J.R. Blogs - 13th August, 2008

As a MMA fan and a customer of UFC PPVs, I recently shared a few thoughts of the Minneapolis event. These were simply my personal thoughts as a fan. Nothing more and nothing less. However, it seems that my long term association with sports entertainment with the WWE is a problem for a handful of vocal MMA devotees. I prefaced my comments that I was not an expert, but simply a fan. Apparently that wasn’t good enough for some. I loved the presentation and look forward to the upcoming Atlanta event. How I referenced B.J. Penn inaccurately can be attributed to attention to detail and writing in the middle of the night. My bad entirely. I still think 2009 is the right time for the Penn vs. St-Pierre fight. Die hards would buy the fight tomorrow, but new fans would benefit from a solid build so that they too could emotionally invest in the matchup. Any one with an ounce of common sense knows that the show biz presentation of pro wrestling knows the distinct difference between MMA and ‘rasslin. Nonetheless, after being a MMA fan since its inception and being around TV production including pro wrestling and football for many decades, a slick television production of any PPV event is an important element of any event with which big money is charged.

Most MMA fans are level headed fans of MMA and other sports but the handful of those that rip a guy because of one’s professional background are near sighted and need to get over themselves. I made a few personal observations/suggestions that I felt had merit largely as it relates to TV production. I also made it clear that I really enjoyed the show not that it seemed to matter to some. To the best of my knowledge, no MMA fan was forced to read my blog which was more intended to invite my core audience to sample MMA if they already had not. Upgraded TV production has zero to do w/ pro wrestling but everything to do with broadcasting. Sorry if I offended anyone but I am still under the impression that the 1st Amendment is still in place and one man’s opinion is just that. I like to write about things that I like including football, pop culture, and, of course Bar-B-Q, and will continue to do so. That includes MMA, which I truly enjoy as a fan...not an expert.

Boomer Sooner!
JR

Yours truly arrived back from Norfolk, Virginia to OKC before noon on Wednesday after watching ECW and taping Friday Night Smackdown. Norfolk is an old Mid Atlantic Wrestling market that was promoted for years by the Crockett Family. GerryBrisco and Thunderbolt Patterson faced Ole and Gene Anderson in the first main event in the Scope in the early 70's.

Todd Grisham and Matt Striker, who Tazz loves to verbally abuse in catering, continue to do a nice job of handling the announcing ECW. I'm am happy for both guys and hope they are having fun. Striker looks to have found his niche. The past two Tuesdays I have found myself sitting at a table with Tazz, Striker,Grisham, and Joe E. Styles helping the ECW duo prep for their show. Tazz and I have also spent ample time preparing for Smackdown and that seems to be working out well at least from my perspective.
But nothing is funnier than listen to Tazz break Striker's stones for no particular reason other than Tazz is an "angry man". Joe E. Styles, WWE.com guru often describes Tazz as a miserable SOB which seems a little heavy but entertaining nonetheless. :) There is never a dull moment on Tuesdays at the TV taping and some of the banter and antics in catering, sort of like the student union, could make an entertaining reality show.
Announcing teams need time to jell and develop chemistry and they also need to be able to stay positive and find their rhythm so that the audience can be entertained and informed.

I have not spoken to Mick Foley in over a week and was hoping I would see him at Summerslam this Sunday but that isn't a certainty. There sure are lots of conspiracy theories about Mick on the 'net these days and it seems that the vast majority of them appear to be uninformed and speculative. I hope to talk to Mick this week and see how things are going because I know at one time he was looking forward to the Hell in a Cell match this Sunday in Indianapolis.

Saw a note on Sunny having a birthday recently which deserves a happy belated B-Day to her. I have always thought that if Sunny was cast in the right role that she could help a TV show because she can talk and she has a history in the WWE. That hasn't happened and I'm not being paid to be creative in that area probably for good reason. I think classic, Sunny pics would do well on WWE.com.

