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

JR's Blog: More on Andrew Martin's Death...Q&A's Updated and they get nuttier by the week...MMA...Mickey Rourke

Posted: Mar 21st 2009 By: mikeiles

"One can be sick just at work just as easily as one can be sick at home" as I was once reminded and so with that said I am back from Corpus Christi with the "historic" 500th episode of Friday Night Smackdown in the books. Friday night's broadcast is a loaded show from start to finish and will be on display before a sell out crowd taped on St. Patrick's Day. Let's get this show on the road.

I have been receiving lots of emails, all deleted, wanting to know what brand I preferred being on after WWE's Annual Draft on April 13 in Atlanta. Obviously there are more fans concerned about this matter than am I. I do not long for the days of the past where it was "J.R. and the King" on Monday Night Raw although if that were to be the "call" then I would certainly enjoy it. I like the schedule of taping on Tuesday and airing on Friday offers with Smackdown as it frees up most of my weekends which I particularly like during Sooner Football season plus I enjoy working with Tazz. I feel that Tazz and I are still evolving and our best days lie ahead. As I have mentioned before, if I were placed on the one hour, ECW broadcast, I would have zero issues because that would be what's perceived as being best for the team, WWE, the company that writes my pay checks. Plus, broadcasting a one hour show live to tape has its benefits....if you know what I mean BROTHER!!

It really is a simple matter we're discussing but there are seemingly so many things in wrestling these days that some fans love to obsess over that are nothing more than minutia especially when some wrestling internet sites fuel the fire. It goes like this; the economy is not good in America (Duh)...unemployment is going to increase...the worst of the financial times likely lie ahead...people with jobs, especially good paying one's, need to covet those jobs and do all they can to not join the ranks of the unemployed. The bottom line is with today's economy as it is now it's not the time one wants to be out of work and without the benefits that come with steady employment.

I throughly enjoy broadcasting wrestling and where ever my skills are best utilized works for me even though I feel, and perhaps egocentrically so, that I can still hang with the best of any of the play by play people in wrestling or elsewhere. You can take that statement any way you choose and I'm sure some will. Have fun with it on the message boards.

I have also received several emails after the untimely death of Andrew "Test" Martin asking if I thought that wrestlers could function without the regular use of pain medication. After shaking my head and rolling my eyes, the answer is an emphatic, "Hell yes!"

Prescription medication in general and the easiness in acquiring such, utilizing naive and/or "dirty" physicians, and medical info being utilized for one's convenience has done the wrestling business no favors over the past 2-3 decades. The over utilization of prescription medication in our society is astonishing to me. One can watch TV and see tons of commercials touting various medications that one can obtain as long as they have a prescription. These ads and promotional pieces give the potential patient/customer just enough info to take to their personal physicians and ask to be prescribed these meds. Massive amounts of money are spent on TV, Radio and in Print to encourage people to solve their problems and improve their quality of life by taking certain prescribed drugs.

I have consulted with wrestlers who, for example, didn't save their money and/or didn't pay their taxes or who cheated on their wives and were being pressured by their mistress to leave the wife, using two, random examples, who then self diagnosed themselves with having "anxiety attacks" ala Tony Soprano which then necessitated their usage of Xanax, for example. These individuals obviously made several erroneous decisions in their lives along the way to becoming addicted to prescription drugs. In other words they used their own real life issues to provide them a reason to use certain drugs to which they intended to abuse from the get go.

As with any contact sport, the sports entertainment entity of pro wrestling is not going to be without injuries. Injuries require care that includes prescription meds, surgeries, rehab, etc. However, no where does it say that people have to constantly seek the eternal "buzz" via prescription medication by using the "business" as their on-going crutch.

