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JR's Blog: Hitman/HBK DVD..Thesz Award..Ventura..1990 Wrestle War..Chavo Guerrero..Kardashian/King connection..Visit WWEShop..Q&A's Updated

Posted: Jun 26th 2011 By: CMBurnham

Hope all are having a good weekend. Gonna low key it here in Norman coming off an ambitious week only 7 days after surgery. It's time to 'grill'....and to SAUCE IT!

Enjoyed spending parts of two days with Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in Stamford, Ct this past week. We actually and accidentally bumped to each other at the hotel on Wednesday night and had a great visit and then had our 'official' gathering Thursday morning until mid afternoon doing the taping for the DVD project.

The HBK/Hitman DVD will be released worldwide this October and I have high expectations for the project. The two legendary, WWE stars sat side by side during the shoot facing yours truly who asked them a battery of questions.

This DVD will not solely focus on the Survivor Series in Montreal in 1997 but we obviously spend a significant amount of time discussing the 'Montreal Screw Job' and the months leading into the infamous event and how both men's careers fared after that infamous day in Montreal.

To be able to sit and talk to two WWE Hall of Famers such as Michaels and Hart who did have a bona fide rivalry at one time but also respected the other's work was a privilege for me. I'm honored to have been assigned this project and hope that it lives up to the expectations we all have for it. I know that both Shawn and Bret were very happy with the day.

For this project to strictly be about Montreal only would be a travesty because neither man's career can be solely defined by the events of the '97 Survivor Series.

Hopefully this project will lead to other similar DVDs in the future on where fans can see more of the human side of some of the biz's biggest personalities.

I'll tell you this, it takes a lot of courage and character to be honest to the core on these types of productions and Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels were definitely honest, open, emotional, and had some compelling things to say. My respect for both men, which was already immense, was elevated even higher after this DVD taping.

Thanks to those who are sending along good wishes for my health and for being named recipient of the Lou Thesz Award this year in Waterloo, Iowa at the Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Traveling only 7 days after surgery wouldn't be something that I would recommend to others but it was going to take some mighty sobering medical info to keep me away from being a part of the HBK/Hitman project. I'm planning on getting the staples removed from my abdomen early this coming week. If my wife Jan had not made the trip with me, the trip would have likely not happened for me. I'm truly a lucky man who has many blessings that I need to never take for granted.

We haven't decided when we are going to re-open our on line store but it likely won't be this month. In the meanwhile, you can order our products from http://www.wweshop.com and can use the link which we have established on the home page of this site.

Got an email from a customer in France who recently bought some JR's product from WWEShop and had it shipped to him in France at an extremely fair shipping cost.

We get questions all the time on where to eat when on the road and we will always try to suggest places if we know of 'can't miss' spots however I'd visit the Food Network website and take a peak at where 'Diners, Drive-In's, and Dives' visit in the same area along with 'Man vs. Food' stops as well. One emailer asked about Charlotte and Charlotte has a ton of great restaurants but I love to eat at the 'Ma and Pa' type places like we see on the two, aforementioned programs that air on Food Network.

Does WWEShop ship to Australia? Absolutely. Lots of fans down under are ordering JR's products of which we are thankful.

Is beer a suitable sponsor for a PG show such as Monday Night Raw? It certainly is in my eyes especially when it's promoted that folks would drink responsibly, etc. Is the NFL a PG rated product? I'd say so. Beer is certainly visible on most NFL broadcasts and football is arguably America's most popular sport for fans of all ages.

Will the WM3 attendance record ever be broken? In my opinion, yes. It could happen in a variety of venues but specifically, in my eyes, it will be when WWE has a Wrestlemania in Cowboys Stadium in Dallas which could accommodate close to 100,000 for the event. With DFW being an American Airlines hub and Love Field being a Southwest Airlines hub, getting to Dallas from virtually any where in the world is doable. Of course, how well any event does or doesn't do is always dependent on the main event attractions.

