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

Firstly my thanks to all of you for checking our site and for telling others about us. We are growing at an amazing pace and we owe that to all of you. Also our sauce business is tremendous. Virtually everyone who has tried any of our 4 sauces has written us with glowing feedback. We sincerely feel we produce the best sauces available anywhere and hope that you will give them a try. As we prepare for our eatery to open in Norman, Oklahoma we are staying busy with menu and recipe development as the construction crew is hard at work getting our place ready. We hope to open in late April and will keep you posted as to the progress of this life long dream.

Now, on to your feedback:

Rey Mysterio- Rey will be making a variety of appearances for the World of Wheels this spring, but is not due to return to the ring until summer ‘07 as he is still healing from serious knee surgery. Rey is living proof that size shouldn’t be a factor when determining a wrestling superstar, but one must also understand there aren’t many “Rey Mysterio’s” out there and never will be. Rey is very special.

Announcing- I can tell you what, in my opinion, makes a good wrestling announcer, but remember this is only my opinion. Firstly, product knowledge, which often times comes with being a true fan of the business and preferably a life long fan. Also, natural passion and not forced enthusiasm is important. Thoroughly understanding the psychology of a wrestling match is also imperative. When we announce, we watch our monitors because that is the same picture the viewers are seeing at home. There is a disconnection when announcers are talking about action the fans are not seeing. That’s why when the broadcasters are sometimes shown on TV looking down, we are watching the small monitors that are on the announce table. Who is the #1 announcer in the WWE? That is really a subjective matter. Some fans like some announcers better than others, just like they like some wrestlers better than others. It’s purely a matter of opinion. There really isn’t a right or wrong answer as to who is the #1 announcer on any brand in my view. On a personal level, I am a competitive person and I always prepare to do a broadcast as if I am near the top of the list because self-confidence is essential when doing live TV. If you feel subpar going in, more often than not you will perform in a subpar way. What folks say on other sites is there opinion and their assumptions which they have a right to express. However, simply because I happened to not get the nod to broadcast the Royal Rumble match, which I was fine with, and some take that as a sign of my “demise” is a little bit of a knee jerk, over reaction. If any of you can tell me what any of us will be doing in 5 years then please send me your telephone number because I would love to know the status of some of my stock investments, etc. I know this…I have been truly blessed to have had a great career that I feel is far from over. I got a second chance with my health and I cherish every day I am alive and look forward to going to work each and every week because I am still a wrestling fan and I am living my dream. I realize that some day I will be replaced, as that happens to everyone in this or any business. But, hopefully I will leave a lasting legacy that will be challenging to overcome. I feel great and as long as I am happy with my own work, I will continue to kick ass to the very best of my ability. I know my family thinks Ol’ J.R. is #1 and at the end of the day that is really what matters.

Tuesday Night Titans- I was a HUGE fan of Tuesday Night Titans. I rarely ever missed a broadcast. Was it “campy”? Absolutely. But it was entertaining and allowed us fans to see a different side of the wrestlers. Would that format work again? Who knows until it was tried. Vince McMahon and Lord Alfred Hayes were highly entertaining.

A Dallas Wrestlemania- Great idea in the new stadium which will serve as home for the Dallas Cowboys. By the way, I may be in the minority, but I like the hire of Wade Phillips as Cowboys head football coach.

Atlanta- The WWE returns to Atlanta on Sunday, April 29 for a PPV, but not at the Georgia Dome.

Scaffold Matches- EXTREMELY dangerous and memorable. Yes, I remembered vividly LOD in a Scaffold Match. Will we ever see one again?

Skittles- It seems like our live reads of the Skittles sponsorships are gaining a life of their own. We are just having fun and trying to get our viewers to remember the product. They are fruity and delicious you know.

John Cena- I was fortunate enough to sign John Cena and I know him from a different perspective than do the fans. I have great respect for John and his tireless work ethic. He is also a class act who is a credit to the WWE. John is a young man who is going to continue to get better and better because that is just how he is. I am not trying to sell him to anyone but it was asked what I thought of Cena and I am responding. Cena’s best days are ahead of him and with his work ethic he will be one of the WWE’s all time greats when all is said and done. That’s my story and I am damn sure sticking to it. As Coach Barry Switzer told me, when you recruit someone you recruit them for life. That’s simply how I look at it. My Dad taught me loyalty was a good trait to carry thru life.

Scott Hall ever in the Hall of Fame? Absolutely. The Monday Night Wars would not have existed as they did without Scott, who has a great wrestling mind.

RVD- I don’t know who is coming or going in the WWE or anywhere else. I hear things, but they are unfounded rumors and I don’t care to run with things that I don’t know are true or not. I like Rob and enjoy watching him wrestle and always have. I think it serves his best long term financial interests to stay in the WWE, but at the end of the day any individual needs to work where he or she is happiest. Life is too short to be unhappy more often than not. I know Rob is signed with the WWE for several more months or at least that is my assumption.

Hall of Fame predictions- Not in a million years will I make any HOF predictions because I am damned if I do and damned if I don’t. There are LOTS of wrestling greats that are deserving and hopefully in time they will all get their just rewards. I have my short list of who I think should be inducted but I choose to keep it private. Sorry.