I thoroughly believe that the business in general isn't the enemy to those that personally choose to become wrestlers. Yes, the travel is extensive but it is far better today than in years past. Yes, the physicality inside the ring is challenging but the rings themselves are much more wrestler friendly today than they were in previous generations. High flying styles can be condusive to more frequent injuries but some of the higher risk maneuvers are not necessary or required to be a star. The medical care provided wrestlers has improved amazingly over the years with certified trainers and fully licensed physicians at every event, at least that is the case in WWE. The best surgeons in the world are made available to repair any injury. Talent are given time off when they request it and they should request it more often. I know.... here comes the worn out and predictable line that if someone requests time off that it will adversely affect them with the higher up's. I think that is a total misconception that has been perpetuated by some wrestlers over the years who used their schedule as the reason for their addiction. They just need to look in the mirror and be honest with themselves. I provided hundreds of talents with days off and I never kept a record of who was taking days off IE a score card so I could some how, in some perverse sort of way, "get even" with these individuals. Smart management will make sure that their talents are afforded time off especially in a business that runs 12 months a year. People need time to "recover" from long tours, injuries, etc plus being able to be more involved with family activities helps everyone involved with the process. Talents that are happy at home are generally happy at work was always my philosophy. The genre will never have a "season" as long as it is required to produce first run TV programming 51 or so weeks a year but the schedule is manageable nonetheless if focused on and made a priority.

Point is, some wrestlers, as do millions of other human beings from every walk of life, enjoy "getting high." They find various ways to accomplish their respective highs and some even facilitate doctor assisted "highs." I hope that every wrestler who abused drugs of any kind in the 80's, etc for any company for which they worked will do what ever it takes to get complete physicals and make sure that they are healthy, especially their cardiovascularly. I also hope that these wrestlers and their predecessors will seek the help that they need to stop abusing prescription medication and start using these meds not for their intended usage and not simply as a vehicle to "catch a buzz." The WWE has a program in place to assist their alumni with on going drug and alcohol issues but it still takes the on going efforts of the individual to affect their own much needed change.

I don't know where Andrew Martin fits in this soapbox-like, anti drug rant but one can only assume he fits in it somewhere. Andrew was a very social guy. He was an individual who was easy to connect with and in which to converse. He was sharp and intelligent with a great sense of humor. I also think Andrew realized his limitations inside the ring and that fact frustrated him. Andrew knew that he would never be a star like Bret Hart, for example, a fellow Canadian who taught Andrew a great deal of in ring fundamentals. Andrew was certainly skilled enough to contribute positively to any wrestling card but Andrew was a role player whose name was never going to be above the title ala the star of the show. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that role that is unless one is only be happy being THE "star." Perhaps Andrew needed to be a star to be happy. I don't know. I do know that, at times, he was frustrated regarding his career and that he apparently sought refuge with unhealthy means. This was his personal choice and one that I wish I could have dissuaded Andrew from if only I had known that Andrew had an on going problem. Those of us that knew Andrew Martin will always regret not being able to do more to help him with his issues.

Andrew had a wonderful aura about him and attracted others to want to be around him. He was the envy of the locker room when he dated Stacey Keibler and he took a fair amount of good nature joking from his jealous peers. I never remember having to speak with Andrew about his work ethic or passion for the product. Andrew Martin was a good person whose apparent frustrations about his professional life seemingly ate away at him and he sought solace in a place that would apparently and eventually take his life.

I wish I could have done something to intervene and perhaps some day when all is said and done I will be able to have a conversation with Andrew in a far better place.

We have a ton of new Q&A's updated elsewhere on this site and some of them are classics. I seemed to delete more than usual as I STILL can't hire people, change wrestling events and matches therein, predict the future, facilitate seemingly perverse meet & greets for weirdo fans, etc. Nonetheless I am sure that you will enjoy what questions I did answer as they were succinct as were the answers.

Recently I wrote about the inconsistencies of MMA officiating and since then, unfortunately, it seems to have become more of a topic of discussion. State athletic commissions assign officials for MMA fights but that doesn't answer my questions as to how these men are trained and the infrastructure in place to prepare these men to be more consistent in fight stoppages and to not be so heavily influenced by the promoters of MMA. This issue is likely to become more topical before it gets better.