What are my thoughts on Jesse Ventura? Not sure why I get so many questions from fans about 'The Body.' He's a very bright man who is somewhat eccentric, has a memorable delivery and was very good at what he did in pro wrestling commentary for much of his career in that role. I think like many talents who have varied interests and skill sets, Jesse burned out on the wrestling biz before he finally left it but obviously has made his mark in politics and publishing. I can't say that we were ever close but we co-existed and when we were 'on' at the same time I think that we fared well as a broadcast team. Jesse, IMO, was better with Vince McMahon than he was with me.

For those either new to the site or wanting to ask questions on our Q&A section, I suggest that yiou check out the archived section of the site which you might find interesting and you also might find the answer to your question.

I updated the Q&A section of the site today.

We do not plan on taking any JR's product to Waterloo for the HOF proceedings on July 22-23 for those that are asking. Last thing I want to do is sit at a table and sell sauce when there is so much to see and do that weekend.

Totally agree that one of my favorite matches to call and one that is often overlooked is Wrestle War 1990 when the Rock 'n Roll Express wrestled the Midnight Express and Terry Funk joined me on commentary. If you haven't checked that match out you might try to find it on You Tube. Classic, entertaining tag team match and Terry's commentary helped make the presentation even better.

Yes, I worked with a variety of broadcast partners while in WCW and the reason for which was essentially that WCW was a volatile, political climate and people came and went a great deal. Looking back on it, I think that I improved my game by having to adjust to a variety of partners therefore not getting stuck in a comfort zone.

We're looking for recipe ideas to use our products, especially the BBQ Sauces, INDOORS. If you have ideas/suggestions please send them here to this section of our site so that I and others can enjoy them.

I'm told that the WCW Best of Nitro DVD is selling really well and just behind the WWE's Wrestlemania DVDs. It's certainly worth checking out.

The WWE work on the Gorgeous George project has many in WWE excited. I was interviewed for the project months ago and WWE has some of their best people on the project which I personally feel will be outstanding. I don't know when the project will be released but when all is said and done there will be well over a year's worth of work into the project. Gorgeous George influenced pro wrestling more than any other performer in the history of the business.

The 3rd printing of the Gary Hart book is now available. I've long touted that this was one of the best wrestling books I've read and its now available at http://www.playboygaryhart.net. Gary tells great stories, adds tremendous insight to the business from many aspects as he went from a journeyman wrestler to one of the biz's greatest ever managers and thinkers.

Sorry to hear of Chavo Guerrero leaving WWE after many years with the company. I don't know the details but from what I read Chavo asked for his release and wanted to explore other options. Chavo is a talented guy who comes from a regal, wrestling family who I respect greatly. Chavo strikes me as the type of wrestler who has given his post wrestling career adequate thought and even though Chavo can and likely will continue to wrestle, one can never over stay their welcome inside the ring and everyone has to have an exit strategy at some point.

We all have an expiration date in this profession as well as most other walks of life. The Pope and Supreme Court Justices might be exempt from that general statement.

Remember, any one sending items for me to sign must include the item and a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE) or it won't get done. The address is PO Box 721294, Norman, Oklahoma 73070. Remember, include the SASE no matter where you reside. We're happy to accommodate those that ask.

Finally, the King and I had a healthy debate back at WM24 when Kim Kardashian made an appearance at the big event in Orlando. I can't even recall what Ms. Kardashian did that night but Jerry swears that she was wearing some sort of bodacious prosthetic device to make her butt look bigger. Well, now we know. The former Wrestlemania personality has revealed an X-Ray of her famous and ample backside which shows that it's all real. I should have bet King that dinner that he proposed on the matter but I was reluctant.

Now you know what two guys discuss during long aspects of down during the day sitting and waiting for our work to begin on the biggest event of the year. I guess the 9th grader in some of us never goes away.

Have a great weekend and follow us on Twitter @JRsBBQ. We also appreciate those who are supporting us via WWEShop. From our family to yours, thanks!

Boomer Sooner...

J.R.