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JR's Blog: Home Sweet Home, Edmonton Next, Austin DVD Info, Rivalry DVDs, New Legends Roundtable Coming Monday. SAUCE IT!

Posted: Aug 19th 2011 By: CMBurnham

It's good to be back in sweltering Norman, Oklahoma after being on the road since last Friday. I've covered lots of ground over the past several days and we will try to do the same here.

My wife and I enjoyed being in Los Angeles and enjoying the company of good friends and their families. It's hard not to have a good time in LA.

Obviously I would have liked to have been a part of the Summer Slam announce team but I enjoyed Tweeting throughout the show and gained about 2,000 new followers as a result. We're now over 208,000 followers and growing.

The Staples Center live audience really did their share in making the PPV feel special. It can't be overstated how important the live audience is to any TV broadcast. I felt that Christian vs. Orton stole the show Sunday and that the final, two Summer Slam main events delivered as they should.

Good traveling with The King again on the road trip from LA to San Diego. We always enjoy each other's company and talk about a litany of topics and generally not about the wrestling business. I've always said that many of our car trips would make for an entertaining reality, TV program.

I thought the three man announce team had a solid night in SD and it shows that we are all working hard to establish rhythm and develop chemistry. I've read where some think that I'm the '3rd wheel' in the scenario which is somewhat insulting but motivating at the same time.

Plus, for those who are seemingly obsessed with the three man team becoming a two man team on Raw, I understand the passion but that's not in the plans at this time. As comedian Ron White would say, "Let it go."

Also, much too much was made of my hat abuse by Dolph Ziggler. Hats the quality of mine are worn by pro rodeo cowboys and are stepped on by bulls and horses alike and generally can be re-shaped. I'm just happy that Ziggler showed personality while trying to get himself noticed and will hopefully continue to grow and become a more viable WWE star.

BTW I've consoled my hat and it's fine and ready to make the trek to Edmonton on Sunday for Monday Night Raw at Rexall Place. I hope we have a big, enthusiastic crowd and a strong show for which Alberta fans can emotionally invest.

It was interesting in that I told the King Monday afternoon how beautiful the Pacific Ocean was on our drive down to SD and that at 6 a.m. Tuesday morning that I would see the Atlantic Ocean in the process of traveling from sea to shining sea in less than a 24 hour period of time. With my new IPad, it's a cool thing that some aircraft have Wi-Fi which helps pass the time.

I flew out of San Diego Monday night on a red eye flight to JFK in NYC arriving there at approximately 6 a.m. Tuesday morning. Then had a great meeting with WWEShop folks on Tuesday afternoon talking about the continued building of our JR's brand on http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss. Lots of new things are being put in place as we continue to work diligently on making our family of products more successful.

Business has picked up with JR's and WWEShop and remember that our products are NOT available in any stores outside Norman, Oklahoma and can only be acquired via http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss. If you have tried to order recently and an item has been sold out never fear as a new order has been shipped and the 'out of stock' business should be solved as we speak. It's a good problem to have when ones goods are selling out on a regular basis. People don't buy Sauces and other condiments such as ours on a regular basis if they don't like them and we are blessed that our home recipe products are both delicious and popular but we sure need everyone's support.

Worked Tuesday night viewing the new Stone Cold DVD with Steve Austin and the talented WWE TV production crew. Austin's FOUR DVD set will be in stores around the end of November and should be on shelves worldwide for the holidays. @steveaustinBSR and I did alternate commentary ala a narration on Steve's Wrestlemania bouts vs. Bret Hart (WM13), HBK (WM15), and the Rock (WM17). Even though these matches have been on other DVDS they have never had our alternate commentary which will provide fans will a unique, inside look at the matches in both an informative and humorous, at times, manner. This was one of the most enjoyable broadcasting experiences that I've had in years.

The closing music video for the 2+ hour documentary portion of the Austin DVD is as moving as any I've ever experienced in the business.

Steve was really hands on in the production of this DVD which makes it more personal and special. Plus, it includes a visit to his South Texas, Broken Skull Ranch. Many major names within the business are included with comments on the DVD including Vince McMahon, HHH, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Christian, CM Punk, Rock, Paul Heyman, Dutch Mantell and many others.

Between the Randy Orton DVD, which will be released soon, and the three disc set highlighting the amazing rivalry and careers of Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, WWE is set to end 2011 strongly with major DVD releases as all will be in stores during the holidays.

I told WWE management that being a part of the @BretHart and @shawnmichaels_ DVD shoot was one of the most memorable days of my professional life and that I felt that the rivalry series would be a big hit for WWE. Bret and Shawn delivered on their DVD just as they did for years inside the ring. It also should be made clear that this is not a rehash of the '97 Montreal Screw Job. That is covered in ways that it has never been addressed but that's only part of this rivalry.

A new Legends Roundtable debuts this Monday on WWE On Demand with the topic being major, outdoor wrestling events throughout history. Kevin Nash and JJ Dillon are on this panel along with Michael Hayes and myself as Mean Gene hosts. I have a copy of the show and plan on watching it today or tomorrow.

I'll be back soon to address many of your Q&A's that have been emailed here. I'm working hard to catch up after being on the road for so many days.

Going to hit OU football practice before I had to Edmonton as my favorite time of the year, football season, is upon us.

If you haven't checked the link to our products at WWEShop here it is and it's free to browse and get ideas, http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss. Still plenty of grilling time left and tailgating is just about here too. We plan on doing some really cool things with our products for the holidays as well.

Follow us on Twitter @JRsBBQ.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.