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JR's Blog: JR's Monday Blog...God Bless the Men and Women of the Armed Forces..Hitman..Solie..Order JR's Online Today!

Posted: May 27th 2013 By: mikeiles

I hope that everyone is enjoy this special day and for American's it's a holiday earmarked to honor all the men, women and their families who made amazing sacrifices to guarantee the freedoms that our country enjoys. As you celebrate with friends and family today please remember those that paid the ultimate price for our safety and way of life. Let's grill...

@WWE Raw originates from Calgary, Alberta, Canada and, if I can be serious for a moment (Thanks to my friend @LanceStorm) tonight's live broadcast should feature a fun atmosphere if the Calgary fans are on their usual game. (What's the over/under for King's 'Bizzaroland' references?)

I'm relatively sure that you've heard of the WWE APP and it will really come in handy tonight for many of us who want to see the Hitman portion of Monday Night RAW.

I will never forget that July night in 1997 when WWE promoted an "In your House" PPV from 'Hart' land called the Canadian Stampede which was held concurrently with the legendary Calgary Stampede. The live audience that evening was remarkable anf one of the all time great groups of fans that I can ever recall. Those folks elevated a good show and made it a great one. If you ever get the opportunity to take a look at this classic event, please do so and especially watch the giant, 10 man tag that closed the PPV.

I'm trying to remember if this is the event where I started wearing the black hat on a regular basis. Does any one have any idea? Let me know on Twitter @JRsBBQ.

Walking the midway at the Stampede early in day of the event was memorable and I vividly recall indulging on a delicious, giant, turkey leg which I think I ended up wearing more of than I actually consumed.

I did an interview for a Calgary newspaper early this morning that I assume will go into tomorrow's paper in Calgary about Bret Hart who will be honored tonight in his hometown. Easy to talking about that topic as Bret was one of the best in ring performers I ever saw and could maximize the presentation of a match with any talent with whom he was booked.

I remember Bret having great bouts with "Pierre" the Pirate and Hakushi aka Kensuke Shinzaki back in the day. Both of those Hitman adversaries were solid hands but neither were considered huge stars however the perception of their in ring personas was enhanced after wrestling the 8th of the 12 Stu and Helen Hart children.

Bret Hart was a true artist on his unique canvas.

Steve Austin has often told me that Bret Hart was, arguably, Steve's favorite. all time opponent and who can forget the amazing performance and classic display of in ring psychology that Hitman and Austin displayed at WM13? That match is timeless and is a 'must study' for any young wrestler or aspiring grappler. It's also one of my all time favorite bouts.

That match holds up as well today as it did all those years ago in Chicago at WM13. I loved the fact that neither man ever played the 'role' of a wrestler but instead played themselves who happen to wrestle for a living. That match on March 23, 1997 stole the show at that WM event. Much credit needs to be given to Bret Hart who was the more experienced, 'incumbent' in the match and that outing did as much to make the Stone Cold character what it was to become as any single bout in Austin's career. How the match was structured and executed, excellently executed by the way, helped define the Texas Rattlesnake persona notwithstanding re-positioning Bret to many WWE fans.

If you missed my thoughts on @RealCurtisAxel and @HeymanHustle, check out yesterday's blog. The jury will remain sequestered regarding rendering a verdict on the success, or not, of these two joining forces, however, I am optimistic that they will jell. Unfortunately, some fans, likely younger one's, have little patience and will want instant gratification on how this matter.

A follower on Twitter, who has since been blocked, got a little too cute regarding some comments that I made on my first installment of the Steve Austin podcast. By the way, part two of @steveaustinBSR and my 'bull session' airs on Tuesday. Back to the story, this guy felt that I "took a cheap shot" at my idol Gordon Solie by saying that "The Dean" was a heavy smoker and drank excessively. It's not as if this is classified info nor is it a knock. Gordon was an amazing broadcaster and if he had taken better care of himself his career would have been extended. Gordon and I had these conversations. This former follower also neglected to mention that it was me who brought Gordon BACK to WCW for some work when others there had zero interest in doing so.

I have love and immense respect for the late Gordon Solie and I have never nor will I ever take a cheap shot at him. Like two other my heroes, John Wayne and Mickey Mantle, we learn to accept that no one is perfect and that all of us are human and forgivable.

One of the great quotes on this Memorial Day about the men and women who served our country came from President James A. Garfield who said, "For love of country, they accepted death."

Think about that one when you're standing at your grill today or enjoying other activities with family and friends.

If you are using JR's products today, please send photos to @JRsBBQ.

Our online business is continuing to grow and we even have some nibbles on some selected retail outlets that we will announce later but they are not of the national, chain variety. WWEShop.com at http://www.wweshop.com sells every thing that we produce and they ship all over the world.

http://www.americansoda.co.uk in Manchester stocks JR's BBQ Sauces, Chipotle Ketchup and Main Event Mustard and they also feature a great package deal that includes a personally, authentic signed trading card from yours truly. They are also on Twitter @americansoda.

Have a great day and check out the updated Q&A's elsewhere here on our website.

Boomer Sooner!
J.R. @JRsBBQ