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

Interesting week friends and neighbors. I left our home in Norman at 5 a.m. Monday morning to catch a 7 a.m. flight to State College via Cincinnati that was supposed to arrive in Happy Valley around 11 a.m. Unfortunately due to severe thunderstorms in OKC I ended up not arriving in State College to broadcast Monday Night Raw until 5 p.m Monday. This put me at the arena at 6 which was 13 hours after I left our home for the airport. Not a good travel day which makes for a challenging night. Then, after a 19 hour day, I get approximately 4 hours of sleep and catch a 6 something flight Tuesday morning for Oklahoma. I get to Cincy and we have to deplane because of mechanical issues with the aircraft then change planes and I get home 3 hours later than I had scheduled on Tuesday. All in all not a great travel week for yours truly although I got to where I was scheduled to be, albeit later than planned, safe and sound so perhaps it wasn’t so bad after all. Business travel is about as unglamorous as one can imagine but it simply goes with the territory. One would think after all these years I would be “used to it” but I am not sure one ever really does. I have perfected the art of sleeping on a plane so going to sleep in a sitting position is a piece of cake. I practice this technique at home every chance I get.

There is lots of discussion about the number of injuries currently plaguing the WWE. Simply put, my philosophy on that matter is this, there is never a good time for any one to get injured but injuries create opportunities for healthy bodies. That may sound morbid but it is true. Any time a top star gets put on the shelf it creates a window of opportunity for someone who is “waiting for their break”. I could easily see new and deserving individuals get their number called and then it will be up to them to make a difference when they “get in the game”. The old song and dance about wrestlers being “held back” is usually a crock especially in today’s marketplace. If a talent is truly special from bell to bell, there is no holding nothing back. One can only pull a Tony Soprano and “poor me” so often.

Here’s some feedback to a few of your latest comments:

Stevie- I enjoyed Mick Foley’s “Hardcore Diaries” but one has to be honest when comparing it to Mick’s first two wrestling books. As a matter of fact Mick’s first book set such a high standard that it will be challenging to ever exceed it. With the WWE roster in a tough spot due to the number of injuries, is now a good time for Foley to return to the ring? Stevie, I have no idea if Jakks is planning a new J.R. action figure (now that’s an oxymoron as it relates to yours truly) but if they do I will mention it here on the site.

Sinistergrym-Nice screen name. I can’t even say it. Nonetheless the deal with Bar-B-Q is this, lesser sauce and better meat is a better combination than better sauce and lesser meat. Great sauce can’t salvage lousy meat most of the time. Dry chicken can often times be taken off life support with great sauce but that’s the exception and not the rule.

Lee- I don’t think William Regal’s nationality has zilch to do with where the talented Regal is on the cards. Regal not being American is not a factor whatsoever in his role on Smackdown in my view. Regal is a great talker and can wrestle with anyone of any skill level which is a fleeting art form.

Nailsdude- Do I remember Bobby Jaggers? Absolutely. Bobby was from Kansas as I recall and was an underrated wrestler who was better than average on the mic and a solid hand in the ring. I don’t know exactly why Jaggers never hit the big time back in the day but it may have been because he did not do any thing to distinguish himself in the ring that would set him a part from the pack. In the 70’s-80’s Jaggers was a solid, mid card talent who could work main events if put in the right position, usually as an antagonist, but in today’s marketplace Jaggers would be hard pressed to not see more main event action. Bobby was also, as my Granny would say somewhat “windy” meaning he liked to embellish stories and was a great B.S.’er on roadtrips. Jaggers was a colorful character who should have been a bigger star than he was.

Matt- I am not sure exactly why your burgers ended up being undercooked but leaving the lid open should not have been the culprit if you cooked the product long enough at the proper temp. I always cook with the lid shut because I use the smoke to flavor the meats, etc and to not just make the neighborhood smell good.

Steve- I believe for the long term future of the business that the creation of several training camps/developmental territories is imperative. Again, without the wrestling territories of yesteryear a company has to find, sign and train their stars of tomorrow. This is a long process that is not an exact science because every potential wrestler is different. Yes, Booker T has a place in Houston that might be a possible developmental area of the future. Time will tell but the bottom line is that a company needs 200 or more athletes training at any one time in multiple systems. If 2-4 main event level stars could be developed annually then over time the roster will create depth which is an issue in my opinion. Getting two legit main event level talents out of a “class” of 100 actually isn’t bad.

Thorsten- My view on “barbed wire matches” is that they should be used only sparingly as in no more than once a year, if that. The more they are utilized the more overexposed they become plus they are extremely dangerous and the overexposure of blood is an issue as well.

