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JR's Blog: Tuesday..Hart & Soul DVD is 'Must See'..Kerry vs. Bret..Young Rosters are a Good Thing..Random Thoughts

Posted: Apr 7th 2010 By: CMBurnham

Beautiful day to be in Norman, Oklahoma and we hope that all is well where ever you may be. Grilling season has our on line business busy but we're never too busy for you. Order today and we will likely ship it tomorrow.

Several weeks ago I got an advance copy of the new, WWE DVD, 'Hart and Soul' and I can easily and honestly say it is one of the better productions that WWE Home Video has ever produced. It has some awesome photos, footage, and interviews on it and is a 'highly recommend' for all fans.

We are opening our pool today which means that it will likely rain or snow sometime over the next week. If one doesn't like Oklahoma weather, wait 15 minutes.

Jerry Lawler called me last night and we had a hour's worth of laughs on the phone. King will be flying to the UK on Sunday, arriving on Monday morning and broadcasting Raw Monday night before taking the first flight home Tuesday morning. Jerry and I used to always fly back together on those international trips but I usually left a day earlier than he did. International travel isn't one of King's favorite things to do but once he gets to where he is going he always has a good time. I used to kid him that he would go abroad and never convert any American money into foreign currency. That's why King will never be in a much too typical, wrestler's financial crisis. He's a smart man.

Some wrestling internet sites in their never ending saga of creating provocative headlines said that I did not like the Raw Guest Host concept. I have written here many times that I thought that more often than not the Guest Host biz got WWE additional publicity from sources that normally wouldn't mention wrestling unless there was a death or a legal issue. In that respect it is a good idea. My thoughts are simple on this matter....hosts that are fans to some degree usually do better than others and that the General Manager role, or traditional authority figure role on TV wrestling shows, seems to have played its course. I am not a candidate for such role for a variety of reasons the most being that I think that I would fail at it.

An emailer today brought up 1997 Montreal, again, and wanted to know if I knew what was going down before hand. Again, my answer is the same, the truth, and that is, no I did not.

Another asked if I thought that if personal issues had not reared their ugly head would Kerry Von Erich had been a bigger star in WWE than Bret Hart. Quite simply, no. KVE had immense charisma and the classic and highly sought after 80's look but he was never close to Hitman as far as reliability, aptitude or in ring skills. Few men ever in the biz have been better at telling an in ring story as Bret Hart.

Others want to know if I think it is wrong that some young talents, IE Jack Swagger, Sheamus, etc are getting too much too soon. There is no magical formula or magic wand one can wave over the head of a young wrestler to guarantee their success. I do know this, the business has to get younger and WWE, at least, is attempting to do that which means they are keeping an eye on their long term growth. No one knows what young talent will or will not make it but if they aren't given the opportunity it's obvious that they will never get to the Promised Land. I applaud wrestling promotions for providing opportunity for young wrestlers as no one can accurately and definitively way when some one is 'ready.' My theory is to get them fundamentally sound, motivated, and throw them in the game and see if they can play.

We do sign your items that you want autographed but you must send a self addressed, stamped envelope to seal the deal. No SASE, no can do.

Another emailer asked about the number of famous wrestlers who became owners of wrestling territories back in the day. There was an era where this was prevalent and it was largely because the wrestlers got so powerful and influential that they were able to leverage ownership points in select territories. Some wrestlers did it ethically however many did not. Some promoters essentially became prisoners of their own creation. A handful of wrestlers were excellent promoters but many showed their lack of promotional expertise when faced with 'opposition' as they refused to change with the times.

Amazing NCAA final Monday night with Duke, the antagonist in the eyes of many, defeating the underdog, overachieving, never say die Butler Bulldogs. There was definitely a hero and an villain in this equation for which our basic human nature forced many that were interested in the game to make an emotional investment. Basic booking 101.

Sleep Apnea is a killer and I am happy that I have been able to create a little awareness on this ailment that often times goes undiagnosed. If you know someone who snores like a bear ala Klondike Bill or stops breathing while they sleep, I stopped 40 times in one hour with the longest time being 45 seconds, or have stiff leg syndrome, then I strong urge that a sleep test be taken. It's the easiest test there is from a medical stand point, you go to a sleep center and sleep, and it can save your life. I never leave home over night without my CPAP machine. My wife saved my life on this one as I only knew that I was sleeping poorly, felt tired and cranky and had not found RIM sleep in years.

Bobby Heenan said that he always slept like a baby in that he woke up every three hours, wet the bed and cried. There will always be only one 'Wease.'

The world has essentially forgiven Tiger Woods, except perhaps for Jane Velez-Mitchell who seemingly doesn't like anyone, and Woods will 'pop a number' during the Masters whether he's in the hunt or not. BTW I endorse forgiving Tiger and letting him get on with his life and allowing him to work on his family issues in private.

For the record, if a TV pro wrestling scenario has to be explained multiple times to get the viewership to at least partially understand the concept then it is too convoluted. I'm just saying.

Let us stock your 'fridge with all the great sauces you will need for grilling season. Plus, our personally, autographed cook book has plenty of easy to master recipes that even a caveman can master. (Sorry.)

Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/JRsBBQ. BTW my Twitter account was set up by the esteemed Joe E. Styles. He's on Twitter too.

As of Tuesday afternoon, I have updated more of your questions and addressed many of your comments on our Q&A Section of the site. Check 'em out.

Thanks for stopping by and for your growing support of our site and business.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Jerry Lawler, Kerry Von Erich, Jack Swagger, Klondike Bill