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

The 22nd Royal Rumble was a fun event from where I was sitting as Tazz & I had the opportunity to broadcast a memorable WWE Title match that still has me scratching my head and the Royal Rumble Match with my fellow Hall of Famer and former Monday Night Raw partner Jerry Lawler. Here are some random thoughts from the past few days in the life of J.R.

Saturday I left OKC on Northwest Airlines non stop (gasp) to Detroit where it was about 10 degrees when I landed 45 minutes early at 6:30 p.m. The baggage claim area was full of fans looking for photos and autographs of which I tried to acommodate. There was another large contingent of WWE fans at the downtown Marriott near the Joe Louis Arena. Without question wrestling fans have no issues in bringing chairs, photos, and all sorts of signable goods to sign. During the process,  I refused to hold a new born child nor would I sign the infant's arm but that shouldn't make me a bad guy.  Other than that all went well. 

Tazz and I had our assignment of handling the WWE Title bout but no one knew for sure who was going to call the Rumble match until a few hours prior to the event starting. I was fortunate to do my prep as if I was going to be a part of the presentation just in case.  King was King and  he rolled with the flow but working with Jerry was fun ("they put the band back together for one more show.") and it did not seem that we missed too many beats.  At least,  that was Mrs. J.R's opinion but she is biased. We hoped that you enjoyed it too.

Great start to the PPV with young, Okie Jack Swagger's ECW Title defense against Matt Hardy. I like a fast moving opening match with intensity as it seems to more often that not set the stage for the PPV event. I had a nice visit with Swagger prior to the show and encouraged him to be athletic and aggressive but that he would ALWAYS be the second toughest man in Perry, Oklahoma behind Danny Hodge, Not that that's a bad thing. 

John Cena and JBL had a fundementally sound, hard hitting contest but HBK is so good that he essentially stole the spotlight during this World's Title bout from hi sprimarily ringside role. The JBL/HBK relationship has been an intriging one and continued to be through Monday's Raw in Cleveland. I have no clue who Shawn Michaels will wrestle at WM25 but following his bout for most wrestlers will be next to an impossibility. Big Event=Wrestlemania=Mr. Wrestlemania. Case closed. 

"My Tazz" as my partner is called my the MyNetworkTV officials who love him and I drove over 300 LONG, SLOW miles from Detroit to Indianapolis on Monday and got so bored we started counting the outdoor basketball goals in the yard of the homes along the highway in Indiana where hoops rule. We usually just "knock" everyone in the biz on these extended car trips but I guess we were in a more mellow mood leaving Motown. 

By the way, Friday Night Smackdown attracted over 4 MILLION viewers last Friday night which is another MyNetworkTV record. Tazz is without question "so over" as FNSD's #'s dominated virtually every male demo. As a former EVP of WWE I would suggest to the WWE board that they re-sign the Smackdown Announce team to long term, lucrative deals to insure the continuity of building the bedrock of this new and rapidly rising network. I'm just saying.   

Raw was an interesting show from a new arena in Cleveland at least new to the WWE which usually plays the Gund. It looked like a near packed house which always helps as it did big time Sunday in "The Joe."   

Master Randy Orton slithered into the ring and mouthed an apology  but I have to admit I certainly listened to his verbiage closely. Orton is a very compelling character and seems to be the most talked about character on Monday nights based on the reguloar Joe's I talk to while on the road.  I knew that Orton had "issues", his words not mine, but I never knew the official name for him as most of his peers apparently use the slang for the ailment which has to do with a certain part of the male anatomy. Orton is a red hot star on Raw and will no doubt, unless something shocking occurs, play a vital role at he 25th Anniversary of Wrestlemania whether some folks ike it or not. Whether or not I personally like Orton or I don't,  I can't wait to see what he does next week on Raw especially after two members of the McMahon Family have now physically assaulted Mr. RKO who hears voices in his head.  

The WWE is wasting no time in starting the No Way Out promotion in Seattle where two Elimination Chamber matches will take place with both the World's Title and the WWE Title at stake. I like the process of eimination matches being held to determine the challengers and not a lottery or a random drawing type scenario.  

What if the matches on Smackdown wereall ten minute time limit matches where the man that earns the most decisions qualifies? Just an idea.  

On a serious note, these Chamber matches are realy dangerous and are truly unforgiving and it amazes me that more men have not been seriously injured wrestling in such a unique and deadly environment. I know of not one wrestler who would say that the Elimination Chamber is their favorite match.