Tenechia- I have heard no rumors about Shawn Michaels retiring any time soon. HBK seems to be as good if not better than any one in the biz right now and he seems to be having fun. That’s notwithstanding Monday night but no one I know would enjoy being choke slammed through a wooden table by a 7’3” 420 pound human. Michaels wrestles because he loves his craft/vocation not that he isn’t making major bucks. HBK already has major bucks but one can’t put a dollar value on Michael’s passion and the future Hall of Famer, who is definitely a changed man from a generation ago, will, in my opinion, continue to wrestle until either his “fire” is extinguished or his body says it is time to go home for good.

E.J.- I think too much has been made about John Cena’s spinner title belt. Much to do about nothing. It doesn’t bother me and I am as old school as one can get. Yes, it is different but that doesn’t necessarily make it a negative. If only one championship belt design was established over the generations as “the belt” I might sing a different song but thru the years several promotions have used a variety of title belt designs successfully. The overall biz has bigger fish to fry than to fixate on the design of the spinner title belt or any other championship belt. For example, OU has won 7 national titles in football and all 7 championship rings are different including the 1974 version I wear every day.

Nick- Who should be Ric Flair’s last ever opponent? That’s a hard one. For me I might suggest Ricky Steamboat. Edge wouldn’t be a bad choice and neither would HBK or HHH. However, I don’t think we are on the verge of seeing that “last match” for the record.

Robbie- Yes, the Sheepherders vs. The Fantastics Barbed Wire matches in the Mid South/UWF were bloodbaths and were certainly not for all members of the family. They had their place and the four men did a helluva job inside the barbed wire but that era is history. As I mentioned earlier, the days of being “hardcore” 7 days a week are over. Society in general will not buy blood bathes for the sake of seeing same. Regarding your other question, there was never a time when a merger was ever considered between Mid South and World Class Wrestling at least that I am aware. It would have never worked because Bill Watts would have wanted to run the show and so would Fritz Von Erich. These two domineering alpha males could not have coexisted over the long haul but the talent depth the merger would have created would have been exciting with which to work. As I have said in the past about the chance of a wrestler’s union ever being created…..not in my lifetime and highly unlikely ever. A mass gathering of wrestlers could not even agree on what to have for lunch much less put their future in the hands of one of their peers.

Frank- Good suggestion about perhaps doing a FAQ regarding your favorite Bar-B-Q spots. Thanks to you I will try General’s BBQ in Kent, Washington some day. We are getting a great deal of positive feedback and ideas from you all and they are appreciated.

Woody- Hello in Baghdad! Thanks for touching base with us here in Oklahoma. I am thrilled you checked in and that you enjoyed the Cena-HBK match from London of a few weeks ago. It was no doubt one of the best matches we have featured in over 700 episodes of Monday Night Raw. On a personal note, the greatest heroes on Earth are the soldiers who are in your neck of the woods fighting terrorism. Hopefully this damn war can be won and these men and women can come home to their families. In the meantime, be well and thanks for keeping us safe from the extremists who seemingly would just as soon die than live in peace and harmony. By the way, we just shipped some Jerky to some soldiers in Baghdad and I am waiting to see how that plays out and if it gets delivered. If so I can’t see why the Jerky could not be shipped every where around the world. Thanks again Woody and I hope you keep in touch with us.

Yogita- I can’t speak to what is a better venue, the one in Wales or the new Wembley Stadium, or which one would be a better locale for a major WWE pay-per-view. I am sure both venues would be excellent. Perhaps some day they will be put to the test but please don’t ask me when because I have no idea. Just trust me when I say that I truly believe it will happen some day…..a big time WWE PPV in the UK in a stadium.

Dean- Do King and J.R. ever argue? Of course. Friends and family all argue at times and usually over the most ridiculous of reasons such as what to watch to TV or what to eat, etc. Stupid stuff and we are no different. Usually it is about sports or food or who sang a certain song. Nothng too heavy like world peace or global warning. Occasionally we will have spirted discussions about women, one of the King’s favorite subjects, but I will wisely not go into those details at this time.

Jeff- To be honest with you I am not overwhelmed about Oklahoma naming the watermelon as the official state vegetable. And I love eating cold watermelon so go figure. I drove by our restaurant location today and the construction guys are getting after it with our mid June opening still our goal. I have to admit I could have easily said “Oh, what a rush” when

I drove by and saw how things had changed just in the past few days.

We also have a better than average chance of getting our Jerky into several more convenience stores and I may have more, exciting details on that matter sooner than later.

I fully expect to see Ric Flair back on Raw next week from “Flair Country” in Hampton, Virginia which looks like it will sell out for Monday Night Raw. Ric was in Vegas on a personal appearance for the WWE Monday night and did not make it to Happy Valley. Come to think of it I did not see JoePa either. Perhaps the legendary coach was hanging with “The Naitch” in Vegas?! I didn’t think so either.

Thanks for all your business and please keep sampling that Jerky. I never leave home with out it on these road trips. We also appreciate all your suggestions. There is no such thing as a bad idea.

More of your comments will be addressed soon.

J.R.