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

This should be an interesting read as I flew back to Oklahoma from Portland via Chicago and as I write this I have had little sleep since Sunday night. Just a quick reminder, we have a limited amount of personally autographed J.R. Cookbooks which as I have said are loaded with wrestling stories and top ten lists. Check it out. Plus we are preparing to introduce a line of premium, world championship level beef jerky in 5 different but delicious flavors. This is a healthy snack that we are really proud of. Raw is a strong show this week, headlined by the McMahon-Trump face to face confrontation. Plus, there is an awesome 8 man tag featuring Cena, HBK, The Undertaker and Batista vs. Rated RKO, Mr. Kennedy and MVP which all airs THURSDAY NIGHT at 8/7 central from the Rose Garden in Portland. I think you will like this Raw, as it was face paced and had some excellent action as the main event 8 man tag went three segments. Plus, the Portland crowd held up their end of the arrangement. WWE has no ownership in TNA or WSX but you will see plenty of WWE alumni wrestling at these organizations to give the younger groups wrestlers with national name identity not to mention most of the alumns need the work. The Marty Schottenheimer firing from the San Diego Chargers of the NFL was a shock, but I had heard all season that the head coach had issues with the general manager. From my personal experience, upper management always wins those egocentric clashes. Nonetheless, Schottenheimer lead his team to a 14-2 record which hardly seems like grounds for dismissal. I hope the Chargers hire Norv Turner or someone like that and leave OU’s Bob Stoops alone. Working with Mr. McMahon when he was announcing was challenging and a unique experience. Vince did the play by play and I provided color which was a new role for me. I was never intimidated, but I stayed on my toes because things seemed to change at times on the fly. Was there pressure? Certainly, as there always is when one does a live TV show. I am told The Model Rick Martel sprayed cheap perfume with a distinct aroma while entering the ring. I promise you it wasn’t the “good stuff” and “Arrogance” was a contrived name as I have heard it. Dusty Rhodes belongs in the WWE Hall of Fame and if anything Dusty’s induction on March 31 at the Fox Theatre in Detroit is past due. Tickets for this event go on sale March 3 but I am unaware of the pricing. I know, I have Bar-B-Q and beer drinking buddies coming from Oklahoma, and I have to buy tickets for 8-10 of them because they are big Raw/WWE fans. Dusty going into the Hall of Fame should have nothing to do with whether or not Randy Savage is inducted this year, next year, or perhaps even never. Point being is that “The Dream’s” accomplishments should not be tarnished by a few fan’s obsession for Savage to be a 2007 HOFer. These are two distinctly different matters. Again, Bob Backlund is definitely deserving to be a WWE Hall of Famer but, at least when I have spoken to Bob, he was not interested just yet and wanted “one more run.” Perhaps that is why the unique Bob Backlund is appearing in TNA from time to time. To Smart Mark, nice name by the way, your “backstage contact” who told you conclusively that Savage was going into the WWE Hall of Fame this year is misinformed as that has not been confirmed one way or another. Please, trust me on this one. Your guy is wrong. The “Blackballing” storyline makes nice copy . I have seen the WWE bring back some beauts that I NEVER thought would be back in a WWE ring. When it comes to cash, there are no blackballs. What about Eric Bischoff? Wouldn’t one think Eric would be blackball material? To Steve Wilton- I guess I did not make it clear enough to you so I will try one more time. I had NO negotiations with Savage as he did all his dealing with Mr. McMahon. Even if I did know these holy grail of details, they were of a sensitive nature and out of respect for all parties involved, I would keep them to myself where they belong. If that is being disrespectful to you, after all the money you paid to be heard on our site, I am truly sorry. I would be surprised if we don’t see Stone Cold within a month prior to Wrestlemania. He is not going to wrestle, I do not know his exact role, but Austin’s role will be important to the event. Plus, as I understand it, Austin’s contract with the WWE is to make movies, not wrestle. I watched ECW Tuesday night and thought their show was markedly better than last Tuesday. Lashley vs. Holly #2 was solid, Punk and RVD felt like ultra popular, main line stars, and the “ECW Originals vs. The New Breed” is an easy story to follow. Tazz and Joey Styles also did a nice job of providing me with two sides of the story related to “Old vs. New.” Lashley, RVD, and Punk form a nice nucleus on which to re-build this brand where the emphasis seems to be on competitive and physical wrestling and not breaking tables, bones and spirit. ECW probably has more, better, young, potential superstars than Raw or Smackdown. I am referring to talents who are just getting their WWE experience started. The Seattle crowd made the ECW show better. Nice job Seattle. I really like the team of Murdoch and Cade, but like the team of Dick Murdoch and Dusty Rhodes I feel that their best days will be as single wrestlers down the road. The tag team scene is unique and seems to be rebuilding somewhat. At least some week’s it does. The reason there are not more great tag teams