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

There is a great deal of talk about celebrities making appearances on wrestling programs. This really is nothing new as “Celebs” have been appearing on wrestling shows for decades. More often than not in the old days they were seen in the audience or in a publicity photo with a wrestling star. Over the years, former boxers turned celebrities made many, many appearances as special referees or the occasional tag team partner of a wrestler or even being the wrestler’s second and being in the corner during a match. As a rule, I am a proponent of “Celebs” being a part of the presentation. It usually generates increased public relations and media exposure which are good things. Not many main steam media outlets have made it a habit of writing positively about pro wrestling…ever. To get in the papers, on entertainment programs, news broadcasts, etc usually never hurts. I am not condoning David Arquette winning the WCW Title once upon a time but for WCW it got them a great deal of media exposure. But I thought that was taking it TOO far. Kevin Federline’s “victory” over John Cena was Umaga fueled which leads directly to the Cena-Umaga match this Sunday on pay per view from Kansas City. By the way, Federline has a natural gift of being a wrestling antagonist and was professional to work with during the time I have seen him in the WWE. Perhaps K-Fed’s next career will be reviving the wrestling manager’s role in the WWE much like Estrada has embarked upon. Athletes and celebrities can provide a nice boost to a company’s media exposure and public relation efforts when used in an entertaining and feasible fashion which is really a subjective matter. What might be OK to me might be the kiss of death to you or visa versa.

I receive lots of emails regarding my favorite era in wrestling. When did I most enjoy being in the business? Valid question. The late 90s and early 2000s were one of my favorite all time eras which featured Austin, Rock, Taker, HHH, Jericho, DX, Mr. McMahon/Austin rivalry, Foley, HBK (when healthy) among others. One reason is somewhat selfish as many, not all, of the aforementioned athletes were guys I recruited and signed for the WWE. I had a personal attachment to these men and enjoyed all their successes. This period lead many of these talents into making big bucks and has lead to a great quality of life for virtually each and everyone of them. The success these men had also lead to great corporate success which in turn helped facilitate the WWE into becoming a publicly traded company. The nucleus of the WWE talent roster during that period can never be thanked enough for their overall contributions to the WWE and the business in general. There were periods of the 70s and 80s that were really fun, too.

Frustrated fans continue to ask about “storylines” and why certain wrestlers are not wrestling in main events and are seemingly “being held back”. Again, I can no longer influence or care to influence either topic. I do have opinions, no surprise, and thoughts on each matter but I don’t have the access to affect the solutions. Firstly, one of the things that affects storylines is the availability of talent to appear in these on-going sagas. That goes back to what I have talked about before which is, in my opinion, the obvious lack of top talent depth that is available for any wrestling company. New stars must be made and I know that is or should be an important goal of any company. Fans want to see “new”. However, this also presents a “Catch 22” as fans of today are much more discerning and have less patience than in the old days so wrestlers are expected to be “good” on day one. Without the benefit of being able to wrestle for a few years in wrestling territories before being exposed on a global basis, there will seemingly be many more “misses” than “hits” as it relates to new wrestlers making their debuts and competing in ensuing matches early in their careers. How is this problem solved? I am not sure there is a fool proof solution but two suggestions could be to scout, recruit, and sign better pure athletes who are charismatic and competitive and who want to be the best in their field. This means looking for athletes in sports such as football, wrestling, etc. Another suggestion would be to resist bringing these young prospects to the main roster and exposing them on TV too early in their careers. I do think generally it takes a minimum of two years of intense training until most athletes are ready for “prime time” exposure under the current style of doing business. In reality, 5 years in a variety of territories would be closer to sealing the deal than what I have suggested with the 2 year plan. Nonetheless, the business has found itself in a tough and challenging spot as the building of new stars is imperative to the future of any company. An argument can certainly be made that the most important division of any wrestling company is the one that develops new wrestlers. Not to mention the fact that proven pros who have mastered their crafts should be used as effectively as possible in the training of these young men and women. Plus, training lifelong fans seems to work more efficiently than training beautiful bodies with little or no aptitude or awareness of the business.

