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JR's Blog: Random Thoughts..Strikeforce After Thoughts..Summer Slam Memories..Wrestling Lesson from John Wayne movie..FREE SHIPPING IN USA

Posted: Aug 16th 2010 By: CMBurnham

We hope that everyone is having a great Sunday with Summer Slam just a few hours away on PPV. As I write this blog that's loaded with random thoughts and not so subtle hints to shop for J.R.'s Original and HOT BBQ sauces, our amazing Chipotle Ketchup and, of course, our custom made 97% Fat Free Beef Jerky in our on line store.

I have high expectations for Summer Slam tonight on PPV and will be watching from Norman, Oklahoma and not in Los Angeles.

The event is essentially a three match show featuring Kane defending the World Title against perennial underdog Rey Mysterio, new and still developing star Sheamus putting his WWE Title at stake against Randy Orton who seems poised to take another step up the ladder, and Team WWE (actually Team RAW) lead by Captain John Cena against the rookie faction known as Nexus in a 7 man, elimination tag bout.

While the other bouts have varying levels of significance and are certainly important for the participants, the three aforementioned bouts have gotten the Lion's share of the promotion for Summer Slam, especially the 7 man, elimination tag bout.

When was the last time SEVEN ROOKIES were positioned to headline a major, or even a secondary, WWE PPV? I certainly can't recall because I think that this is a first.

This is a solid example that WWE is trying to get younger, fresher, and create new stars which, as I have written about extensively here, is a must within the wrestling biz.

We live in interesting times and the demanding and always not so easy to please public/fan base seeks and essentially demands 'new.' WWE is giving the fans some viable, 'new' tonight sprinkled with some established entities as well.

The 7 man elimination tag has a Wrestlemania- like feel, IE it's been built for a long period of time, and has some of the properties of a Survivor Series contest, the elimination facet of the bout, all at WWE's most important event of the summer. That's why I think that this match will close the show. Certainly the way this matter was left on Monday Night Raw was compelling TV and seems to warrant the show closing position.

Never before in my 4 decades in the business have 7 rookies been provided the opportunity that Nexus has tonight in Los Angeles where the Staples Center has been sold out for quite some time and where hopefully the live audience will be jacked for an early, West Coast starting time.

With less bouts announced, perhaps the featured contests will have more time to tell a more compelling and memorable story that, in turn, will motivate us to emotionally invest in the continuation of these sagas.

Summer Slam has been one of my favorite events while I was doing broadcasting for WWE including 2005 when Shawn Michaels performance against Hulk Hogan stole the show without question. Shawn proved, again, why he is arguably the greatest in ring performer of his or perhaps any generation and is definitely in the top 2-3 all time on most 'experts' lists in the entire business no matter the affiliation or era.

Another memorable bout for me was in 1998 when two young bucks, the Rock and HHH, tore the house down in a Ladder Match for the IC Title. It was a sign of great things to come for both men as they preceded the show closer that year which was Steve Austin vs. The Undertaker in a WWE Title bout. The '98 Summer Slam had a red hot, last hour that will always make it rank high in my book.

CBS/Showtime produced a somewhat pedestrian broadcast on Friday night in Phoenix at the Dodge Theater which was home for the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony.

I am a fan of Women's MMA and feel that specific genre provides Strikeforce with some much needed exclusivity. The question remains if CBS/Showtime can use all their resources and assets to efficiently cross brand the ladies into other CBS/Showtime vehicles to create needed appeal for the largely unknown, female athletes?

If freak of nature and the amazing attraction known as Cris Cyborg, the seemingly bullet proof 145 pound champion, would learn to speak better English and was effectively promoted outside the MMA world, she is even more money and a much bigger star for Strikeforce and their broadcast partners.

The production team did little to build to their Houston fight as a more detailed and compelling vignette to Strikeforce's target audience was another missed opportunity. Bobby Lashley had a fleeting mention, the Champion, King Mo, who is in the next main event, feels like just another MMA fighter and his opponent feels as if he's residing in the witness protection program.

This lack of strategic planning continues to make me question if CBS/Showtime truly knows how to market and promote much needed 'stars' specifically and most importantly to new fans who do not already have an allegiance to UFC. To many of those fans, the UFC is the equivalent to the NFL while Strikeforce, albeit an arguable #2, is considered by many hard core fans as the MMA equivalent to the Arena Football League.

Miesha Tate has marketability for Strikeforce at 135 pounds and possesses a great look and she fought hard Friday night...twice. Tate has the looks, athleticism, and sex appeal that appeals to a non MMA, die hard fan ala Gina Carano who looks like she's most likely done with MMA.

UFC PXP man Mike Goldberg handled play by play duties Saturday evening for the Arizona Cardinals for their game with Houston. Mike did a very solid job with the exhibition game which isn't an easy feat considering that the teams use so many players including players with little or no name identity.

I got hooked late last night on the John Wayne classic, 'The Cowboys.' which was made in 1972 toward the end of The Duke's career and which aired on AMC. Great story with the Duke doing the ultimate honors for lead villain Bruce Dern who I have disliked ever since. :) The two had a classic fight scene full of realism and parlaying basic human nature between Wayne's character, Wil Andersen, and Dern's slime ball persona. Wayne was at least 30 years Dern's senior but ends up kicking the evil Dern's ass in a fight that seemed to be throughly and physically going Dern's way before our hero amasses a comeback of epic proportions to prevail. Then, Dern shoots an unarmed Wayne multiple times including the fatal shots in the back. 'Wil Andersen' died a hero while the villain was hotter than hot and one couldn't wait to see Dern's character get what he had coming.

It may sound like I am digressing but all this comes right back to pro wrestling story telling when one utilizes logic, basic human emotions, great execution by the talent in the ring and those who are telling the story.

For most people, our basic human traits/instincts are in our DNA and will never change.

Mentioned this in a recent Tweet, @JRsBBQ, that while watching last week's HBO presentation of Hard Knocks, BTW definitely not for young kids to see w/o parental guidance, it seemed to me that Jets legend and Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Namath has started to resemble Bob Denver from the classic, TV series 'Gilligan's Island' of many moons ago. Lots of 'F Bombs' in this show but it is a compelling program for mature sport's fans. Great production actually.

I've updated the Q&A section of the site as of lunch time on Sunday so I invite you to check them out.

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For martial arts enthusiasts and MMA aficionados, take a gander at www.centurymartialarts.com which is owned by a good friend of mine and they have become the larges manufacturer in the world of training gear and apparel. As I mentioned, if you see a UFC fight you see Century gloves. Their website is a fun place to spend a few minutes.

Thanks for dropping by and tell a friend about our site. Have a great day.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE