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Raw Thoughts..Hell in a Cell..FCW..OU-Cincy..Chael Sonnen..Order JR's Products & Get FREE SHIPPING in the USA!
Tue, 09/21/2010 - 9:56am — J.R.
Posted in:
Good day everyone. Here's hoping all are well. Let's roll with some quick random thoughts.
Enjoyed my overnight trip to Chicago to attend the Night of Champions PPV. The 6 am flight on Sunday morning after a long day of OU football and then some compelling college games on TV Saturday night, namely Iowa-Arizona, had me getting about 3 hours of sleep but it was still a fun Sunday. It was good seeing many old friends and catching up. It's essentially the same environment that I left so little has changed.
Rode to the All State Arena and back to the Hyatt with the King just like old times. We had a great visit and ended up grabbing a bite to eat in the hotel's lobby bar as our trip to Gibson's Steak House didn't pan out.
Nice visit with Vickie Guerrero who is working diligently on her conditioning, weight, etc and is looking amazing. Vickie is really dedicated and is also a wonderful Mom which is by far her most important role in life. She's also become one of WWE's more entertaining characters.
Had a great talk with HHH in Chicago who is also looking good but I do not know his future plans re: returning to the ring. The Game has a very bright, insightful mind for the business. I like his personal business philosophies on wrestling.
HHH was interested in my upcoming trip to FCW this week as the future of WWE rests largely inside the four walls of the FCW Training facility.
The WWE PPV calendar is packed. Getting 3 PPV's to be financially successful over the next handful of weeks won't be easy simply because many folk's disposable income is limited. These events are all attraction driven and hopefully if the attractions are hot enough and come with the right 'hooks' then they'll do well.
Raw from Indy came right out of the box with Hell in a Cell promotion which I personally thought was on the money and absolutely necessary. More fans buy PPV's because of what they see on Monday Night Raw than arguably all the other weekly TV shows combined. I enjoyed many elements of Monday's Raw.
It was obvious from seeing her in Chicago that Natalya Neidhart has upped her training regime and is ready to take another positive step forward within WWE. She looks great and is so bright. I would love to see Natalya get more wrestling time. Nattie is very business savvy and might even make a great broadcaster some day. Who knows?
Emailer...I do not agree that the Hart Dynasty got 'buried' Monday night. Or Sunday night. The Tag titles are cold and the tag team scene in WWE just now seems to be picking up some notoriety. The Hart Dynasty is still as relevant as any tag team in WWE including the new tag champions of Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre who are just embarking as a team and have to create some team synergy to not to come off as two individuals who happen to be tag champs.
I think the tag team business is much like the talent rosters in general and that would be that its going through a transitional period of which is a slow moving process of reloading and repositioning several talents to see who can get the job done. I look at transition as a positive because that means that a company isn't dormant, stagnant and is attempting to evolve. Some things will work and some things won't.
Check us out on Facebook at http://facebook.dj/jrbbq/.
Randy Orton becoming WWE Champion is a positive in my view. Orton appeals to the young, male demo better, arguably, than any one in WWE. Orton's demeanor and in ring stylings are somewhat 'Attitude Era' oriented of which many fans miss. The pressure of being the WWE champion is pronounced and how the competitive Orton handles that stress and the demands on his time will help define this title reign. I really enjoy Randy's work and hope to see him in some viable, one on one bouts going forward. If he is still the WWE Champion come WM27, Orton's contributions to the biggest PPV of the year will be significant. One can almost see the wheels turning as to who the WWE Champion might face for the title in Atlanta...if his reign lasts that long. TBD.
Until then, I like the Orton-Sheamus pairing. Sheamus is evolving and will continue to up his game as we haven't seen his best yet which is another positive.
Cena vs. Nexus is intriguing to me. Interesting stip for HIAC where if Cena loses he has to join Nexus but if Cena wins Nexus disbands. What are the fans guarantees that Nexus will keep their word? All the Nexus members having varying upsides in my view.
The Miz was the overall star of Raw from Indy. His performance was memorable and impactful. Miz' promo work has become one of Raw's most marketable features as his verbalizing is reminiscent of an old school villain of which I personally like. Alex Riley should receive a nice 'rub' from Miz in Riley's quest to move up the card and create awareness for what should be a solid, potentially main event career.
U.S. Champion Daniel Bryan feels fresh and has a unique mat style. I like Bryan and hope that he does well as it will be rare if we ever see him in a 'bad match.' Bryan can bring the steak and needs to continue to work on his sizzle.
