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JR's Blog: Weekend Update..Owen Hart...Macho Man...Flair Wrestling...Changes on the BBQ Front

Posted: May 24th 2009 By: mikeiles

Here's hoping everyone who celebrates the Memorial Day Holiday has a safe and fun one. We are entertaining our oldest daughter's family which means the two granddaughters will be here which equates to a great day. I was going to attend a performance of the Lion King with them on Sunday afternoon but instead will be traveling to Los Angeles. Nonetheless, the Mrs will make sure, as she always does, that things go well for all while I travel to work. Saturday's update follows....

Today, May 23, is the 10th Anniversary of the death of Owen Hart. Owen died accidentally when a faulty harness malfunctioned while he was making an entrance from the rafters of Kansas City's Kemper Arena. The PPV event, Over the Edge, is one that I have never watched....since that night a decade ago. I have always said that if I ever write a book about my career in the wrestling biz turned sports entertainment biz turned entertainment biz that I would likely watch Over the Edge so I could adequately address what effect that day had on my life and how I truly felt during those gut wrenching hours. I do remember that I had less than a minute to prepare for an on camera to tell our viewing audience that Owen had died. That wasn't an easy assignment. I could not repeat what I said on that evening today if you held a gun to my head. I have blocked so much of that entire day out of my memory that it all seems like a blur to me today. I do know that if I watch the show again that all those memories will rush back and at that time I will write down my thoughts but until that day comes this PPV will never be viewed in my home.

As so many have accurately stated on many occasions, Owen Hart was a wonderful human being. Not only an extremely talented, perhaps underrated wrestler, but a loving husband, father, son, and brother. Plus, he was quite the character.

As the head of WWE Talent once upon a time, I had to have a "sit down" with a wrestler before a live TV show I was going to broadcast about the individual's alleged drug use. I recall the rumor was that this person was allegedly using cocaine. Nonetheless the word of the meeting spread almost immediately amongst the wrestlers, imagine that (telephone, telegraph, tell a wrestler) and of course word got back to Owen. So later that day he purposely and literally ran into me in the hall way in the locker room area as I was walking with my head down looking at some notes for that night's broadcast. When our bodies collided I looked up and saw it was Owen and he had taken powdered sugar off a donut and put an ample amount of it all under his nose and his eyes were barely open as if he was severely impaired. At that exact moment I did not think it was too funny, but within seconds and after he burst out laughing I easily found the humor in his stunt and it actually allowed me to release some of the stress that I was feeling from the previous "sit down."

I also remember Owen driving a rental car from the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh across the street to the downtown Marriott in a vehicle that included Owen, Bret Hart, my wife Jan, me and someone else that I can't recall. Bret was in a hurry to return to the hotel and Owen purposely missed every turn to get us to the Marriott and what should have been a 5 minute, or less, trip took approximately 30 minutes and at the end of the journey I thought Bret was going to assault his younger, prank playing brother. Owen would miss a turn, pass a church or something that resembled a church and then would invoke in the name of Clarke W. Griswold from the film "European Vacation".... "Hey, look kids....Big Ben!" Owen had the ability to take a 5 minute, mundane drive and turn it into a 30 minute odyssey that was filled with laugher. At least for most of us.

Owen was also thrifty and instead of staying at hotel on the road he often times stayed with fans in their homes. He would sleep on the couch or in the spare bedroom of these fans and save the money for lodging and often times food as well. Some of those stories of "sleep overs" at the home of wrestling fans are classically hilarious. The "ribs" Owen played on is "hosts" are worthy of a movie script.

Owen and I also formed a broadcast team on a South African broadcast emanating from Sun City, South Africa in the late 90's. I would love to watch that one again as Owen was excellent as a color analyst.

I miss you Owen and I hope that you have stayed on the good side of God with all those practical jokes that I know you are playing in Heaven.

Here's some feedback to some emails we have received recently:

There are NO plans for EITHER the Undertaker or Shawn Michaels to retire any time soon. Stop the pain and please stop the emails about this matter. When either man does decide to say adi?s there will be a HUGE deal made of it. Both men will be back in action in 2009 and no I don't have the exact date and likely no one does as we speak.

Kane is not AWOL. He is simply has not been appearing on TV lately. He, too, will return likely before Undertaker or HBK and is being counted on to contribute to Friday Night SmackDown. Kane is healthy and could return at any time.

Many raise hell about wrestling having no season, I fully understand their point, and then when wrestlers take much deserved and needed time off it becomes a major issue with conspiracy theory implications. Of course these absences could perhaps be better explained on TV but that's simply not the direction that has been set forth.

Yes, I am still friends with Mick Foley even though he wrestles in TNA and as a matter of fact Mick stopped by J.R.'s Family BBQ along with several of his friends Thursday and enjoyed some great food. I did tell him that I was shocked that he had a salad with his "Slobber-Knocker" three meat combo. After visiting with Mrs J.R. and me on Thursday , Mick got to catch up with WWE HOF'er Terry Funk in Amarillo on Friday.

