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

Another good day in Oklahoma and as the old timers always say, "any day above ground is a great day."

On line sales are good and for that we thank you. Please keep us in mind for a variety of occasions where gifts are required but most importantly please do what you can to keep our products in your refrigerator. We want to become a part of your family in that regard. 

We are waiting for samples of "J.R.'s Main Event Mustard" which we hope to have in a few days. If all the stars can be aligned then we might have another hit on our hands that can be sold in our groceries stores and here on line the year around. If you live in the area, please visit our friends at Homeland Grocery Stores and pick up our products.

The first segment of Monday Night Raw was one of the best kickoffs to Raw that I can recall in a long while. The Bret Hart episode on January 4 was stout too but for some reason the Knoxville Raw opening segment was really a fantastic way to kickoff the two hour, live broadcast. 

Getting ample star power into an opening segment that then sets the premise for things to come is excellent, creative production. 

Have to admit...I was not overly familiar with actor Jon Heder but remembered his most memorable film roles but not his name. Nonetheless Heder is the type personality that would likely make a viable, updated, wrestling manager in today's marketplace under the right introduction and presentation. Wrestling fans and those who want careers as performers in wrestling but aren't blessed with the athleticism or physique of a wrestler might find their way into the biz if they are good enough to be considered for a manager's, or whatever one would care to call it, role under the right circumstance. No matter the role in this business it all comes down to timing, talent, and execution.

Did you know that it was yours truly who suggested to Cowboy Bill Watts back in the day that King Kong Bundy be given the 5 count when Bundy was wrestling in Mid South? More useless, wrestling trivia for you to digest. 

We have updated the Q&A section of our site and hope that you will check it out. It's loaded with nuggets of info and just a touch of "dirt." And everyone loves the "dirt," right?

Have any of you been following my Twitter content? Am I wasting my valuable, creative time on this platform? The numbers are ridiculous as I am shocked that SO many people are addicted to Twittering. 

Watched some WWE 24/7 On Demand last night and more of the Top Ten Bouts of the Decade hosted by the erstwhile Matt Striker. I loved the HHH-Cactus Hell in a Cell match which was nasty, physical and compelling content. Both men took inhuman abuse and gnarly chances in that one. Plus, I re-watched the Rock vs. Hulk bout from Wrestlemania in Toronto which was another classic that gives us die hards life time memories. The Rock-Hulk match was the bout that many of us thought would never happen and luckily it did and it also delivered. Less was more in that bout but the emotional hook was set deep and solid. I assure you that if you are not watching WWE 24/7 On Demand then you are missing out on some classic content. 

Brock Lesnar's Press Conference is Wednesday to address his future in UFC. I expect to hear positive news from Brock and Dana White. If UFC was going to bring us bad news IE Brock's health was going to prevent him from competing in the Octagon, then I would suggest that the press conference would be held on Friday. Friday is the day that most entities  have their "bad news' press conferences.  I hope that Brock is able to fight again and regain his dominance. Knowing Lesnar as I do, he would refuse to return to the octagon unless he could be his old self which is a legit bad ass who is much more technically skilled and not just a powerhouse than some give think. Lesnar is the UFC's most viable cash cow and his WWE past will still play well as many MMA die hards who hate pro wrestling will always pay to see Lesnar get his butt kicked much like boxing purists used to do with Muhammad Ali when he refused to go to the Viet Nam war.

One of my regrets, as I get older, is not being able to keep in contact with Brock and have a better relationship with him as a result of his exit from sports entertainment. I still respect the hell out of the guy and wish him nothing but success.

Herschel Walker is a gamer and is serious about his involvement in MMA even though Herschel knows that he is an "attraction" and not a "future world's champion." Herschel is getting Strikeforce plenty of ink and exposure which one could argue is why he was booked. I know that I will be watching on January 30. Strikeforce will likely never overtake UFC but does that matter? Strikeforce should be just focused on getting better and making their brand stronger and not worrying about their bigger, more established competitor.  

That last sentence holds true in the 'rasslin' biz too.

New Orleans is a 4 point favorite the last I looked against Minnesota this Sunday down in the Super Dome. Something smells fishy there to me as I felt like the Saints should be at least a 6 or 7 point favorite. Perhaps it's the Favre factor. With the talk of all the great QB play with Favre and Brees, the running game and the defense holds the key to winning this much anticipated game.

The March 1 OKC Raw started out strongly with advance ticket sales and hopefully WWE will have a full house at the Ford Center when they make their only Oklahoma date of 2010. I will be at JR's BBQ in Norman that day and hope to see many fans. We have autographed bottles of all our sauces and ketchup available at the store not to mention T shirts, caps and more. 

Another thing that I really enjoyed about RAW was the emphasis on the Royal Rumble match which is arguably the most exciting themed bout of the entire year and one that I'm really looking forward to seeing on pay per view. 

Also, I felt that there was something special when HBK was in the ring with the Miz in the 6 man tag. Michaels is simply extraordinary and Miz is one of the most improved, young talents that I have seen evolve in years. These two seemed to have excellent chemistry and Miz will do nothing but improve the more he is around Shawn Michaels.

Remember that our personally autographed J.R.'s Cookbooks make great gifts for any occasion and with the inscription of your choice, the autograph and the shipping it all costs less than twenty bucks. 

Former wrestler and Harvard grad Chris Nowinski is on HBO's "Real Sports" this week talking about concussions. Chris called me to see if I could help him facilitate Steve Williams' brain for Nowinski's institutes research but I don't know how that matter was resolved and respectfully declined to get involved with it. The timing of the matter was a little more than I needed to deal with in all due respect to those involved on all sides of the issue. I like Chris and think he is trying to do good work but the timing of his call was challenging for me personally to say the least. no, this is not a Nowinski directed rant.

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Please check out my blog this week on the Smackdown page of WWE.com. 

Some emailers were surprised when I mentioned that I was looking forward to my next WWE assignment and that it did not matter to me on what show that might eventually be placed.  I have always tried to be honest on this site and what I say isn't hearsay or some INTERNET writer's interpretation of what I "really mean." I can't change who I am and who I am is a team player who loves the business. No matter the shape or form that the business takes in the future I will do my best to contribute to it. If I'm assigned a specific role then I will do my best to make that role a positive and not a negative. Bottom line is when I do get back on the air, where ever that may be, I plan on looking at my peers in the rear view mirror if at all possible. Egocentric? Perhaps. Confident in one's abilities? Hell, yeah. Listening to the matches I was privileged to be a part of in the last decade reaffirms to me that I still love what I have been doing since the 70's and that I can still carry my share of the water. Passion for the product and a natural feel for the business can't be replaced or artificially replicated. Just give me a jersey and let's get the game underway. I get up every day fully believing that my best work is yet to come and thanks the good Lord that I have been gifted another day here on Earth.  

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.