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

Greetings from under the black, 200X Resistol hat from a BBQ lovin', Okie who is looking forward to being in the heart of New York City this Monday night which just happens to be ...... September 11.

I can still remember where I was the day that President John Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963. I was in the 6th grade at Westville, Oklahoma elementary school when the news came to us over the school intercom system and we were promptly dismissed from school early and told to go get on our respective school buses for our ride home. I can still remember my mother crying and my father talking about those "damn communists" or something to that effect not long after I arrived to our home in rural Oklahoma.

I can also remember where I was on September 11, 2001 when the greatest national tragedy perpetrated by human kind was inflicted upon our nation.

We had broadcast Monday night Raw in San Antonio and had traveled to Houston to do the Smackdown TV taping on Tuesday September 11. We were in a hotel in Houston when word started coming over every TV channel of the tragedy that befell NYC thanks to some crazy cowards who commandeered those commercial jet planes. We stayed In Houston contemplating what to do for that Thursday night's Smackdown on UPN or if the show would even air. It was decided with significant deliberation that the event would take place and go LIVE from Houston which would make our event the first public assembly of its kind since the terrorist attacks. This was a ballsy move by Vince McMahon but one I can honestly say with which I agreed.

Unfortunately, I have had the challenge of having to do live TV broadcasts after personal tragedies before including the deaths of Owen Hart and Brian Pillman. Trust me; these are broadcasts that I will remember for a lifetime. Perhaps not every bout or a particular segment but the gut feeling I had on those two particular occasions will always be with me. To attempt to block the types of tragedies from one's mind is impossible to do. The visual images of my friends Owen and Brian were in my mind on both those occasions no matter what was going on in the ring.

The same can be said for seeing the World Trade Center go down on September 11. I am thinking that Monday night will be much the same for me. There will be specific images that I will see but in the spirit of attempting to entertain our TV viewers we will pay our respects, persevere, and move forward.

Random thoughts on a more positive, array of topics:

It was great being back In my old stomping grounds of Atlanta on Monday night at the Phillips Arena as the fans were spirited and up for the festivities called Monday Night RAW. While driving by the CNN Center on the way to the arena, where I officed for many years, it brought back a plethora of mostly good memories. I made many friends in Atlanta that I still have to this day. I also learned a great deal about human nature from working with a handful of executives in Ted Turner's organization that were basically two faced pieces of horse manure. Nonetheless when I look back upon my tenure In Atlanta most of the experiences I had in the "New York of the South" were great despite working for a seemingly never ending array of "bosses" at WCW. But that's another story for another time. I had a blast broadcasting the Atlanta Falcons NFL football on their radio network and hosting "Wrestling w/Jim Ross" on AM750 WSB on Sunday nights in addition to working at WCW. It's all apart of life's journey and what doesn't kill us only makes us stronger.

Plus, leaving WCW in 1993 to come to the WWE was the best career move I ever made.

RAW was a strong effort Monday night from my perspective. The Edge/Cena rivalry is really developing nicely and there is not a doubt in my mind that Cena will be booed unmercifully come Unforgiven in Toronto which happens to be Edge Country. The atmosphere for Unforgiven should be awesome.

Jeff Hardy vs. Johnny Nitro was a really solid affair Monday night and it was nice to see the wrestling time invested in this match. I think these two young wrestlers have chemistry and there subsequent matches should get better and better.

The tag team scene on RAW needs some work but that is not a mountain that cannot be climbed. There is potential there and it becomes really a function of the talent turning heads when their opportunity arises no matter the presentation.

I have seen a rough cut of "The Marine" and liked it. Here is tons of action and John Cena does a helluva job in his first venture in the film world. The special affects and the stunt work in the film are excellent. I think most folks will like it but there will always be the vocal few who like nothing but watch or read everything.

Stone Cold and I had an extended telephone conversation a few days ago. Steve is back in the States after 4 months in Australia doing "The Condemned" (I think that is the title.) for WWE Films. Stone Cold is not one who is easily appeased with creative issues but Steve was really high on the way this film came out. Knowing the "Texas Rattlesnake" he will be right there as this project is edited, etc as Steve has personally vested in this genre with the same passion that he brought to the ring. Steve is slated to attend an OU game with yours truly this fall. I see a cold beer in my future. And while we are talking about movies, The Rock and I emailed each other recently and he is really excited about the potential success of "The Gridiron Gang" which is based on a true story and sounds like it will be along the lines of Denzel Washington's ""Remember the Titans" which is one of my all time favorites. USA Network will have a special sneak peek of "The Gridiron Gang" this Monday night after RAW. From what I have seen and read, this film may be the best from our friend "The Great One". I sure miss Rock's charisma on Monday nights. Oh, well there is always WWE 24/7 which I love.