Michael Cole and Lawler were both under the weather Monday night but they seemed to have good nights as I listened to their work in one of the world's oldest airport hotels still standing in America. Tazz and I saved some WWE cash by not flying to Indy and by driving instead. The baseball mogal/Smackdown analyst is quite the wheel man and I could have easily seen the former ECW Champ and Human Suplex Machine being Tony Soprano's driver back in the day on HBO,

Michael Cole said that Golden Globe winning actor Mickey Rourke was a "helluva athlete" which sort of surprised me on two fronts. One, that WWE announcers can say "helluva" and that the rejuvenated actor was an athlete but I do remember his brief boxing career. As reported here, Rourke hanged with Ric Flair, Pam Anderson, and others at the premier of "The Wrestler" a few weeks ago at a party at the Four Seasons tht did not disperse until after 5 a.m. I don't know how noted ladies men and social drinkers Flair and Rouke could have tolderated hanging with the buxom Anderson when she was in the mood to party. (That was a joke for goodness sakes.)  I should have been there to chaperone.

The Mrs. and I saw "The Wrestler" Friday night, watched it twice,  and enjoyed it. A really strong, dramatic film that depicts how people who are obsessed with their own lives and their careers can self destruct even though they know that what they are doing is wrong and could even kill them. I've seen virtually every sports movie ever made and this one was the closest to depicting accurately several wrestlers I have known in the 70' and 80's in the regional territory days who would forsake all the good things in their lives to hear their name announced and to enjoy the ensuing reception the crowd provided them. I would think that to a certain dgree that this still goes on today in some obscure indy's primarily because of the reasons I outlined but perhaps more importantly because the wrestlers need the pay days and want to be discovered. 

In a word the movie is sad. It is well done without question and the people in charge did study throughly certain smaller sized promotions and how their wrestlers live, are booked and paid. Perhaps it is to some fans but to me using a staple gun on one's self isn't wrestling but on the other side of the coin perhaps falling on thumb tacks, etc isn't either. I will say that in the WWE "hardcore" days that some still clammor for the stunts were risky but not a guaranteed trip to a hospital and usually a story was told and it wasn't merely indecriminate violence. Plus, for better or worse, the money was much better.

These points are easy to debate and arguments can be made on either side of the issue but the bottom line is that I feel that wrestling fans and movie fans in general who are stimulated by compelling storytelling and truly believeable characters will be happy they go see "The Wrestler." 

For the record, my wife Jan thought the Marisa Tomei character (an aging stripper) was the same character as Mickey  Rourke only in a different profession. She was in a business at a time of her life that she wanted out of, was conflicted, had a child involved in a single household, and finally made a move to better her personal and professional life but she might have made it too late. The same can be said for Rlurke who drove his Randy the Ram character to the edge but would he stop in time gefore going over the dliff only to never return?   

See the movie. Wrestling fan or not....see the movie. 

My wife and I are attending the Super Bowl this weekend, our first, as my wife is a MAJOR Steelers fan having grown up in Glenshaw, Pa, We got our tickets throuh the Steelers organizaation of which we sincerely appreciate and will obviously be rooting for the Steelers in a game that will be much closer I think that perhaps many do. The 7 point spread troubles me and the bookies usually know more than the rest of us ham and eggers. Something just feels a miss with the odds. BTW we are parking at fellow WWE HOF'ers Brisco Brothers Body Shop if you're keeping score at home.  

Did you know that the late Dick Murdoch came "this close" in becoming the NWA champion once upon a time? Much closer than most insiders ever imagined.

I STRONGLY suggest that you buy a book I just read over the past 2-3 days, "Oklahoma Shooter: The Dan Hodge Story."  This book is an easy read, with some awesome, classic info in it, amazing photos all doucumening the life of arguably the greatest wrestler who ever lived. If you want to know more about amateur wrestlers's most feared man, the #1 heavyweight amateur boxer in America, the man who would dominate MMA today, and the shooter that the shooters didn't want a piece of buy the book. I promise that you will love it. It's also family friendly and afteer you read the student in the family could even do a book report on it.  to order the book you can phone  641-791-3072.

We are planing a book signing with Dan in our JR'S BBQ/Moore, Oklahioma store in early February of which will provide you move details. 

Tuesday night in Indianapolis is onr of the most challenging days of the week with the doubleheader Smackdown TV taping so please say a prayer for us. 22 segments of live to tape TV is a broadcasters nightmare but nothing that some great wrestling won't fix.

Thanks for the business many of you have sent our way and we will be back here soon as I arrive back in icy Norman on Wednesday, I hope.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.