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JR's Blog: New Look in JR's Store..Koscheck=Flair?..Crusierweights Returning?..Themed Raws..Austin Checks In..Holiday Shopping w/ JR's

Posted: Oct 30th 2010 By: CMBurnham

Thanks for stopping by and be safe Trick or Treating during Halloween. Let fire up the grill for random thoughts from a plethora of places.

My latest football blog is available at http://www.ouinsider.com/news/story.php?article=5235. It's a quick read if you are interested in college football.

The latest Ross Report is live at http://www.wwe.com. It's listed under WWE News. I talk about a colossal conundrum for a top WWE star.

From emails and tweets

* I assume it is 'possible' for Brock Lesnar to referee an Undertaker match at Wrestlemania but I don't feel that it's too probable for many reasons.

* Best TV build ups in WWE? Very subjective question...Kane's was very good as was Chris Jericho's when he interrupted the Rock in Chicago. Big time moment. Likely a dozen more that I am not thinking of but I can assure you that how an individual or team/group is introduced to the masses is crucial to the success of the individual. However, the individual still has to carry their share of the water to eventually get to the Promised Land.

* Do I think that WWE will re-create Cruiserweight division? I have no idea but there is a general theory among many within the biz that branding a talent as a lightweight, Cruiserweight, etc makes them be perceived as less marketable and not on the level of the 'heavyweights.'

* Yes, I think that the three hour, 'themed' Monday Night Raws is an excellent idea. It's challenging for many viewers to stay emotionally invested in any three hour TV show without something at stake and a pay off at the end of the show. That's why the NFL and College Football do well as their games are structured to be played in four quarters, usually they last longer than three hours but, thanks to overtime, provides the viewers with a pay off IE a winner at the end of the show/game.

*UFC merging with WEC is a smart move for UFC. It expands their talent roster with new faces for PPV and immediately creates new bouts to market. The smaller guys are dynamic and exciting to watch fight and will add in a positive way to UFC PPV presentations. Now the challenge for UFC is to integrate the former WEC talents into their marketing machine and begin to make new stars with which 'casual fans' can invest. The hardcore MMA fans are already 'in' so educating the casual fan as to who these fighters are is imperative. It's all about building new stars whether it be in MMA or pro wrestling. It seems as if boxing has forgotten how to do the same which is unfortunate as I am a long time boxing fan.

* Yes I enjoy interacting with fans via Twitter and, for better or worse, I am responsible for whatever it is that I choose to Tweet about. You can follow these often times irreverent messages on Twitter at.....@JRsBBQ.

* Is Josh Koscheck the 'Ric Flair of MMA?' Could be I suppose and I perceive that to be a good thing if that's what some fans think of Koscheck. He's a talented guy with a strong personality who knows that he needs to strike a nerve here and there to properly market himself and sell his fights. Some MMA purists are reluctant to see MMA fighters promote their fights that at times resemble a pro wrestling promo but if the fighters are organic and stay real then I think that it's great. Plus, the better the PPV's produce equates to a bigger payday for a fighter in a game where the number of main event level, big pay day fights are limited by the nature of the Octagon beast.

* Without question I will be attending the OU-Colorado Big 12 football tilt Saturday night in Norman. Our weekly tailgating session begins late Friday night...all in moderation of course. The Sooners game is on ESPN2 with an 8:15 pm central time kickoff. Look for the black hat on the OU sideline. The Sooners need to re-group after being taken to the woodshed at Mizzou last Saturday night. Interesting tidbit...Mizzou uses the Miz's sound byte of 'I'm the Miz and I'm awesome' on their local, sports talk radio stations. Nice tie in for Miz and a sign that he's getting more established in the marketplace.

* Yes we have re-tooled our on line store here on the website. Prices for the products have been lowered and we are doing all we can to address shipping costs which include not only the cost of the shipping but the packing, handling, labor, etc that goes into processing each order. We are not using the shipping component as a profit center that I can assure you. But by using Federal Express Ground we can provide you great service via tracking your packages if there are any issues. We think that with the free coozies, which are sold in many stores for up to $5 or so, the autographed swag, etc that we include for FREE provides the value that you're looking for. Bottom line is that we sell a great, quality product that our family is extremely proud of and that we invite you to try. Hopefully, you will consider us when doing some of your holiday shopping.

* Had a good visit with Steve Austin this week right after I had just finished doing a radio show in OKC w/ the Sooner Football Radio Network. Steve was headed to the gym and is working on his role for his next film which begins production soon in Vancouver as I recall. We mainly talked college football and will likely be talking again Saturday at some point as we both feel that another upset Saturday is in the offering for some top teams.

* Many folks are asking me about the possibility of broadcasting OU Football next year and obviously I would love to do it but the process of replacing the long time voice of OU Football has not begun. When one has broadcast for as long as I have it sort of gets in one's blood and it's tough to go 'cold turkey.'

Thanks to all that have visited our store and that support our website with your business. We look forward to serving more of you and also encourage your feedback to our products and this site. If you want your remarks to be confidential simply write to me under 'Contact Us' but please no wrestling, etc questions there as they should still go under Q&A's which I try to address and update daily.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.