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

I thought I would do some general house cleaning with this blog to address a gambit of topics that did not make the "cut" or to underscore some topics that either have been addressed or that I am not going to provide feedback. This one covers a fair amount of ground.

I know that the UFC doesn't appoint referees for their fights but their group certainly influences the direction that the MMA world is taking. My point was simply that the officiating in the MMA world needs to be uniform in its training methods and in how the Ref's are sanctioned and assigned to better avoid any officiating issues that detract from the growth of the product. I know that many MMA purists would rather I not comment on "their sport" but I am a fan, I spend my $$$ on PPV's, and this is my blog so I feel I can comment if I choose but those that it offends don't have to read it. 

Vaseline or not GSP wasn't losing to the talented B.J. Penn at the last UFC PPV. However, the Vaseline issue may be the catalyst for a rematch. GSP's size advantage will always be there nonetheless. 

Made a mistake about the upcoming Fresno taping on Tuesday as we only do ONE show there which is almost like a day off. Portland is a doubleheader the Tuesday after the No Way Out PPV and doubleheaders seem to be the norm every other Tuesday until after Wrestlemania when the ECW/SD dual tapings resume in, I think, Austin, Texas.

Lots of speculation out there in the internet world about Trish Stratus wrestling Beth Phoenix at WM25 including an interview that the lovely, Canadian lass made a few days ago. Personally, I have zero knowledge of such a match but would love to see Trish at WM25 or any other time for that matter even though it would seem the Raw announcers would get to call that match. I can only suggest to stay tuned to Monday Night Raw as I do for any new developments. As a fan, it feels like a good pairing (no pun intended) if it ends up going that way. 

We touted the Starrcade DVD in an honest and straight forward way when I received the rough cut of the DVD and now Starrcade is the #1 seller on DVD charts. One can really tell the amount of quality, main event depth back in Starrcade's hey day and the lack of said depth is something we bemoan here perhaps too much. 

Things we aren't going to discuss on our Q&A section so please refrain from writing them include: Politics (What's your thoughts on George W.?), Religion (no questions about religion will ever be answered on this site), people asking me to gut and quarter the WWE creative team (I have to work with these people and whether I agree with their ideas or not is irrelevant because they have a thankless job I would never want), what's my favorite any thing as it relates to wrestling, who the "next big star will be" type questions (How can anyone answer that one accurately?), and questions about the personal lives of talents especially those that are married from people who simply crave "the dirt." 

Why don't we carry PPV's at JR's Family BBQ locations any longer? Simple...free loading fans monopolized multiple tables while ordering nothing but free refills on beverages and MAYBE an appetizer while our other guests who did not care about seeing a WWE PPV had to wait longer to get a table to have their dinner. Many of them ended up leaving because of the long waits. We tried it but a small group of fans ruined it for the rest. 

Someone asked if I was angry that I am not inducting Stone Cold into the WWE HOF and is that why I changed hats? WOW!! Uh, no the HOF is about Steve not me, Al Frankin, and I had my current hat custom made in OKC. I still have both of the hats Stone Cold presented me and for the record they are not for sale but may find their way into a JR's BBQ some day. 

All of the sudden there is all this talk about whether or not the WWE will have a Diva in Playboy prior to Wrestlemania. First of all, I do not know. I do seriously doubt it,  however. I am more interested in the WM25 card than I am about who may be "tastefully nude" in Playboy Magazine. 

Enough of the emails on how much some "HATE" the fact that the WWE is now rated PG. First of all, hate is a strong word to use and unfortunately it is used to much in our society today. Think about this for a second. The WWE has pulled back on some elements of their content to make it more family friendly but many aspects of the shows will still remain edgy. Nonetheless we are still talking about a TV show here and if a viewer "hates" a TV show SO much because of what they perceive to be philosophical changes then why doesn't one simply eliminate the anguish and watch something else on the tube? No, I don't want any wrestling show to lose viewers but there is no reason to watch any thing on television and then bitch and moan about it every week. Or am I missing something?

