JR: Morrison-Kidd Match, DX's Upcoming Book, Shaq-RAW and More

It surprised me that two Smackdown bouts closed the show Sunday in Philly but both bouts seemed to have delivered the goods.

Congrats to Jeff Hardy for winning, as accurately predicted here, the World Title Sunday against C.M. Punk. I thought these two men had a really intense, physical match and on that given night Hardy just seem to want it just a little more. Punk is a very physical competitor and many wrestlers say that Punk's kicks are among the most challenging that they have endured. The Jeff-Punk issue is far from concluded I assure you.

Dolph Ziggler is going to be a future champion without question and he seemed to have left his bout with Rey Mysterio better than when Ziggler entered the IC Title bout. Ziggler teams with Mike "Fort" Knox Friday night on Smackdown on MyNetworkTV against Mysterio and Finlay which turned out to be a really solid, tag team bout.

Mike Knox is another "up and comer" and can be a viable commodity for the Friday night brand with hard work and some good fortune. Men of Knox's size and athleticism can't be replicated or manufactured and Knox's Bruiser Brody like approach to his vocation can become viable in the days ahead.

Honestly, Friday Night Smackdown, starring Todd Grisham, really seems to have the most potential WWE Superstars than any of the three WWE brands. Yes, I am biased.

John Morrison certainly is at or near the top of that list and Morrison's bout Thursday night on WGN America's WWE
Superstars along with his challenge to Jeff Hardy for the World Title feature two outstanding outings from the "Shaman."

Morrison obviously can fly with the best of them but never underestimate Morrison's core strength and, more importantly, John Morrison's physical toughness.

John Morrison will be the World's Champion some day if I know a wrist-lock from a wristwatch of which many would argue.

Cryme Tyme's time seems to be drawing near for the duo to move up in the pecking order. No magic wand can be waved to make any one or any team have success and it all starts with working hard and working smart with a little good fortune thrown in for good measure. JTG and Shad are somewhat unorthodox but their fundamental skills are noticeably improving and the athletic abilities are there without question. The conundrum here is, how much better will they push themselves to become which can be said of any athlete or performer on any stage.

Tyson Kidd's stock rose in my eyes with his performance Thursday night on WWE Superstars in Kidd's bout against John Morrison which was a two segment main event level bout. I've sung Morrison's praises many times but one should never underestimate the abilities of Tyson Kidd who is going to continue to improve and to create more, unique in-ring maneuvers.

Tyson Kidd vs. Rey Mysterio some day is a match that I would love to see.

Yes, I did mention the legendary Mildred Burke on the PPV broadcast Sunday. Most fans likely never heard of Mildred Burke but those that have "got it." Every one can't be "hip and cool," I'm not for the record, but I like to think that the heritage of the business is important to keep alive. That's one reason that I love my time enjoying WWEClassics.com. Mildred Burke, June Byers, and Elvira Snodgrass were all hugely famous women who just happened to be wrestlers back in the day and are all worth a Google search. A new book on Burke called "Queen of the Mat" is going to be released soon. There was a period in time where some of the aforementioned ladies out drew and out earned the vast majority of their male counterparts.

Shaquille O'Neal had a great time Monday in D.C. on Raw, starring Michael Cole (A good sport) and featuring Jerry Lawler as "The King." Shaq was as friendly to the crew just as much as the big fella was with the Superstars which is the mark of a true, cool dude. I was really impressed with how lean Shaq looked as it was obvious to me that the new Cleveland Cavalier is already preparing for his first NBA season with LeBron James.

I'm sure that Cavs officials held their collective breath Monday night when Shaq-Zilla entered the ring to face off with the Big Show. O'Neal put himself in a jackpot when he entered the ring the face off with the "World Largest Athlete" and a misstep could have easily injured one of the NBA's biggest stars.

Yours truly exchanged messages with HBK recently and he is feeling good and has enjoyed spending a much needed summer with family and allowing his veteran body to recover from the affects of a long, successful career and, specifically, the epic encounter Shawn had vs. the Undertaker at WM25.

HBK and HHH have been working on a DX book that I was asked to make a few, minor contributions. I "think" the book comes out this fall.

I'm sure that HBK hasn't missed the travel that comes with a WWE schedule. I dread virtually every trip I make to an airport these days that include slow, security lines, uninformed travelers who think that they can intimidate TSA personnel, older women who don't want to take their shoes off and expose their "bunions," travelers who never heard the term "quart sized plastic bags, and airlines that are rarely on time.

Any one who could possibly enjoy traveling approximately 50 weeks a year is "Pet Coon Goofy." Not even pilots and flight attendants endure that torture.

We have some really cool merchandise and sauce offers available right now in our on line store at WWW.jrsbarbq.com that I cordially invite you to check out.

Our site also features some classic Q&A's that I think you will enjoy reading and feel free to send a question or comment to us there as well.

Raw earned a huge rating, apparently thanks to the appearance of Shaquille O'Neal Monday night. The WWE's top TV priority had over 5 million viewers which is a significant milestone in today's fragmented, TV world. ESPN, the holy grail of sports reporting, just ask 'em, really had a field day with all their coverage of Shaq's night on an entertainment, not a sports, show.

It was fun for me to be at the Raw event Monday night even though, as Todd Grisham's side kick, we only taped one bout for WWE Superstars but it was a heck of a bout between John Morrison and Tyson Kidd that rivals any bout on WWE TV all week. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

The King, as in Jerry Lawler, and I narrated some never before seen Hulk Hogan bouts, BROTHER, Sunday afternoon before Night of Champions. One was from April 1980 in the Philadelphia Spectrum vs. WWE Champion Bob Backlund in a bout that went approximately 30 minutes, another 1980 bout from MSG vs. Andre the Giant with Gorilla Monsoon as the special referee along with Classy Freddie Blassie managing Hogan and finally a bout from 1987 from Houston on the special night for Houston promoter Paul Boesch as Hulk defended the WWE title against Kamala. The King relays some personal grooming tips that he learned from the Hulkster which fans will find amusing and unique. These never before televised bouts are for a Hogan DVD I assume.

I do know that the Fink and more of his hair are prominetly on display during the MSG, Hogan/Andre bout back in '80.

My pal Stocky Balboa will be happy to know that I enjoyed a Tony Luke's Philly Cheese Steak Sunday while in the City of Brotherly Love. Tony Luke's is near the old, ECW arena and was a stable of the ECW crew back in the day. I was first introduced to the eatery by an angry man who knew where to score a heck of a sandwich.

Looking ahead, I have been working on travel in November to be able to get from Lincoln, Nebraska to Sheffield, England and have actually worked it out. You see, Oklahoma plays college football at Nebraska that weekend and I'm not missing any OU games come hell or high water. With a little extra effort on my part, all will work out well. It's from Lincoln with a drive to Omaha and then a flight to Chicago connecting to a flight to Manchester and a car ride to Sheffield. That trip will be sweeter than J.R.'s Original BBQ Sauce.

My thanks to all of you that have made this blog one of the most read features on all WWE.com and if I ever break down and purchase that much needed laptop or perhaps even one of those high fangled, Netbooks, I will blog more often as writing is fun and a nice creative release.

Be well and thanks, again, for stopping by. Check by often as one never knows when I might get the urge to blog again or just to "vent."

Count your blessings and order more J.R.'s products!

Boomer Sooner!