JR: SmackDown This (March 6, 2009) - Full Blog

[John]

As soon as I stepped out of Bradley Airport Monday evening near Hartford, Conn., I realized why I missed living in the Nutmeg State so much when I saw a foot of snow and felt the 14 degree weather. Today, as I write yet another award-winning, stimulating blog, it is 80 degrees in Norman, Okla., but somehow we will suffer through it and endure another day “Down South.”

Love going to the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino where this Friday Night SmackDown will emanate from on MyNetworkTV starring “MYTazz,” but for anyone who doesn’t think that the economy doesn’t affect all areas of our society, think again. The beautiful casino in Uncasville was somewhat desolate until the WWE Universe packed the arena there for the Tuesday night double-header TV taping.

Many younger readers might not fully understand the challenges facing their parents, etc due to the economy that the Republicans blame on the Democrats and the Democrats blame on the Republicans with neither group of professional politicians seemingly willing to want to work together for fear one party might get more credit than the other. Sounds like “politics” in the old territory days in wrestling but that’s a chapter for a book some day.

From what I am told, only a handful of WrestleMania tickets are still available for the biggest event of the year down in Houston on Sunday, April 5. The remaining tickets start at $40, which is a tremendous value in today’s marketplace. Even fewer tickets remain for the WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony the night before WrestleMania, which will feature “Stone Cold” Steve Austin among many, many legends including my mentor, “Cowboy” Bill Watts.

Watts was a freak of a big athlete in his day and was bench-pressing 500 pounds in the ’60s when it certainly wasn’t fashionable. Watts had to actually pull weight to play on the Oklahoma University football team under the legendary coach Bud Wilkinson as Bud did not want any of his linemen to weight more than 225 pounds in the late ’50s. Watts wrestled more years than not around 285-300 pounds and headlined wrestling territories all over North America. Watts was a true student of the business and his business acumen helped him discover and provide breaks to some of wrestling’s biggest and most prominent names. I hope I can do him justice when inducting him at the 2009 HOF Ceremony. Bill was also a great addition to the Legends Roundtable panel recently when we talked about African American athletes in WWE and for the upcoming Roundtable about Texas Wrestling. WWE 24/7 On Demand is still, for my money, the best TV wrestling investment out there.

BTW the legendary Wahoo McDaniel, a former football teammate of Watts at OU, was the man who got Bill into the squared circle, as Watts was looking to make a career for himself in pro football.

Friday Night SmackDown features a contract signing for the World Title Bout to be held at WrestleMania between Edge and No. 1 contender Big Show. Most contract signings, like situations featuring pies and cakes, don’t end as planned and Friday night likely won’t be any different.

[JohnCenaFan28]

Thanks for this.