Black Widow
07-13-2008, 11:09 AM
My long time broadcast partner, Jerry Lawler, and I will be appearing at an autograph/photo op appearance on Saturday July 19 from 4-6 p.m. at Franklin Square on Long Island the night before the Great American Bash. The King and I have only done a couple of these types of appearances in our long tenure together and I hope if you are in the neighborhood that you will stop by and say hello.
I read where the John Cena-JBL bout for the Bash will now be held, apparently, in a parking lot outside the arena with street fight type rules. These bouts are extremely dangerous not to mention that they have the propensity of taking the live audience out of the mix because the fight is being held in another locale. I remember years ago that Finlay fought William Regal in a similar environment that proved to be entertaining and I wish the same good fortune for Cena and JBL. JBL might be one of the very few wrestlers on the WWE roster that will motivate the fans to boo the transplanted Texas and Mamajuana.com maven more than many fans, especially in the northeast, will boo John Cena. I stand by what I have written before, you pay your money so you should boo or cheer who in the hell you want.
Speaking of the Bash from the sold out Nassau Coliseum, a great, classic arena for wrestling, I would be shocked to see any thing but HHH vs. Edge for the WWE Title close the show. Yeah, I know that I’m not unbiased, but I would love to call the match that closes the Great American Bash for old times sake not to mention to kick some ass and to massage my massive ego. :)
This week in 1987 Dr. Death Steve Williams won the UWF Title from Big Bubba Rogers aka The Big Bossman. The UWF had 4 champions in its history, Doc, Bubba/Bossman, the One Man Gang, and Freebird Terry Gordy. In this era, in the mid 80’s, one would be hard pressed to find 4 better, badder and more talented big men than the aforementioned individuals. Doc was the toughest wrestlers I ever encountered and with his credentials as being a legit 4 time NCAA wrestling All American it is hard to argue that Steve Williams, who had a bonafide mean steak to go along with his amateur skills, was, at one time, in a club with not that many members. I saw Bossman have some really good matches in the WWE but I honestly feel the late Ray Traylor did his best work in the NWA/UWF. A helluva athletic big man who had natural timing and never seemed to have the same intensity, in my opinion, when he got to the WWE at least on a regular basis. The late Ernie Ladd brought OMG to work for Bill Watts’ Mid South Wrestling which evolved into the UWF. Just prior to coming to the Mid South, Gang was known as "Crusher Broomfield" and the South Carolina native was a legit 6′8" or so and tipped the Toledos at around 350-400 lbs in his prime. I used to kid Gang behind the scenes and call him the "Biggest Game Cock of ‘Em All" referring to his South Carolina heritage. Gang was a hard working, loyal and talented guy who had a really good sense of humor and who, like yours truly, learned a great deal from General Scandar Akbar. Terry Gordy was simply the best teen age pro wrestler I ever saw in my life and if he did not have to deal with so many of his personally created demons there is no doubt in my mind that Terry Gordy would have been a historic, NWA Champion and even more widely considered as one of the best in ring competitors of all time. For pure work inside the ring, Gordy would have to be in my personal top ten.
I wonder how many rookie wrestlers watch old DVDs of these men, among so many others, simply to process the in-ring psychology? My instincts say not enough but would rather invest their free time in hitting the bars, partying, and acting like it’s their first "spring break".
People say that the Florida Championship Wrestling facility located in Tampa on Dale Mabry is a true showplace. When I visited there I was supremely impressed. The group of talents that pass thru these walls should feel very fortunate to be there with the potential opportunities that exist for those that learn their craft and prepare, inside and outside the ring, for success. This is an area that all wrestling fans should pay attention to as this is where many of the superstars of tomorrow are going to be developed. In my opinion there is more pressure on the coaches and administrators of FCW than there is on the individuals that are putting matches together for any major pay per view.
Vickie Guerrero has offered to provide Mrs. J.R. and I with some of her late husband Eddie’s wrestling gear for us to frame and display in our J.R.’s Family BBQ Restaurants. I can’t tell you how proud we are of that development.