is that there is the obvious lack of main event level talent depth. I do prescribe, however, that several younger wrestlers who are trying to find their niche may find it with a partner to help launch their journey. The lack of veteran, top flight tag teams is simply a byproduct of an overall lack of talent that has veteran and main event status. I hope the WWE never reinstates a version of the Horsemen, considering that none of the original members would be able to wrestle a full time schedule and their in-ring efforts would naturally fall short of where they were years ago. I think another incarnation of the Horsemen would be a failure. The revised version would never be as good as the originals and would always be compared to the Flair, Arn, Tully, Ole, originals not to mention when Luger was added for a cup of coffee. What about J.J.? It just would not and could not be the same. I am anxious to read Bret Hart’s upcoming book, but I fear it will have an intimidating amount of pages and will weigh that of a portly, small child. Nonetheless, the content should be highly informative and entertaining. I am a willing customer, and yes, the Bret-Bulldog match at Wembley Stadium was a piece of work, a true clinic that all young wrestlers should be required to know like the back of their hands. The WWE DVD department does exceptional work and when they do a DVD on World Class Championship Wrestling, I feel that utilizing Gary Hart’s knowledge and experiences in front of the camera, but more importantly behind the camera is imperative. Hart was one of wrestling’s great all-time managers. Another lost art and another victim of the shortage of money drawing talent whether it be wrestlers or managers in the biz today. Lita is feeling great and is going to wrestle some independent dates, but from what I understand, doesn’t want to wrestle a full-time schedule which might see her ending up in TNA or at least that one of the more topical rumors. I can still remember the interview I had with Lita when she came to my office in Stamford, Ct. to interview for a job. I really don’t feel comfortable commenting on the Wellness Program of any wrestling company because I do not know all the facts and details. Bottom line is that they are real, necessary, and can be potentially life-saving. It sounds strange having to save mostly well off adults from themselves, doesn’t it? If the WWE ever wants volunteers for meet and greets, Q&As, etc in Hawaii especially Maui, I am in! I love to hit the beaches as I have a philosophy that my fat looks better brown than white. Last I heard was that Mark Copani was in Hollywood going on auditions and readings and attempting to get into the movie business. To the best of my knowledge, Copani is through with wrestling…until the movie career doesn’t click. Mark has talent. For the record, at least the way I see it, there is no DX right now with HHH on the shelf. HHH, by the way, is ahead of schedule and should be back in the ring in approximately 6 months. I envy the man’s work ethic and desire doing tireless hours of re-hab which is a pain in the backside or quad as the case may be. Will there be another Trish? I hope so, for the fan’s sake, but honestly I doubt it. This Canadian lass was extraordinarily special. Will Brock Lesnar return to the WWE? The only person who can accurately answer that is Lesnar himself and he has been provided ample opportunity to return, but has not had the desire to. My guess, no, Lesnar is done with the WWE. I hope I am wrong on this one. Will there ever there be a “Wrestler’s Union?” I don’t think in my lifetime it will happen. If you get 50 wrestlers together to organize a function they can’t even agree on a menu, much less financial issues. J.R. and King are great friends off camera. We ride together to the arenas and travel together between cites when called up on. We also stay at the same WWE sanctioned hotel and enjoying talking sports and pop culture, the news, etc and probably don’t talk as much about today’s wrestling product as one would think. Sometimes I think traveling with The King and J.R. would make a funny reality show. JBL wrestling at Wrestlemania is about as likely as The Ultimate Warrior and yours truly being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I think John is settled into his broadcasting role and he tells me that his body is just now starting to feel somewhat normal since he left the ring. I would like to broadcast a show with him somewhere down the road for the hell of it. It might be a fun show to listen to. Billy Robinson, from the UK, had a reputation as a legit bad ass who enjoyed hurting people and at times was a problem child to promoters as the legend goes. Robinson had a unique style and was a “hooker,” a submission specialist who was proficient in the art of breaking bones and tearing joints, and apparently enjoyed it. Hershey, Pa is special to me because the old hotel we stay at there gives all their guests a Hershey Chocolate Bar as a welcome gift which I like. Plus, it was where the first “attitude” interview was given and it was by yours truly when I introduced the faux Diesel and Razor, intellectual property the WWE owned, just after Hall and Nash bolted to the WCW. Honestly, I was never sure why we did that ill fated piece of business as neither talent got over in their new roles and I never succeeded as a bad guy announcer. Rick M- The answer is Terry Funk. Terry only wrestles when he wants to and honestly, and I love Terry and what he