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JR's Blog: Windham Error..Break Out Star Time Line..Wooden's Legacy can help Wrestling..Grilling Tips..Hell in a Cell/Cotton Bowl

Posted: Jun 9th 2010 By: mikeiles

Thanks for stopping by our site and for your support of all our products. We're getting great feedback on our BBQ Sauces, Chipotle Ketchup, and our Beef Jerky and business has been solid thus far in June. Grilling Season is upon us an now is the time to try our products if you have been procrastinating or are running low. Remember, for our visitors from outside the USA that WWEShop.com is stocking J.R.'s Original Sauce and our 97% Fat Free Beef Jerky and that they ship worldwide. Please support our efforts via this new arrangement. We appreciate it.

I made a correction on my Barry Windham not being NWA Champion snafu after the mistake had been pointed out by several observant readers. BW held the title such a short time and during a period where the NWA Title's value had been lessened that it slipped past me. My answer to the reason why Barry was never a long term NWA champion ala Thesz, Race, Brisco, Funk. Flair, etc is still applicable in my opinion. BW was a magnificent bell to bell performer without question. Nonetheless I made a mistake. I apologize.

For one frisky emailer, however, who felt compelled to cut an unflattering, wise ass, personal attack promo on me for my error, we are sorry to see you go. Good luck on your future endeavors.

Pointing out one's errors is one thing but getting personal and being a brave guy sitting at one's computer is an entirely different matter. Wrestling website message boards are Utopia for those who like to spout off with attitudinal remarks intended to be hurtful.

Like Ron White says, "You can't cure stupid."

We've caught up on your Q&A's at least as of Sunday midday. Not sure what the deal is but one dude sent me the same question something like 7 times. Why is that? Is it an issue with the system or just someone wanting to make sure that I see a specific question?

BTW...if you're looking for something interesting to read regarding wrestling from time to time check out Mark Madden's editorials. He's very observant and is an extremely clever and creative writer.

Lots of fans wonder if WWE has found any 'break out' stars from their first NXT class. I personally don't know as I think it takes 2-4 years to determine if a young wrestler is going to be a perennial main eventer or not. One can identify potential but to declare that someone is going to be a breakout star after watching them on TV for a few weeks isn't wise. Becoming a great in ring star who has staying power isn't an overnight process.

Interesting WWE, Oklahoma related bookings coming up soon. Friday July 2, WWE Raw has a non televised, live event in OKC at the Ford Center on the first day of a four day, July 4th weekend which won't make selling tickets for the event easy. Oklahoma is blessed with many beautiful lakes of which are extremely popular especially for the July 4th holiday.

Personally, I will be in Vegas on July 3 to see the Brock Lesnar vs. Shane Carwin Heavyweight Title fight which has many close to Lesnar concerned and rightfully so. Carwin has allowed no one to survive outside the first round as best I know off the top of my head in compiling an undefeated record. Lesnar is still my pick to win this one but any thing can and likely will happen in this battle of big, strong, badass fighters.

Also, Hell in a Cell PPV is going to be held in Dallas on Sunday October 3 the day after the OU-Texas Red River Shootout at the Cotton Bowl and during the annual Texas State Fair. Tickets for this event went on sale in the metroplex on Saturday. Perhaps I can wear the proverbial 'sandwich board' while roaming the Sooner sideline during the Oklahoma-'Horns Big 12 South War on Saturday October 2. It will be challenging for WWE to garner much notice the week of their PPV in Dallas the week of their event because of not only the State Fair of Texas but because of the storied rivalry of the Sooners vs. the Longhorns which will likely have national title implications....again.

An emailer said that he saw footage of Sting and Warrior wrestling Bret Hart and Hulk Hogan in a tag. Where did I miss that one? Anyone else remember such a match?

Our Beef Jerky's shelf life and the shelf life of our BBQ Sauces and Chipotle Ketchup is one year. I will also tell you that once the sauces and ketchup have been opened you obviously need to refrigerate them but the good news is that the fridge somehow enhances their flavors.

Got my travel handled for the Fatal Four Way in the Nassau Coliseum coming up later this month. Looking forward to hanging in the back and helping where I can at my first WWE PPV where I will be in the locker room area since September of last year. I wonder if I can get my pal Taz to spring for dinner the night before the event, if he's in town.

Follow me on Twitter at JRsBBQ. Facebook, too.

