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JR's Blog: 3 Hour Raw Thoughts..CM Punk/The Rock..Daniel Bryan..Summerslam..Sooner..Jets..UFC..JR's BBQ @ WWEShop.com

Posted: Aug 1st 2012 By: CMBurnham

Thanks for stopping by and paying us a visit. I've updated the Q&A Section of the site as of Thursday morning so check it out if you have a moment. 'Business Has Picked Up' at WWEShop.com for JR's products. Check out this link to browse and hopefully place your order and you won't be disappointed, http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss. Kickoff time.....

It would be easy to say that the Cincy Raw Monday night was on fire but that cliche has already 'burned out' over the past 24 hours or so. The 'Tron supports catching fire caused an inconvenience but no one was injured and the broadcast started on time.

When people ask me if I miss broadcasting Raw I always answer yes and being live, live is one of the reasons why. It certainly isn't the travel and TSA Security that I miss interacting with on a regular basis but I do miss the excitement and unpredictability of broadcasting LIVE TV. I'm not saying that I enjoy a good fire occasionally but the overall unpredictability of Monday Night Raw has always been a rush to me.

The three hour Raws are going to be daunting animals with which to deal. An impossible mountain to climb? Absolutely not even thought some 'experts' already have those thoughts. I'm not in that group and feel that the three hour Monday Night Raw broadcasts provide the potential to get more talents exposure, to rebuild the tag team scene, to provide Divas with more match time and to slow down the storytelling process so that we fans have the time to process the information that we hear and see.

So, unlike some, I'd prefer to give the new format a chance to succeed rather than behead it after two weeks which seems knee jerk and senseless. Any thing 'new' generally needs tweaking and this particular situation isn't any different. That's not an indictment but merely a statement of fact.

RAW Thoughts:

Some fans demanding @CMPunk to have another pipebomb promo will likely get one down the road but Cincy wasn't the time nor the place. I thought Punk had a great night on air and his verbal jousting with @Jerry Lawler entertained me.

Regarding the WWE Title, Punk told many truths which might not sit well with some. I am an old school believer that nothing in WWE is more important than the WWE Title. Some personal issues are on the same level often times but nothing should be MORE important than the WWE's premier championship. That's my two cents on that matter.

I do think that the potential to build a major issue between @CMPunk and @TheRock is obvious plus a match between the two would be interesting to say the least for many, many reasons.

Does Daniel Bryan ever have a bad night? Bad match? Bad promo? He certainly hasn't that I can recall. WWE is lucky to have Bryan on their roster and the two entities have formed an amazing fit when, in the early part of Bryan's WWE tenure, I'm sure that some thought the relationship wouldn't last. Now Daniel Bryan is one of WWE's most valuable assets. He's a dream for management to have on their roster. No one that I can recall in recent years has improved their verbal skills and overall on air persona as Daniel Bryan.

Plus, never disregard just how legit, physically tough Daniel Bryan is.

Bryan's match with Sheamus on Raw was outstanding and rugged. Loved it.

It's been a long time since WWE featured a tag match executed any better than @IAmJericho & @Christian4Peeps vs. @MikeThe Miz and @HeelZiggler. Strong outing by all involved. I'm ready to see Jericho vs. Ziggler and let me assure you this bout will be an announcer's dream. Great action, athleticism, a personal issue and featuring two of the best performers in all of the business. Bring it on!

I assume that we will see Brock Lesnar and HHH in some form live on Raw next week but that's merely one man's assumption. I do know that no match at Summerslam has me more intrigued than this main event. When analyzing this one, I'd say that cardio will play a significant factor in what I expect to be an intense confrontation between two men with big motors and vaunted reputations in big match scenarios.

I watched Raw live and also DVR'ed it and went back and watched some of the elements again on DVR.

Whle there are no plans for me to broadcast at Summerslam, I am excited to be attending the PPV in LA plus doing some THQ work at WWE AXXESS. Actually, I have several THQ, talent development, etc projects on which to focus over the several days that I'm in Los Angeles.

The past two taping sessions of NXT in Orlando have been stellar from a production and organization standpoint. I'm also of the opinion that the in ring action continues to improve. Even though NXT doesn't air currently in the USA, I do expect that to change some day, fans outside America have tweeted me a great deal of positive feedback on the show @JRsBBQ. Byron Saxton and William Regal do the bulk of the broadcasting while I drop by and help with the main events. I look forward to every trip to Orlando, except leaving their security line, deficient airport, and can easily see the improvement in many talents who are starting to 'get it' and are receiving outstanding hands on coaching from some of the best in the business including the staff at FCW in Tampa.

Not only are the FCW based talents getting some valuable air time and coaching but so are some of the former NXT talents who are still in need of amping up their game and pushing themselves to take the next step in their goals of becoming a WWE superstar.

