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JR's Blog: Rise And Fall Of WCW...Brock Vs. Carwin...JR On Food Network

Posted: Aug 22nd 2009 By: CMBurnham

We are working frantically to get all the info up on the site today (Friday) for our huge sale. We hope that we have a great weekend and we will ship all orders out next week via USPS. These will be limited time offers and when we are out of specific items then the applicable sales packages will obviously be discontinued. Here's a few Random Thoughts.

Thursday night I decided to watch more of the WWE DVD release of "The Rise and Fall of WCW." I must say that this is a great DVD and not only are the matches selected to best represent the period excellent but Disc 1 with all the interviews and sound bytes included is compelling. Jim Crockett, Jr. was tremendous with his comments and it was good to hear a fresh perspective on this well discussed matter from someone who had such a significant, vested interest in the subject. David Crockett also had some really interesting things to say about this matter as well. Of course WCW was created from Jim Crockett Promotions, a regional wrestling company founded by Jim and David's father in the 30's.

I got a few emails from WCW fans who said that they would not watch this DVD because they did not want to see their favorite brand get beat up any more. I can honestly say that I think WCW fans will really like this DVD. It traced the growth of the brand and all the intriguing individuals involved in the WCW infrastructure over the years. I did not think this was a "hatchet job" whatsoever but the topic is certainly a controversial one.

Even though I was in WCW myself from the beginning of the company, I found that I learned some interesting things about the brand especially matters that occurred after I left Atlanta in 1993.

Bill Goldberg was all over this DVD and his insight was informative and entertaining. Goldberg added a great deal to this production and I found his inclusion a great "get." So was Dr. Harvey Schiller who was President of TBS Sports during some of the more interesting WCW days and Schiller offered some interesting points of view.

I can't see how any one or any number of people could be "blamed" for the fall of WCW and if people are blamed then they should also be given credit for WCW's successes. Certainly Eric Bischoff often times gets blasted by some critics for his management of the company but Eric made an major impact in the business, lead his brand to 84 weeks straight of ratings wins, and helped many men and women to be paid a great deal of money during their "run" in Atlanta.

I got so wrapped up in this DVD that I finally went to bed at 4:30 a.m. Friday morning so I obviously enjoyed what I was seeing. It is production's like this that I believe would have a viable place on cable TV as non event, wrestling specials. I am a big fan of TV documentaries and this one was wonderfully produced, seemed to be factual, and told a compelling story.

Some will knock me, as usual, for perceived "shilling" but I honestly believe that the vast majority of wrestling fans will truly enjoy this DVD. I loved watching some of the great bouts that I had the privilege of broadcasting with such men as Bob Caudle, Magnum T. A., Terry Funk, and Dusty Rhodes and there will be more to talk about as I continue to watch more of the bouts included on this 3 disc set. As a matter of fact, the matches chosen for this 3 disc set are really awesome. I loved the trip down memory lane with so many broadcast partners when my role was as the play by play man and of which I enjoyed so much.

My wife Jan even sat up with me the entire time and particularly enjoyed Disc 1 which had the sound bytes/opinions on it.

I'm anxious to hear anyone else's feedback on this DVD which you can send to our Q&A Section of this website.

Got a few interesting questions on our aforementioned Q&A section of the site which has been updated and that you can read now.

What bookers did I learn the most from? In no particular order, Leroy McGuirk, Bill Watts, Ole Anderson, Dusty Rhodes, Jim Cornette, Paul Heyman and of course Vince McMahon. All had their own, specific strengths and if one cold file alway all of their positives one could develop a sound understanding of the wrestling side of the business. I think that I have been blessed to be able to do that. Bookers create and creativity is such a subjective entity that's it is almost impossible to accurately pass judgment on the specifics of booking successes and failures as no one has ever booked a perfect year of wrestling with 100% success rate on all their ideas.

I do know that the best bookers are connected emotionally to their audience and have the ability to listen to their audience which helps one make better, informed decisions.

Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin is going to be a particularly physical affair and if it is promoted properly, IE let Carwin talk all he wants because it's likely that Brock won't say much while in training. If the UFC hype machine can get rolling, this UFC event could garner another 1M buys on PPV. Carwin will be the flag bearer for the MMA purists who are dying to pay their money to see Brock get his ass whipped. Carwin will be carrying the pressure of being the hero to the MMA world and who has the burden of defeating, arguably, the most despised man in MMA, former WWE Champion Brock Lesnar. The jury is still out on how Carwin will do when going more than a couple of minutes in a fight but with Carwin being a former amateur wrestling star and with him training in the high altitudes of Colorado I don't feel that conditioning will be an issue. These battles can end on one punch especially when it's two large men trying to land bombs. I've read where some question Lesnar's striking defense which will likely be tested by a competitor who has been successful on the mat and on the gridiron and has nothing to lose and every thing to gain by beating UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. The guy, Carwin or whomever, that wins the title from Brock instantly becomes a "made man."

I mentioned I was going to have a "surprise" at Summerslam and the answer is that it's my guest shot on the Food Network that will be taped early Sunday morning. Some of my peers thought I was going to announce that I was leaving WWE when my contract expires later this year. Sorry to disappoint them, that was a joke BTW, but I'm still not at that bridge yet and those types of decisions will be made later in the year in a professional manner. Let me make it clear that I doubt that I ever fully "retire" from the work force and that I will always be involved in something whether it be continuing to build our J.R.'s Family BBQ Brand or doing other projects of which I have an interest. I enjoy working and staying busy and there are many things that I am excited about exploring as time goes on. Would I like to slow down a little and not travel every week? You bet...if it could be arranged but, again, time will tell and it certainly isn't something that has me concerned. Life is good and I would rather enjoy every day and the challenges each day brings than to worry about matters that I can't control or that are premature to discuss. Nonetheless I still love the wrestling business and am committed to it and commitment means staying in the saddle on the good days and on the perceived bad days.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you will check back with us and take advantage of the best offers we have ever presented you in our on line store.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, WCW, Bill Goldberg, Leroy McGuirk, Bill Watts, Dusty Rhodes, Jim Cornette