion that someday I would personally like to see a Wrestlemania to be held in the new Dallas Cowboy state of the art stadium. It is a drive for me from my home, which is good for old J.R., plus the opportunity to sell 100,000 tickets excites me. Where did Washington D.C. come into this conversation?? I have addressed D.C. in past blogs and do feel having Wrestlemania in our nation’s capitol would also be super. Having a ‘Mania in Dallas doesn’t mean we can’t have one in D.C., does it? Now you will start a “what about us” deal and I can see all the comments now coming in from the UK about Wembley Stadium or the stadium in Wales, etc. I am glad I have absolutely NOTHING to do with the site selection of Wrestlemania. So for now, Joe the Redskin fan… lighten up Francis… and say hello to Daniel Synder for me.

Thanks for checking us out and I hope you will take a moment to visit our store… and perhaps even buy something! Now that’s a novel concept that I endorse 100%!

There will be a new blog answering recent questions posted on Wednesday and I will address the WWE Draft as soon as I get my head above the Bar-B-Q sauce line.

BOOMER SOONER!

J.R.