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

It was a big nite Monday nite in D.C. The King and I received a much appreciated ovation when we were introduced prior to the Saturday Night’s Main event. SNME, which airs this Saturday on NBC at 9/8 central. 5 of the 6 segment featured wrestling including an all star 8 man tag featuring Raw superstars. The final match was a one on one bout, that was a hot one, between Edge and Jeff Hardy. Helluva bout. Also World Champ C.M. Punk did a really solid job on commentary during the 8 man tag. It would seem that it will be JBL vs. Punk for the World’s Title at Summerslam, but that will be up to new Raw GM Mike Adamle.

The naming of Adamle as Ras GM was universally considered a shocker by the Raw superstars. I did not see this one coming and it will be most interesting to see how the former NFL running back and sports broadcaster settles into his new, high profile. Some wrestlers were especially vocal regarding Adamle’s announcement which was kept as a well concealed secret. more »

It is a scorching hot time of the year here in Oklahoma and thanks goodness for air conditioning. When I was a kid growing up in Westville, Oklahoma we lived in a 4 room concrete block house that was originally built to function as a "milk barn" for dairy cows. No A/C in those days and many nights the box window fan just blew warm air into a particular room. People can talk about the "good old days" all they want but I will take A/C over the window fans and no indoor toilet any time.

Both our Bar-B-Q restaurants are doing well and ironically the opening of the Moore store has increased business in our Norman store. They are about 7-8 miles apart and both are on I-35 but luckily for us the opening of the new store on July 16 has done nothing but help the original store. The Mrs. and I spent about 4 hours in the Moore store Friday night and had a super time meeting new guests and welcoming several old friends to our new locale. Oklahoma University football offensive coordinator Kevin Wilson and his family at dinner at "J.R.'s" where a family of 7, yes Kevin and Angie have 5 lovely children, can eat affordably. It was fun watching the kids faces when they saw 'Ol J.R. on the flat screen TV's while I was sitting at the bar eating a bowl of pinto beans and cornbread. We don[t turn the sound up but we do put the TVs on with closed captioning to assist the viewing experience somewhat. more »

Leaving Saturdays and returning Wednesdays isn't my idea of a great travel schedule at this stage of my game. Nonetheless this last road trip to the northeast was good and started with an autograph signing in Franklin Park, L.I. Saturday with Jerry Lawler and Mick Foley. Nice folks at Franklin Square Video and what a selection of wrestling swag they have!

This was my first Smackdown PPV and then being off on Monday before taping Smackdown on Tuesday in Philly. So Monday was essentially a travel day from Long Island down to Philadelphia and once I arrived I had a chance to finish some time-sensitive office work which got done. Thank goodness for fax machines....and room service. :) more »

 I am writing this on Monday morning, after catching a ride from Long Island to Philly to prepare for Tuesday’s Friday Night Smackdown taping. No small feat in the backseat of a moving vehicle on the Jersey Turnpike using a Blackberry. :)

Overall I thought the Great American Bash was a solid show that had some good moments. No athlete “mailed it in,” which is something I personally always look for, nor was the PPV a “talkfest”. I do wish some of the bouts had more time for them to transact their business.

The biggest news out of the WWE Tag Title bout is that the titles, can’t say “straps,” are on Smackdown. Hawkins and Ryder could make a fine duo in time, but I still have “major” problems telling them apart. more »

I read where many websites are reporting that there is allegedly talk that yours truly may be moving back to Monday Night Raw.

As best I know this is nothing more than a weak rumor. No one from the WWE has mentioned the possibility of this matter to me in any shape, form, or fashion.

If internet sites are getting this info from "WWE insiders" either the "insiders" are fabricating the matter completely or purely speculating. I speak with WWE decision makers somewhat regularly and this issue, actually non-issue, has never been discussed. more »

