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JR's Blog: Wednesday Update...Most Stupid People in Sports...Rock on ESPN...Lesnar's Back!

Posted: Jan 21st 2010 By: CMBurnham

Thanks for stopping by here at mid week. Let's get this BBQ'ed show on the road.

My WWE.com Smackdown blog will be posted alter today. I invite you to check it out as I have changed the format of it somewhat.

As I predicted yesterday, Wednesday morning UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar announced that he was recovering from a painful bout of diverticulitis and colon problems and will return to the Octagon "some time this summer." Always remember that bad news press conferences occur on Fridays. Having suffered diverticulitis myself along with severe colon issues I can tell you how much pain that ailment produces. I had what I felt was a run or the mill stomach ache for weeks but refused to complain about it publicly or miss Monday Night Raw because of a "stomach ache." That's being too hard headed and old school even though I was raised by a tough Dad who would have spun in his grave if he thought his son was going to miss work due to having a stomach ache. Nonetheless I let the matter go too far, which I would simply guess is perhaps Brock did as well, and when I finally got diagnosed I was 30 days away from dying and two weeks away from having to have the dreaded bag attached. My large intestine had perforated but like an idiot I tried to "work thru it."

Knowing Brock's background as a hard working, tough, country boy who rarely complained about his health, I can only imagine how long Lesnar had diverticulitis before it was discovered.

Lesnar wasn't stripped of his title which is a smart thing by UFC officials but I must ask why does UFC need an "interim" heavyweight champion to be decided in March while Brock is saying that he will be ready to go in the Summer? I don't get it.

Hopefully Frank Mir and his ticket and PPV selling mouth will be Lesnar's opponent in what would likely be one of the more compelling fights of 2010 especially if we fans get to hear both men verbally express themselves. Mir's sharp tongue has elevated his perception of the talented fighter's game as he "gets it" as far as how to promote a fight. MMA purists can blast pro wrestling all they want but Mir is doing pro wrestling shtick when he talks about his opponents and what Mir plans on doing with them. I like it but I also liked it when Muhammad Ali did it years and years ago. If Mir loses to Shane Carwin in March, Lesnar fights the dangerous Carwin and Mir can do more promos lobbying for the rubber match with the former WWE Champion and NCAA Champion.

Brock Lesnar is a lucky man and I am thankful that he is going to be able to live a normal life not to mention resuming his UFC fighting career. Lesnar found his niche in UFC and is tailor made for the fastest growing, legitimate sport in the world. People love to pay to see heavyweights, always have and always will, and Brock Lesnar is THE heavyweight in the eyes of many MMA fans today. (Fedor is also a bad ass but how bad we may never know unless Strikeforce can quickly develop some viable, PPV selling heavyweights. Fedor could have answered all our questions in UFC. )

Why is Herschel Walker fighting for Strikeforce on January 30? That's easy...because he's Herschel. Herschel is a different breed of cat. Read his latest book about his multiple personality disorder for more info. The former Heisman Trophy winner is "unique" to say it politely and nicely. Obviously Walker is an amazing athlete and at 47 he will be in great shape and will likely open some eyes with his preparation and natural athletic skills. After we all see Herschel fight, we will likely be saying that it's too bad that Hershel Walker didn't have his first MMA fight before he was 47 years of age OR we might simply roll our eyes and declare that Strikeforce got us with a well crafted, strategic, publicity stunt. Nonetheless, trust me, when I say that Herschel Walker is a uniquely gifted athlete who is one of the most eccentric individuals one will ever meet. Not that it's a bad thing....remember, I've been a member of the pro wrestling community for 36 years.

Got a great email from Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson this morning as he is hitting it hard promoting "The Tooth Fairy" which opens in theaters this Friday. We will be checking it out this weekend without question. Rock will be all over ESPN on Thursday and I expect him to cross paths privately and on the air with Rock's former WWE colleague Jonathan Coachman who now dons the broadcaster chair in Bristol for ESPN. Perhaps Rock will entice Coach to "dance the Charleston" as he once did on Monday Night Raw.

Rock is one of our biggest fans of our BBQ Sauce (Loves the HOT) and the Chipotle Ketchup which is the best ketchup known to man, if I don't say so myself.

Loved it on Letterman when Dwayne said that he would always be "The Rock" which was not only true but had to make wrestling fans around the Globe feel good. I don't ever see the Rock wrestling again but I know that he will host Raw sometime in the future to reconnect with his fans and to promote his latest project. I also know from the communication that Rock and I have that he still loves the business and most importantly the fans of the business who always support his film projects. There is no more positive person that I communicate with than is Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson which is extremely refreshing.

