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JR's Blog: Good to be Home...Sin Cara..Why No Cruiserweight Division?..JR's Appearance Schedule..Grilling Season Nears

Posted: Feb 26th 2011 By: mikeiles

It's good to be home. While I enjoyed my brief albeit memorable trip to Mexico City, sitting in one's favorite chair with remote in hand isn't a bad deal. Here's some thoughts on the trip and others of the random, grilled variety....

The wrestler formerly known as Mistico but now known as Sin Cara was officially welcomed into the WWE family on Thursday in Mexico City with every major Mexico City TV network and print media represented.

http://www.wwe.com has some extensive info on the signing and the media function on line, as we speak, including photos of the event, including one w/ yours truly and the masked sensation, and a story on the young athlete.

I applaud the way that WWE introduced Sin Cara to the WWE Universe as he will arrive in WWE after a few weeks of advanced TV promotion already meaning 'something' and feeling much more significant than other newcomers.

It's certainly better, IMO, than let's say a wheel barrow race but I digress.

For those that aren't familiar with Sin Cara, formerly known as Mistico, I suggest that you go on You Tube and check out some of his bouts. Very innovative offensive performer along the lines of the great Rey Mysterio.

Sin Cara has a magnificent opportunity to become a global star in WWE. The final verdict, as always, will be rendered by the paying customers based on how well the gifted athlete delivers inside the squared circle. It will be interesting to see what brand, Raw or Smackdown, gets the opportunity to showcase Sin Cara.

Happy Birthday to my dear, long time friend Ric Flair. 'Naitch' is one of a kind and the mold was certainly broken with Ric. He was and is simply a natural at the biz of sports entertainment and he can still verbalize with the very best alive. Some of my work calling Flair-Steamboat, Flair-Terry Funk, and Flair-Sting in WCW always brings back exhilarating memories of doing old school, play by play and being able to add legit emotion based on the personal issues and meaningful championships that were involved.

When Ric used to get booked in the Mid South territory for Bill Watts, I often was assigned to hang with 'Naitch' during his multiple day visits to the old territory. I surmise that assignment likely took a year or two off my life and adversely affected my liver.

The Flair/Dick Murdoch/Ted DiBiase storyline that Watts orchestrated was a work of wrestling art. Check it out on You Tube or get a DVD copy from http://www.universalwrestling.com.

It's amazing how many people take the time to Twitter us @JRsBBQ to predict the gloom and doom of various wrestling oriented matters. I assume it is just a sign of the times but I still find it amazing that people actually take time out of their days to Tweet or even to email a seemingly endless flow of negativity. What's really insane is that people hear of something announced or is going to occur and before it even has time to play out to any degree these naysayers already have decreed that it's a failure.

I enjoy debate and to hear contrasting points of view but sometimes the rampant and never ending 2nd guessing makes a man want to tap.

The WWE is going to have a strong presence at this years CAC Banquet in Vegas April 18-20. Get all the details on the festivities at http://www.caulifloweralleyclub.org. This is always a great time and why more fans don't join this great organization baffles me.

Emailer...We replaced our Chipotle BBQ Sauce quite some time ago w/ our HOT BBQ Sauce and it's selling very nicely. It's not habanero hot but it has a kick to it.

Emailer...I don't make too many personal appearances largely due to not having the time back in the day plus I don't do Saturday appearances during OU Football season as I'm not going to miss a Sooners game to earn a pay day. However, I will be appearing at Wrestlemania Axxess on Friday night April 1 at the THQ function at 8 p.m., Saturday April 2 at Axxess with the King at the WWE HOF booth from 10 a.m- noon, and I'm doing a Q&A at Axxess on Sunday at noon that I think is slated for 30 minutes.

Also, I will be at the Legends of the Ring function on Saturday May 7 in New Jersey and you can get more info on that at http://www.legendsofthering.com.

BTW if any one sends us items to be signed at the address here on our website you must send a self addressed, STAMPED, envelope. Thanks.

Twitter @JRsBBQ...one reason, not that I necessarily agree with it, that Cruiserweights aren't specifically used in their own weight division is that some feel that the mass audience will not accept Cruiserweights or Junior Heavyweights or whatever hip name one wants to come up with as main event level, PPV selling attractions. This isn't a new philosophy as that same mindset was around when Danny Hodge was the NWA World Junior Heavyweight Champion. The term 'Junior' said to some fans and promoters as 'less than' the best. Ironically, Hodge could legitimately beat 99.9% of EVERY heavyweight in the business but that had zero to do with the marketing perception and selling tickets.

No...emailer...I am not a big fan of frequent title changes but the term 'frequent' means different things to different people. I like longer reigning champions as I've always felt that longer reigns strengthened the perception of the championship in question.

An emailer asked me why Arn Anderson wasn't a TV color commentator. Double A tried it for a brief period and didn't like it at all. The HOF qualified, 'Enforcer' of the Four Horsemen was a fabulous interview but doing TV color commentary is a different breed of cat that many skilled promo guys simply don't embrace or enjoy. Arn told me many times that he didn't like doing color commentary but no one can deny that Arn Anderson wasn't one of the best ever on the mic in the biz.

For many ex-wrestlers, their idea of doing color commentary was to put great effort in making themselves relevant than enhancing the talents the fans were seeing the ring.

Emailer...Is Michael Cole's TV persona more like his real life persona than when he played the straight man/corporate announcer? I'd probably say, yes. Cole's is not the laid back, easy going guy in real life that he portrayed early in his announcing career. He has taken to being a 'jerk' on TV like our sauce to ribs.

A fan from the UK asked me my comments on announcer/presenter Kent Walton's work and I have to be honest when I say that I'm not familiar with it. Sorry.

If you are a fan who spends an inordinate amount of time following the win-loss records of pro wrestlers then you might want to re-examine your life's priorities. I've never been wrapped up, personally, in win-loss records within the genre and think that, more often than not, more is made of them than should be.

The only stat of this kind that really has made an emotional investment on me is the Undertaker's undefeated streak at Wrestlemania.

Speaking of 'Taker, that Sting vs. Undertaker WM27 match that many just knew was going to happen at WM27 looks a little 'iffy.' Seriously, I said many times that I did not think that Sting would likely venture into WWE at this point in his career. All people have 'comfort zones,' including yours truly, that we are reluctant to leave. In hindsight, at least in my view, more often than not and especially for veterans the 'comfort zone' thing isn't a negative.

Remember if you live outside the USA, you can order our products at http://www.wweshop.com which helps us a great deal. WWEShop has been shipping our products to the UK, Canada, Australia, and Germany in recent days. Check out WWEShop for their many deals and try our products. Thanks.

For domestic customers we will soon be personally autographing a new, never seen before photo that was taken of Ol J.R. at Cowboys Stadium right after OU won the Big 12 Title.

Remember, every order that we ship from this site comes with something personally autographed. Plus, believe it or not we get great feedback on our FREE, crimson colored Koozies. Check out all the packages available in our Store here on the site.

Answered some Tweets earlier and will attack the Q&A section of the site over the weekend.

Our products are now in all 4 Norman, Oklahoma Homeland Grocery stores. If you go by and shop for our products please let me know @JRsBBQ on Twitter or at the Q&A section of the site and you just 'might' get a surprise.

We appreciate getting your recipe ideas on how you use our products. Those can be emailed to Contact Us, to the Q&A section or Twitter @JRsBBQ.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope that you will come back for another visit and will send our website link to a friend. Follow us on Twitter @JRsBBQ.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.