Friday Night Smackdown was a really fun show to tape Tuesday night in the Tulsa Convention Center and brought back some really great memories of yesteryear. My first time to ever step foot in a wrestling ring was in that arena to referee a 10 minute time limit draw between Mike George and Treach Phillips around 1974. Because Tulsa is finishing a new arena, the BOK Arena, next door to the Convention Center that will seat approximately 16-18,000 when it opens this fall, Tuesday night’s SD taping was likely the last wrestling event ever in the old home of the UWF. Too bad the "Big Cowboy" wasn’t there but Bill Watts is not a big fan of wrestling these days and Bill not attending Tuesday night did not surprise me.
One a side note, I mistakenly walked into a storage closet which I mistook for a make shift office that was one door over and I remembered "busting" a well known wrestler smoking pot in that room well over 20 years ago. My how times have changed. There was not "Dr. Black" back in the day….unfortunately.
If you listen to the commentary Friday night with Mick Foley and me, you just might mine some interesting nuggets out of the show which very well could bring a smile to your face. Mick and I are working diligently to improve our commentary and we remain steadfast with our goal of becoming the best broadcast duo on any WWE TV program. One of my mentors, the late, WWE HOF’er Gorilla Monsoon used to tell people not to break their arms patting themselves on their back and I don’t want to do that but I am confident that our mission statement will come to pass much "Sooner" than expected. (more…)
As I write this I am preparing to drive from Norman to Tulsa, a two hour drive, to broadcast Friday Night Smackdown for air this Friday night. This will be my first broadcast in the Tulsa Civic Center in over 20 years since the UWF days of Cowboy Bill Watts. I have great memories of that period of my professional life highlighted by Steve "Dr. Death" Williams ascension to becoming UWF Champion and having epic and physical battles with Big Bubba Rogers aka The Big Bossman and the One Man Gang. I wonder how many guys in the business today could or would hold up to the physicality that Watts demanded back in the day. I have a feeling that some "superstars" would fold their tents and head to the house with "injuries" because few men can or feel motivated to maintain the physical style of wrestling that Watts demanded on a regular basis.
This will be my second Smackdown with my new color analyst Mick Foley and we should be better than we were last week which I did not think was a bad effort. Developing chemistry takes time and I know without fail we will arrive at that desired destination as it is just a matter of when not if. (more…)
We have finalized the date for J.R.’s #2 to open at the 19th street exit off I-35 in Moore, Oklahoma to be Monday July 14. Luckily for me I will be able to be there with the Smackdown tapings being on Tuesdays. Now that I don’t go out of town every Sunday, my football season, as far as traveling to away Sooner games and watching the NFL on Sundays at one of our restaurants, is not only possible but will happen.
I’ve been reading about recent NWA news and it is hard for me to relate to today’s NWA even remotely resembling the original version and that is said with no offense to those who are diligently working with today’s organization. With out all the great territories who had weekly, first run TV shows in syndication that usually garnered great ratings featuring some of the biz’s biggest stars, it just "feels" like an indy organization with a famous name. I am a big proponent of all wrestling doing well including the hard working folks at Ring of Honor but there will never be another true NWA, Mid South, Georgia Championship Wrestling, World Class, etc due to the financial make up of today’s business which cable TV has enabled for one or two (that’s being optimistic) wrestling companies to earn money and stay a float. (more…)
It is always good to visit Texas for yours truly as it’s one of the closer road trips I have to take living here in Norman, Oklahoma. San Antonio is an awesome city and the WWE HQ hotel there was the Hyatt on the River Walk which was a superb locale. Plus, the Hyatt wasn’t under renovation, which broke a recent string of several hotels we have stayed in that were "under construction to better serve you".
Of course, the Annual WWE Draft spawned several sensational, Internet stories and conspiracy theories about why people were drafted to particular brands, etc.
I have read that I knew that I was leaving Monday Night Raw prior to the draft. Wrong. I had no clue as to the move….had no travel booked to go to Houston, including no hotel room there booked prior to Tuesday nor did I take an extra suit to wear Tuesday night as I thought I was coming home, as usual. Thanks to Southwest Airlines I made it to Houston by the middle of the afternoon and then had to go purchase a new suit. After seeing about a zillion TV commercials where GeorgeZimmer touts his Men’s Warehouse Stores and how they can help a man out who is in need of emergency apparel, I gave them a try. Men’s Warehouse came through just as they say they will on their ads, which was greatly appreciated. (more…)
Changes in one’s life take some adjusting to especially at my stage of the game. This week I received an unexpected change in my professional address. Within hours of writing an emotional blog, I am positively moving on. I am going to do all I can to make Smackdown the best program the WWE produces. Working side by side with Mick Foley should be fun. It will be entertaining I assure you. Mick is a great friend and a man I greatly respect. The Smackdown roster is loaded with exceptional talent and the WWE wants the brand to grow and I intend to do all that I can in my role to facilitate that growth. (more…)
As many of you know, I was “drafted” to Smackdown Monday night in the “random lottery”. Obviously that means I will be leaving Monday Night Raw and my long time partner Jerry Lawler.