To clarify, @Jerry Lawler and I reunite to handle the 'Attitude Era' commentary on the new, WWE13 video game from THQ which is available now for pre-orders and will be on shelves in October. Jerry and I felt like we hadn't missed a beat while working together on this project and thoroughly enjoyed it. There were times when we had to shut it down because we were both having too much fun and laughter interrupted the proceedings. I honestly think that you are going to really enjoy our work on WWE13 for which we all have high expectations.

Random Thoughts:

Not sure why some football fans are surprised when big time high school football recruits renege on their verbal commitments. We live in a society where many people's word means little. Where making a commitment means that "I reserve the right to change my mind." Of course, the easy way to address this matter it is to simply say "Everyone has the right to change their mind."

The next time I fly @americanair, my favorite airline, I'm pleased that their pilots are commited to flying me to my destination safely and don't decide to "change their mind" in mid flight.

One of the great assets that my OU Sooners have at their disposal is returning senior QB @LandryJones12. Any team in any league usually only goes as far as their QB takes them. Yes, I know that defense wins championships but having a solid to great QB is a must in college or pro football. Just ask the coaches whose jobs depend on it.

Does WWE need MORE titles? Not in my opinion. I'd say that the titles that currently exist need to be enhanced from a perception stand point.

Best selling package of JR's goods at WWEShop.com? Toss up between the JR's autographed Cookbook package and JR's BBQ package. Every item that's signed is signed by me personally and generally while I've been sitting in our backyard. All legit and the packages are loaded with products.

The top selling single product at http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss is JR's Original BBQ Sauce. Sleeper product is our All Purpose Seasoning which also is a standout dry rub.

Soon we will be doing some business in the UK with @americansoda which will make it easier to facilitate our basic products in that part of the world. UK fans please stay tuned and follow them on Twitter.

JR's Chipotle Ketchup makes any burger and especially meatloaf, including turkey meatloaf which needs some help, much better. No, our Chipotle Ketchup isn't hot but sweet, rich and smoky.

Check out my column on WWE.com regarding working with Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan back in the day. I think that you will like it. It might be hard to find but it's worth the search.

What's this week's eye roller? Getting scolded for not answering every Tweet @JRsBBQ some send or every question that is sent to our Q&A section here. I can only assume that these folks who squeal like a pig stuck under a gate are kids or adults who act like kids. Arguably, some may have missed a trip or two to the woodshed in their past.

One more time...I'm not retiring and will do some upon the day of my funeral.

Do you see big things for _______? Several young talents are ready or close to being ready to be 'called up.' However, and I stress, if there isn't a solid, long term plan for said young talents it's best for them to stay where they are, continue to work hard and improve their game rather then to be brought up and then get lost in the shuffle.

Yes...I plan on attending every #boomersooner football game this season, at home and on the road, so I might get a chance to meet some WWE fans especially on some of those road trips. I'll keep you posted.

Will JR ever call a MMA fight? That's a long shot but to do a one off just for the fun of it with @maurofanallo some day is a on my radar. My contract with WWE has to be honored but they might give me a pass to do one just to fulfill something on my bucket list.

Will JR ever broadcast OU Football on radio, etc? Looks unlikely but I'd love to contribute in the radio booth or elsewhere if OU starts a Sooner Network. It would be a part time gig and more of a labor or love than anything else. This type of project would not conflict with WWE.

I missed AW's untimely remark on RAW for some reason Monday night...perhaps I had him 'tuned out' but the matter was addressed quickly by WWE. It's a case of a green talent attempting to garner attention and he made an error in judgment. I'd be shocked if he comes close to making such a remark ever again.

How closely do I follow UFC? Somewhat closely. I'm certainly a fan but to say that I am online daily looking for news, etc would be inaccurate. I follow several on Twitter that are knee deep in MMA/UFC including the aforementioned Mauro Ranallo and @arielhelwani. I do know that UFC needs to cut back on PPV's, the same argument can be made for the wrestling biz, inasmuch as not having more than one monthly, create more awareness for their cable and network TV shows and proceed with attempting to make new stars. Those new stars need to be tutored on how to communicate on TV while establishing their natural personalities and keeping in mind that they are businessmen/women in the business of SELLING...PPV's...TV ratings...Merch, etc.

Do I think that there is a QB controversy w/ the NY Jets? Not now as Sanchez is clearly the better QB than Tebow but to say w/o argument that either are the answer might be a stretch. For my pal Taz' sake I hope that I'm wrong on that one. I like Oklahoman Rex Ryan who reminds me of Captain Lou sometimes and hope that Taz and other friends who follow the Jets have a great year.

Can this USA Olympic hoops team beat the Original Dream Team? No way...no how.

Appreciate the visit. Thanks for shopping JR's at WWEShop.com and keep those Q&A's coming here on our site.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R. @JRsBBQ