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JR's Blog: Wed. Update..Tyson..JR's on Facebook..Q&A's Updated..Soapbox Is Out!

Posted: Dec 24th 2009 By: CMBurnham

Thanks for stopping by and paying us a visit. We appreciate your time and also appreciate the business many of you sent our way here at the holidays.

Here are some BBQ'ed Random Thoughts...

Really busy times around our house as the year end rush to finalize several financial projects for WWE has kept me extremely busy including needing to work on Christmas Eve to meet some deadlines. Such is life and no complaints here as in the old days I used to work every Thanksgiving and Christmas night, as a rule, and was happy to get the work and to be booked.

If many of today's wrestlers were booked on either of the aforementioned holidays many would have long, "boo-boo faces," acquire "flu-like symptoms," or have their significant others call with unfortunate news.

I hope that you will bookmark our Facebook page which you can reach at http://facebook.dj/jrbbq/ as I am slowly crawling into modernized communications. What's next...Twitter?

Just my two cents but no matter the TV program, no matter the network, no matter what...can we shut down the volume of Tiger Woods jokes? Or, simply leave them to the pros if the pros feel compelled to continue down that road that seems so "last week."

I have updated my www.wwe.com blog which is still located on the Smackdown page. I "theorize" what some WWE Superstars "might" want for the Holidays. Yes, it's my attempt at bringing the elusive facet of "humor" to the 'rasslin table.

Enjoyed Monday Night Raw's presentation of Cena vs. Swagger this week. Swagger has the potential to be very good if all the stars align in his universe as he is one of WWE's best, pure wrestlers. Yes, I understand that there is more to the equation that just wrestling but one has to admit that wrestling isn't a bad place to start for any talent in the biz. Being able to wrestle still outranks one's "stand up skills" from this dinosaur's perspective.

Iron Mike Tyson will guest host Raw in a few weeks, January 11 as I recall. Who gets punched by the former "Most Dangerous Man on the Planet?" I would suggest that Mike might get a pay day for this appearance but that's just an observation as many guest hosts come on Raw to simply promote their charities or upcoming projects. Tyson would be a great guest on WWE 24/7's Legends Roundtable if the subject matter was the WWWF from back in the day as Mike and I had many casual discussions about him watching WWWF religiously as a kid growing up in NYC. Tyson would be hard to beat in a WWWF trivia contest. Based on personal experience and being one on one with him, Mike Tyson is a different guy than the publics perception of him. Another great example of where misguided, questionable management and the ever present "posse" helped take a guy down who earned enough money to last him several lifetimes but unfortunately, from what I gather, isn't the case with one of the most fierce and intimidating boxers of any generation. Of course, at some point one has to look in the mirror when taking inventory of one's woes.

I have read so much about the unionizing of pro wrestling, which will never happen by the way in my view, and improving the working conditions for all the talents of which I wholeheartedly endorse by the way. Nonetheless, I know many wrestlers who were toward the end of their careers when I first got in the business in the 70's who were smart enough independent contractors to acquire the info they needed to prepare for their future being independent contractors much like non union carpenters, plumbers, etc. Would I like to see wrestlers with more traditional benefits, etc? Of course. Is it impossible for independent contractors to not be able to establish a quality life because they are independent contractors? Absolutely not.

I learned from Bill Watts who was a consummate business man who had an eye toward the future and prepared for such. Also, General Skandar Akbar was a great role model as it related to paying his quarterly taxes on time and every quarter, keeping accurate expense records and conveying the message that it isn't what one makes but what one saves that is important. That may sound clich? but, trust me, it is the bona-fide truth. Every wrestling company should and could do more to help educate their performers on how to prepare for the future. Even if these performers did have employee status there is no guarantee that they would pay their taxes on time or save a dime outside their 401K plans when it comes right down to it.

Yes, in a "perfect world" all performers working for any company being full time employees with the traditional benefits would be ideal but the thought that individuals who are independent contractors cannot create their own benefits and take advantage of independent contractor status is not accurate.

Too many wrestlers who failed to save their money when they were earning good cash, that did not plan for their futures, and never bothered to file their income tax returns find it awfully convenient to put the blame on the companies that they worked for or, more specifically, the WWE because they are still in business after all these decades instead of accepting any responsibility for their own misdeeds and irresponsible lack of planning. Today's wrestlers need to invest in financial planners/CPA's and regularly pay their taxes instead of focusing on buying such things as Rolex watches, another new, high dollar, vehicle just because they are keeping up with the "Joneses" and such other popular, non essential things as breast augmentations for whomever.

I have no personal issues with any of the illustrations that I just used, as a matter of fact some I quite like, but common sense needs to be instilled in young wrestlers in the infancy of their careers with the goal of preparing them to have a happy ending to their wrestling careers and not become another tragedy or an embarrassing stat.

Good time of the year to be a football fan with it being "nut cutting time" in the NFL and all the Bowl Games that are being televised. I am still working on travel to El Paso for the Sun Bowl which might now be a day trip with some friends on a private aircraft if all the details can be resolved. I have not missed a Sooners' game this year and hope to be able to see them compete in the Sun Bowl vs. Stanford. The Sooners leave for El Paso on December 26 and will practice that day in El Paso.

As of Wednesday morning I have updated the Q&A section of the site. Please continue to keep your questions or comments succinct if you want them addressed. Thanks.

Rumors are circulating that Tommy Dreamer is leaving WWE but leaving on good terms. This is NOT official as I have not talked to any one in WWE or to Tommy but I did get a few emails from some fans who said that Tommy told them at a personal appearance that he was leaving WWE. Dreamer is a passionate guy who loves the business particularly what it was during the early part of his career. I have great respect for Tommy Dreamer and wish him much happiness and good health. I expect to see Tommy in a wrestling ring as long as he is physically able to hold up ala Terry Funk, one of Dreamer's heroes. Tommy's twin daughters appeared for a season in my favorite TV show of all time, "The Sopranos" which was really cool.

I expect 2010 to be one of my most interesting, professional years ever. One could see many changes in my personal landscape as I don't know how much longer that I will choose to endure weekly travel. I do know that some things have to change simply due to my health and the wear and tear of 51 weeks a year of commercial air travel. We are crossing all those bridges as we come to them. My health is still somewhat problematic but nothing, I feel, that I can't deal with and still be a productive and valued member of the wrestling community. I picked a helluva time to change my diet as old habits die hard especially during the Holiday Season. I have the option of not changing my lifestyle and pretty much knowing that the outcome won't be overly positive or changing things that I can control, prep for the future, and hopefully extending my quality of life. That's an easy call to make.

Have I called my last wrestling matches? Hell, no. Will I return to weekly TV for the long term? That's not too likely. Short term, weekly TV work may be in the cards and in a few months I may have a different mindset but I do know that my health will always come before "the business" from now on and that has not always been the case I'm embarrassed to say. As my Dad used to say, "Do as I say, not as I do."

Have a great day and come back and see us.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Jack Swagger, Bill Watts, Skandar Akbar, Terry Funk