It's too bad to see Trish Stratus leaving the WWE sometime after Unforgiven, as I understand it. Trish was one of my "hires" when I worked in the talent relations department back In the day and has been an exemplary WWE Superstar since day one. Not long after Trish came aboard I would use her as an example to all the Divas we hired. Trish's obvious sex appeal and intelligence aside, no one worked harder to get better in the ring than Trish Stratus and she succeeded. Being on the road is a grind for everyone and especially for a female who has thoughts of being a wife and mom at some point in time. Hopefully, Unforgiven will not be the last time we see Trish in a WWE ring but if it is she will always be remembered as one of the most memorable WWE Superstars of any gender and a likely Hall of Fame inductee down the road. I can see great things happening for Trish in the future.

I don't know if Mr. McMahon will ever admit it or not but I can tell you from personal experience that going on last as an in ring competitor (and I use that term loosely speaking of myself) in Madison Square Garden is one of the great professional rushes I have personally ever had. Even though I literally got the hell beat out of me and bled buckets of blood, I will never forget that once in a lifetime experience. If you grow up as a wrestling fan as I did and read the wrestling magazines as many of us did long before the days of the internet, then you learn early on that "The Garden" is the Mecca of sports and entertainment. The ironic aspect of this situation is that Mr. McMahon and yours truly will have had the same opponent in our MSG experiences, a focused and physical HHH. I tried to obtain copies of photos of my massacre on 33rd when I had my date with destiny but the WWE legal department seems reluctant to release the photos because of their graphic nature. I do have the OU jersey and T-shirt I wore that night framed and it looked like it was worn by a car wreck victim.

Our best wishes for a speedy recovery for the Midnight Express' Bobby Eaton who suffered a heart attack recently but is apparently recovering well. The Midnight Express had to be one of my all time favorite tag teams whether It was the Dennis Condrey or the Stan Lane version with Beautiful Bobby and the incomparable Jim Cornette. I shutter to think of how much money this team would be making today if they were in their prime. This is one team of antagonists that could motivate today's audience to pay to watch this trio get their asses kicked. That particular quality is a fleeting art form.

Harry Smith, the son of the late British Bulldog Davyboy Smith, looks to be about 6'5" and around 260 pounds these days. Young Harry was an unlimited future ahead of him and may have the natural, God given ability to exceed the success of his late father and Harry's talented uncles from the Hart Family. I am not sure when Harry will debut on WWE TV but there Is no doubt that this 3rd generation wrestler will be well prepared. I see lots of big time main events in Harry's future.

I read where Bret Hart's son Dallas is training to wrestle in Calgary with Lance Storm. Unless Bret did it himself, I can't think of a better trainer to teach the all Important fundamental skills to a young athlete than Lance Storm. If Dallas listens to his coach and shows the same work ethic demonstrated by his Dad, there is no doubt that another Hart will headline a future Wrestlemania. Hey, remember to never say never in this crazy business.

I have to take my black hat off to the men in the ECW Rules tag match Tuesday night on Sci Fi. Good grief, it looked like a televised bar fight! Sabu, RVD, Test, and Mike Knox put their bodies thru hell which may be putting it mildly.

Texas Longhorn football fanatic Dusty Rhodes is already breaking my Spaulding's about how bad UT is going to destroy my young, Oklahoma Sooner football team this year on October 7 in the Cotton Bowl. If the Steers do destroy the Sooners as the American Dream predicts, I will never hear the last of it from the robust son of a plumber. However, that is the price one pays when one wears their team's allegiances on their sleeves. I am predicting that Texas defeats Ohio State in Austin Saturday night even though a Texas win just adds more fuel to Rhodes' fire. Road Warrior Animal's son James Laurinaitis is the starting middle linebacker for Ohio State and wears jersey #33. I will definitely catch this game after I get home from the OU-Washington game which is also on ABC.

Wrestlemania 22 is the biggest selling DVD in WWE history with over 345,000 units sold! I am sure proud to be a part of that as I thought I had done my last Wrestlemania after leaving RAW in October of 2005. Thanks for checking out our site. I hope you will stop by our online store once it is open for business. We are really proud of our sauces and think you will like our merchandise especially the Slobber-Knocker caps and shirts. Keep your emails coming as I am trying to get to as many of them as time will permit. I read them all, I assure you. Thanks, again.

BOOMER SOONER!

J.R.