The countdown is on until we open store #2 at exit 116 on the west side of I-35 in Moore, Oklahoma. My buddies who I had a friendly conversation with, as always, at Louie’s Westside in Norman this week are all as excited as we are about opening our second place almost one year to the day after we opened our first one. Many have said that I did not make a real bright move when I left WWE corporate a few years ago with all the benefits and rewards I had earned there but I would not trade my ever growing list of pals here in Oklahoma for all the executive perks one can name. The corporate world suits some people well and I say more power to them but at this stage of my life what we are doing suits us best. One cannot put a value on friends, good neighbors, quality of life and, of course, family when comparing it to one’s executive package, etc. For the record, the new J.R.’s opens Wednesday July 16 at 11 a.m. I hope to see many of you there.
This week’s wrestling pet peeve: wrestlers who compete while wearing jewelry. This includes those "still on the honeymoon period" newlyweds who tape over their wedding bands. Maybe I have missed it and I could be wrong but I don’t recall seeing any NFL or UFC athletes wearing their wedding bands while doing their work. Bling in the form of necklaces have got to go, too. I remember once having to convince a wrestler not to wear his wristwatch in the ring even though it made his wife happy as the time piece was a gift. As time came to pass it worked out that if he had stopped seeing his mistress that he would have made his wife even happier.
I am still diligent in not reading the World Series of Poker spoilers from the on going tourney out in Vegas. I like surprises and to not be preconditioned. Case in point, I read where someone said that the Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin Friday Night Smackdown bout was a series of missed moves and that the match was not good. That simply was not the match that I saw but this person made the comment based on reading the spoilers.
We will soon be getting some really cool, authentic DX apparel from HHH and HBK to frame and display in our BBQ places which add even more unique and one of a kind memorabilia to our place. I really appreciate the respect that we are shown by so many athletes by their contributing "swag" to our eateries. When many of the WWE Superstars visited our new place after Monday Night Raw in OKC for a private function and they were blown away by all the memorabilia we have collected over the years including all the sports memorabilia, my Mickey Mantle and John Wayne pieces, etc. Of course, we are known for our great food and service but the atmosphere helps contribute to a fun experience too.
One of our coolest, newest additions to our memorabilia is one of the Undertaker’s black hats of which there has only been like 2-3 since he started wearing them years ago. In 34 years, I have never met a wrestler who has earned the respect of more of his peers than The Undertaker. Plus "The Deadman" is a big time fan of our 97% fat free J.R.’s Beef Jerky which we now have specially priced.
Internet Message Boards often times suck. I stopped reading them largely because I felt embarrassed that some people who call themselves real wrestling fans often times use excessive profanity, take the low road, hide behind phony names to make smart ass remarks and nothing any one can write is ever good enough. Like I have said, if people don’t enjoy reading our blogs, then don’t read them. How simple is that? Nonetheless, a message board person has stooped to a new low. A Nebraska football fan who works at the University of Texas IT Department in Austin by the name of James Conradt wrote a phony story stating that two Oklahoma quarterbacks were arrested for heading a cocaine ring. First of all I have been taught all my life that Nebraska football are class acts and this idiot’s actions don’t change my opinion of the ‘Huskers. Nebraska is a first class program with wonderful fans but Conradt isn’t one of them. Then, ironically, we find out this dude works at rival University of Texas which I look at as more of a coincidence than anything. UT would not condone this sort of behavior as they, too, run a first class operation even though they are my favorite team’s arch college football rival. Point being is that perhaps people should be a little smarter with what they anonymously write in their never ending search to find coolness and defiance. That or we all should stop supporting message boards in general.
We are soon going to have a new line of T shirts and caps representing our BBQ ventures with the majority of the shirts and caps retailing for under $10. Also, for the holidays we plan on having some big time specials for your gift giving needs. Stay tuned as our new site will be up and rolling soon. I know, you’ll believe it when you see it and I can’t blame you. We are also anxious to re-start our Q&A’s Sooner than later.
Finally we received an amazing review for our Norman restaurant in the July 2 edition of the Oklahoma Gazette from a native of Kansas City, a BBQ mecca, who has been in Oklahoma for over 20 "searching for great BBQ in the Sooner state". We will soon be posting this review on this site as we are damn proud of it. The food critic loved our Hall of Fame Ribs, which are awesome, the slow smoked, sliced beef brisket, and our hickory smoked turkey breast. I am really thankful for this review, happy he caught us on a regular day as every restaurant can have an off day plus some guests simply live to bitch and can’t be made happy no matter where they eat. That just goes with the territory as our theory is that "the customer is always right"….even when they aren’t. :)
Boomer Sooner!!