OU vs. Notre Dame- Now that would be a great home and home college football rivalry. Two of the greatest college football programs in history! Bring on the Fighting Irish!!

WWE 24/7 on Satellite- As I understand it, the satellite systems such as DirecTV don’t have the capabilities to process on demand orders. That’s not a WWE issue as it is simply a technical matter that may be addressable some day.

Fink vs. Lilian- Good Lord! I never said that Fink would replace Lilian, but Howard Finkle deserves to have a role at Wrestlemania. Period. Lighten up Francis!

Greg Valentine WWE Champion- Thanks to many of you, it seems as if in 1981, The Hammer and Bob Backlund fought in The Garden and the Title was held up so Greg was never officially recognized as champ.

Dynamite Kid- I just know that Tommy Billington is living in England and was in tough shape the last time I saw him, which was a few years ago there. Tommy was in the WWE long before I arrived and I don’t know the reason he left the company. I will say this, The Dynamite Kid was awesome in his day!

Tonga Kid- The Tonga Kid was Fatu’s brother as I understand it. There are so many great Samoan wrestlers that it is challenging to keep their relationships straight. Brothers, cousins, etc.

Honkytonk Man- “The Greatest Intercontinental Champion of All Time!” One helluva hand who learned his trade well and had a great run in the WWE and is still doing his thing in the independent world. If I ever made his “Whip His Ass List” I am sure I have joined some elite company. I wish the business had more great in-ring performers like HTM competing today.

Chicago- One of THE great wrestling cities on planet Earth! Steve Austin’s favorite wrestling city, for the record. My Oklahoma boys playing for Da Bears are making me proud. I actually plan on having dinner with Dusty Dvorachek and Tommie Harris here in Norman in the next week or so.

Ironman- Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels Wrestlemania Ironman Match was indeed and without fail a classic. I just wish I could have been doing the play by play for it. I guess one could call that “announcer envy.” Two of the all time greats had one of the most memorable matches in the WWE’s history, which should really come as no surprise to anyone. Hitman and HBK put on a “clinic.”

Scott Hudson- I assume Scott is still living in the Atlanta area and was working for the U.S. Government the last I heard. Scott is a great guy and a life long wrestling fan. I wish him and his family well. If any one knows more about what Scott is doing these days I am sure they will let us know.

The Cow Palace- Classic venue where Eddie Guerrero defeated Brock Lesnar for the World Title. More famous for the classic, timeless Ray Stevens-Pat Patterson matches as tag partners and opponents. Patterson and Stevens are one of the top tag teams EVER in the history of the business. The AWA tape library has some great examples of their work. Ray is definitely a Hall of Fame level performer and was as natural inside the ring as anyone who ever lived and that statement covers a fair amount of ground. Promoter Roy Shire was a genius and was way a head of his time. Shire was a hard ass but he could produce a great TV show and had great talent coming thru San Francisco back when territories still existed.

Flair/DiBiase/Murdoch-One of the all time hottest issues ever in Mid-South Wrestling and one I remember vividly. You had three hugely talented wrestlers, all products of the territory system, with a brilliant strategist, Bill Watts, orchestrating the issue and the results are still talked about two decades later. Great stuff!

Arena Football- I occasionally catch a game or two during the season and need to pay closer attention to the AFL. I have been given a chance to buy an interest in the OKC franchise in AFL2 but have not exercised that option at this time. Hey, it’s football so it can’t be bad, right?

Hulk- You folks know as much as about the status of Hulk Hogan as do I. I don’t regularly converse with the Hulkster and whatever he says on his various radio appearances is what it is as I see it. I heard he was going to have knee surgery which I hope goes well, but I don’t see Hogan wrestling an ambitious schedule for anyone at anytime ever again. How fans could expect a man north of 50 to be as active as he was when he was younger is beyond me, especially an athlete with his fair share of injuries and surgeries.

Beans- Here is a quick bean recipe utilizing either one of our two Bar-B-Q sauces. Empty a can of baked beans such as Bush’s or any brand into a sauce pan, cut up half an onion (I use either purple or red onions) add salt and pepper and your choice of one of our sauces (I use the Chipotle more often than not) to taste and finally add brown sugar to taste, not much, stir and let the ingredients simmer on your store over low heat until they are warm and happy. I use Bush’s Vegetarian Baked Beans quite often with the aforementioned ingredients and they generally come out great. Actually, they are better on day two after sitting in the fridge over night. Try them and let me know how they turn out.

Toronto- What a wonderful place to visit and I am sure to live. The WWE would not be the same without “T.O.” When will the WWE be back? I am not involved in scheduling but one has to assume sooner than later. I have been to Toronto MANY times and have never had a bad time. It is Trish Stratus’ home town so how bad could it be even in the dead of a cold winter?! Canadian fans in general are world class, but the fans in Ontario, without starting a Canadian civil war, are hard to top. This goes all the way back to the old Maple Leaf Garden events.

Please visit our store and look around. For those of you that are buying our merch and sauces, again, thanks very much!

J.R.