• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

JR's Blog: Wednesday Blog, TONS of Questions Addressed, Tailgate with JR's from WWEShop.com

Posted: Mar 1st 2012 By: CMBurnham

It's 'Hump Day' or Wednesday here in Norman, Oklahoma and we thank you for stopping by and paying us a visit. I'm endeavoring to answer some of your questions sent to our Q&A section of this website and via Twitter @JRsBBQ. Let's fire up the grill.....

Will you be at the Cauliflower Alley Club function in Las Vegas April 16-18? Absolutely and so will Steve Austin among many others. It's a great, casual time for fans, wrestlers and personalities from multiple generations to interact. I highly recommend attending this event and you can get all the details on it at http://www.caulifloweralleyclub.org.

Why do you like to recruit football players to train to be pro wrestlers? The history of football players becoming successful pro wrestlers has long been established. Simply do the research. They are generally physically and mentally tough men, they come from a structured, team environment, understand the locker room mentality and obviously have above average athletic skills. Football is certainly not the only sport that should be scouted. Also, highly motivated, well trained independent wrestlers are also high on my personal list of people to scout. No matter one's background, athleticism and the 'it' factor are essential along with a passion for the genre.

What are some good wrestling schools? Google wrestling schools in your area. Do the research on them. Ask for contact info on people that have successfully completed the course at said school. Ask for graduates that have made a living in the business. Observe a training session. Keep in mind that the vast majority of men and women who go through training will not make it to the level that they can earn a good living in the business as the odds are long. With that said, I encourage everyone to try and live their dreams. However, always remain realistic as to one's chances. ALWAYS have a viable plan B.

Will Chaz Bono ever wrestle? Gently put down the bong and reflect on what you have asked. As Monsoon might say, "Will you stop?!"

What is the next Rivalry DVD to be produced? Don't know but I'm under the impression this is a 'brand' that WWE will develop on an ongoing basis. For it to be successful, the participants need to be alive and willing to sitdown and discuss their rivalry. At least that's how I see it. The Hitman/HBK Rivalry DVD will be hard to top.

Where will WM30 take place? I have no idea and would suggest that WWE is fielding offers from many sites for that event. My 'guess' would be a stadium in North America.

Do you think that a Rock vs. HBK match will ever happen? Absolutely not. Shawn has retired from being a wrestler and I'm not sure if WM28 won't be Rock's last bout. But @ShawnMichaels is no longer in that equation.

Why does WWE change the names of wrestlers? WWE is an entertainment company and they want to own all their intellectual property. Changing names of wrestlers allows them to own those names. It's smart business and I would do the same if I owned a wrestling company. Wrestlers who are using a name that they used prior to joining WWE essentially 'lease' their name to WWE during the term of said wrestler's WWE tenure.

Should Steamboat and Flair have wrestled in WWE just prior to Flair retiring after WM24? Not in my opinion. Their matches in the late 80's could not have been followed a decade plus later by either HOF'er. It's hard to follow perfection.

How will WWE follow up on what was said Monday on Raw between Rock/Cena? I'm happy that I don't know as I love surprises especially when watching an episodic, entertainment program or a sporting event that I don't know the outcome. The less I know the better from a fan's perspective. I do know that Raw in Boston will be special especially if HBK/HHH go face to face.

Are wrestlers born with talent or do they develop it. Yes and Yes. Athletic skills can be developed just as one can improve upon their strength and conditioning. However, the intangible 'it' factor cannot be manufactured. One either has 'it' or they don't.

Is WWE going to do a Cruiserweight TV show? I read those rumors online but I have no direct knowledge. If they do, I'd be more than willing to volunteer to do the play by play for those bouts. Smaller, skilled talents need a showcase to display their abilities.

When are you returning to announcing? There are no plans currently for me to do so but those plans could easily change. As I mentioned in the previous question, I'm up for any assignment that helps WWE no matter if it is on one of the prime time broadcasts or another platform.

Will you be going back to FCW to work with developmental talents? Yes. I'm looking at travel now and love interacting with the young kids and the staff in FCW. Plus, I miss seeing my friend @DustyWWE.

Do I think that Ziggler is trying to be a modern day Ric Flair? Not a bad in ring role model for sure but I don't know. Ziggler has a little Mr. Perfect in him and I see the occasional, young HBK in Dolph. All wrestlers need role models to study and to blend those established stars' style into their own skill set.

Will Owen Hart ever be inducted into the WWE HOF? I'd hope so and it isn't a WWE thing or that Owen isn't deserving. I'm under the impression that his estate is against it and out of respect no one wants to defy the wishes of Owen's widow.