Mo Lawal briefly considered coming to WWE, thanks to Gerald Brisco, at one time and the now "King Mo" who is competing in Japan in MMA has a 3-0 record and is garnering a fair amount of attention. Mo attended Oklahoma State University, as did Brisco, and had the life long dream of winning an Olympic Gold Medal which precluded Mo from signing with WWE years ago. Mo has a natural outgoing personality which he is utilizing well in his new vocation.

I look for Bobby Lashley to dominate his veteran opponent on PPV this Saturday night when Lashley, a former WWE Superstar, takes on Jason Guida who has had 36 MMA fights. Lashley is blessed with not only strength but also natural quickness, much like Brock Lesnar, and Bobby is a quiet albeit focused world class athlete who is being nurtured slowly, and smartly in my view, in the MMA world. Lashley was originally scheduled to face Ken Shamrock who failed a drug test and was declared suspended, as I understand it, therefore taking Shamrock out of the Lashley fight. If Ken Shamrock never fights again, I would be relieved and happy.

The last Smackdown double header was taped Tuesday night in Corpus Christi of which I would have celebrated with an adult beverage if not for still battling "walking" pneumonia. I should have asked the doctor the difference in "walking" pneumonia and "sitting" pneumonia. I think I prefer the "sitting" version but I can't be totally sure. Being at home for the March Madness isn't a bad thing though plus my "honey do" list is blank at the moment.

We will be taping some Smackdown bouts in Dallas on March 30 that will air on the Friday April 3 edition of Friday Night Smackdown.

Well, it's been confirmed that actor Mickey Rourke is coming to WM25 after all. What's the over/under that Rourke gets physically involved at the event? I think I lean towards the under but, of course, I'm rarely correct with my predictions but you already knew that if you had been watching much of my announcing over past few decades. Wrestling announcers are historically wrong with their wrestling edicts.

A strong Friday Night Smackdown this week on MyNetworkTV especially if you like wrestling-heavy programming. With HBK vs. Kane, Undertaker vs. JBL, Benjamin vs. MVP for the U.S. Title, and with HHH vs. Kozlov kicking off the broadcast, the two hours passed more quickly than any Smackdown I can recall in quite some time.

The Monday Night Raw crew will be in K.C. Monday and I wish I were going to be there to enjoy some of that great K.C. BBQ and to watch what I expect to be a great Monday Night Raw live. I expect Raw will be red hot on Monday night and I will be watching it from my home just as many of you will. The next few episodes of WWE TV prior to WM25 should all be strong.

Nice, subtle shout out to yours truly by the King with the "walking pneumonia" reference Monday night on Raw. Speaking of that, someone emailed me that Michael Cole said that he broadcast the first Smackdown which I did not hear Michael say but the King and I handled that chore which I wrote about this week on my blog on WWE.com. Check it out.

I would be shocked if Cole/King were split up on Monday Night Raw via the WWE Draft. However, last year perhaps will be the precedent of moving broadcasters around on the three WWE brands. I'm really looking forward to seeing where every one lands on April 13 specifically the wrestlers which are who the programs are truly about.

The WWE Magazine column where I name the top ten bouts I ever called is written and submitted. I really don't like doing these types of lists because I have a hard time in picking ten bouts that out rank ten others. I could do a top ten list 7 days a week and essentially come up with 7 different lists depending on my frame of mine and my memory (no jokes). I did realize, thanks to many of you, that I have been privileged to have been a part of some amazing wrestling bouts over the years which made me reflect on my "run" and gave me pause to be very thankful for my many professional blessings.

I also want to thank those of you that have become regular customers in our on line store. We are offering some great specials right now that I hope you will just take a moment to check out. Without the sales from the store this site would cease to exist is the obvious and proverbial "bottom line." Never fail to remember that we do sincerely appreciate your business and for making our ever growing website a small part of your week. Be well.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Jerry Lawler, ECW, Gerald Brisco