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

“With miles to go before I sleep” seems applicable for yours truly at the present time as my time management skills are being sternly tested. Last Friday I drove over to Tulsa from Norman to watch the OU-TU college football game from the OU sideline, which was broadcast on ESPN2 and saw the Sooners roll over the Golden Hurricane 62-21. Two of the OU coaches road back to Norman with me after the game, which made for some good “football talk”. Then Saturday, Stone Cold rolled into OKC and Norman as we attended the Oklahoma State Fair’s Monster Truck Show, which sold out largely thanks to Austin’s popularity. Steve and I signed approximately 1300 autographs for fans in 2 1/2 hours, prior to the event. Steve had been running hard promoting the DVD release of “The Condemned” which is now on store shelves and is outselling all new DVD releases. Nonetheless we stayed up until about 4 a.m. sitting out in the Ross’ backyard “shooting the breeze” and watching a little college football….and perhaps enjoying a social ****tail. Sunday, Steve joined my wife and me at J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q for lunch, that Stone Cold rated as “an absolute A+” which made the Mrs. and me both happy. Steve doesn’t pass out empty compliments, even to his friends, and has always been a guy that is going to damn sure be honest with his feedback or when answering a question. Our food and service stood up to a stern test with the Texas Rattlesnake with Steve trying a wide variety of items on our menu to get the feel of our place. On Sunday around 6 p.m., both Steve and I flew out of the OKC Airport with Steve heading to L.A. and me to Milwaukee for Raw. The Mrs. and I had a great visit with Steve and I am sure he will be back before football season is over or at least that is our goal. I arrived back home on Tuesday morning and hit the ground running addressing a variety of Bar-B-Q issues and discovered we had another super week at our eatery. This Thursday I am leaving for the WWE TV studios in Connecticut via New York City to tape a few WWE 24/7 broadcasts, featuring the “Legends Roundtable.” I always enjoy being a part of this particular production. From what I can tell, our fans enjoy the Roundtable discussions too. Friday I am flying from NYC to Denver to attend the OU-Colorado game on Saturday, in Boulder, which will air on Fox Sports Net starting at 12:30 p.m. central time. Then I fly back to OKC on Saturday night for the balance of the weekend (sleep). Monday morning, EARLY, I will be on a flight from OKC non stop to Cleveland to broadcast Raw, which is always fun in Cleveland, the King’s favorite city outside Memphis and the home base of Cleveland Indians’ slugger and big time WWE fan and our friend Travis Hafner. In the meantime, back at the ranch, we are selling a bunch of autographed J.R.’s Cookbooks, that I hope you will check out here on our site which is featured in our online store. This is a great offer and I enjoy signing these books for all our fans. Plus, our Jerky and Sauce biz is rocking along really well. We also plan on having some really nice holiday gift baskets that I think you will like and that time of the year will be here before we know it. So stay tuned as we have a plethora of exciting offers currently available and more on their way. Now let’s get to some of your comments: Sign Guy- I can’t say as any wrestling movie stands out to me off the top of my head. It would be interesting, though, to see what other fans think have been entertaining wrestling oriented films. I don’t think the movie producers have ever really captured the wrestling biz in a full length, feature film which eliminates “Beyond the Mat” from my consideration. What’s your favorite wrestling film? What?- For my money a great wrestler, one who sells tickets, merchandise, and PPVs, needs to consistently deliver the steak and evolve in being able to add the sizzle. So, being able to talk but not being able to physically perform from bell to bell as well doesn’t work for me. I do think mic skills are very important, though, and for a main eventer to be at the top of the cards for any extended length of time the individual must be well rounded, not one-dimensional. Delivering the goods in the ring, the steak, is more important to me than being able to bring only the sizzle. The “art” of mastering one’s craft inside the ring is extraordinarily challenging and is another reason of why it is so difficult to develop stars with staying power. BD- wrestling announcers use notes just as any other broadcaster covering a main stream sporting event. Background info on the competitors, match histories, etc are among the list of info that any professional broadcaster normally utilizes. I am not big on “reading