• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

JR's Blog: Flair/Bret...Shaq...Priven...Josh Barnette...PG Rated Wrestling...Check out Q&A's

Posted: Jul 25th 2009 By: mikeiles

Thanks for stopping by. All is good in Norman, Oklahoma and it will be challenging for me to leave Saturday to head to Philly for WWE's Night of Champions. We are aggressively addressing our shipping costs with a variety of shippers just to update those that have asked. Our goal is to have more specials that offer free shipping. For many of you in the USA we do offer free shipping on case prices of our sauces and being able to obtain all three flavors, the Original BBQ Sauce, the HOT BBQ Sauce and the Chipolte Ketchup is a great deal. These cases can be shared with friends or family, make great gift ideas and have a year's shelf life. Many have ordered cases and gone in with friends to split the shipment which is a total of 12, 18 ounce bottles. Check out the many specials in our on line store and thanks for your business. Now to random thoughts....

I was up late last night and got hooked watching WWE 24/7 On Demand. For those of you who like to write "shill" please have it but I am a fan of the service. Last night I enjoyed the Legends Roundtable which addresses "Wrestling and Patriotism" and was a fast, one hour program. Then I watched the Film Room w/ Gordon Solie which highlighted the match in a rainy Orange Bowl between Championship vs. Championship as the NWA's Harley Race faced WWF's Superstar Billy Graham. The interviews and highlights of this classic match that was 2X3 falls was cool to watch.

While I am "shilling" remember that you should check out WWEClassics.com if you like the old stuff from earlier eras. If you have a computer and, duh, you do then you can be a part of WWEClassics.com and no I don't get any extra cheese on my Whopper for plugging these platforms that I like. I'm just an old shill desperate to keep my job.

The Josh Barnette alleged drug suspension is perplexing. I met Barnette at WM25 and he seemed like a classy, intelligent young man who wouldn't be so ill advised as to do steroids in the first place and especially not do something so stupid before a major MMA fight. I just hope that there is more to this story than what has been reported thus far. This suspension apparently stuck a dagger in the heart of the scheduled Affliction event which understand has been postponed. What ever the true story is it can't be a good one with all that's out there and the perceptions that go with it.

However, I'm liking me some zero tolerance.

HBO Entourage star Jeremy Priven, who plays one of the most unlikeable albeit entertaining characters on TV, will be the guest host on Raw on a broadcast emanating from the Mohegan Sun Casino on August 3. I hope Priven is as close to his Entourage character on Raw as possible because he is a captivating villain that audiences love to detest. I assume Priven, who is obviously very talented, is simply a great actor because if Entourage's "Ari Gold" is an extension of Priven's true personality then the guy is a legit tool. Of course, not that there's any thing wrong with that.

Many of my friends are asking me if I think that Shaquille O'Neal will become physically involved in the action this Monday night on Raw as "Shaq Daddy" aka "The Diesel" hosts Raw. First of all I have no clue on this and on many other things in life for the record. However, I sort of doubt it while at the same time it wouldn't surprise me if Shaq did a little something along the lines of physicality short of having an actual match which I do not see occurring. Shaq is a UFC aficionado and is going to be in good shape so who knows? Another reason to tune into a "Vintage" Monday Night Raw that I hope to watch from the comfort of my Baltimore hotel room.

Nonetheless I would be shocked if there weren't shots of Shaq with Big Show to demonstrate Show's enormous size and overall girth and a shot with Shaq and Hornswoggle to illustrate Shaq's 7 foot 300 pound plus frame.

I had dinner last night with a bunch of my pals including Coach Barry Switzer who is one of my all time favorite people. Amazing time sitting outside enjoying a beverage and a cigar listening to stories from one of the greatest football coaches ever who will work again this fall for Fox Sports and their coverage of the BCS Championship. Coach Switzer stops by JR's in Norman and usually eats our fried Catfish, homemade Pinto Beans w/ Cornbread and extra chopped onions for his Pintos.

Coach Switzer feels as if the OU-BYU game on September 5 to be played at the new, Dallas Cowboys Stadium will be a HUGE test for OU and I agree. This is a tough opener for the Sooners who have the 3rd toughest schedule in all of college football. When you look at it, college football really does have a "play off system" and it starts week one of the regular season.

I've been thinking a great deal about the training of young wrestlers and one thing that I firmly believe is that they must be exposed to a variety of trainers who have different skill sets and styles. This would more closely resembles working in a wrestling territory. Indy wrestlers should attempt to work with as many different opponents as they can for the same reason. I am also big on class room work for all young wrestlers in organized schools/camps. Study is good and the structure and subsequent testing accomplishes many things.