Believe it or not we had some fans from Australia fly to Dallas and then drive up to J.R.'s Family BBQ in Norman, Oklahoma recently. I was in town too and I wish I had known that they were there. That was our staff's fumble and hopefully something like that won't happen again. I love meeting the fans when they visit our joint as I will do on March 1 when Raw is in OKC. I'll also be in the store Thursday at lunch time.

Nice feature on Dan "Waylon Mercy" Spivey on WWE.com's "Where are They Now?" I will tell you that the Waylon Mercy persona was one of my absolute, without question, favorite, all time characters ever in the business. Dan "The Left Handed Man" Spivey is also known to be one of the legit tough guys ever in the biz and if the late Road Warrior Hawk were still with us today he would say amen to that.

Did you know that Minnesota QB Brett Favre was not only a New Orleans Saints fan as a kid growing up in Kiln, Mississippi but he was also a fan of Mid South Wrestling and loved JYD, who didn't back then, but also the rebellious, Fabulous Freebirds and occasionally attended matches at the Gulf Coast Coliseum in Biloxi, Mississippi?

On WWE 24/7 On Demand as we speak is a bout between Verne Gagne vs. George "Scrap Iron" Gadaski from 1974. Two quick points, check out how good the former two sport, University of Minnesota star Gagne was and see Gadaski who was Ric Flair's first ever opponent if my memory serves me correctly.

Man, did boxing screw boxing when the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight fell through, for now, or what? What big pro fights are out there that the public is clamoring to see? There are none. Boxing is close to becoming non-relevant and if they don't start making hot, young stars ASAP then boxing as many of us know it will be dead. When was the last time that boxing created a new, major star specifically in the heavyweight division which carried the sport on its shoulders for generations? The stupidest people in sports may well be boxing promoters if one bases their intellect on the future of their business.

Whether one wants to help with the relief efforts in Haiti or not is one's on personal choice but I do and here's one crazy idea. A Texas Hold 'Em Poker Tournament featuring WWE Superstars, WWE Personalities and Celebrities from outside the WWE world on a televised poker tourney. I'm all in!

I plan on attending the 2010 Cauliflower Alley Club function in April in Las Vegas and hope to see many of you there. If you are not a member of CAC but are a fan of the biz, then you should join the organization which extends a huge heart and helping hand to those from within the business and without fanfare. The good folks at CAC don't break their arms patting themselves on the back. One of the best times that I ever had was a couple of years ago when I attended the CAC with Steve Austin and Bret Hart was honored. Fans are in hog heaven at CAC and why any one that can attended doesn't is mind blowing to me. I hope to see many of you there and check out the CAC website for more info. This event is affordable and a must attend for all fans, I can assure one and all.

Congrats to the Friday Night Smackdown crew for a record setting TV rating last week for the broadcast headlined by Batista vs. Mysterio inside a cage. Striker and Grisham are on fire!

We updated our Q&A's early today and invite you to check them out.

One emailer wanted to know if I would some day write my autobiography and if I did would it be with WWE or do it independently so that I could essentially "tell the truth." I have asked for more info from this individual on what truths I would need to omit if I penned a book with WWE as this person must know much more about my life than do I. My overwhelming preference would be to do the book with WWE and to simply tell my story as best I know how. Every day of my career hasn't been a bed of roses, whose life is, but I can assure any one that wants to listen that I have had MANY, more great days than negative ones in my 36 years in the biz. Nonetheless writing one's autobiography is a deeply personal matter and if I do embark on such a journey I will need a researcher and plenty of help in telling my story as I won't do it or even attempt to write a book if it isn't accurate and I refuse to write a "fluff piece."

So, the jury is still out on the book but I can assure that I have some unbelievable stories starting with my first road trip in the mid 70's. The territory days were aka the "Wild West" while the refining of the corporate side of the business provided even more unique and provocative stories. My various jobs in the business have also provided me with plenty of ammo regarding some of the biggest names in the history of the business...some not so flattering...and isn't that what most folks want to read about...the underbelly of what ever one is writing about? Sad but true.

I promised to not reveal the name but a well known wrestling star just ordered a case of Chipotle Ketchup from this website.

Life is good and I am getting excited to watch the Royal Rumble match on PPV from my old, home base of Atlanta and only wish that I was going to be a part of it but I will definitely be there in spirit. Atlanta will always hold special memories for me and some of my most trusted, long standing friends still reside there.

Please take a stroll through our on line store and I hope to see you if you're in our neck of the woods at J.R.'s Family BBQ in Norman. Be well every one and always count your blessings.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, MSW, Junkyard Dog, Fabulous Freebirds, Verne Gagne, Ric Flair