scripts” as you eluded to, nor do King and I rehearse what we are gong to say once we go on the air. I can’t speak for all wrestling announcers but I probably have been guilty of over preparing at times in my career. I usually prepare for a PPV much like I did for an NFL game as it relates to the number of hours I spend preparing for a broadcast. Zack- I heard zilch about HBK and Cena having “an issue” after their Wrestlemania bout. I thought it was a helluva match, personally. I don’t find any value in talking about “my beefs” with talents over the years. Of course I had “beefs,” but for now they will be left alone. I am not a video game player but I have a ton of friends who are and who keep me updated as to how they like or dislike a game I have worked on. As I have said this season’s Raw vs. Smackdown 08 video game is hot. Johnny- I hear the WWE has some plans for Krissy Vaine and that she is well thought of. Stay tuned. Becky- I am sure some would debate you on my being level headed, but I do try to make some sense more often than not. I am not interested in being the G.M. of Raw or Smackdown and when my days of sitting at the desk at ringside have ended, I will most likely spend most of my time developing our Bar-B-Q biz and watching OU football and other sports, including Sooner Women’s Basketball, of which I am a big fan. Plus, I have two granddaughters I need to spend more time with before they get completely grown, not to mention Mrs. J.R., who puts up with my schedule and has endured many professional challenges with my career over many years. Thorsten- The entire industry has the same basic challenges…developing new superstars who can headline cards for the foreseeable future. When I scouted talent I always had one question in mind and that was can this individual headline Wrestlemania some day? The business must look to organized sports to find and sign world class athletes who have the aptitude to be trained to become fundamentally sound in ring technicians. When older wrestlers obtain a “spot” on the upper part of anyone’s roster, those “spots” are held on to with great passion and essentially at any cost. It has been that way since the first day I got in the business so this isn’t an indictment against today’s wrestlers whatsoever. Patrick- I do not think that Mickie James is out of the picture at all in the WWE. Mickie is really a talented woman who can wrestle with any Diva, plus she can talk. I don’t think any one has “blown it” and Mickie has a viable future in the WWE. Longevity is fleeting with many Divas and Mickie will most likely last longer than many of her peers based on her in ring abilities and her natural aptitude to verbalize. Nancy- Believe it or not we are still working on the details of taking our Bar-B-Q Trailer to the State Fair of Texas in conjunction with the OU-Texas football game. I wish I had more details but I do not at this time. Nonetheless, the plan is a go as far as I know. I will keep every one apprised. Mike- I would certainly assume that we will see Chris Benoit matches again at some point in time. “Time” will make this matter more palatable for everyone involved. There is still much more to the Benoit Family Tragedy than meets the eye or that the media has reported. A potentially contaminated crime scene is unsettling. Plus, has it ever been determined who died first, Nancy or Daniel? Luis- I would be shocked if Eric Bischoff ended up on TNA, but who knows? If that is what EB wants to do then I say more power to him. Eric has many diverse business interests and projects he is working on, some with Jason Hervey, and none have anything to do with wrestling as best I know. Eric working with Hulk again is certainly a possibility but I will believe “Hulk’s new wrestling company” when I see it. Lori- There is one and only one boss of the WWE and that person is Mr. McMahon. Period. End of story. Case closed. Sean- OU has not played Notre Dame in many years, but I understand that a two game series has been agreed upon for the two college football powers to play a home and home series within the next 5-7 years. Maybe it is 2011 and 2013 or something to that affect. Brian- I don’t know who the best referee in wrestling is or was but the rule of thumb has traditionally been that the best refs are usually the ones no one notices. Nonetheless, Tommy Young was extremely talented as was the late Brian Hildebrand, among others. Anthony- The BCS rankings will take care of themselves if OU keeps winning. I am only concerned this week about Colorado, which is one week before Texas and two weeks before Mizzou, etc. Yes, it is a cliche but this is a one week at a time deal. Greg- I don't know what the fascination is with actor Treat Williams, if that is his real name, and his alleged challenge to John Cena or whomever. I am