J.R.
I read where the John Cena-JBL bout for the Bash will now be held, apparently, in a parking lot outside the arena with street fight type rules. These bouts are extremely dangerous not to mention that they have the propensity of taking the live audience out of the mix because the fight is being held in another locale. I remember years ago that Finlay fought William Regal in a similar environment that proved to be entertaining and I wish the same good fortune for Cena and JBL. JBL might be one of the very few wrestlers on the WWE roster that will motivate the fans to boo the transplanted Texas and Mamajuana.com maven more than many fans, especially in the northeast, will boo John Cena. I stand by what I have written before, you pay your money so you should boo or cheer who in the hell you want.
Speaking of the Bash from the sold out Nassau Coliseum, a great, classic arena for wrestling, I would be shocked to see any thing but HHH vs. Edge for the WWE Title close the show. Yeah, I know that I’m not unbiased, but I would love to call the match that closes the Great American Bash for old times sake not to mention to kick some ass and to massage my massive ego. :)
This week in 1987 Dr. Death Steve Williams won the UWF Title from Big Bubba Rogers aka The Big Bossman. The UWF had 4 champions in its history, Doc, Bubba/Bossman, the One Man Gang, and Freebird Terry Gordy. In this era, in the mid 80’s, one would be hard pressed to find 4 better, badder and more talented big men than the aforementioned individuals. Doc was the toughest wrestlers I ever encountered and with his credentials as being a legit 4 time NCAA wrestling All American it is hard to argue that Steve Williams, who had a bonafide mean steak to go along with his amateur skills, was, at one time, in a club with not that many members. I saw Bossman have some really good matches in the WWE but I honestly feel the late Ray Traylor did his best work in the NWA/UWF. A helluva athletic big man who had natural timing and never seemed to have the same intensity, in my opinion, when he got to the WWE at least on a regular basis. The late Ernie Ladd brought OMG to work for Bill Watts’ Mid South Wrestling which evolved into the UWF. Just prior to coming to the Mid South, Gang was known as "Crusher Broomfield" and the South Carolina native was a legit 6′8" or so and tipped the Toledos at around 350-400 lbs in his prime. I used to kid Gang behind the scenes and call him the "Biggest Game Cock of ‘Em All" referring to his South Carolina heritage. Gang was a hard working, loyal and talented guy who had a really good sense of humor and who, like yours truly, learned a great deal from General Scandar Akbar. Terry Gordy was simply the best teen age pro wrestler I ever saw in my life and if he did not have to deal with so many of his personally created demons there is no doubt in my mind that Terry Gordy would have been a historic, NWA Champion and even more widely considered as one of the best in ring competitors of all time. For pure work inside the ring, Gordy would have to be in my personal top ten.
I wonder how many rookie wrestlers watch old DVDs of these men, among so many others, simply to process the in-ring psychology? My instincts say not enough but would rather invest their free time in hitting the bars, partying, and acting like it’s their first "spring break".
People say that the Florida Championship Wrestling facility located in Tampa on Dale Mabry is a true showplace. When I visited there I was supremely impressed. The group of talents that pass thru these walls should feel very fortunate to be there with the potential opportunities that exist for those that learn their craft and prepare, inside and outside the ring, for success. This is an area that all wrestling fans should pay attention to as this is where many of the superstars of tomorrow are going to be developed. In my opinion there is more pressure on the coaches and administrators of FCW than there is on the individuals that are putting matches together for any major pay per view.
Vickie Guerrero has offered to provide Mrs. J.R. and I with some of her late husband Eddie’s wrestling gear for us to frame and display in our J.R.’s Family BBQ Restaurants. I can’t tell you how proud we are of that development.
The countdown is on until we open store #2 at exit 116 on the west side of I-35 in Moore, Oklahoma. My buddies who I had a friendly conversation with, as always, at Louie’s Westside in Norman this week are all as excited as we are about opening our second place almost one year to the day after we opened our first one. Many have said that I did not make a real bright move when I left WWE corporate a few years ago with all the benefits and rewards I had earned there but I would not trade my ever growing list of pals here in Oklahoma for all the executive perks one can name. The corporate world suits some people well and I say more power to them but at this stage of my life what we are doing suits us best. One cannot put a value on friends, good neighbors, quality of life and, of course, family when comparing it to one’s executive package, etc. For the record, the new J.R.’s opens Wednesday July 16 at 11 a.m. I hope to see many of you there.
