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

It's nice to get back to the 80+ degree weather here in Oklahoma after spending a whirlwind handful of hours in  Wisconsin where the weather was nice but "brisk." Getting to Green Bay wasn't easy as O'Hare Airport in Chicago once again proved it is a traveler's nightmare. It ended up taking me from 6 a.m. until 3 p.m. to get to Green Bay from OKC on Tuesday. Oh yeah, I had to fly into Appleton, Wisconsin and then drive to Green Bay due to mechanical problems with our aircraft which resulted in our G.B. flight being delayed like plane. Then I had less than an hour to get ready to get to the arena to broadcast the first ever Friday Night Smackdown on My Network TV. The good news was that we finished Smackdown around 9:30 p.m. central time which couldn't have come at a better time. Many of the WWE personnel were worn out after traveling on the international tour which did not offer them much time to sleep or train and then making the near 300 mile drive from Minneapolis to Green Bay Monday night after Raw. 

On to the random thoughts.

Friday Night Smackdown seemed to really be a solid first effort for My Network TV as the show breezed along without an alarming amount of talk and featured some good in ring action.

Over 50 WWE Superstars were featured on the program and I think that every champion in the WWE was featured as well. 

The opening match was an 8 man tag that went 3 segments as I recall and really kicked the show off nicely and featured many of the individuals who will face each other at Sunday's No Mercy PPV in Portland, Oregon.

Speaking of No Mercy, tickets are still available for Sunday's PPV in the Rose Garden in Portland.

The Champions of Champions match closed the program  in a strong way and featured a Triple Threat Match between HHH vs. Chris Jericho vs. Matt Hardy, champions all of their respective brands.

Considering that many of the individuals who appeared on My Network TV's first Friday Night Smackdown just returned from abroad AND made a brutal drive overnight of 5-6 hours, I was impressed with the match quality of Smackdown.

From what I could tell by the footage I saw Tuesday night, the Wrestlemania special that airs this Thursday night, and in some markets Friday night as well, on, you guessed it, My Network TV is really a great look at the event and features what I wold consider a unique presentation. I don't do "spoilers" but I think you will be happy with the updated presentation. 

 I am excited that HBO is apparently going to produce a series with pro wrestling as a backdrop (no pun intended) entitled "Everybody Hurts." A couple of thoughts on this;  It will be interesting to see who, if any one, from the business might get cast for roles on this drama and will this series, coupled with the film "The Wrestler", help create an awareness for the business that makes it more popular and more profitable?

Perhaps I should contact my agent about this project, but wait, I don't have an agent. Dammit.

Monday Night Raw garnered 4.5 million viewers this week earning a 3.1 rating that peaked at a 3.7 rating the last 9 minutes the show was on the air. The NFL wising up and making their Monday night schedule better from the get go and then going with the best available game later in the season, as I understand it, on Mondays poses a challenge but as the old promoters always said, "If we have what the fans want to see they will watch it."

Yours truly has been spending more time on the strategic planning of our J.R.'S Family BBQ Restaurants as we prepare to continue to "tweak" our menus and will soon launch a $5.99 lunch special Monday-Friday. Even with the economy up in the air with talk of bail outs, etc, our business is holding its own of which we are pleased. 

I hear that WWE Diva Melina will likely not return to the ring until January but that her severely injured heel is improving on schedule. 

There will be a funny Santino Marella interview that is likely to air on WWE.com or WWE Mobile sometime this week where he addresses, off the Smackdown show, to the Green Bay fans their conundrum with future HOF quarterback Brett Favre becoming a Jet and the Pack ending up with Aaron Rodgers. Ironically the Green Bay audience still seems loyal to #4 (Favre). 

Marella is a funny guy and is hard to dislike especially considering that he is positioned as an antagonist. 

When will unibrows start to be sold at merchandise stands at WWE events? You got to believe that's coming. 

ECW's Jack Swagger is now being introduced from Perry, Oklahoma which is cool for the small, Oklahoma town that is known within the state for producing dozens of state champion wrestlers and state championship teams not to mention being the home of Dan Hodge. 

Yours truly will travel down to Waco, Texas on Friday afternoon to attend the Oklahoma vs. Baylor Big 12 South season opener for both schools. The game has an 11:30 a.m. central time kickoff which makes it possible for me to get back to Dallas to catch my early evening flight to Portland for Sunday's No Mercy. As much as I would love to see my #1 ranked Sooners run the table this year, I don't think any team from a BCS conference will go through the season undefeated. 

Next week, October 11, Oklahoma plays Texas in the newly enlarged Cotton Bowl in Dallas and yours truly may be doing a quick cameo on ESPN's College Football Live  regarding the Red River Rivalry. That's still in the works.

I am counting down the days until the Lesnar-Couture UFC showdown in Las Vegas on November 15 which just happens to be a "off week" for OU Football. I am told that the lesser priced tickets sold immediately but that many high dollar tickets  are still available. MMA fans seemingly are split on who's going to win this one. Unless Lesnar makes a fatal mistake, I see Brock, who will tip the Toledo's at around 280 when the referee says "Let's Fight!", winning as of today but I have to admit that I vacillate on this matter all the time. Not knowing who is going to win because both fighters have great skills is what makes for such a superb attraction. I would love to see this fight in person.

Felt bad for Tazz this week after another abysmal collapse by his favorite MLB team,  the New York Mets. Neither the Mets or the Yankees did any thing to distinguish themselves in their final seasons in their old stadiums. The Mets, in particular, "soiled the bed" with their play over the last few weeks of the season as they actually had a great shot to make the playoffs. I think baseball fans can expect to see HUGE  money flying around in this year's free agent market especially from the two Big Apple teams.

The Great Charli....alrighty then. Nice to see Charlie Haas getting a little TV time even if some fans don't like what they are seeing. I have been entertained by some of Charlie's shenanigans. Or are they antics?

Check out our Q&%A section and keep your questions coming. Thanks!

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.