not sure I know who Treat Williams even is, much less know if the actor has any athletic skills, etc. Perhaps Williams is trying to get some “pub”. I don’t think that there is any thing to this rumor, but in today’s crazy and unpredictable marketplace, who really knows for sure? Who would have ever thought K-Fed would have been in a wrestling match, especially on New Year’s night at the same time my Sooners were playing Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. There were several miracles on January 1, 2007. Paul T- I am not a big fan of me or any announcer ignoring a match while talking about something unrelated. I do not recall the 1999 Survivor Series illustration you provided, to be honest, but if I was not devoting ample time to the tag team match featuring The Hardys teaming with Edge and Christian and was talking about Stone Cold being run over, then I am sure that there was a good reason for it. For example, that was how we were being produced and we followed suit/orders. Plus, the Austin story was huge and Stone Cold was the bell cow in the WWE at that time and was creating more revenue than anyone else which all the wrestlers benefitted from. I am assuming you did not like the call or you most likely wouldn’t have brought the subject up. Remember, announcers are not in business for themselves on these events. Len- Do I think that a return of the Beverly Brothers would impact the tag team scene in the WWE? No. Too much water under the bridge. Now if they were young and in their prime they would help the cause but not today if I had to guess. Chris- Do I think that Mae Young deserves to be in the WWE Hall of Fame? Hell, yeah. Marissa- I feel as if the WWE Diva Division is getting better all the time. We will always miss the Trishs and Litas of the past just as we miss Stone Cold and the Rock but that’s simply the way business is and has always been. I think the Diva lay of the land is vastly improved since right after both Trish and Lita hung up their boots. If I could change anything with the Divas it would be to encourage more physicality and athleticism on a more regular basis and maybe just a little less T & A. Shows I am getting older. Mark- I never got personally involved in any matches until I came to the WWE. It’s not my cup of tea. I never felt that I deserved to be in the ring impersonating a wrestler but I will admit that there were times when it was exciting for me because it was a new experience. If you are keeping score at home old J.R.’s won-loss record isn’t too sterling, but we did garner a nice TV rating to two back in the day. Jim- Luger’s all American persona had lots of sizzle. I was never a huge fan of Lex’s in ring work but the guy was smart and made a bunch of cash which isn’t all bad. Luger has had his personal issues to deal with in recent years which is something I would not wish on anyone but I hear that he is trying to “kick out” of his issues and reconstruct his life. I sure hope Lex is successful in his mission and wish him the best. Perhaps if he feels he needs it, Lex can take advantage of the WWE’s offer to help ex-wrestlers who may have ongoing drug and alcohol issues. I seriously wish Luger the best. Jim- I saw .38 Special in concert a few months ago and it left a little to be desired based on how they were in the old days. The version of the band that I saw and heard had few original band members (maybe one??). But the originals were really good much akin to many older wrestlers who simply cannot get it done any longer but have a good name and reputation but can’t wrestle like they used to or come even close. I don’t want to see my heroes of yesteryear stay too long in the ring and end up embarrassing themselves. Nicholas- I would never say never on Brian Christopher ever returning to the WWE, but if that was going to happen why hasn’t it already? Brian has marketable skills, nonetheless, but him returning to the WWE would be a long shot. We can and will ship your pending Jerky order immediately upon receiving it. Our Jerky is with me on every road trip. Junior- I don’t know how active Scott Hall is these days or how he is doing in the ring or how healthy he is. Having said that, I don’t know that Scott will “never” be in the WWE again but for some reason I don’t feel it and certainly don’t feel it would ever be full time. Is DX finished? My instincts tell me that HBK and HHH have great chemistry and that this duo will always have a link officially or unofficially. As a fan I hope to see more DX when HBK returns from injury. Stain- Thanks for buying an autographed cookbook for your Sis’ Xmas. I hope she cooks something great out of it for you, plus there is a ton of wrestling stories in the book along with some entertaining Top Ten lists, etc. We really appreciate your business. Alex- Ric