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JR's Blog: Century Martial Arts...Tattoo Ceasefire..Mr. Wrestling 2..THQ..Speak to me Mr. Silva..JR's Twitter Over 50,000, Jesse White

Posted: Aug 13th 2010 By: CMBurnham

Where ever you are I hope that it's cooler than it is here in Oklahoma where Friday's high is expected to top 105. Nice segue to the fact that we've got some 'hot' deals in our on line store waiting for you. O.K., perhaps not so nice.

Check out www.centurymartialarts.com if you are a fan of martial arts and/or MMA. I toured their facility today in OKC and it was amazing. Century is the biggest licensee of UFC and they make all UFC fighter's gloves and all the training equipment that UFC uses on The Ultimate Fighter. Century is consulting me on a potential business arrangement that we are discussing with the Home Shopping Network. Do check out the website as it is badass. Century is the largest manufacturer of martial arts/MMA equipment and apparel in the entire world. BTW..both Lesnar and Carwin wear a size 4X glove I was told Thursday. That's the size of a Sunday dinner ham.

Tattoos...there are too many of them in wrestling and MMA. Just an opinion but the overabundance of the tat's make too many athletes look the same.

New WWE logo...I haven't a clue as to where or why this has become an item but we've gotten lots of emails on this matter. Bottom line is I know zilch about the subject. I am not 'logo man' but I have been referred to as 'pronoun boy' a time or two.

Twitter...we went over 50,000 followers in the last day or two. Come along for the ride @JRsBBQ. I actually take the time to Tweet back when I can or it makes sense.

Mr. Wrestling 2...apparently will have open heart surgery in Charlotte imminently. Johnny "Rubberman" Walker was a solid, fundamentally sound journeyman grappler who became a major star with national appeal thanks to TBS when he donned the white mask and became Mr. Wrestling 2. His 'Million Dollar Knee Lift' was a simplistic yet signature finishing maneuver. John started buying property in Hawaii in the 50's and resides there now. Please keep "2" in your prayers.

Strikeforce has a small but visible window of opportunity with their promotion of female fighters in the Strikeforce cage. UFC isn't going that route so it gives Strikeforce something to help build exclusivity. Too bad Gina Carano seems done with MMA. I'm actually a fan of women in MMA.

Strikeforce, until they get a weekly basic cable TV show, will never achieve what one would assume that their investors truly desire and I respectfully say that as a major fan of MMA.

If CBS/Showtime feels that they can build a brand with the occasional network airing of Strikeforce or their sporadically scheduled Showtime events, then the media types are sadly mistaken. The key to keeping MMA alive and growing is the evolution of new stars and new rivalries. Sound familiar? Talent/fighters and television will always rule MMA. Building new stars, ala The Ultimate Fighter, is the true heart beat of the fight game. Fans want new. They demand new. If a consumer doesn't get what he or she wants they simply move on to the next 'thing.'

So, Anderson Silva, the greatest pound for pound fighter in the world, according to many experts, can't speak English well enough to not use a translator in a press conference.

I'm not buying that one.

It reminds me of the time I was playing blackjack with the Giant Baba in the Caribbean years ago. Mr. Baba, the great Japanese wrestler/promoter was said to not to be able to speak English. I found that to be erroneous as Mr. Baba was able to carrying on a very understandable conversation with the blackjack dealer when discussing money.

Anderson Silva is able to protect himself somewhat regarding the media but more importantly enhance his 'mystique' to the American media with his alleged language barrier.

I will say that Silva's manager, Ed Soares, had a great sound byte recently when he said that Chael Sonnen did not deserve a rematch with Silva because Chael dominated over 4 rounds of the fight and still couldn't put Anderson away. Great reverse psychology by Soares who sounded more like a pro wrestling manager ala Classy Freddie Blassie or Paul Heyman aka Paul E. Dangerously by saying exactly the right thing to push fans' rematch buttons.

From where I sit, there is no way in hell that I would have Sonnen or Silva fight anyone in the world in their next fight except each other. End of story. I don't care if it's in the summer of 2011 because 'anticipation' still sells tickets and pay per views.

Rex Ryan...speaking of soundbyes...the native Okie and head coach of the New York Jets can lay down an F bomb or two as evidenced by the highly entertaining HBO Sports series 'Hard Knocks.' Some day when Rex gets fired or resigns, and that will happen sport's fans, Buddy's son won't be out of work long as he's tailor made for TV with his bombastic vernacular and demeanor. Rex Ryan is an entertaining guy who may be Revis-less but his squad has a shot this year at playing in Dallas come Super Bowl time. Playing nasty defense and effectively running the ball wins Super Bowls. The Jets can do both.

Having lunch Friday with Jesse White, son of Big Van Vader/Leon White. Jesse is headed to Japan Tuesday so we are going to catch up on Friday before the May college graduate from Oklahoma University leaves. Jesse is 6'2"-240 and will likely never resemble his Dad...no 'Baby Vader' here. I do think that Jesse has ample potential to make it in the grappling game.

THQ...I recorded over 1,000 lines of copy this week alone for the new WWE All Star game. It's the most unique production that I've ever worked on in the video game world. It features an all star roster of some of the greatest stars from the 80's through today. Lots of magnificent talent and lots of egos. :) Seriously, the opportunity to create some classic 'dream matches' makes this high tech game a potential hit when it's released in 2011.

OU Coach Bob Stoops was in Bristol most of the day today but still made it back from ESPN's campus to handle the Sooners' practice this afternoon. I'm attending OU practice Saturday and am excited about seeing the team in full pads. The Sooners have a decent shot of opening Big 12 Conference play at 4-0 when they meet Texas on October 2 in Dallas which is the day before the Hell in a Cell pay per view in Dallas the next day.

The Ross Report is back and can be found at www.wwe.com on the home page under the news tab.

If you want to try J.R.'s Original BBQ Sauce, our top seller, and live outside the USA then head to www.wweshop.com. They ship all over the world.

Speaking of shipping, I'm meeting with Federal Express ASAP about shipping our products to Canada. Not sure if we can make it financially feasible for all involved but I'm trying. As my Dad used to say..."Trying...that's all a steer can do."

Thanks for stopping by and especially to those that have become customers.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.

Tags: Jim Ross, WWE, Mr. Wrestling II, Jesse White, Big Van Vader, Leon White