Other questions concerned Jesse "The Body" Ventura. Working with Jesse Ventura was an overall positive experience. Jesse is highly intelligent and extremely opinionated. He certainly understood the wrestling business and how to execute his role as the antagonist, color analyst. I did not agree with all his political views but so what? He did not agree with all mine either. Some of our night before a PPV "meetings" resembled any thing but a strategy session but that's a story for another time. I did tell his Minnesota security detail to in essence to kiss my ass when they told me I had to call him Mr. Governor or Governor Ventura in our pre game meetings when we were broadcasting XFL games together. The governor was "Body" in those meetings and "Jesse" on TV. Sorry officer.

Do wrestlers actually order JR's products from this site? Absolutely. Many of wrestling's biggest names are customers of our sauces that they purchase in our on line store. As a matter of fact we just shipped a case of sauce to Bret Hart to his Hawaii residence.

That reminds me that Edge is in need of more sauce. Several guys also carry our Beef Jerky with them as it is a nice, between meal snack that has little or no fat and no carbs. It also has great flavor. Our new, plastic bottles of "J.R.'s Original Sauce" will be in our warehouse this Tuesday and we expect the HOT sauce and the Chipolte Ketchup to follow in a couple of weeks.....hopefully.

Some emails and internet reports have speculated that I am going to be angry for having to tape WWE Superstars matches on Mondays because I will miss some OU football games. Wrong again Oliver Stone diciples....the Sooners play on Saturdays and like last year I do not plan on missing a game, home or away this season.

It's weird how many emails we receive or how many links to other sites others send me where people have the ability to read my mind and declare my moods. Lately I have been described in a variety of moods ranging from "rage" about the Monday schedule, "still angry" over not being on Raw, to having "no self respect" because I continue to go to work to provide for my family in spite of how these folks perceive that I am treated. Wow. These are the types of emails or internet posts that allow casual wrestling fans the cannon fodder to improperly stereotype ALL, die hard wrestling fans as blithering idiots when we know that simply isn't true.

Yes I think Ric Flair will wrestle again but I don't know if it will be for WWE. Ric is getting offers that involve "serious money" as my late father would say which Ric likely won't be able to turn down. Ric has said publically that he pays over $20K per month in alimony so the man has to stay pretty damn busy to keep his legally bound commitments. Nonetheless it is great to see "Naitch" back on TV and this Monday night should be no exception. There will never be another like him.

I also understand that Reid Flair is getting the help that he needs and I am hoping and praying that he succeeds in his quest to become clean and sober. If Reid doesn't come through this program successfully, then I fear for Reid's well being. Just one man's opinion, but the LAST thing Reid needs to concern himself with right now is the wrestling business, his bookings, getting back in the ring, etc. My advice to him would be to go back to school and get educated so that he would not go through life, professionally, one dimensional and could become his own man in another field that interests him.

Reid will always be "Ric Flair's kid" in the pro wrestling world. Being "Ric Flair's kid" is definitely something to be proud of but following the greatest ever in the family business may well be a challenge that no one can meet.

Friday Night Smackdown continues to be WWE's most enjoyable TV program to watch on a week in and week out basis...in my biased opinion. Why, you ask? Two words.

Todd Grisham.

Plus, great young, athletic talents who are getting the much needed TV time to help establish their personas. Every outing should come with a heightened sense of urgency for those men and women.

One final note on Owen Hart and this is just my two cents but Owen and his Dad Stu are both deserving of being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. I hope it happens because Owen's fans deserve to see him honored and recognized even though I realize that Owen's widow Martha may not, I don't know for sure, agree with my opinion. Martha has done some amazingly, positive things since Owen's death of which she and her family should be proud, for the record. However, Owen Hart brought smiles to so many faces and Owen being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame would allow many of us to relive the good days with Owen and perhaps facilitate even more closure on this decade old tragedy.

Believe it or not we STILL get emails about Macho Man Randy Savage. And no....I have no idea when or if Randy Savage will ever be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Yes, Randy is also very deserving. Yes, it would be great to hear his induction speech and to see his highlight video. Nonetheless, please stop those emails as I am simply deleting them as I don't know how to address them any way but how I have for the past two years. I did get a copy of the Macho Man DVD this week and I felt it was really good and renewed many memories of one of WWE's greatest stars.

This coming week we are changing our menu, for the better, at J.R.'s BBQ in Norman, Oklahoma on the east side of I-35 at exit 109. Use our drive thru or call your orders in at 405-360-4227 and we will be open Memorial Day starting at 11 a.m. as usual. We have tweaked how we prepare our Pulled Pork, Brisket and they are amazing. We're also smoking whole chickens which is a healthy, moist and tasty bird. Yes, I'm biased because it is our BBQ joint but I would not be singing its praises if it were an embarrassment to my family and I couldn't be more proud of it. We are currently looking at an Oklahoma City location and I hope to see us open a Tulsa store or two in the future, as well.

Enjoy all the action from Los Angeles this week on Raw, ECW, and Smackdown. I'm just glad that, for Monday night at least, that my name isn't Stanley Kroenke.

I have also updated our Q&A section if you want to check it out but you spending a couple of bucks before you leave would almost put a smile on a face that has had two run in's with Bells palsy. :)

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Mick Foley, TNA, Ric Flair, ECW