Several fans have asked about my relationship with the late Gorilla Monsoon. Gorilla was one of the finest men I have ever known inside or outside the business. The wrestling business, not unlike show biz or pro sports, has its fair share of disreputable people working in it whose word means nothing and are ego maniacs. Character and integrity in these entertainment and sports’ genres are valued commodities. Gorilla had great character and his word was as good as gold. When I first came to the WWE from WCW, known as “the enemy”, I was, at times, treated like a leper in the WWE TV facility. Gorilla took me under his wing and from that day forward people who worked in that facility looked at me differently and gave me a chance to build a relationship with them on the merits of how I treated them and my work ethic and not where I used to work, etc. When Gorilla “blessed” you in the WWE it was a major endorsement. The late Lord Alfred Hayes was prone to give me the “cold shoulder” for no real reason until Gorilla had a heart to heart with Alfred who then became one of my most valued friends. Now my favorite place to visit when I am at the WWE in Connecticut is the TV Facility where my best friends work. Gorilla was really old school, even much more so than I, and he frequently disliked the product we were broadcasting. On the taped shows we often times had to voice over we would have to shut it down for a few moments because Gorilla said what was on his mind rather than what was asked of him. He would usually do as instructed but if he simply refused then I would handle the mission. Some of Gorilla’s “promos” about the business and how it was being presented and who was being featured were simply classic. If Gorilla had been in charge of hiring wrestlers during that period there would have been a bunch of familiar names that would not be so familiar because the huge, former amateur wrestler was hard to please and wanted the business to remain almost impossible to get in to. We always ate well, not necessarily healthy, with “The Big Ape” and he had a heart of gold. Gorilla was one of the handful of WWE people who kept in touch with me during my “sabbaticals” from the company. I think of Gorilla, or Gino as he was called, often and he was a great story teller with amazing recall. He was a multi-talented man who could sing, he sang at The Giant Baba’s wedding, and was a great writer. I really loved the big guy, but he was never the same after his son Joey Marella, the former outstanding referee, was killed in an automobile accident. One of my biggest regrets is that his twin grandsons, named Joey and Gino, will never get to know their famous grandfather. Perhaps some day I can make a trip to Jersey and share some stories with them about this great man. One thing I love about WWE 24/7 is that I can still hear Gorilla’s voice which I miss dearly.

Some have asked about Bells palsy. The internet has plenty of info on this affliction but there is still no cure or reason as to why it affects some people. Some doctors feel it is viral and some feel it is stress related. The second time I got it was within 24 hours of finding out about my Mom’s sudden death which speaks to the stress theory. We were in London preparing to broadcast a UK pay per view the next night. After receiving the news, I remained in the UK and did the show but started feeling ill during the broadcast and had my second bout of the illness actually during the show. During the event, I remember holding one side of my face up so I would not sound too horrible and to do the matches justice. My hearing is still sensitive to certain loud tones and, yes, wearing headsets often times is a little challenging but I have gotten used to it by and large. My eyes water profusely when I am tired which is more of an annoyance than anything else. The biggest issue is that the paralysis remains around my mouth which affects my lack of ability to smile as I would like to and makes some words, especially when I am fatigued, challenging to enunciate. The Bells palsy issue has been a source of many emotions for me professionally as it is generally known that “my look” is not TV friendly and that I should feel fortunate to still be on TV with my facial paralysis as it is. The good news for most people who get Bells palsy is that the vast majority of people completely heal from it and few people ever have it twice. I’m just special, I guess, as I have had it two times. It is what it is and I have and will continue to preserve. My issues with Bells palsy pale in comparison to the challenges many others face every day so I continue to count my blessings but if I don’t smile at you don’t take it personally as I would if I could. No one should feel as if they can’t be what they want to be because of an illness or being dealt a bad hand.

After thinking about it more because of the many emails I have received lately, I have indeed worked with MANY broadcast partners over the years and even more than I originally thought. Curt “Mr. Perfect” Henning was another fun guy to work with and had a great sense of humor and thoroughly understood the business. “Perfecto” was often times funnier off camera than on it but the same can be said for other people I have worked with as well. I had fun with Curt who always had a great road story or two to tell and always had the latest “dirt”. He was hilarious and had natural timing. I also enjoyed working with Les Thatcher for the brief time I was affiliated with Smoky Mountain Wrestling. Les is an old school guy who was a talented in ring performer and had been around many territories over the years and had a great working knowledge of what the business was or should be about and could recognize in ring situations naturally and in a timely fashion. Les was more of an analyst than Curt who was more of an entertainer. Both were good in their own unique ways and I can’t say I ever had a bad experience with either man. Good memories.