has meant to the business, I hope Terry has hung it up for good while he can still tie his shoes. Former WCW head honcho Jim Herd wanted to create a masked tag team known as “The Hunchbacks” who had pronounced hunchbacks, therefore they were unable to be pinned because their shoulder blades could not touch the canvas. They did not make it, but the “Ding Dongs” did. Make air that is. The Mega Powers are as likely to reunite as are the “Hunchbacks.” If, and that is a HUGE if, it happened it would be a possible one time only but as Dana Carvey used to say when he impersonated former President George H.W. Bush, “It ain’t gonna happen.” If your co-workers want to hang their hat on the fact that they feel wrestling is “fake” and not show biz then I would change the subject and simply move on. Injuries and surgeries are not fake, but sports entertainment is show biz, which is not a mortal sin. I have heard this from former family members who knocked the business virtually daily. Mrs. J.R. is just the opposite, thank goodness. The WWE, to the best of my knowledge, own the Georgia Championship Wrestling tape library. Stay turned to WWE 24/7 for content from this historic collection. No, I don’t know in what form or when these classics will be featured but stay turned as it definitely will happen. Gay Wrestlers?? I don’t ask and I don’t tell and I damn sure don’t care. When Chris Kanyon lashed out at me, it was a cheap shot as I had never had a cross word with Chris, treated him with respect, always touted his abilities and never had a clue if he was gay or not. It did not matter to me. And it still doesn’t. I see no issues as to where Randy Orton’s career is at this point in time. Orton is one of the top 4 talents on Raw and I have to think long and hard to trade him for any one on Smackdown or ECW. I love Randy’s upside. I knew Andre the Giant well and have told the story of turning down $100 to take his photo while he was showering back in the 70s. A rather amorous and curious lady fan “just had to know.” I never did pull off the photo in fear of being physically destroyed by the sometimes not so gentle giant. Andre could be a blast, but in his last days on Earth he was in so much pain that he was usually in a bad mood. He knew he was dying. Bob Luce, the long time promoter from Chicago, who promoted some of the most historic matches ever in the business and made Chicago a hot bed of pro wrestling for years died a few days ago just 24 hours prior to his 79th birthday. Luce was a “larger than life” character who had tons of big time media contacts in Chicago who always helped Luce get stories in the local papers to promote some of wrestling’s biggest names in the Chicago Amphitheater. Our condolences to the Luce Family. Luce hung with Chicago’s biggest names and was what an old school promoter w/o ample radio or TV did to sell tickets. He used shoe leather and personal relationships. I am pleased to see Christian doing so well. He is a smart individual who studies the business thoroughly and loves what he does for a living. I hired Christian and Edge on the same day out of Ontario and they have both had excellent careers and will be set for life when they decide to hang it up which I hope is years on down the line. I love what Hogan has done for many of us in the business and I have told him this to his face. If it had not been for Hulk’s success, many of us would not have made the money we have been blessed to make to support our families and our quality of life. However, I feel the Hulkster did not serve himself well when he went on Bubba The Love Sponge Sirius Radio show recently and talked about the WWE Hall of Fame short list, many who will NOT be selected to be inducted into the 2007 WWE Hall of Fame this year. How are those not selected going to feel? I love the spirit, the true free spirit of speech and creativity Bubba always entertaining show delivers but divulging the HOF short list just did not feel good to me. Just my two cents. A Rock DVD collection should be a lay up some day in the WWE. The brightly burning, but quick career of the Great One definitely needs to be documented. I read where one of your questioned Rock’s loyalty to his fans and I totally disagree with that stab at reality. I can only assume that we will hear who the next 2007 Hall of Fame inductees will be on the next several Raws. I hope the list is limited to 7-8 inductees. Mr. Perfect, for one, would get my vote but there are so many deserving wrestlers and personalities who deserve to be inducted. Matt Hazlewinkle is awesome but doesn’t seem to have had a dominating year. If Matt can peak at the right time he has a great chance in winning another national title. Don’t forget to check out my Raw Superstar of the Week column every Friday on www.wwe.com on the Raw page where it is amply hidden from normal humans, but the most read item on the page and I think it will bring a smile to your face. Remember we can ship your caps, shirts, towels and hopefully soon delicious beef jerky. I am headed to Stamford this week to work on another Legends Roundtable, a Mick Foley interview on his new book, “Hardcore Diaries,” which I am now reading, and finding it very Foley-like, and will do an interview for “Wrestling’s Most Famous Families” DVD. Busy days lie ahead. Then it is all the way from OKC to Bakersfield on a small, uncomfortable plane Sunday night. Ah, the glamorous life of a traveler. See you soon and please tell a friend about our site. Thanks and be well. J.R.