I am not happy about this surprise development.
I also contemplated calling it a career Monday night and not going to Houston to tape SD.
After speaking with my wife and thinking on this matter until 6 a.m. Tuesday morning, I have decided to do the right thing for the fans who care and the talent who care and begin my new assignment. (more…)
The shows that yours truly was a part of on Thursday night are going to likely be as controversial as any ever featured on the Legends Roundtable….that is if they air close to what was actually said during the 3 plus hour taping session.
No holds barred might be a nice way to describe the marathon taping session. But a helluva lot of fun, too. I am not sure when these programs will air on WWE 24/7 but I do strongly suggest you stay tuned. Without question, for my money any way, WWE 24/7 is the best bang for your wrestling buck out there.
I arrived almost an hour late after traveling a total of 12 hours from OKC to LaGuardia Airport in New York City, Mother Nature is undefeated and the airline industry is on the cusp of chaos, so we all went right to work as soon as I walked in the studio. (more…)
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. (more…)
The WWE had an awesome crowd in Salt Lake City, arguably the hottest crowd of the year, for Monday Night Raw. The fans in the arena can make or break a show with their enthusiasm or lack thereof. I’ve always thought when all is said and done that it’s up to the promotion to provide the fans with an exciting product which normally leads to the desired crowd reaction. Plus the WWE not having been to SLC in such a long time did not hurt things either. Great job Salt Lake City and thanks for making being in the E Center Monday night a helluva good time.
I read on the ‘net where someone was wondering why Ric Flair was sweating so profusely Monday night. A..it was 90 degrees in SLC Monday (Naitch wasn’t the only one sweating wearing a suit) and the arena was hotter than hell and B…Flair is a habitual sweater from way back. Remember those old Crockett and TBS days? Nonetheless "Naitch" looked to be in really great physical condition and continues to work out diligently. He indicated to me that he was on the road 19 days last month, which is a busy month of travel, but that he usually gets to be home on the weekends. Ric loves his "Ambassador" role as Ric does exceptionally well at private functions where he can converse with corporate types. There are no plans for Ric to wrestle again but I liked seeing him on Raw even though one can argue that by promoting his appearance that it might have helped increase interest in the broadcast. Hindsight is usually 20/20 and reasonable arguments can be certainly made that the return of the legendary Flair could have been handled with more fanfare and impact. (more…)
My friend Bruno Lauer’s new book, "Wrestling with the Truth", is available now at www.1wrestlinglegends.com and is a book that I certainly would suggest that you check out. I read some of this one while Bruno aka Harvey Whippleman was writing it and it was not only funny as hell but shockingly honest especially for a book written by a wrestler. The last two wrestling books I have read, authored by two Canadians, ironically enough, by Bret Hart and Chris Jericho were both written honestly and no holds barred which I greatly admire. Time will tell but the WWE may have missed the boat on a nice publishing opportunity with Bruno’s book. Who’s to say some enterprising Hollywood type won’t read Lauer’s book and discover that it might make for a viable comedy on TV or the big screen. My congratulations to Bruno for his diligence and hard work putting his wrestling experiences on paper and if you want to read about the business from one who has traveled the roads and experienced every level of success and challenge, then this is the book for you. Again, I don’t make a habit of recommending every book that comes along but not only do I suggest that you buy this one but I am happy to make this suggestion because everyone doesn’t have to be a main event superstar to tell a compelling and true story of their career and provide a unique perspective of the business. Buy the book.
I never inferred that the WWE should make the ROH a developmental territory for you conspiracy theorists who would rather jerk your knees, I’m being family friendly here, and look at your proverbial glasses as half empty. I was simply suggesting that the WWE should consider subsidizing ROH and leaving ROH alone to run their business as they see fit but because ROH is doing such a great job in developing young talent that it makes sense for them to continue to grow. Young wrestlers who master their in ring skills become viable candidates for WWE roster spots which in turn can evolve into big money. (more…)
