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Q & A With J. R.

Posted: Jul 1st 2008 By: CMBurnham

There are some things I just won?t pass up in life. And right near the top of that list is a chance to shoot the breeze with Norman?s very own Jim Ross.

Yeah, I know, he?s just a ?wrestling announcer.? But the values he lives by and the things he can teach those willing to learn are just some of the things that make him special. Just because he is known as the wrestling guy does not mean there is not more to the man.

That?s why it pained me to see him look so shaken Monday night after being moved from Raw to SmackDown. At first glance, everyone thought it was a selfish ?woe is me? situation.

But it?s not.

Now the Boneman may not love wrestling the way he used. Gone are the days of taping every TV show, buying every PPV and wrestling with my brothers in the basement. But if the WWE is going to come to OKC, I?m still making the trip.

I had a chance to sit down with J. R. at his restaurant in Norman and pick the brain of the WWE Hall of Famer.

BP: Obviously, last Monday came as a shock to you. Did you know anything about the switch before the show?

JR: I had no idea. I think that?s where people get the wrong idea. It wasn?t that I was mad or upset about going to SmackDown. I compare it to any athlete who has been on one team for so long, and then all the sudden leaves for another team late in his career. Mickey Mantle (one of J. R.?s idols growing up) is and always will be a New York Yankee. How sad was it to see the great Johnny Unitas as a Los Angeles Ram after all those years with the Colts? I was just leaving my comfort zone, leaving home base. And I wasn?t prepared for it.

BP: With the change coming so close to the OKC Raw event, will you still be in attendance?

JR: Definitely. I have a ticket, but I don?t think I?m going to sit in the crowd. I feel that would be too big of a distraction. And I certainly don?t want to do that to Michael Cole (the new Raw announcer). This is not about putting me over as a star, so I?m still going to be there, but I don?t want to play a big role. I may make a cameo appearance. If so, that?s fine. Who knows, maybe this time I won?t get my butt kicked in front of the hometown fans?

BP: How long did it take for you to accept your new role?

JR: My flight to Houston (for the SmackDown tapings) was delayed for two hours because of lightning. That gave me time to think. This is just a new challenge for me. I love challenges, and this is the latest one. A lot of effort has been put in making SmackDown a different show. I?m just a part of that puzzle. You see guys like Jeff Hardy and Triple H making the move and you add that with someone like Edge and all the sudden there is a lot of potential. People think ?oh, they?ll just be traded back.? Well, it hasn?t happened. They wanted to change things up, and they have. Now is my chance to help elevate the show help out the company however I can.

BP: You talk about this being a new challenge, what are some of your goals now?

JR: First and foremost, I want to make myself and Mick Foley (his SmackDown partner) the best broadcasting team in the WWE. It isn?t going to be easy because myself and ?The King? Jerry Lawler ? you know, we had a special kind of chemistry. I feel like I have a lot to offer to Mick and can really help him improve. Well, at least after 35 years in this business, I hope I have a lot to offer him.

BP: I know it?s early in the partnership, but how is Foley different from Lawler. And from what you see, do you think Foley is in this for the long haul?

JR: I love Mick. Mick?s a great guy, and he?s really intelligent. He?ll spend a lot more time preparing because his style is just different than The King?s. Mick will be reading People magazine and trying to stay fresh on everything. I can?t speak for Mick, but I sure feel like he wants to be here for a long time. It keeps him fresh in wrestling fans? minds when they see him once a week. It still gives him plenty of time to write because you know how good a writer he is. I don?t think he is treating this as a part-time thing. He?s showing a lot of dedication. And speaking for both of us, we?re overachievers. I did all I could to get Mick hired back in 1996. I knew that if he didn?t become a major player, at least he would be a great asset to the boys. But I always knew he could become a star. His work ethic is tough to match. When you put two personalities like that together, who really think alike and have the same priorities, there?s no telling what can happen. We?re always striving to get better.

BP: With SmackDown being taped, how is the post-production process going to be for you?

JR: Yeah, we?ve got that all set up now. They?re going to run a DSL cable through my house and have already sent a headset. I?m going to be able to stay home and do everything, so that?s a big bonus.

BP: I always feel weird trying to pitch a story idea to my boss that pertains wrestling. Is it sports, is it entertainment? I know it?s not a new question, but what?s your take on that?

