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

Is there a right answer when one asks the question of who is the greatest group in pro wrestling history? I think it might depend on where one lived at their height of being a wrestling fan and what TV shows said fan watched regularly. Certainly the NWO, DX, Evolution and the 4 Horsemen would get votes from many of today's fans. In the WWE such groups as The Nation of Domination, the Corporation, The Corporate Ministry, and The Brood, among others had their moments as well. Several stars spun out of these groups to become single stars which is why it amazes me that this philosophy isn't incorporated more on today's Raw, Smackdown, or ECW. Smackdown's Edge lead "Familia" is the closest thing to this concept I can think of off the to of my head. The Human Oddities would not have made my list and belonged more on the Howard Stern show than on Monday Night Raw. But, as usual, I digress. What about other groups that made their mark in the business such as Gary Hart's Army in Florida, General Scandar Akbar's Devastation Incorporated in the UWF and in Texas, Paul Heyman's Dangerous Alliance in Turner's WCW, the Heenan Family in the AWA, Jimmy Hart's Army in Memphis, the Fabulous Freebirds, and the Hart Foundation? This list just touches the surface of the factions or groups that had an impact on the pro wrestling business over the years. This list is far from complete but there is enough here to get one thinking. I would personally like to see some of the WWE's young wrestlers, especially the second generation ones, form an entity and see what cream rises to the top over time. Plus it would provide some new TV faces which never hurts. We will be talking on an upcoming WWE 24/7 Legends Roundtable program about the most significant moments in wrestling history. This is really a loaded subject and as subjective as one can find. Could it have been in 1937 when the great Lou Thesz won his first world's title that began to establish Thesz as the benchmark star in the wrestling business? What about the formation of the NWA in the late 40's which actually organized a multitude of wrestling promoters for the first time to such an extent and that changed the course of pro wrestling? Would the Great Moolah winning her title in the mid 50's that she seemingly held forever make the list especially as it relates to Moolah's gender? What about Bruno Sammartino beating Buddy Rogers to become the WWWF Champion in 1963? That's a significant milestone in my book. The start of Bob Backlund's long title reign has to be on the list too. So does Ric Flair's first NWA Title victory. Hulk Hogan beating the Iron Sheik which started Hulkamania which was a boom for the entire business is a lay up. Ted Turner putting Georgia Championship Wrestling on Super Station TBS was a milestone. Hell, the WWE going national which signaled the end for many local promotions has to be one of the most significant moments in wrestling history. The Monday Night Wars was a highlight in the history of the biz as was WCW going out of business with a whimper after roaring through the late 90's. The Austin era could certainly be considered significant as it lead the "Attitude Era" of wrestling away from kids and more toward young, adult men. And on and on. This is one topic that we could debate and discuss for hours, perhaps even days. This subject should make for a great TV show but I think it will be challenging to do it justice in a one hour broadcast. I am a fan of WWE 24/7 as many of you know and think it is the best bang for one's wrestling buck out there today. I have some friends who have seen advance copies of "Get Smart" and have raved about it. I was a quick behind the scenes look at the making of "Get Smart" and it looked like a hit to me. Dwayne Johnson has always had a great sense of humor and working with Steve Carell should really allow Dwayne's comic abilities shine. While in the WWE "The Great One' was one of the funniest guys behind the scenes on the roster and his quick wit was one of the things that appealed to yours truly when we signed him to his first WWE contract. Plus the fact that he was an athletic freak of nature and had natural timing did not hurt things either. I have enjoyed re-living many of the memories "The Rock" made in the WWE on his new DVD but I am not going to miss "Get Smart" which allows me to go to the movies with the Mrs. and not have to see a "chick flick". BTW, Dwayne wrote the foreword for Bruno Lauer's new book, "Wrestling with the Truth" which was a classy thing to do. A friend of mine sent me a link to a website where a fan, I assume, stated that if there was no Hogan that there would be no J.R. Boy is my late father going to be pissed. Speaking of the beleaguered Hogan's....I have great empathy for the entire and unfortunate situation especially for the young man who was so severely injured