I've been impressed with the progress thus far of Sheamus and of Drew McIntyre on the limited times that I have seen them in WWE rings. Ireland's Sheamus can be seen on ECW now and is a big, rugged kid who feels like a classic antagonist. His work ethic seems sound and let's hope that he continues to thirst for knowledge and stays in a positive frame of mine as his long journey is really just beginning. Same for Scotland's McIntyre who has yet to officially debut on WWE TV but he, too, has potential. This is also where I generally say that potential won't buy the groceries over the long haul. Sorry, I couldn't help myself.

Our Q&A Section of the site has been updated. there are some really good questions this time around. I also deleted a significant amount because they were too long and rambling or they were repeat offenders. I still am not answering the types of questions to where people want me to write novel on the best match ever, who's my favorite this and that, etc. I do like the succinct, provocative questions and questions or comments on things other than wrestling.

Just a suggestion but any one who snores, has a big neck, is overweight or whose significant other notices that they stop breathing at times while sleeping, really need to get tested for sleep apnea. I was diagnosed a couple of years ago and I sleep better now and have more energy than I have had in years. I think every athlete especially all wrestlers no matter their age or size because they have such a diverse schedule should be tested at a sleep center for sleep apnea. Companies should provide this testing. My old friend and NFL HOF'er Reggie White died in his sleep of a heart attack brought on by sleep apnea. Reggie refused to wear the mask required to address the matter. I damn sure wear mine and every time I hear of someone passing away in their sleep I think sleep apnea. Many wrestlers I know have been diagnosed with this affliction. If you have any of these symptoms please check with your physician and/or a local sleep center. If you can extend your life and start getting great, rim sleep why wouldn't you? These dramatic pauses in breathing while asleep occur in 1 out of every 15 Americans. My breathing stopped approximately 40 times in an hour with the longest being 45 seconds. Not good.

The PG question regarding WWE programming continues to dot our Q&A's and are usually deleted as I have addressed this matter to the best of my ability. First of all, only WWE can tell their fans how long they plan on remaining a PG entity. I personally don't care to be honest with you as this is not a hill I choose to die on nor is it a matter to which I can affect one way or the other. However, my opinion is that being PG is a wise move over the long haul as it is more family friendly as the younger fans become "hooked" on the product the more likely they are to remain fans on some level the older they get. Plus, it is obviously more advertiser and network friendly than pushing the envelope until the envelope tears. Regarding blood, I'm sure that there will be a instance where blood will be present simply due to the physical nature of the business but in today's world I don't want any one else's blood touching me and I suspect that the fans at ringside feel the same way. It's just not safe with HIV, Hepatitis,etc so prevalent.

It is always great to work in front of the fans in Philly as they are wild, loud and let everyone know how they feel about what they are seeing. They pay their hard earned cash for tickets and I totally support all fan's rights to express themselves in a loud, boisterous, albeit civil fashion...especially with kids present. Beer sales, however, often can dictate the behavior of some. Nonetheless it should be a helluva night in Philly Sunday on PPV.

I plan on traveling to Baltimore Sunday evening and spending three nights there. Hopefully I'll get to see my friend and Baltimore Raven Mark Clayton while in town and perhaps catch a meal at Sabatino's the spot for some decadent and audacious evenings usually starring the "Nature Boy."

The apparent issues that exist between Ric Flair and Bret Hart are unfortunate. I respect both men a great deal and loved both of their in ring work over the years and wish that this matter, that seems to rear its head periodically, would not have been made so public over the years.

Expect the WWE Title Bout to close Night of Champions Sunday which makes sense to me. That's what I would suggest to close the show if asked. With all due respect to the other bouts booked on Sunday, I have to prepare myself that the World Title Bout and the IC Title Bout are the biggest bouts on the show and those matches will receive most of my prep time. No, I did not just dis the Women's Title Bout but they are usually never in the ring too long nor are they positioned much more than bridges to other bouts, unfortunately. That certainly doesn't mean I won't do all I can to enhance what I see between Melina and Michelle McCool. I do think that they will be physical.

Check out my Night of Champions predictions here on the site from my weekly Smackdown blog on WWE.com.

Have a great weekend and be safe. Remember to please check out our on line store and to visit J.R.'s Family BBQ in Norman Oklahoma at exit 109 off of I-35 on the east side of the interstate. Thanks for being a part of our site and our life.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Ric Flair