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JR's Blog: FREE SHIPPING on Sauces/Ketchup...Sunday BBQ'ed Random Thoughts...UFC 101

Posted: Aug 9th 2009 By: mikeiles

It's a beautiful Sunday here in Norman, Oklahoma. I'm working on a huge promotion for our website in addition to preparing to make the trek from OKC to Denver to Calgary Monday morning. J.R.'s BBQ in Norman at exit 109 off I-35 has had a busy weekend. I was there about 3 hours Saturday and it's always fun to visit with fans and our non wrestling fan guests who just are looking for the ultimate BBQ experience. My thanks to those of you that will do some shopping before you leave the site as we take you now to today's special...."BBQ'ed Baloney."

For any long time wrestling fan, Calgary should hold a special place in one's heart. Many of the great stars in the biz were either developed in Calgary or passed thru Calgary at one time to another. Promoter, Wrestler, Tough Athlete Stu Hart founded Stampede Wrestling in 1948 and operated the company until the early 80's. The men who came out of the Hart training (The Dungeon) regime were fundamentally sound and did not lack toughness. These are two necessary traits for a wrestler, just for the record. It's not just about who looks pretty in an 8X10 but it's who is in excellent, athletic shape, who is fundamentally solid in the ring and are natural on the mic, who understands how to connect with the paying customers, and who is physically and mentally tough enough to push through the adversities of the business and continue to improve upon their skill set.

A WWE Superstars bout, WGN America..Thursday 8/7central... will be taped Monday night, likely after Raw concludes, which, I would assume. will feature the Hart Dynasty in some incarnation. If this happens, this will be a thrill, I'm sure, for the trio of Calgary natives who will get to perform in the ring at a WWE event in their home town before friends and family. I'm sure that the Calgary faithful will welcome the young Hart's back home with open arms.

After that match, Todd Grisham and I will head to Edmonton where I'm sure that I will introduce Todd to a Tim Horton's somewhere along the way. The play by play man of Smackdown and I have some issues on what airs on the car radio but I've become more tolerant considering that Grisham does all the driving but only as long as Todd doesn't sing along in a falsetto voice. For the record, the King and I usually listened to classic rock but that's another story and , no, for you half full glass loving cynics out there, I'm not bitter about this matter. However, it if makes for better "dirt" and message board/ feedback fodder then make up what ever in the hell you choose.

I was talking to former world Judo champ Dr. Ron Tripp who practices chiropractory here in Norman about the landscape of today's martial arts business and we discussed some pro wrestlers who would have done well in MMA competition. Dr. Tripp brought up Bad News Allan Coage, a Calgary guy, who won the Bronze Medal in the 1976 Olympics in Judo. I never knew Bad News but always heard from "the boys" that Coage was one man that it wasn't wise to cross. Tripp also mentioned that he thought Dr. Death Steve Williams would have been a star in MMA if that had been Doc's focus after having a four year, 4 time All American career in wrestling at Oklahoma.

Of course the mac daddy of wrestlers who would have revolutionized MMA if he came along today would be Danny Hodge. As great as Anderson Silva is, and he is amazing, Hodge might "own" the man who looks as if he is moving up in weight to fight at 205 pounds which I also think would have been Hodge's MMA fighting weight. This assumption regarding Hodge and Silva won't set well with MMA purists who detest a "wrestling guy" like me writing about their beloved sport. First of all, this "wrestling guy" isn't one dimensional and happens to be a fan of the MMA genre and has been since the beginning of it on PPV in America. Plus, it's my damn website and therefore I'll express any opinion I choose as no one is forcing any one to read my opines.

B.J. Penn seemed to be back in B.J. Penn form Saturday night on what was a strange night for the UFC in Philly. UFC 101 was always going to be challenged to follow UFC 100 as that's like Backlash following Wrestlemania. The crowd in Philly, I don't know if the majority of fans were from Philly or not, was unique to say the least and at times they did not do the show any favors.

Former wrestling promoter Gary Juster called to say hello Saturday as he was driving back to Atlanta from Charlotte where Gary attended the NWA Fan Convention. Gary arrived in Charlotte on Friday and said he had a great time seeing many, old pals and hearing some great stories. One of the highlights for Juster was having Ole Anderson actually BUY Juster lunch which, as I told Gary, is a milestone. Ole, according to many insiders, "hates everyone." I don't know that to be true but Ole has a strong personality and is certainly set in his ways. I always found working with Ole to be comparable to working with Cowboy Bill Watts as there was never a gray area and both men had no issues cutting to the chase to get their points across. Many athletes today would crumble if managed in that manner. I'm relatively sure that Ole doesn't like me but I have great respect for his knowledge of the business, his convictions regarding his philosophy of the business, and the fact that he was a legitimately tough son of a gun inside the ring. Ole's health is not great but from what I was told he's still as verbally aggressive as ever. I'm happy to hear that.

Some day, I'm sure, that my schedule will be more condusive to make some of these gatherings around the country. I look forward to visiting with old friends from the business and outside it.

HHH guest on NBC's Late Night w/ Jimmy Fallon this Tuesday which will be good for WWE, Raw, and Summerslam. I thought HHH was really entertaining last week on Raw and definitely has a marketable sense of humor that perhaps we don't get to see enough of on TV. I personally like seeing another dimension added to "The Game's" tough guy persona.

Nice to hear that Ricky Steamboat, Jr. is now competing in Puerto Rico. Getting all the worldly experience that he has received in wrestling is great training for young Steamboat who, as I mentioned long ago, is going to be a big star in wrestling if he continues to improve and stays healthy. The son of "The Dragon" is being schooled perfectly and is getting used to life on the road, different styles of in ring styles and will be so far advanced from the young men and women in a training camp it won't even be close. Nothing can replicate young wrestlers getting ready for "Broadway" like wrestling a variety of competitors in a multitude of environments. Plus, getting used to being a responsible traveler is also a benefit.

It will be interesting to see how the Calgary fans respond to Sgt. Slaughter Monday night on Raw. Nationalism may well reign supreme or the fans may look upon Sarge respectfully considering that he is a former WWE Champion as being a WWE Hall of Famer.

I have no idea if Bret Hart is going to be in Calgary when WWE passes through Monday night but it would be great to see him if he were. I know I speak for many who will be in attendance when I say that.

Thanks for stopping by and visiting our site. I'm headed to OU Football practice in a few hours so as to cram as much into this Sunday as possible. Football is in the air in Oklahoma and my Sooners are ranked pre season #3 which means...nothing. It is and always will be about where one finishes the race and not where they start it. Just as in life.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Steve Williams, Danny Hodge, NWA, Sgt. Slaughter