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JR's Blog: JR's New Orleans Tkts Available Saturday, Royal Rumble, FOX Sports deal done, Primani Brothers, Hodge & Thesz for WWE HOF.

Posted: Jan 25th 2014 By: CMBurnham

Heres hoping that everyone is having a great day and and an even better upcoming weekend. Lots of odds and ends to cover. Light the grill.....

Yours truly had some oral surgery done Thursday and finished on Friday morning. Luckily, I was unconscious for round two and all seems to be progressing well.

Growing up an only child on a 160 acre farm in rural, eastern Oklahoma near my hometown (Westville) that did not have a dentist, going to the dentist was a big deal and came with all the issues that one might expect including a trip generally to Arkansas to see the dentist. My family could have never afforded for me to have braces much less go to the dentist except if I was in excruciating pain.

While in WCW I decided to get some bridge work done and do what I could to improve my smile. Chubby guys with Southern accents had to do all that they could to attempt to level the playing field enough to satisfy the all knowing television executives.

I had five, major items of dental work done in less than 30 days after agreeing for the entire procedure while enjoying nitrous oxide and then signing off on the five figure tab.

The dental work came out great but along with that I became a person of interest in a DEA investigation regarding my dentist over prescribing pain meds to many of his patients including me.

This investigation necessitated a visit to WCW HQ by two DEA agents to question me about all the prescriptions and unusual care that I had been receiving. I had filled one of the scripts but, luckily for me, I did not fill the others and kept them in my desk where I promptly turned them over to the DEA.

I was not implicated in any wrong doing largely in part by not filling the pain pill meds of which I had an abundance of prescriptions.

Dentists and me have had unique relationships over the years. I have great ones in Norman but I crossed paths with another dubious dentist when I was younger. He was a hip, cool, fresh out of dental college dude who hired the hottest assistants IE 'Divas' that one could imagine. Going to the dentist was akin to going to a mammary Mecca. Of course, it was too good to be true as this doctor had a little issue with cocaine that landed him eventually behind bars.

Now I am a model patient but the irony of it all is that thanks to three hits of Bells palsy my fancy smile that cost me a pretty penny is non existent.

Anxious to watch the WWE Royal Rumble on PPV this Sunday. I wrote about my 10 most memorable moments at the Rumble in my FoxSports.com column that's up on the Fox site now. http://www.foxsports.com

Still leaning on Batista, who I'm predicting will enter after #20, winning the Rumble which would set up a WWE World Title Bout vs. Randy Orton at WM30 as I see Orton winning Sunday in Pittsburgh vs John Cena with an obligatory helping of controversy.

Don't see Lesnar losing to Big Show at the Rumble.It's feeling more and more like it could be a Lesnar vs. Undertaker showdown at WM30 in NOLA but all that could change with one major signing or via the use of the most powerful weapon in the business....an eraser.

The only thing that I do know for sure about Sunday's WWE Royal Rumble is that I'm watching it from home but if I was in my wife's home town of Pittsburgh, I would be hitting Primanti Brothers for a great sandwich. Homemade fries ON a sandwich are hard to beat.

Pittsburgh attorney Jerry McDevitt took Mr. McMahon and many of his entourage, including yours truly, to Primanti Brothers after a Pittsburgh RAW years ago and the meticulous McMahon found eating his entire meal with his hands somewhat unsettling. Nonetheless, we all had a great time there.

I'd love to see CM Punk go coast to coast while entering #1 in the Rumble match and win it all in Pitt but that's a legit, long shot. I could see Punk lasting a abnormally long length of time before being tossed over the top rope...perhaps by Batista himself or Punk could run a foul of the Shield again.

It's always interesting to see who the final four are in the Rumble match, who eliminates the most entrants, and who leaves the Rumble match better positioned than they were upon entering.

Strategic, Rumble bouts enhance and forward multiple entrants if all goes according to a smart plan and the execution is there.

Also curious to see how Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt unfolds. As unpredictable as Bryan has been utilized over the past several weeks, it's almost impossible to predict his Rumble through WM30 status.

I'm still of the belief that Daniel Bryan is the most popular performer on the WWE roster these days but my opinion and a couple of bucks will buy you a few bottle of JR's BBQ Sauce, too.

Fans been asking what I'm going to do for Fox Sports. There are lots of ideas being tossed around but writing for FoxSports.com will be one of my primary jobs. I'm excited about working with the Fox staff and am already impressed with their creativity as it relates to how I'm going to be utilized. Stay tuned.

Podcast One still plans on launching my new podcast by mid February even though we haven't found a suitable studio just yet. Hopefully the studio matter will be resolved any day now.

Tickets for 'RINGSIDE: An Evening with Jim Ross' in New Orleans on Thursday April 3 at the House of Blues will go on sale THIS SATURDAY via ticketmaster.com. I will be doing two shows at 6:30 and 9:30 in the Big Easy.

Our 'RINGSIDE' show in New York City is set for Saturday March 1 at the Gramercy Theater, again with two shows, and tickets are on sale NOW a the box office and via ticketmaster.com.

According to the New York Post, NBC Universal is allegedly attempting to sweeten the TV rights deal in which they are currently negotiating with WWE. Allegedly, NBC Universal is offering to house a bricks and mortar WWE Hall of Fame at Universal in Orlando. Orlando would be a great spot for the WWE HOF considering that WWE does a ample business in Orlando including the WWE Performance Center and the NXT tapings at Full Sail University.

Just got my credentials to attend the College Wrestling Nationals in OKC in March. Likely to tag along with Jerry Brisco who will be scouting.

In 1968 on this date, Dan Hodge defeated Lou Thesz in Tokyo to win the TWWA championship in one of the most ballyhooed pro wrestling matches in years in Japan. Thesz was a God-like figure in Japan as was Hodge thanks to wins over men like Thesz, among others.

I'd love to see both Dan and Lou in the WWE Hall of Fame some day. I'm amazed that neither have been inducted as of yet.

Because so many have asked on the Q&A's here, I'll reiterate and say that I see NO value in 'The Streak' ever being broken at WrestleMania. No reason whatsoever. Taker's Streak isn't of the torch passing variety in my eyes.

My reps are looking over an offer that we have received to do RINGSIDE: An Evening w/ Jim Ross in Australia this August. It's far from a done deal but it's an intriguing opportunity. I've never been to Australia and wold love to make this trip if it makes sense business wise.

http://www.americansoda.co.uk just place a large order for more JR's and it's in route to Manchester, England as we speak. They also ordered some JR's All Purpose Seasoning for the first time.

Q&A's here on the site are updated.

You have my personal invite to follow me on Twitter @JRsBBQ.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