Flair seems to be on a hiatus, but he is still under contract to the WWE, is getting paid, and will most likely be back within the next few weeks one has to assume. Ric has not retired but I can’t see him taking the pounding night after night much longer. Even the greatest to ever lace a pair of boots deserves to slow down and enjoy life. The Ric Flair Finance Company is in the works as I understand it for Ric’s post wrestling life. Rob- I have heard nothing about the WWE ever having an event in the “Big House” on the campus of the University of Michigan. College campuses are not ideal for major wrestling events as a rule plus the weather in Michigan especially outdoors at the stadium could be an issue. However, if a wrestling event were to occur there it would have to have something to do with a Lloyd Carr leaves Michigan stipulation…or maybe not. The Wolverines might win the Big 10 after such a horrible start to the season. Gordon- Thanks for eating at J.R.’s! I am really happy you like our food. The Bar-B-Q business is going great guns as we are truly blessed to be doing so well. I hope to see you back in there soon. Indeed our sauces are pretty..pretty..pretty..good. Charlie- The ECW roster is small but I must say that every individual on it is utilized about as well as one could ask. Today’s ECW roster is about the size of a smaller wrestling territory back in the day. It is workable as evidenced by the Tuesday night broadcasts but obviously and naturally it would be a better product if there were more quality talents on the roster. The same can be said of every wrestling show on TV. I personally would have no issue with ECW getting more than one match on a PPV. I am sure that in time that they will. Rashaun- I don’t see Tough Enough returning but I do see a renewed effort to recruit more top, world class athletes to the business. MMA is attracting many collegiate wrestlers that used to look first at pro wrestling and I feel that former college and pro football players, among other Jocks, have the skills to become standout pro wrestlers. Plus I see the training techniques refined in the future and the overall look of the developmental programs evolving and getting better. I feel that this will happen because if it doesn’t the overall business is in trouble over the long term. A.J.- Come on down from Fargo as a nice meal at J.R.’s is a damn, romantic evening. No kidding. If I am there, I will even buy your desert, you romantic son of a gun. Sammy- The Taker/HBK rivalry was big time. Plain and simply it was some of the best in ring stuff I can ever remember seeing in the WWE. I would love to see the two of them go at it again but only time will tell. Let’s get everyone involved in the process healthy before we start our fantasy match making. But HBK vs. Undertaker is classic stuff. Ryan- The concept of the masked Ding Dong tag team in the WCW of yesteryear was ill conceived and was just plain silly. I don’t even remember who the two fellows were but they were not bad wrestlers but had horrific personas. I don’t know who exactly came up with the other “not so good characters” you mentioned, but does it really matter? Any of us who have done that sort of creative work have laid plenty of eggs with bad ideas, trust me. Brad- Who are the greatest left handers ever in the WWE? I would suggest that the Brisco’s and the Funk’s would be on that list. What do you think? Colin- Glad to hear from you in Toronto, a great city, and that you like our Chipotle Bar-B-Q Sauce. It’s the real deal my friend. I think that the WWE is like any other entertainment or sports entity in that all the participants could use some extended time off on a regularly scheduled basis. I don’t know if it is a week here, two weeks there, or an entire month, say December, where no live events would be held. There are many ways to ease that particular concern but I do feel that the athletes would benefit if they had some structured off time. Julie- I have NO issue with plus sized Divas or plus sized anything else for that matter especially helpings of food. I don’t recall my last cover of “Muscle and Fitness” for the record so I will be the last one to be a “body builder” guy. Sion- No, TNA doesn’t remind me of the old WCW because they don’t have Turner’s cash and deep pockets or the name worthy, established stars in abundance that WCW had. I don’t speak for the WWE but I have serious doubts if the WWE fears TNA in any form. And no, that’s not a knock of TNA but some internet geeks will most likely make it such. Mike- I enjoyed my two days lecturing at MIT and would love to come back if the schedules could be worked out. Doing some college lectures and other public speaking is something I am interested in doing when my schedule permits some day in the future. Travis- the late Eddie