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JR's Blog: Monday Blog..Owen Hart Memories on his Birthday..Kimora..Greensboro RAW..Ideas for JR's Products

Posted: May 7th 2012 By: CMBurnham

Good day to all...let's roll with a Monday blog of random thoughts.....

Monday Night Raw is live from Greensboro, North Carolina tonight. The Greensboro Coliseum has been described by Mid Atlantic Wrestling enthusiasts as the "Madison Square Garden of the South" over the years because of the amazing wrestling events that the legendary facility hosted.

The greatest stars in the history of the business over the past several decades performed in Greensboro's Coliseum including epic battles involving Harley Race, Ric Flair, The Brisco's, Sgt Slaughter, Ricky Steamboat, Jay Youngblood, the Andersons, Dusty Rhodes, and many, many more that belong on this illustrious list.

My first time in the Greensboro Coliseum, home of the ACC Basketball Tournament for years where a guy named Michael Jordan, among many future hoops Hall of Famers gained much of their fame, was for the first, TBS Clash of Champions. This was a ground breaking, prime time, live event for WCW/TBS headlined by a 45 minute draw with the incomparable Nature Boy vs an up and coming young star named Sting. This bout, broadcast by Tony Schiavone and me, was the match that put Sting on the national map while re-enforcing that Ric Flair was, without question, the best in the business at that time.

WWE Home Video has just produced a 'Best of the Clash of Champions' DVD that I've enjoyed and think that many fans will as well. Check it out.

Today is Owen Hart's birthday. The youngest child of the Stu and Helen Hart dynasty would have been 47 years of age. Owen will always be one of my favorite wrestlers for a variety of reasons. He was amazingly skilled in the ring in a variety of styles that he worked and sacrificed to master. Owen could execute basic, catch as catch can wrestling, high flying, brawling and submission wrestling as well as anyone I can recall. There was really nothing in the ring that Owen Hart couldn't do. The masterful practical joker made everyone that he performed with, whether they be friend or foe, better. That's an amazing gift.

Owen's match vs. his brother Bret at WM10 is a must see bout for any wrestler desiring to improve their game or for young people who are thinking about a career in the squared circle.

For all his athletic and entertaining gifts, Owen Hart was a far better person. In the often times world of sports entertainment that can be dotted with massive egos, insecurities, jealousy, and other unflattering traits, much like that can be found in pro sports and the entertainment world in general, Owen Hart was loved by all that knew him.

In my 4+ decade career, I never heard any one ever 'knock' or speak badly of Owen Hart. That's high praise.

The night Owen died in Kansas City was one of the most traumatic days of my life and that event is nothing more than a blur in my mind. I have little recall of the accident and Owen's subsequent death. I have never watched a tape or DVD of 'Over the Edge' nor do I ever plan on doing so unless someday I decided to write my autobiography.

A week never goes by that someone doesn't ask me what I think about what happened that night. What was I feeling when I saw Owen fall just mere feet in front of me? It's a question that I never answer. Perhaps some day I will because I know if I go back and watch what occurred that all the emotions that I have supressed all these years will return. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle that moment if that day comes.

Until then, I will remember my friend Owen Hart the same as I always have... with a smile.

Funny how Brock Lesnar's use of the MMA oriented kimora has been used effectively for years in pro wrestling where it's known as a double wrist lock. Guys like Lou Thesz and Dan Hodge were masters of the painful maneuver and it was a 'go to' hold when faced with legit danger inside the ring...or out for that matter.

I saw Hodge double wrist lock one of the toughest men that I ever knew, Dick Murdoch. It was in the locker room in Tulsa on a Monday night after Dick's Texas Longhorns had defeated Hodge's OU Sooners the previous Saturday in the Cotton Bowl in their annual, college football game. Murd wouldn't let well enough alone and finally Dan had enough. I left the premises before the 'gun fire' but heard the primal screams of the big Texan who had pushed easy going Hodge to his limit.

Bottom line is that the kimora or double wrist lock is agony on all those that encounter it especially when the hold is properly applied such as Lesnar did to HHH.

Harley Race told me that Lou Thesz loved applying the double wrist lock as it humbled many, tough men over Lou's amazing career.

JR products for fish? Yes...Main Event Mustard...All Purpose Seasoning...mix out Chipotle Ketchup with mayo and horseradish to make a killer sauce....all in the name of creativity using premium products.

Is it just me or is it simply the way things are nowadays that so many Twitter followers and a few emailers here on our site are seemingly obsessed with knowing 'dirt?' Wanting to know details of deaths, personal demons, underachievers, etc appears in alarming numbers. Yes, I know that I don't have to respond to them but simply reading them on our timeline is often times challenging.

The good news is that the majority of our followers @JRsBBQ are a joy to interact with including those of the near 425,000 who can't understand why I can't answer their every question.

To those that ask...I'm not retired from WWE. I consult in talent development along with contributing in other projects such as the Legends Roundtable, WWE Home Video, WWE.com and more. Just because I'm not on weekly TV, IE Raw, doesn't mean that I've ridden off into the sunset. For the record, why would I ever want to retire? Retirement has never been a dream of mine. I plan on staying busy and active as long as I physically can and that specific decision is in another's hands.

My latest column on WWE.com re: my broadcast partners will be posted this week. I'll keep you informed especially if you're following me on Twitter @JRsBBQ.

This weekend I mixed JR's HOT BBQ Sauce with some of our Main Event Mustard to create a 'Carolina styled' BBQ sauce and it worked really well. It's especially good on pork and chicken.

Did you ever notice that when people Tweet negative stuff that it loses a little of its luster when multiple words are misspelled?

The WM28 DVD including the Blu Ray version will be available every where Tuesday. At this stage of my life, being assigned by WWE management to call the HIAC match became one of my career highlights.

Grilling season is here! I hope that you will click on to this link and browse our store located at http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss. If you have shipping, etc questions please consult customer service at WWEShop.com or hit them on Twitter @WWEShop.

Thanks for stopping by and please tell a friend about our site. I also answer your questions at the Q&A section of this site as well. Check them out.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.