This week’s wrestling pet peeve: wrestlers who compete while wearing jewelry. This includes those "still on the honeymoon period" newlyweds who tape over their wedding bands. Maybe I have missed it and I could be wrong but I don’t recall seeing any NFL or UFC athletes wearing their wedding bands while doing their work. Bling in the form of necklaces have got to go, too. I remember once having to convince a wrestler not to wear his wristwatch in the ring even though it made his wife happy as the time piece was a gift. As time came to pass it worked out that if he had stopped seeing his mistress that he would have made his wife even happier.
I am still diligent in not reading the World Series of Poker spoilers from the on going tourney out in Vegas. I like surprises and to not be preconditioned. Case in point, I read where someone said that the Matt Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin Friday Night Smackdown bout was a series of missed moves and that the match was not good. That simply was not the match that I saw but this person made the comment based on reading the spoilers.
We will soon be getting some really cool, authentic DX apparel from HHH and HBK to frame and display in our BBQ places which add even more unique and one of a kind memorabilia to our place. I really appreciate the respect that we are shown by so many athletes by their contributing "swag" to our eateries. When many of the WWE Superstars visited our new place after Monday Night Raw in OKC for a private function and they were blown away by all the memorabilia we have collected over the years including all the sports memorabilia, my Mickey Mantle and John Wayne pieces, etc. Of course, we are known for our great food and service but the atmosphere helps contribute to a fun experience too.
One of our coolest, newest additions to our memorabilia is one of the Undertaker’s black hats of which there has only been like 2-3 since he started wearing them years ago. In 34 years, I have never met a wrestler who has earned the respect of more of his peers than The Undertaker. Plus "The Deadman" is a big time fan of our 97% fat free J.R.’s Beef Jerky which we now have specially priced.
Internet Message Boards often times suck. I stopped reading them largely because I felt embarrassed that some people who call themselves real wrestling fans often times use excessive profanity, take the low road, hide behind phony names to make smart ass remarks and nothing any one can write is ever good enough. Like I have said, if people don’t enjoy reading our blogs, then don’t read them. How simple is that? Nonetheless, a message board person has stooped to a new low. A Nebraska football fan who works at the University of Texas IT Department in Austin by the name of James Conradt wrote a phony story stating that two Oklahoma quarterbacks were arrested for heading a cocaine ring. First of all I have been taught all my life that Nebraska football are class acts and this idiot’s actions don’t change my opinion of the ‘Huskers. Nebraska is a first class program with wonderful fans but Conradt isn’t one of them. Then, ironically, we find out this dude works at rival University of Texas which I look at as more of a coincidence than anything. UT would not condone this sort of behavior as they, too, run a first class operation even though they are my favorite team’s arch college football rival. Point being is that perhaps people should be a little smarter with what they anonymously write in their never ending search to find coolness and defiance. That or we all should stop supporting message boards in general.
We are soon going to have a new line of T shirts and caps representing our BBQ ventures with the majority of the shirts and caps retailing for under $10. Also, for the holidays we plan on having some big time specials for your gift giving needs. Stay tuned as our new site will be up and rolling soon. I know, you’ll believe it when you see it and I can’t blame you. We are also anxious to re-start our Q&A’s Sooner than later.
Finally we received an amazing review for our Norman restaurant in the July 2 edition of the Oklahoma Gazette from a native of Kansas City, a BBQ mecca, who has been in Oklahoma for over 20 "searching for great BBQ in the Sooner state". We will soon be posting this review on this site as we are damn proud of it. The food critic loved our Hall of Fame Ribs, which are awesome, the slow smoked, sliced beef brisket, and our hickory smoked turkey breast. I am really thankful for this review, happy he caught us on a regular day as every restaurant can have an off day plus some guests simply live to bitch and can’t be made happy no matter where they eat. That just goes with the territory as our theory is that "the customer is always right"….even when they aren’t. :)
Boomer Sooner!!
J.R.