Some one asked me if I was surprised that the Cena-Batista match, which is their first bout in the WWE, was booked for Sunday's Summerslam and not much later after a long build up. I have to say yes as I figured that it might be WM25, for example, before we saw that pairing but nonetheless the match is just days away. I thought Monday's Raw did about as good a job as they could have to build interest in the PPV attraction. Cena seems to be the heavy favorite but I'll take Batista and the "points" if offered.

I was equally surprised to see Jericho vs. Kane on Raw Monday night. Wouldn't one assume that Jericho will show up Sunday at Summerslam to interact in some shape, form or fashion with Shawn Michaels? That's pure speculation on my part but it makes sense if one has been following this saga in recent weeks. I can tell you this, the WWE can ill afford to lose ShawnMichaels from its roster.

Is Mike Adamle's infatuation with the late, President Reagan a little...different? At least that burlap bag mystery has been solved. Or has it?

I reached out to old pal Ric Flair recently but he's been so busy that he hasn't gotten back to me. I can only imagine how many people are trying to reach Ric directly. Someone told me in Norfolk that "Naitch" changed his cell # yet again which would be about the second or third time for that process in the past few weeks. "Naitch" will call me without fail....when I least expect it. Some of his 4 a.m. text messages are classic. If I knew how to print them, they would make a hilarious chapter in a book.

Speaking of the Norfolk Scope, the U.S. title will be featured on Friday Night Smackdown this week and upon doing a little research I discovered that Ric Flair,Bobo Brazil, and Greg Valentine all won U.S. titles in the Scope in the 70's.

I talked to Jerry Lawler after Raw Monday night, which isn't unusual for us, and he is excited about relaunching Memphis Wrestling on, I think, theMyNetwork station down in Memphis. There is no doubt that even with what some would term limited resources that King can produce an entertaining wrestling show for TV but his biggest challenge will be getting indy wrestlers to show up and fulfill their commitments especially once they have embarked on a TV journey. I know King is airing some fresh bouts from some of MichaelO'Brien's wrestling shows which are generally held in the northeast. O'Brien is arguably the best independent promoter of wrestling out there and Jerry does a great deal of work with Michael who is a honest and reliable guy which, as a rule, aren't two words one hears regularly when describing many folks in the biz.

Randy Orton dodged a huge bullet when he was involved in a motor cycle accident this week that will keep him out of action for 3 more months as apparently Randy's re-broke his almost healed collar bone (clavicle). Two points, no three points, firstly and most importantly Randy is alive and can continue to be a husband and a new dad. Secondly, athletes or any one who earns their living with their bodies should use discretion when riding bikes. My suggest would be to NOT ride them until one's career has ended but that certainly may be too old school. The risk/reward facet of riding motor cycles for athletes just seems out of balance and not in a good way. Lastly, consideration should be made to have Orton's shoulder surgically repaired so it heals stronger and faster. Bottom line I am happy that Orton is going to be o.k. but he joins a growing list of talented wrestlers who are now on the injured list.

Regarding my feedback on this site about my observations of the last UFC PPV, many UFC fans liked the feedback a great deal but there was a vocal minority who raised hell that a "wrestling guy" had the Spauldings to express an opinion on their beloved MMA. Damn I love watching MMA fights as well as the next guy but shame on me for being a "wrestling person" with varied interests and an opinion.

We are anxious to hear your feedback regarding our new website. Our Webmaster did a really nice job in over hauling our original site and making the new version more user friendly. If you ave ideas on how to make it more efficient, please let us know. Plus, we will get back in the business of Q&A but please remember that LONG emails will likely not be addressed so keep your questions and comments succinct and to the point. Remember, this site is a work in progress and we need and encourage your feedback. Be sure and check out our new caps and shirts that are retailing for $9.99 in our store. Also in a few days we will have a ton of new photos to put on the site I think you will like.

Be sure and drop by one of our J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q Restaurants if you are in the OKC area and traveling on or near I-35. I try to visit both restaurants multiple times per week beginning usually on Thursdays until I have to leave for WWE television travel in the early part of the week unless it's PPV time. Thanks for dropping by and please tell a friend about our new site.
Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

nice read, thanks.