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JR's Blog: Macho Man..Irresponsible Wrestlers..UFC132..The Game's Gator Hunt w/ HBK..Mark Henry..WWEShop Update..Let's Grill!

Posted: Jul 2nd 2011 By: CMBurnham

Happy Holidays to all who are observing such in the USA and Canada or where ever you may be. Be safe and enjoy a great weekend. Let's grill em up....

Random thoughts from pillar to post....

Randy Savage's death confirmed as a heart ailment. Apparently Macho Man's heart was somewhat enlarged and he had some artery issues. As his brother Lanny said, at least Randy went quickly and did not suffer.

It's always amazed me why so many athletes over the years don't remain informed on their own health with regular doctor's visits especially regarding one's ticker. I do not know Randy's situation nor am I referring particularly to him when I say that many wrestlers that I have known over the years have had a 'bullet proof' mentality and most rarely did not do annual stress tests, etc while being quick on the trigger to self diagnose a grocery list of ailments to facilitate meds to keep them 'comfortable' and to 'be able to provide for their families.'

As time has moved forward, WWE has done an outstanding job of doing through medical tests on their wrestlers which will, over time, be particularly helpful as their performers age. However, in the past many wrestlers were irresponsible in taking care of their own health among other areas of their lives. Some days that sentiment makes me sad and some days it pisses me off.

On the HBO Sports special entitled "Lombardi" the legendary NFL coach died of colon cancer because he refused to get an annual colonoscopy because he felt as if the procedure was 'unmanly.' That was likely one of the more ignorant statements the greatest NFL coach likely ever uttered. Sadly I had the same attitude for years and that stupidity on my part damn near cost me my life.

Keep score of one's health is imperative as nothing is more important than maintaining a healthy lifestyle and using common sense as it relates to monitoring one's own body.

Yours truly traveled that 'bullet proof highway at rapid speeds' for many years before being reminded that we all have our own versions of kryptonite. Get your check ups done including blood work which can tell your physician so much info and be proactive rather than reactive in this aspect of your life. Trust me on this one.

The NFL and now NBA strikes are ill timed during an economy that is struggling and fans in general have less disposable income than in recent memory. The money printing, sports leagues better have their best PR hats on to embrace their fans and keep them informed of what's going on. Greed reeks from these issues and one has to wonder how attendance will be affected at games. I can guarantee you that he owners can last longer than the players in both these lockouts as many players are 'financially bulletproof' in their own minds and so many life, believe it or not, check to check. Amazing.

When the big boys get locked out or talks of strikes persist at times, I always think back to the various times in my career when the topic of a pro wrestlers union being formed which, when one knows the players involved, is laughable. The lack of overall trust amongst wrestlers and the lack of organizational skills that most of them have would preclude a union from ever being formed. Again, get a room full of wrestlers together and they can't even come to a consensus as to what to collectively order for lunch.

UFC 132 looks to be a helluva show Saturday night on PPV from Vegas. It was one year ago this weekend that we attended the Lesnar-Carwin fight with Steve Austin, The Rock, Goldberg, Sam Bradford and other friends as Brock somehow survived a brutal first round to submit Carwin in round two. My Saturday evening is planned...UFC on PPV.

We're making our plans to travel to Waterloo, Iowa to attend the Hall of Fame Ceremonies and, along with Jerry Brisco, watch some prospects work out. Plus Dan Hodge is involved in a MMA seminar that will be fun except for the person on which Hodge has on mat. We will be in Waterloo on July 22-23. BTW, getting to Waterloo from Norman isn't easy. but we are so excited to be a part of a super weekend there.

I'm working on several projects outside wrestling, as my time allows, that require a fair amount of telephone work while sitting up some meetings that are still to come. One person of interest told me that Jesse Ventura now refuses to fly because he feels as if TSA security is unfair to him because of his bad hip so the 'Governor' takes the train from Minnesota to Los Angles for meetings, etc regarding his show 'Conspiracy Theory' which is going to have a season three. Can you imagine sitting next to my former broadcast partner on a train from Minnesota to California? More challenging than the Griswold's journey to Wally World.

@shawnmichaels_ hit me about going on a hog hunt with him in the future on his new Outdoor Life Network show. What's better than fresh, smoked hog with JR's BBQ Sauce.

HHH went on an alligator hunt with HBK this week for an episode of Shawn's Outdoor Life Network show with an air date TBA. 'The Game and The Gator' should be the title of that broadcast. I'll stick to watching 'Swamp People' and leave the Gator hunting to others.

Mark Henry's newest persona seems to be working better than any persona the big Texan has had in WWE since he was signed around 1996. I hope that the World's Strongest Man can continue to be loud, obnoxious and nasty....sort like the drunk, young, male Longhorn fans at the annual OU-Texas football game...and see where that game plan takes him. (OU has their share of these loud, obnoxious drunks, too, BTW.) At least Mark Henry is being noticed for more than simply being able to lift heavy objects. Good for him.

Any one who thinks that simply adding 'cruiserweights' to a TV show ala Sin Cara vs. Evan Borne is a magic formula is mistaken. Bourne and Cara had a nice, Raw match last week but would one want to see regularly if there wasn't a personal issue involved.? Watching two, talented athletes fly is fine but it won't pay the grocery tab week after week if it's simply two men w/ no back-story. At the same time, any one who says that cruiserweights can't help a brand earn a better TV rating or sell more tickets simply because they aren't heavyweights is misguided.

To me, the bottom line regarding a successful wrestler is charisma and athletic talent no matter one's size. Plus, when a personal issue is well established in that mix, then and only then is there a chance to create a emotional investment from the consumers. Lots of elements have to come together to achieve the proper formula and as I have said and I believe the business is ripe for self motivated, aggressive talents to raise their game, get noticed and take the ball from the guy who's holding it.

So, when fans suggest to us here or on Twitter @JRsBBQ that by adding more cruiserweights and more tag teams that most of those areas' perceived ills will be solved that suggestion is erroneous in my view. It's about quality with a purpose and far from being about quantity.

Last week WWEShop shipped JR's products to the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Philippines, Poland, India, and Mexico of which I am aware. Check out the WWEShop link @ http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss.

We are still evaluating how we can reopen our on line store and keep up with the volume of business w/o relocating our 'warehouse' and adding more personnel. In a perfect world we want to become more efficient and not add more to the infrastructure. That concept may sound contradictory but we think we have a way to address our needs and concerns. With that said, we still haven't set a date to reopen our store which is why those that have supported our efforts, many from day one, continue to do so with WWEShop.

Had a great visit with @steveaustinBSR this week. He loves being on his south Texas ranch and will some day be located there full time. If anyone can send the Texas Rattlesnake some rain, please do.

Last I looked we were at 170,000+ Twitter followers which is amazing. I think we can hit 250,000 by year's end. It's @JRsBBQ.

Remember, I'm happy to sign items for you for free but they MUST have the item you want signed AND a self addressed, stamped envelope or the deal won't get done. The address is PO Box 721294, Norman, Oklahoma 73070.

Have a great day and thanks for all your support. http://www/wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.