What kind of match do you think that we will see between @TheRock vs. @JohnCena at WM28? Competitive, athletic and fundamental. Both are ground guys who can brawl and exchange holds. I think the crowd will be hugely pro-Rock which will likely highly motivate Cena. I'm not going to pick a winner but I am greatly anticipating a fitting close of the mega event. There is LOTS of pressure on both men to deliver in the position that they are placed.

Do you watch ROH? Yes, when I can as it airs locally here in OKC. I hope that they continue to grow, provide opportunities to deserving individuals and develop talent. I'm pulling for them.

Will Ric Flair be at the WWE HOF Induction Ceremony with the Four Horsemen? That's my understanding from 'Naitch.' I'm anxious to see him in Miami.

Are WrestleMania tickets still available for April 1? Yes. A limited number of tickets are still available starting at approximately $25 and the same goes for the WWE HOF Ceremony. Ticketmaster.com can help with this.

Would you ever consider doing any broadcasting work for the OKC Thunder? Considering that I am a major fan of the @okcthunder and officiated hoops for two decades and have done a fair amount of broadcasting in my day, absolutely. There's plenty of fuel left in this tank.

Would you like to work with @JoeRogan? Of course but that isn't going to happen. UFC would never touch a 'pro wrestling guy' to broadcast any of their events under any condition. Could I call MMA? Of course, but that isn't something that's simply not going to occur. I'm cool with simply being a fan and providing feedback as I see it from time to time.

What do you know about Snooki's pregnancy? I'm a happily married man and have never had relations with that woman! Congrats Snooki.

What's your favorite JR's Beef Jerky? My 'go to' Jerky is Championship Original but Senor J.R.'s Mexicana is rapidly becoming a favorite too. We don't make any thing that I don't like in real life. Our food products are all in my Mom's memory and to do something so-so and simply as a gimmick isn't going to happen with our family brand sold at http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss.

Thoughts on @CMPunk vs. @IAmJericho? I love their in ring banter but at the end of the day it comes down to who leaves as WWE Champion and not who has the most witty repartee leading into the bout. Do I hope to hear them verbally spar on future RAW's? Absolutely. But I'm much more interested in them delivering a classic, wrestling match come April 1. I think that gets done.

Any chance that you will ever be a contributor to WWE.com? Ironically, we are discussing an on going project for me now at WWE.com. Stay tuned.

Can vegans eat your products? Why yes, Daniel Bryan they can. Just kidding but the answer is yes. All our products are vegan friendly except some diehards don't eat the Main Event Mustard because it has some honey in it. Veggie burgers, beans, and grilled veggies are just a few of the many ways that vegetarians use our products at WWEShop.com.

Will you ever team up with @HeymanHustle on commentary or another project? Nothing is on the drawing board but one never knows. Paul and I had a unique, broadcasting dynamic that no one approaches, for better or for worse, in today's marketplace.

Will WWE ever hold UK PPV's? I get this question regularly. I don't know the answer but my sense of it is not too likely. The time difference is the problem as being live in North America at 7 pm Eastern time is essential. Doing WWE PPV's on tape delay isn't an option. Wish I had better news.

Do you 'hate' Michael Cole? Stop the insanity...no. Cole, if that is his real name, plays a character on a TV show. He has a job to do and that is to be annoying and overbearing. I'd say that he does that well. He's produced to be what he is. Fans don't have to like Cole's TV persona but to 'hate' is senseless.

Will Shawn Michaels be involved in the HIAC match at WM28. I assume that we will soon find out officially if and what HBK's role could be in the Taker vs. HHH bout but it would seem to me that @ShawnMichaels already is sort of involved. I'm intrigued about the ways that the careers of HHH/HBK/Undertaker have intertwined over the years. The three of them will forever be 'joined at the hip' so to speak.

Will CM Punk and Chris Jericho top the Jericho-HBK match that they had at Wrestlemania? That's a tall order and I hope that they do but for anyone trying to top a Shawn Michaels WrestleMania Moment all I can say is good luck. Some guys just have the ability to rise to the occasion on the biggest stage of them all and Shawn was one of a handful of men who could do it and he NEVER missed.

Anyone in FCW ready to go? Several are 'this close.' It's all about timing and how individual talents are intergrated onto WWE TV. Why are they on TV? Who are they? What are they here to accomplish? Are they friend or foe? Can you help me get to know their TV persona? So, there are many elements involved in getting called up. Until then, the individuals themselves just need to continue to out work/perform their competition, put in more quality ring time, study more DVDS, and increase their strength and conditioning regiment.

That's it for now and thanks, again, for supporting us at http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss. Gear up now for WM28 tailgate parties and the official launch of the spring grilling season that is upon us.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.