Gilbert was a really good in ring talent, an excellent talker and had a brilliant wrestling mind. If his personal demons had not defeated him, there is no doubt in my mind that Eddie would have made his mark working on the creative side of the business when all was said and done. Eddie was much akin to Paul Heyman, inasmuch as they were both students of the game and life long fans who were successful as performers before moving into more creative/business aspects of wrestling. Mike- I am already a veteran of the Montgomery Inn in Cincy and have a bottle of their original sauce in my fridge as we speak. I also like Skyline Chilli in the Cincy area. Are you sure you want to wager on the Cincy-OU series coming up? Dustin- When the 18,000 seat BOK Center opens in Tulsa in the fall of 08 one has to assume the WWE will be in the mix soon thereafter. Hang in there with your Tulsa football team as they are going to win a bunch of games this season if QB Paul Smith stays healthy. Mike fromt the UK- If, and that’s a big if, I were going to add any titles to ECW it would be along the lines of a TV title but with such a small roster I don’t think they need it. Raja- Are Chyna and the Big Show ever returning to the WWE? Wow…interesting pair…just had a freaky visual I need to eradicate from my memory bank immediately. The answer is “highly unlikely” for Chyna and a “maybe” for Show who I hear is training to be a pro boxer. I think Chyna is more focused on acting, etc while Show is still in his athletic mode and could make a seamless transistion back to the WWE if he ever chose to. The longer one stays away from the biz, especially in the ring the harder it is to return to it. Adam- I am unaware that the WWE is associated with Bret Hart’s new book but it is a book I am definitely going to buy and to read. I am looking forward to reading Larry Matysik’s Bruiser Brody book, which I have started, and the Chris Jericho book as well. I have lots of reading to catch up on which will bode well for all my travel coming up over the next several weeks including a trip to the UK in October. The Hitman book will be special and a page turner. Mathew- Last I heard Dr. D David Shultz was a legit bounty hunter like Dog the Bounty Hunter, on of my favorites, but that was a while back. Does any one have an update on the man who busted ABC’s John Stossel’s ear drums once upon a time? Santino- I never cancelled any thing involving the tag team of The Naturals. Uh, Santino I don’t work in the corporate office any longer and haven’t for quite some time. I would assume if the team is good enough they will get another look some day if it is meant to be. It took me almost 20 years to make it to the WWE for the record. I know that is like comparing apples vs. oranges but the point is getting to the big time is a long, hard ride. Jeremy- Really glad you took my suggestion and bought and read “BRODY”. Bruiser Brody was an enormously athletic big man who was agile, hostile and mobile for a 300 pounder when there were few roaming the earth in wrestling. Plus the big guy was intelligent, could talk, was legit tough, had an unforgettable look, and would be one of the richest wrestlers on the planet if he had not been murdered. The matches Brody would have vs. The Undertaker would fill a stadium at Wrestlemania. I think Bruiser Brody’s life would make a great film if Bruiser could be cast properly. Brody should be in the WWE HOF some day in my opinion but again I do not speak for the WWE. Kris- Our Bar-B-Q Sauce is vinegar free by design. I am not a big fan of too much vinegar in Bar-B-Q sauces, so we don’t use any for ours. I don’t know the answers as to why some crowds are hot and some are not “hot” but there are many theories. One that I prescribe to is that when a crowd is flat it is because they are not seeing what they want and are not stimulated but the product they have invested in. Plus as the old saying goes “one cannot sell goods out of an empty wagon” which speaks to the lack of main event level depth on anyone’s roster. Jon- I personally feel that there are too many PPVs on TV, for my tastes anyway. I love the thrill of the chase and the building of anticipation for a big PPV event which is hard to do when there are PPV’s every month. I am also an old school guy who loves to enjoy great, long wrestling matches. Perhaps the trend will swing back that way some time in the future and we will see more compelling wrestling. Rickie- Building new stars is challenging, but doable. Rehashing older stars, especially those that have made their name elsewhere is a short cut and is creatively lazy. Just my two cents. Thanks for comment and for your continued support of our site. We need and appreciate all your business. Your folks are simply the best…the best Jerry…the best! BOOMER SOONER! J.R.