JR: Wrestling is like nothing else in the world. People don?t know if it?s sports or entertainment. But what I know is it attracts a lot of people to the arenas. Millions of people are watching the shows on TV, buying the merchandise. And it really helps out the economy. A lot of money is made when the WWE comes to town. Wrestling is a part of Americana is some shape or form. It?s not up to me to decide where it stands. All I know is I?ve been in this business a long time and have loved it. I have so many great memories that will always be special to me.

With our wrestling discussion in the books, here?s what else is going on with our favorite wrestling announcer, Jim Ross.

BP: You?ve been saying your second J. R.?s Family Bar-B-Q restaurant is going to open sometime soon, what?s the latest?

JR: Our second restaurant is going to open July 14 (Monday). It?s going to be right off the 19th street exit in Moore near the Wal-Mart and Lowe?s.

BP: What can we expect from this second one?

JR: It?s going to be a lot bigger, almost twice the size of our first one. We?re going to have 14 TVs, and those are going to be bigger than the ones we have now. The first restaurant had a real homely-like atmosphere. We don?t want to get away from that, but this is going to be a chance to bring in more people.

BP: One of the many appeals of J. R.?s is the sports memorabilia. Without giving away too much, what are some of the items for display?

JR: My goal, which we?re well on our way to attaining, is to have a signed OU football game jersey from every OU NFL alum. It?s a pretty big task, but it?s going well. I became friends with Brett Favre during his rookie season. He was with the Atlanta Falcons while I was still with the team. At WrestleMania XIV, I received a package, and it turned out to be a signed Favre jersey. That?s something really special.

BP: Last July, the restaurant biz was just a dream. Now you?re onto restaurant No. 2, did you ever think it would take off like this?

JR: No, I had no idea (laughs). I wish I could say I had this vision, but I have to give a lot of credit to my partner, Hal Smith. Hal is a restaurateur. He owns Charleston?s and Louie?s. He knows what he?s doing. I just had a dream, and Hal has made that dream a reality.

BP: Alright, you?re in Norman, going to Moore. What?s next for J. R?s?

JR: We?re definitely exploring our options. We?d like to put a couple in the Oklahoma City area and a couple in Tulsa. From there, we?re really looking at Lawton. Lawton has some really big schools and a military base, it?s a perfect environment. I always say I don?t think Colonel Sanders knew that he would become the face of chicken. I?d love to be the Colonel Sanders of Bar-B-Q.

BP: How successful is the line of JR?s merchandise doing?

JR: That?s doing great. We have a lot of new and creative ideas we?re looking to try to implement. There are a lot of T-shirt designs we?re mulling over.

BP: UFC President Dana White has said he would like to come to Oklahoma City in the next six to 12 months. Your impressions of MMA?

JR: I love MMA, it?s an exploding sport. There?s a lot more structure than what there used to be. I am a major college wrestling fan. And what MMA does is give those kids a chance to still use their skills after college. Not every wrestler wants to go to the Olympics, and of course, not every wrestler can. But with MMA, at least some of their skills can carry over. They have to learn some new skills, but they can still use their grappling abilities.

BP: What?s one of the big reasons why you feel the sport is doing gangbusters?

JR: I think a big part that not too many people are talking about is the addition of Marc Ratner to the scene. Ratner is big in Nevada, and he was the big boxing guy for so long with the Nevada State Athletic Commission. But when he made the jump to MMA, he gave it a lot of credibility with state commissions. He?s one of the most respected guys I know, and I think it?s only a matter of time before New York starts to sanction events.

As a huge boxing and MMA fan, leave it to a ?wrestling? guy to make the Boneman realize just how big Marc Ratner is. That?s an excellent and valid point if I?ve ever heard one.

Again, just want to thank JR for his time. I?m sure he could have had better things to do on a Thursday afternoon.

He?s still courteous to everyone who wants a photo or autograph. He?s just as comfortable talking wrestling with me as he is talking OU athletics with Joe Castiglione (who happened to enter JR?s about 10 minutes after yours truly).

Stay tuned Tuesday as the Boneman will be back with a full recap of Raw. For the first time ever, I don?t plan on making any signs for the event. I just want to enjoy it

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, J. R., Mick Foley, Jerry Lawler