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JR's Blog: JR's RAW Thoughts, Heyman/Punk, OU Sooners, Stone Cold, Michael Clarke Duncan, Q&A's, Order JR's Today @ WWEShop.com

Posted: Sep 5th 2012 By: mikeiles

Thanks for stopping by and checking out our site. I also appreciate those that help support our efforts building JR's brand of delicious sauces and condiments at http://www.wweshop.com. Your business is sincerely appreciate and with that, let's get rolling.

Enjoyed my trip with the Oklahoma Sooner football team down to El Paso to play UTEP Saturday night and appreciate the hospitality and professionalism of the OU team and athletic department. I wish our team had played better but their 'kinks' will be addressed as the goal for any team is to push themselves to improve each week. I had the Sooners NOT covering the 31 point spread in my http://www.ouinsider.com piece that I pen each week so I'm 1-0 versus the Sooner spread thus far. The Sooners are ranked #5 this week which I feel is a little top heavy at this point in the season with so many unanswered questions that must be addressed for this team to reach their ultimate goals. The drop from being ranked 4th to 5th pleasantly surprised me as a Sooner fanatic.

Congrats to Eve Torres on winning Star and Stripes on NBC and a huge check for the USO. I'm of the mindset that Eve Torres has ample range and can have a career in varying roles on WWE programming or outside of it. She's a MMA aficionado which garners great respect from yours truly. Plus, and most importantly, Eve is a grounded, good person who I feel WWE can depend upon to invest and build.

Chicago Raw Thoughts:

Loved the Chicago crowd's interaction and contributions to the broadcast. An enthusiastic live audience can make the difference in a fair show becoming a good show. I'm still a fan who also enjoys reading the signs which I see as unique market research to some degree.

The opening of RAW was memorable including the Punk 'ambush' of King and the opening dialog between the WWE Champion and the World Champion.

Punk had an impactful night in his hometown and was going to be cheered even if he came out and burned a Cubs uniform.

Orton vs Ziggler was PPV quality or restaurant quality as I've been known to say. Really strong effort by @RandyOrton and @HeelZiggler. Ziggler cheating to win was approiate or so it seemed.

I'd assume that @MikeTheMiz discovered that coming off the bench to take an extended seat at ringside for commentary is a daunting task. Miz is glib and very bright but performing a wrestling promo and doing color commentary are much different animals. Nonetheless, Miz looked good on camera which is an important facet for any TV producer to facilitate.

I like the team of Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara but wish that Sin Cara would acquire the skills to communicate better with the English speaking fans.

Being an old schooler, I was skeptical of the Anger Management Vignettes when they first came on my TV but I have to admit that I've really enjoyed them.By and large, they have been entertaining.

Daniel Bryan and Kane have arguably had show stealing performances on RAW the past few weeks.

Enjoyed seeing Sheamus using the Texas Cloverleaf submission hold on the hapless Jack Swagger. Perhaps Dean Malenko, who used to utilize the same hold, has been tutoring the World Champion.

Hard to argue that Ricardo Rodriguez getting his head nearly taken off wasn't a memorable, Raw moment from Chicago. Rodriguez may be one of the most underrated performers on any WWE broadcast.

Ryback is starting to move the emotion needle seemingly every week. The "Feed Me More" chants are growing. I only wish that I could tie that in to a JR's BBQ Sauce promotion during the football tailgating season and on into the holidays. Hey, an entrepreneur can dream, can't he? I can see Ryback taking the next step sooner than later on WWE TV.

Would have loved to have called the "Hug Off" between Bryan and Kane. I actually enjoyed that piece of business more than I did their physicality. How fun would their tag team be?

Anxious to see United States Champion Antonio Cesaro get on a roll with a new rival for the U.S. Title. I'm a Cesaro fan and feel that he can become a viable asset in WWE notwithstanding adding needed credibility to the championship.

"Crazy" A.J. returned last night and seemed to 'crack' under pressure. It should be interesting to see how that matter is followed up on in the coming weeks.

Enjoyed the Cena-ADR Falls Count Anywhere bout. Physical stuff. The cheap shot drive by executed by @CMPunk was a hit...no pun intended. Plus the reveal of Punk's 'wheelman' @HeymanHustle Paul Heyman was a helluva end to the three hour broadcast.

Heyman and Punk together is a potentially outstanding dynamic with which fans can emotionally invest. It has many potential roads to travel but associating with Heyman will certainly help facilitate Punk being looked upon by many as an antagonist.

I'm anxious to see what WWE comes up with for next Monday in Montreal on Pat Patterson Appreciation Night with Monday Night Football roaring out of the box with a highly promoted doubleheader. RAW likely will be a stout effort or at least that will be the goal particularly this coming Monday night.

Is the Punk-@JerryLawler matter over? Knowing King as I do, I'd say no. Now with Heyman siding with Punk might even make matters worse as Lawler and Heyman have had their issues over the years including King breaking Heyman's jaw many moons ago.

I'm returning to Orlando on September 20 for the NXT tapings where @JohnCena will be the special guest @FullSail University.

Some fans who follow me on Twitter @JRsBBQ, over 534,000, actually think that @steveaustinBSR will be wrestling at WM29 which is not going to happen. Steve is rehabbing his repaired knee aggressively to be able to resume his movie work and has a film set to begin production in early 2013. This was a major knee surgery that would keep many inactive in a large part for up to one year.

So sad to hear of our pal Michael Clarke Duncan passing away this week. The Oscar nominated actor was a massive WWE fan and could be seen at many WWE events especially in Southern California. I loved talking wrestling with him as he was a genuinely nice guy. Michael apparently died of a heart attack and I can't help but wonder if he suffered from sleep apnea which, if untreated, puts a tremendous strain on ones heart.

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea after I moved to Oklahoma but suffered from it throughout my WWE administration career while living in Connecticut. It's likely that I had not had a good night's sleep IE rim sleep in approximately 20 years according to my doctors. When tested, I stopped breathing 40 times in one hour with the longest period of time being 45 seconds. After years of that sort of treatment to ones heart, the heart simply gives out and one dies"peaceably in their sleep." Getting a sleep apnea test at a sleep center is so easy and can extend one's life in a significant way. Think about it.

I'm going to attempt to address as many good questions as I can soon here on our site so if you have good, succinct ones that you want to throw at me, please do. The popularity of our Q&A section is growing and I was thinking about sticking a fork in it .

Keep our products in mind for your tailgate needs and your every day needs from http://www.wweshop.com and soon in the UK @americansoda. Plus, the new and soon to arrive gift packs will make great, holiday gift ideas.

Are you following me on Twitter @JRsBBQ? If not, join me.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.