We are still shipping FREE to the USA from our on line store and remember that our various packages make great gifts and many come with autographed items. I also personalize the autographs for our JR's Cookbook offer. We are changing our packaging for the JR's Beef Jerky going from a 1.75 ounce bag to a 2.5 ounce bag in a couple of weeks. Because of beef costs, we use eye of round, the price may inch up but I'm doing what I can to keep them in line. With that said, this week might not be a bad week to order Beef Jerky. Why not buy a case of 48 bags and share with friends or family? Plus, the Beef Jerky Bonanza comes with some really cool freebies. Or a 3 pack or a 6 pack. All good deals.
'The Sampler' has become a great seller. You get a little of every thing we sell for under 30 bucks, all in.
We are over 60,000 Twitter followers strong as I write this @JRsBBQ.
Emailer...No I do not think that Chris Jericho is leaving WWE for good but I do think that Chris will continue to focus on Fozzy not to mention promoting his upcoming, 3 disc, WWE DVD (Awesome BTW) which might necessitate that he not appear on weekly TV on a regular basis. Stepping away from the weekly grind isn't a bad thing for anyone and allows one to recharge their batteries and enjoy the fruits of their labor.
Emailer...Yes I was shocked to read of the news of the apparent failure of a drug test by one of my favorite MMA fighters, Chael Sonnen. I keep waiting for the matter to be resolved IE the test was erroneous as being suspended in a biz that provides one with a relatively short, shelf life to begin with could cause irreparable harm. If Chael misses up to a year in UFC, which kills his return fight with Anderson Silva, it could conservatively cost him $1M plus. The true test of an athlete is how they respond from a loss and temporarily losing one's career is a huge defeat. Just think of the chaos that this suspension would have caused if Sonnen had won the Silva fight as he should have after leading every round deep into the last 90 seconds of the fight. I am still a Chael Sonnen fan and hope that he can somehow make a positive out of this negative situation.
It's going to be a good week in Tampa at FCW for me. I love working with the young talents and helping them prepare for entry some day, hopefully, onto a WWE roster.
After FCW its on to Cincy to visit Paul Brown Stadium and watch Oklahoma play Cincinnati Saturday at 6 eastern on ESPN 2. Keep an eye out for the black hat.
Emailer...Most people understand that Michael Cole is changing his on air persona to become more of an antagonist and more caustic. That's simply the creative direction that he's moving and I actually feel that if and when he masters that dynamic that it can add something unique to the TV presentation. Conflict at the announce table is entertaining to me as some of my best days doing PXP were when the King was a villain and Paul Heyman was simply being himself....and I mean that in a positive way. Think of how effective JBL was on commentary and he certainly never positioned himself as a 'good guy.' Point is that controlled conflict helps facilitate most broadcasts as long as the talent and what we are seeing on our TV screen remains the focus and it doesn't become about the broadcasters.
Should be a busy week on Twitter for me and I will try and update our site as I can this week so please check back with us. I have updated the Q&A's and they are waiting for you elsewhere on the site.
Thanks for stopping by and for your business.
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.
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The IC Title -
JR, why does the WWE have 6 or 7 tops guys going after the WWE title, yet it has Dolph Ziggler & Kofi Kingston competing (solely it seems) for the IC title? Wouldn't it make more sense to have top performers like Wade Barrett, Sheamus or Edge holding the IC strap to give the division more credance? Having too many people chasing the big gold stops great storylines developing, and inevitably makes top performers look weak and easily beatable (Edge & Jericho at NoC for example). There hasn't been a decent WWE title storyline for years, and I can't remember the last time an angle carried past the next PPV.
Nexus -
I know Cena is top dog in the WWE, and the man who makes the money come in, but what was the point in building Nexus up if Cena is allowed to beat them all consistantly and without much in the way of attack? When Nexus does fizzle out after the next PPV nobody will remember them in 6 months time. A potentially great angle ruined for cheap laughs and quick finishes.
Santino -
Finally, why does the WWE continue to use Santino so poorly? It's obvious for all to see that Marella is a gifted athlete and continually making him job in under 60 seconds to lesser talent is painful to watch. Do you think WWE will ever push him in a serious way, or will he be consigned to the history books as 'just another gimmick'?
@ AdamTide - We've been through this a couple of times already. You simply have to accept that JR likes Chael Sonnen more than you. And now go order some bar-b-q sauce damn it!
Hey JR-
I'm an Alpha Chapter member of Phi Lambda Chi at the University of Central Arkansas. Just wanted to say PHI LAMB BY DAMN sir!!! Hope all is going well and would like to hear back!
