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JR's Blog: Is Fedor really a "must sign?"...Shaq...Mildred Burke...DX Book...Order Your Sauce Today!

Posted: Jul 31st 2009 By: mikeiles

Thanks for stopping by our site. We're burning daylight so let's get this smoker hot....

It was good seeing Shaq Monday while in D.C. taping the lone, SD bout for WWE Superstars, that was excellent BTW. Shaq was his regular, friendly self who had a legit fun time at Raw and enjoyed being around the talent. I was pleasantly surprised at how lean Big Shaq was which must mean that he is eagerly anticipating his season coming up with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Big Fellow really looked in excellent, physical condition. Shaq is a natural born performer and a true fan of WWE which all seemed to come through clearly to me on the Monday evening telecast.

It's been said that the future NBA HOF'er was Shaqilicious...Oh, My.

Of course and as predicted, many of the ESPN talking heads acted as if they were in angst or discomfort for having to read their prompters about Monday's proceedings. WWE did garner some excellent stretch out of the story thanks to Shaq.

Entourage's Jeremy Piven will have his hands full following Shaq's act this Monday when Piven Guest Hosts Raw from the Mohegan Sun Casino which is one of my favorite spots to visit when on the road. I don't plan on being there this Monday but that always could change I have grown to know. However, I will be in Long Island for SD on Tuesday night and the Nassau Coliseum is a big time arena that is "in the shadow of New York City" or so I've been told and prompted to say on air many times.

Any one thinking about placing any orders this week from our on line store? Check it out for all the great deals that are family priced. Sauce never goes out of season and we have many items that have been authentically signed by yours truly.

Congrats to James Laurinaitis for being smart, for signing his first NFL contract with the St. Louis Rams and for not being an idiot and holding out of training camp. The Rams run a 4-3 defense which emphasizes a middle linebacker of which James is an excellent one. Rookies who hold out of training camp over contract issues have never come off as overly bright in my perspective and seemingly end up getting injured and getting farther behind.

The John Morrison vs. Tyson Kidd bout this Thursday night on WGN America's WWE Superstars is a helluva wrestling match especially considering the overall youth of the participants. Kidd can get it done and Morrison is a future, perennial, PPV main eventer, unless I'm dead wrong on both these young men. Food for thought: Kidd vs. Mysterio some day down the road is golden.

This week's WWE Superstars show, from what I could see of it, looks as if it could be one of the better WGN broadcasts to date.

I can't vouch for the validity of all the "spoilers" out there, no not little, Don Jardine's, but internet spoilers who tell us the ending of the movie before we see it, but my "take" on Friday night's Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison match is that it is good...really good. This match was fresh and felt special.

Too much of the same thing on any TV show is a negative and the wrestling business, in particular, has always had the ability to introduce new people, get them properly positioned and to make the new individuals feel special to the fans. That doesn't come without a few calculated risks but that's simply a function of doing business, any business.

I read the Tweets from Joe E. Styles and Chris Jericho regarding the age and condition of the arena formerly known as the Baltimore Arena. I don't have any issues with the old facility as it has been the scene of some historic, wrestling bouts and, for the record, was the arena that I passed kidney stone particles during a PPV for WCW. After the show, promoter Gary Juster took me straight to the emergency room. I needed help from the bullpen that night but didn't get it.

Nice coup for WWE to engage 7/11 as a marketing partner for Summerslam this year in Los Angeles. Corporate partnerships have never been pro wrestling's strong suit but must be cultivated to enhance any wrestling company's future growth.

BTW the Big Gulp cups are available at participating 7/11's beginning this Saturday.

The UFC and Fedor Emelianenko are still apparently negotiating for the much hyped, superman/heavyweight MMA fighter to sign with UFC. It's obviously a negotiation that UFC must undergo but signing Fedor definitely isn't a "must sign." The deal must be good for the UFC. This deal should be for a minimum of three fights and without destroying UFC's business model that so many have worked tirelessly to build. Fedor is not bigger than MMA and when, not if, Emelianenko is defeated he ceases to be bullet proof. Yes, I've been around a few monstrous, ticket and PPV selling attractions in my career and I realize that a potential Fedor-Brock fight is huge money but so is their return. What if Emelianenko-Lesnar was an Ali-Frazier thing, don't say that's impossible, and it took three battles to settle the score? That's sort of hard to accomplish with only a "one fight deal." Plus, I have many friends who are casual MMA fans who have either never heard of Fedor Emelianenko or are not as familiar with him as they need to be. Fedor will have to be mass marketed and tied to the promotional rocket ship especially to the American audience. Because of Fedor's impressive career and the video that goes along with it, that matter shouldn't be too hard to do via Spike TV. UFC has all the leverage, as I see it, in these negotiations and crafting of a fair and mutually rewarding deal for both entities should be UFC's only goal. It's not like Fedor has multiple places to ply his wares and make the millions that he and his entourage apparently need to be paid to ensure their happiness. ( I guess Fedor could always challenge the Undertaker at WM26....take it easy....I'm just saying.)

Also, it looks as if UFC will essentially soon own the seemingly now defunct Affliction organization. One could except that announcement to be made this week. I have never liked major announcements to come on Fridays as they often times get lost over the weekend so perhaps this could hit the media on Thursday. Nonetheless UFC will, as we discussed here before, be able to add some talent to their roster which is a positive. No talent roster ever has too many capable hands no matter their size or "look."

It surprised me that Friday Night Smackdown had the final, two bouts at Sunday's Night of Champions.

I read where the PPV in Philly wasn't sold out but there were no complimentary tickets for the talent on Sunday and from the numbers that I saw all the tickets were sold. Perhaps some folks no showed but the seats were sold or so I was told. The live gate was near $900K which would buy a bunch of brisket.

(BTW I did get a Philly Cheesesteak from Tony Luke's in Philly.)

Business has been steady at J.R.'s Family BBQ in Norman as we are in the midst of our "slow season" with so many students away from the Oklahoma campus for the summer. Over 30,000 attend OU in the fall and spring semesters which means are BBQ biz is better late August through May. Don't let that stop you from visiting, however. There are less "waits."

I read a great book review regarding an upcoming book that I want to read regarding one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Mildred Burke. If any one else grabs this one and reads it before I do let me know what you thought of it. I made a Mildred Burke reference at "Night of Champions" that likely went unnoticed or over most folks heads except for Matt Striker.

Speaking of books, I did some writing work on an upcoming book about DX that really brought back some memories from years gone by and not all of them were pleasant ones. I am under the impression that this book will be released this fall but I could be wrong on that. DX were heat seeking missiles back in the day and rubbed many folks the wrong way. They were at the forefront of the "Attitude Era" in WWE and it will likely never be duplicated. Some of the behind the scenes stories regarding the fall out over many of the actions and antics of the DX faction should make for an provocative and fun read.

Thanks for spending time here on our site. We appreciate your visit and your business.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Don Jardine, WCW