in the car crash but for the media to bring Hulk's divorce and personal life into this tragedy seems like piling on to me. I still think Hogan got bad advice going on the "Larry King Show" last week but that's just one man's opinion. I certainly would suggest that Hulk lay low and let the process play out but the same can be said for the media that wants to exploit all aspects of the Hogan family. O.K., I got it....there is no "the" in Ring of Honor. My mistake. I would like to blame The Mike Adamle for the over use of the word "the" but it's simply my mistake. Apparently the WWE grossed approximately $5M on their recent tour of New Zealand and Australia. I still remain steadfast in my belief that the New York Giants talented, big time tight end Jeremy Shockey, from Ada, Oklahoma still wants out of New York just as I mentioned here many weeks ago. I thought the G-Men would have traded Shockey by now especially after his latest shouting match with Giants G.M. Jerry Reece. Sounds like the fiery Shockey is trying to move his exit along. It will be shocking if Giants head coach Tom Coughlin, an old school guy, allows this matter to fester especially with his team being the defending Super Bowl Champions. Just as in wrestling, if a guy doesn't want to be on the team, work out the best deal you can and help him move on and eliminate the chance for any distractions. In wrestling, "dressing room lawyers" are a pain in the arse and need to practice their occupation elsewhere. Congrats to old acquaintance Doc Rivers for leading his Celtics to the NBA Title by essentially winning the equivalent of two straight falls in a two our out of three fall match. I am especially pleased for Kevin Garnett who toiled tirelessly for the Minnesota Timberwolves in Garnett's most youthful and productive years without great success. KG now gets his title and can join many of his contemporaries in the Promised Land of NBA Champions. I recall meeting Ray Allen one Monday night in Toronto at a Raw many years ago and he was a class act too and the dude can shoot those 3's. Nice guy. Is it true that the WWE's Ashley recently got a body tattoo of a dragon that covers her ribs and abdomen? Why? O.K., I admit I am out of touch on many of today's hip trends, and yes my grammar isn't always to some people's liking, etc, but a giant tattoo of a dragon on one's ribs and abdomen? I need some help with this particular act of freedom of expression. Bottom line, I suppose, if Ashley is happy I should be too. I am becoming a great fan of the UFC and MMA in general as you might have gathered if you read this blog regularly. Look for the UFC to begin to make significant inroads in marketing and international growth as time goes on and this will happen much sooner than later. Some of the monies I have heard that the Affliction folks are paying their fighters is extraordinarily high, to be kind, but I am all for fighters/wrestlers, whomever making all the money they can. However if the numbers I have read are accurate then Affliction is going to be operating at a significant deficit for the foreseeable future which might be their strategy. Nonetheless there is no organization that is even close to the UFC in public perception which reaffirms my thoughts that UFC officials would be much better off continuing to improve their product and letting the other groups mismanage their way to obscurity. It is all about building stars and building a brand identity and that, whether it be MMA or pro wrestling, isn't going to change. Much like watching CBS's coverage of Elite XC, the brand Elite XC got less mentions or so it seemed than CBS which isn't in the MMA business....yet. Elite XC missed some opportunities to build their brand on CBS which is certainly not say that I did not enjoy their presentation because I did. With a three hour Raw on tap Monday in San Antonio, one of America's great cities, I expect major movement among the top stars on the three WWE brands. I can't see how the WWE could make the desired impact to what is hoped to be a huge TV audience and not really shake things up. Non main event stars won't make the impact that I suspect the WWE is seeking. It would be interesting to know the draft format but perhaps that is part of the mystique. USA Network is expecting big things Monday night and that seems to mean that some of the WWE's biggest names will get new addresses. This is purely personal speculation as I would be willing to beat a bottle, hell a case, of J.R.'s BBQ Sauce that this matter will be discussed internally all the way up to show time of 8/7central or close to it. It should be an interesting night plus there is no reason we should not see some big time wrestling bouts with every WWE wrestler required to be in attendance. Thanks for your business in our store and let the sauce flow. Plus, check out our specials on J.R.'s Beef Jerky. Gracious. Boomer Sooner! J.R.