The 2nd J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q opened Wednesday July 16th in Moore, Oklahoma with a steady steam of guests joining us for our opening day. All went well as yours truly arrived there about 11:30 a.m. after flying to OKC from Charlotte EARLY Wednesday morning. I stayed until around 3 before going home to recharge my batteries and then went back around 7 and stayed until closing time which was a little after 10. We had fans from many areas make the trek including a great fellow I met who drove up from Houston, about 8 hours, to dine with us on our first day. That sort of support and appreciation is greatly appreciated. We have added 8 ounce Angus burgers to the new menu along with smoked, not fried, chicken wings and both new items are main eventers. We also debuted some new T Shirts and Caps that retail for $9.99 plus we have reduced the cost of our autographed, "J.R.'S Cookbook" as well. This info will soon be featured on our new website which will be up and running at any time now. Be sure and check out our store for specials on Beef Jerky and many more items. The new J.R.'s is bigger than our original store in Norman, it seats approximately 200 while the Norman location seats 120, and both stores are located on I-35 south of OKC, the Moore store is 11 miles from downtown and can be found at exit 116 while the Norman store is located at exit 109. With my new Smackdown schedule I plan on being at both stores a great deal especially on non PPV weekends. more »

It has been another great weekend to be at home here in Norman and not have to run to the airport Sunday to fly to the city hosting Monday night Raw. As I have mentioned in the past, being able to stay at home on football weekends or travel to OU road games is going to be a blessing for this gridiron fan. Plus, not having a clear cut favorite NFL team, I will get to enjoy the NFL Sunday ticket, except for PPV weekends, virtually the entire season. Life is good.

Our new J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q opening is just around the corner and the excitement is growing. If you are in our neck of the woods any time soon please stop by and check the new place out. Again, we are located on the west side of I-35 at exit 116 in Moore, Oklahoma. We will open at 11 a.m. daily. I plan on trucking over to the restaurant after returning from Charlotte Wednesday morning. Let's hope American Airlines is running on schedule. more »

 My long time broadcast partner, Jerry Lawler, and I will be appearing at an autograph/photo op appearance on Saturday July 19 from 4-6 p.m. at Franklin Square on Long Island the night before the Great American Bash. The King and I have only done a couple of these types of appearances in our long tenure together and I hope if you are in the neighborhood that you will stop by and say hello.

I read where the John Cena-JBL bout for the Bash will now be held, apparently, in a parking lot outside the arena with street fight type rules. These bouts are extremely dangerous not to mention that they have the propensity of taking the live audience out of the mix because the fight is being held in another locale. I remember years ago that Finlay fought William Regal in a similar environment that proved to be entertaining and I wish the same good fortune for Cena and JBL. JBL might be one of the very few wrestlers on the WWE roster that will motivate the fans to boo the transplanted Texas and Mamajuana.com maven more than many fans, especially in the northeast, will boo John Cena. I stand by what I have written before, you pay your money so you should boo or cheer who in the hell you want. more »

Waking up at 4 a.m. two mornings in a row...I know, poor me...reminded me of why I resisted becoming a dairy farmer in Eastern Oklahoma instead of going to college before running off to “join the circus” aka the wrestling biz as my late father once told me. Over the years Dad eased up considerably on my chosen profession and I think he was actually proud of my accomplishments toward the end of his life. Good Lord, this is beginning to sound like an episode of “Dr. Phil” which was not my intent. Let’s move along there’s nothing left to see here.

Monday Night Raw was an interesting show from ‘Nawlins and certainly had its share of verbalizing. I really enjoyed the HBK-Y2J interaction and if any one wants to bet that those two don’t steal the show at the Bash let me know and perhaps we can bet some J.R.’s Beef Jerky...you know, the 97% fat free jerky. The program’s ending was intriguing to me involving Kane, who looks to be in line for more prominent exposure, along with The King and Michael Cole. Welcome to Raw, Michael. I am curious to see how this Kane business is followed up next Monday in Raleigh. I talked to King after Raw and he was still woozy after Kane pounded him that Jerry actually got lost in downtown New Orleans looking for the “team hotel” which was the Marriott on Canal Street, not exactly an obscure locale. I hope the King will be able to find Raleigh on Monday and can avoid Kane’s big right hand. :) more »

 Firstly, I hope everyone had a safe and fun July 4th weekend. The Ross' certainly did here in Norman, Oklahoma as it was HOT and the BBQ was EXCELLENT. My 5 and 2 year old granddaughters got right with the program eating both brisket and ribs....chips off the old block. :)

I read a lot about "spoilers" for future events based on live event bookings. This is one of the biggest misnomers in the biz as the folks that come up with the live event cards 99% of the time have no clue as to the creative direction, say, 2-3 months out. This isn't just theory as have I not only "been there" but I still consult on matters such as this upon occasion. This isn't a big deal one way or another but it seems that some folks put more stock in "spoilers" than the info might merit. more »