Did I read it right? Raw with a 2.8 rating? As a certain underrated announcer would say , "oh my!!!!!!!" They keep this up Mr. Ross and you'll have more customers than actual Raw Viewers. Hang in there tough guy
Really liking the direction Cole's taking. This heel version is so much more interesting than bland, corporate Cole. In fact, I think I'm actually starting to like the guy after years of apathy.
By the way, I remember you saying you provided notes for the announcers. Was the "WWE's apex predator" your creation? Sounds like something you'd come up with like "The Cerebral Assassin".
JR, I would have to agree with jmjames about Daniel Bryan, the difference between him and most of the other wrestlers on WWE is he actually can wrestle. Take John Cena, he does about 5 moves total. Bryan is more a real everyday chap, even my young boy likes watching DB wrestle over most other superstars.
Plus I loved his comment to Michael Cole "you're a poor mans replacement for JR" which I am sure you smiled at :P
On the subject of MC, his new stance as a commentator is annoying, he can not pull it off at all and how he replaced you is anyones guess.
JR, I think the biggest concern that I've seen expressed about Cole's new persona is his position at the table; the play-by-play man tends to be the voice and face of the company as a whole, and sets the tone for the broadcast. Your work on the mic was always very even and down the middle except for occasional bursts of outrage when a heel pulled something especially underhanded. That worked, as the King was able to play off of that, almost like a comedian uses a straight man - the PxP guy serves up the softballs, the color guy hits them. I like that Cole's showing some personality, but the idea of him verbally attacking people, vocally supporting others, etc. seems to me to be setting a different tone, and his color men have had a challenge responding because they're suddenly being pushed into that neutral role for him to work from.
Having said that, I'm comfortable with seeing how it goes - hopefully he's able to moderate it as things go on.
If you're gonna be in my neck of the woods (Cincinnati), Jr, bring me some sauce! You doing any signings or is it in for the game and then back home?
You know JR, normally I respect the hell out of you, you've been in the thick of the business for a long time and you know what you're talking about, but there are times that you sound like the standard corporate apolagist schilling the company line and that gets on my nerves. The tag team scene, yes it's a subject I've ranted on before but since you brought it up I'm inclined to jump on the soap box again. The tag titles were indeed buried, no matter how you slice it that's a fact. Since winning the titles the Hart Dynasty had been only occasionally used as little more than jobbers on Raw and Smackdown and filler for Superstars. Night of Champions the tag title turmoil was presented without any build-up whatsoever with the Harts shuffled out in the first round. You've said before that the general view is that tag matches are passe, too "old-school", but I say you're wrong. It's not hard to look around, at TNA, at ROH, in Japan and Mexico, tag teams and tag titles thrive. Why is that? Because the writers, the bookers, the promoters there give a damn!
I'm reminded of the great talkers in wrestling, Dusty Rhodes, Dick Murdoch, Jake Roberts. None of them, not even Jake in his prime, were great physical specimens, but they brought the fans in, drew their attention to the ring with the words and the stories they told (as a frequently said, these guys could sell fleas to a dog). Matchmakers do the same thing. There's no interest in tags in the WWE, no interest in actual female wrestlers or a true cruiserweight division? Well it's the matchmakers and the writers jobs to MAKE that interest, to draw the fans attention into them. TNA, ROH, and all the others do that. Don't blame the fans if there's no interest in those areas in the WWE. If the matchmakers don't care about the product how can we?
Lawler said it best yesterday about why Michael Coles pro-villain routine is so annoying. When he was talking smack about the good guys, when Heenan, JBL, Mr Perfect, and The Body did it, it could be acceptable. Those guys were all wrestlers, they proved themselves in the ring and earned the right. The closest Cole ever got to a match was from eHarmony.com
JR -
I have to respectfully disagree about Daniel Bryan needing to up the "sizzle". I had never seen him in the ring until NXT, knew very little about him. But in a very, very short time, I have bought into him more than any WWE character since HBK. His NoC victory was the first time I felt an emotional reaction to a WWE match since Shawn/'Taker at WrestleMania. He has the "it factor" because he is so incredibly real, like like HBK is real. No, he's not an over-the-top character like Cena's Superman persona, Orton's "Viper", or The Miz. But by being subdued and able to laugh at himself when appropriate (like his interaction with The Miz setting up their NoC match), and serious when needed, he gets the audience to buy into his character. He's barely had any speaking time, yet his character is better defined than the entire Raw mid-card right now (DH Smith on commentary was the first time he spoke in what, 6 months?).
J.Ja
Sonnen 1)lied about his 'lance armstrong gave himself cancer' comment and 2)cheated by taking steroids. JR I believe you referred to him as "honest" a few weeks back. heh