I'm curious to see if there are any significant tweaks on NXT this Tuesday night for the premier of season two. I've mentioned this before but being a fan of reality shows I would like to see the contestants interact in a non arena type setting more frequently. Will Michael Cole select another NXT rooked to haze or has that specific ship sailed?

Grilling tips of the day....we've told you that any time that you can marinate or season the product to be grilled over night the better the results will be. If you can only do it a few hours then that's better than not doing it at all. This process can't be stressed enough. Also, never put sauced product on the grill as you are asking for flare ups and problems. Dry seasonings are obviously fine but not liquids. You also don't have to cook your product, especially skinless chicken breasts, as hot as you might cook steak or burgers. Whatever you grill, brush on the sauce ala JR's Original BBQ Sauce during the LAST 2-3 minutes of the grilling process. If you have a cup or small bowl of the sauce 'warm' then you can brush that one when you take the product off the grill and allow it to 'rest' for 3-5 minutes.

Remember, I'm talking grilling here...not traditional smoking of which BBQ is.

Has any one tried mixing our Chipotle Ketchup with sweet pickle relish to make your own burger topping? I'm making more today as my seasoned burgers are in the fridge as we speak as we will be grilling them in a few hours. I might even fine chop some purple/sweet onions in the concoction.

Former UCLA basketball coach John Wooden died Friday night of natural causes a the age of 99. Coach Wooden was the greatest coach of any sport in history. Bar none.

He has a Pyramid of Success that is a wonderful tool with which to live one's life and to certainly study. You can easily find it on line.

Coach Wooden's philosophies of life are especially applicable to today's pro wrestlers or wannabe pro's. One's life cannot be primarily about one's vocation but more importantly in how one lives their life. Obviously to be a successful wrestler in today's world, one has to be fundamentally sound in the ring and on the mic, have a fit, athletic physique, the will/passion to be great, and, my favorite, character. But all those things can be quickly erased with a series of poor decisions both personal and professional, out of control egocentric issues, and not putting one's company/team first.

Wooden said that "Winning takes talent but to repeat takes character." That's akin to a wrestler having a great year, maybe two, but never being able to recreate the magic that once made them a success due to complacency/arrogance or thinking that it was only them and not the team that supported their efforts that made their successes possible.

The wrestling business isn't likely to see individuals last 20-30 years based on the style that is currently utilized where many are taking many chances with high risk maneuvers, etc. If that theory is somewhat accurate, then it seems even more imperative for wrestlers to begin from day one preparing for a short career in the ring and having a financial plan with a mapped out exit strategy. To think that it doesn't make sense to plan for one's pro wrestling exit along with one's pro wrestling debut debut isn't as far fetched as it may sound.

To borrow a phrase and modify it from the late, Hall of Fame coach, what one is as a person is far more important than what one is as a wrestler.

Pet Peeve of the Day....I find myself disliking the term 'Shoot Interview' and I can't really explain why except that it denotes to me a 'dirt fest' from disgruntled individuals ready to embellish negative stories for a pay day. With that said, watching a compelling interview on DVD with a wrestler who has an interesting story to tell in more of a documentary form really interests me. Am I splitting hairs on this one. It is simply a matter of semantics?

We're still offering FREE SHIPPING to orders within the USA for some superb packages that can be found on the home page and, of course, in our store here on our site. If you order today we will ship your order tomorrow.

We are really excited that WWEShop.com has started carrying our J.R.'s Original Sauce and our awesome Beef Jerky. Plus, the really great news is that WWEShop.com ships worldwide so now our friends in the UK, Canada, Australia, etc can enjoy our best selling sauce and main event level Jerky.

I should be starting some THQ voice over work in the next week or so which has me pumped up.

Too bad to hear about the Undertaker's misfortune. I've heard of no timetable for his return.

For those emailing us about some of the talent's ring names on the 2nd season of NXT, remember that cool names don't equal success and that talent over comes any, perceived lame name or persona. Great talents cannot and have rarely ever been 'held down' contrary to a variety of tales that have been told over the years. In today's wrestling world where there are so few legit, main event stars, there will rarely be no one who is good that won't be provided an opportunity to become great. If any thing, some guys will be put into spots that they aren't emotionally or skill set wise ready to tackle.

Thanks for stopping by and we'll see you in the store here on the site that never closes.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.