A couple of emails have caught my attention over the past few days. One from “Sigh” who still wants to know the personal issues as to why Scott Hall last left the WWE after the “plane ride from hell”. Scott was going through a time in his life where being on the road and away from home was not good for him emotionally or physically. It was simply too challenging for him to maintain good health and the trip back on the plane underscored that matter. I always liked Scott and as I have said before he still has one of the sharpest minds in the business and I don’t see why some one isn’t using that resource today. If you need more info on this matter then look elsewhere. I never said this site was going to be the “National Enquirer” or to discuss certain personal issues that I am aware. There may be a place for those stories some day but not today. Many personal issues of which I am aware are simply no one’s business. I will address those types of issues that I choose to address in another forum at another time.

Gerry Hill called me a “complete hack” because he obviously doesn’t like the WWE product, the direction of the biz, or me personally. I don’t know for sure and I am not Dr. Phil to be able to analyze the email. I am not sure why we receive these overtly negative emails as if this is the place where everyone’s wrestling problems can be solved but nonetheless I appreciate Gerry checking us out. Gerry also accused me of “kissing McMahon’s ass” which I did on TV once upon a time but I don’t do it for a living.

Again, I will say that what the internet says about a pending Wrestlemania card has to be considered as fertilizer i.e. manure. I would bet the card is far from etched in stone and one would think it couldn’t be until after the Royal Rumble.

Who’s announcing the Rumble match? Beats the hell out of me, but I hope yours truly is included. It could be all three broadcast teams again which creates the opportunity for chaos and is definitely unpredictable. I would not assume that decision will be made until the week of the event. The 3 team set up has to be a master puppeteer’s ultimate rush.

Eric, I never said anything about WWE writers making “6 figures” as you wrote. Where did that come from? I don’t know what they earn but I assure you they earn every nickle of it. What a thankless job and one I would run from. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t as all of us are great “Monday morning quarterbacks”. In today’s era of information exchange, impatience, and the age of entitlement for many young people, being a creative person in wrestling takes thick skin and restraint. Many think they can do it better without knowing all the issues that have to be addressed far from the eye of a camera.

I enjoy JBL’s broadcasting efforts and he is unique in that he is the only true antagonist broadcasting wrestling these days. Decision makers will probably never put JBL and yours truly together as that is way too many cowboy hats at ringside and two, too many of those dreaded Southern drawls.

Bad blood between Rock and HBK? Neither has ever mentioned it to me. I would not believe internet reports of these “rumors” unless one of the sites has an interview with one of the two individuals or they use quotes from another media source. Is it possible for this feeling to exist between two of the business’ best all time performers? Certainly. Do you think that teammates on NFL teams all like each other and that there is no professional jealousy in those locker rooms? Of course they don’t and I have seen it first hand. If there is “bad blood” I would suggest that it is no big deal and would not prevent the two from having a match if all the stars were aligned. They are both too professional to allow out of control egos to not allow a dream match such as this from happening. Right stage, right time, right place, right cash, and this one wold be great. Will it ever happen. “Highly unlikely” as Gorilla Monsoon used to say.

Faux Razor/Faux Diesel. Why? Well, the originals left for WCW and it was a creative attempt to retaliate it would seem to me. Plus, some within the company felt I would be better suited to be a “bad guy” announcer. That did not seem to work too well either, but I did have fun doing one of the very first reality based in-ring promos ever in the WWE with the introduction of the two, replacement players in Hershey, Pa.

Will Bret Hart be a part of the 10th Anniversary of the Survivor Series in Montreal where the worn out topic of the Montreal “Screw Job” occurred? I can’t confirm who will or who will not be in Montreal, including myself, but I SERIOUSLY doubt if The Hitman is a part of the festivities. I guess one should include “never say never” here but I would damn near swear off Bar-B-Q if this were to happen. Again, “Highly Unlikely”.

I like Ohio State Monday night against Florida but after Boise State’s Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma, one really never knows. If one is a gambler perhaps the safest route to take is to take the points and the over but that is only for friendly, legal bets. Now I even hear that a Hollywood type is looking to do a movie of the Boise State Cinderella Story which will give me cause to relive the Fiesta Bowl all over again. The emotion that college football creates gives it a slight nod for me personally over the NFL.

I do like New England and Indy this weekend in the NFL but don’t know if Dallas can win at Seattle. It all depends on which Cowboy team shows up. I like Bill Parcells coached teams but the Cowboys seem to have emotionally imploded much like the NY Giants who will most likely lose to Philly this weekend as well. If I had to ID an upset it would be the Cowboys in Seattle.

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That’s it for this time. More to come later in the week.

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J.R.