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JR's Blog: Turning Point show stealer?..On Line Biz is Growing...Morrison vs. Ziggler, When?

Posted: Sep 10th 2009 By: mikeiles

Good to be home here in Norman where the Sooners open their home season Saturday night against Idaho State and needing to get a "W." We're gonna be selling lots of "Q" at J.R.'s Family BBQ and I'm looking to see many of our guests there before I'm up at 4 a.m. Sunday morning to make my 6 a.m. flight from OKC to Chicago and then connecting to Montreal. Saturday night will be a "set two alarms" type of night.

We have been selling lots of Original and Hot BBQ Sauce, our awesome Chipolte Ketchup and Beef Jerky here online. My thanks to those who are shopping with us and I hope we can get more of you to place orders.

Let's roll with some hickory smoked, BBQ'ed Random Thoughts.

I'm still amazed at how well Bob Barker handled his role on LIVE TV Monday night especially considering that the TV legend is in his mid 80's. Mr. Barker has to be considered on of the best guest hosts that Monday Night Raw has featured.

What will Trish Stratus' role entail in her hometown Monday night in Toronto? She will undoubtedly be the "hottest" guest host to date...no pun intended....the talented 7 time WWE Women's Champion is a happily married lady.

It looks like Shelton Benjamin is working his way back to being a fan favorite. I could be wrong but that's what it seems to me. I still think Benjamin can be special with the right presentation because athletes like him don't come along too often. Plus, Shelton is one of the most engaging and entertaining guys on any roster in the locker room. If that talent can be transferred to in front of the camera, and I think it can, the WWE can mine some valuable minerals from the Gold Standard.

Is it just me or do you agree that Paul Burchill is improving every week. The Brit seems to have ample potential.

Pet Peeve #1.....I don't like "gay" jokes on any wrestling show. Seems outdated, wrong, and low road.

Not sure what bout is going to "steal the show" Sunday in Montreal at "Breaking Point" but don't discount the Christian vs. William Regal bout. On a level playing field, these two vets can go and will do all they can to make this match special on this PPV opportunity.

It looks as if the pending John Morrison vs. Dolph Ziggler IC Title bout will take place after Sunday's PPV at some point TBD. I have high expectations for this rivalry and feel that these two men can have a heck of a series going forward.

Morrison takes on Charlie Haas Friday night on Smackdown in what turned out to be a really solid, succinct contest. Morrison obviously has "it" and how Morrison improves going forward is something that many of us are going to watch closely. I am optimistic about John's potential because he's so cerebral and goal oriented.

Wrestling fans and "students of the game" seem to always make the most significant wrestling stars for the long haul.

Friday night also features a submission match between World's Champ C.M. Punk vs. Matt Hardy. This match was one of the more physical bouts we've seen on Smackdown in a while as both men are aggressive by nature.

Physicality sells.

The Undertaker is the first superstar fans will see Friday night when they tune in to MyNetworkTV. One has to look long and hard to find where 'Taker has submitted in a WWE bout. I haven't found such info. Considering the World Title Bout between Undertaker and Punk is a submission match, that data is relevant.

Pet Peeve #2....when female grapplers are not on the road they should be in the ring training. One only improves when they get plenty of reps such as in the old, territory days.

Finlay vs. Knox on Friday's Smackdown is another smash-mouth bout that neither guy phoned in and got plenty physical with each other. Belfast Brawls are not "happy hours." Knox will improve with every outing that he has with Finlay.

WWE Superstars is seemingly trending to feature even more wrestling than in the past. I think that there are five bouts on Thursday night's show on WGN America on WWE Superstars.

Off the subject and because talent development is on my mind today for some reason, I can see WWE affiliated with several training camps in the years to come. The more talents that can be signed and trained the better the odds are that main event level stars will be discovered and developed.

How good is Chris Jericho? Is any performer in the business better at this point in time? Jericho's interaction with Barker and then his match with MVP Monday was exemplary.

As you can tell, I really enjoyed working at ringside Tuesday night in Rockford for our two WWE Superstars bouts and the Smackdown program. I think fans of in ring wrestling will enjoy both shows for the most part.

The national media's eulogy of the OU Sooners football team is grossly premature. Trust me....this team will not quit even though we have already lost two, future NFL stars, TE Jermaine Gresham for the year and Heisman Trophy winning QB Sam Bradford for several weeks. I have always believed that how one one handles adversity is the true mark of the individual. I am big on keeping one's commitments and there is no doubt in my mind that my Sooners are a committed and proud bunch and will fight their way back into the hunt. Remember, cornered and wounded animals are at their most dangerous.

I do not know what Todd Grisham and my assignments for Sunday in Montreal, a great city by the way, love those smoked meat sandwiches, other than we will call Kane-Khali, Punk-Undertaker and "possibly" the Jericho/Show vs. MVP/Mark Henry tag bout. Who broadcasts the tag is still up in the air as I understand it. With Raw being WWE's top, TV priority and brand from a corporate positioning standpoint, Cole and Lawler might get the bulk of the work in Quebec.

Finally, I am honored to have been chosen to receive the Art Abrams Award at the 2010 Cauliflower Ally Club function in Las Vegas in April. This is a wonderful honor bestowed by a truly good and benevolent organization that I encourage all wrestling fans to join. When I attended the CAC with Steve Austin and Bret Hart a couple of years ago I had one of the best times of my professional career. My heartfelt thanks to all those who had a hand in this decision as it is sincerely appreciated by my family and me.

I invite you to check out my WWE Smackdown blog at www.wwe.com where you click on to the Smackdown page to find it. This week I will make my fearless predictions for "Breaking Point" but do suggest, no wagering please. This blog is usually posted on Thursdays.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Charlie Haas, Jerry Lawler