Will JR's BBQ ever have a location in my town? Please don't ask these questions again. Our plan is to build and own stores in Oklahoma where we can closely monitor and manage them because our management group is based here. We want to FRANCHISE stores elsewhere which means that other individuals put up there money and own and operate a JR's BBQ Restaurant themselves just as if one were to buy a McDonald's or a KFC franchise. So, I DON'T KNOW if any JR's BBQ'S will ever be in a particular city outside of Oklahoma as we haven't started franchising then yet. I hope they are eventually every where. Whew.

How did I like working with Jesse Ventura? The answer is,  fine. I am sure I wasn't his favorite guy to work with nor was he mine but Jesse was extremely bright and witty and certainly understood the wrestling business. The Body never lacked for an opinion and had a gift for being controversial. He was never a big preparation freak but neither is Jerry Lawler who is still at his post on the WWE's #1 TV show. I wish I had Ventura's representation when I was at WCW and when Jesse got his "big money" with a very limited schedule but that was my fault and,  hand it to Ventura, he always seemed to do well in the money department.

Will the WWE ever promote a Scaffold Match? Hard to say as only a few athletes should even be considered for such a dangerous match. I won't say "no" but I will say "doubtful" until proven otherwise. The types of talents that flourish in ladder matches would be the #1 candidates to compete in a Scaffold Match. I've seen some exciting Scaffold Matches but I've also seen some stinkers in my day. 

Oh, yeah....please keep your emails succinct ala the shorter the better. I unfortunately do not have the time to read the long emails no matter how well worded they may be. It's just the webmaster and me on this project and my schedule is much more hectic than most folks think. 

Strike Force's TV deal with CBS/Showtime is big for them and gets that new group seriously in the hunt as far as MMA is concerned. They still have to produce  compelling fights and create new stars to make it work but clearing a network slot is big. Many new viewers who have heard of MMA in various forms still haven't established their brand loyalty but without question the UFC is still the big dog in the hunt with the best group of fighters. Why a TV network doesn't scoop in and work a deal out with UFC to supplement their Spike TV cable deal surprises me especially with the network's needing programming that doesn't cost them an arm and a leg to produce.

I got some emails from fans who were disappointed in the fact that there will likely be no more man on woman "violence" in the WWE. That particular consternation amazes me. Perpetuating this sort of thing has never been admirable in my view and what does it teach impressionable, young viewers?  Domestic abuse is horrific in this society and portraying it on TV for "entertainment purposes" is hypocritical. I think the WWE has definitely made the right call on this matter if indeed the male on female aggression is history.

And no, I was not a fan of Chyna winning the IC Title back in the day either. I know I am a dinosaur and way old school but that development never tripped my trigger. 

The F-Bomb laden emails we receive get erased without being read. So for those who feel compelled to travel that road please know you are traveling it alone. 

For the record, some fans, according to their emails,  think I have become senile but I chose to stand on the belief that I have "selective memory." IE, sorry honey but I forgot to mow the lawn, etc. 

Others want to know if I am competitive with the other announcers, who are all my friends by the way, and the answer is hell, yes. I love it when all 3 announce teams work a PPV as I want Tazz and my work to stand out as being better than the rest. I plan on 2009 being my best broadcast year in the business because none of us can take the future for granted and I sure as hell don't know when this amazing ride that I have been on will end for any number of reasons. 

Finally, I have received some emails from fans who are miffed that their email hasn't been answered. Sorry to PO any one but I get to as many emails as possible however if I come across one that's too long, out of bounds, or specifically DATED and we are past the expiration date as in one on a milk carton , they won't be answered. 

Thanks for checking out the site and I hope this continues to help expedite your emails and that you continue to send us your succinctly written questions remembering that usually one or two, max, questions will be addressed due to time restrictions. 

Now... I would greatly appreciate if you would do some shopping in our store. JR's needs a little economic stimulus too!

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.