• Look Back In History
• Pmessages
• Quiz
• Stump The Staff
• Top Fifty
• Close

JR's Blog: Tuesday Blog, Austin-Goldberg, Punk, Bryan, Ryder, Lesnar, Undertaker, Kane, Nash, LOD, JR's Family BBQ

Posted: Dec 21st 2011 By: CMBurnham

Happy Holidays to all. We hope that everyone is enjoying the holiday season. Please tell a friend about our site or better yet send them the link. Also, thanks to all that have made our family business grow significantly in conjunction with http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss.

Random thoughts and answers to a variety of Q&A's are now served....

I enjoyed WWE TLC by and large. The $45 investment for approximately three hours of entertainment understandably stretches many folk's budgets. The $45 price tag for specialty PPV's is a debatable point from the feedback that I receive from many consumers. Nonetheless I am pleased that I bought the event.

Proud to see Daniel Bryan make it to the top of the card as the new, World Heavyweight Champion. Those that knock Bryan for his lack of size generally don't understand athletics especially MMA. I like that Daniel Bryan breaks the old mold, by and large, and he provides something/someone new for which the fans to emotionally invest. Bryan will be an effective fan favorite and someday, down the road, will be an outstanding wrestling villain.

People of Bryan's character and dedication always were attractive to me when I was hiring talent. It is senseless to bring 'problem children' into a locker room especially a locker room that is somewhat young and impressionable. If Daniel Bryan is able to display his considerable skills in longer than average, TV bouts I feel that he will captivate the underdog supportive fan base many who know that Daniel has paid his dues time and again. Hopefully that story will be told in a more objective fashion on television.

@ZackRyder embarked several weeks ago on a social media based campaign to get himself noticed and to leverage an opportunity on WWE TV. It worked. Through his own ambition. ability and creativity, Zack Ryder has become the United States Champion. He now has the ball that he so desperately wanted and now it's time for him to run with it. Ryder's in ring work is solid but it will be up to him to make sure that his ever growing fan base takes him seriously when the need calls for such. I am impressed with Ryder's work ethic and hope that the opportunity that he created for himself pays dividends.

Based on WWE TLC PPV and Monday's Raw from Philly, it certainly seems as if CM Punk has become the newest 'face' of WWE. No, John Cena hasn't disappeared and Cena will still face The Rock at WM28 in the longest promoted and, arguably, the biggest Wrestlemania main event ever but Punk has been positioned to be the leader of a transitioning roster of young, WWE Superstars, many of who are 'this close' to taking the much needed step to the next level.

These men who are 'this close' to elevating to the next level need to be willing to maximize every minute that they are afforded in a WWE ring and also willing to figuratively elbow their competition out of the way. It is imperative for the growing list of young talents remain hungry and willing to outshine any and all their contemporaries.

It also seems, based on the two, WWE TV shows that I've seen this week, that WWE is serious in looking at rebuilding their Tag Team division. As I said before, this reclamation project will take time but it will be new to many younger fans. I hope that WWE is successful in this endeavor.

From our Twitter @JRsBBQ and email mail bag:

-- Nothing new on the Undertaker in response to the most asked question that we receive. I still remain steadfast that Taker will return in time to build his 'Streak' match at WM28 and I also remain of the belief that he will never see his Wrestlemania Streak broken. For the sake of covering this matter...I don't know who Undertaker's WM28 opponent will be, and if I did why would I spoil the surprise, nor do I know of any retirement plans for the Deadman. Undertaker fans need to exhale, enjoy the holidays and allow what is going to evolve with the legendary to star to evolve.

--I'd guess that Kevin Nash most likely is finished wrestling for WWE but to say that Kevin is 'finished in the business' isn't probable or for me to speculate. For a 52 year old athlete with horrific knees, I thought Nash made an excellent accounting of himself in his TLC PPV bout versus HHH.

--Yes, I personally prefer the masked Kane versus the unmasked version strictly speaking as a fan. Still get feedback from the Oliver Stone's of the mat world that swear this Kane is an entirely new guy in Kane attire. That would be inaccurate, by the way, but those so inclined should believe as they choose. I like the leaner, quicker Kane who is still a massive human being. Without question, Kane has had a WWE HOF career.

--Enjoyed exchanging Tweets with Batista @davebautista this week and I hope to visit him when I am next in Tampa visiting the FCW facility. He's a good dude. Missed.

--Many more fans are upset with Michael Cole's occasional remarks about me than am I. WWE obviously likes what Cole does on TV which is why he's there. I have more important things to focus on in my life than what a television character says about me on a TV show.

--Regarding the 1/2/12 vignettes that have been airing, I have no firm idea on who these well produced/written vignettes are for but I have my suspicions. Again, if I truly knew, why would I spoil the surprise? Doing these types of vignettes always builds anticipation in a big way with many fans which is why I think that they should be used more frequently.

BTW, years ago in Mid South Wrestling, Bill Watts got the Rock 'n Roll Express over as main eventers to the fan base via vignettes, about 6 weeks worth, long before the Mid South fans ever saw R 'n R in person or knew who they were.

Just because something worked 'back in the day' doesn't mean that it won't work today and the old "but that was rasslin" defense doesn't hold up in court. It all comes back to successfully dealing with a fan's basic, human emotions which remain largely in tact no matter the calendar year or generation. Plus, what was 'old' will be new to many young fans.

--Don't know any specific details on the WWE Network for those asking. I know it's expected to be big and that many people are investing unreal hours in getting it ready to launch, as we've been informed, on April 1, 2012. I do not know if it will be available outside the USA IE the UK, Canada, ect. One would assume that would be a WWE goal but when, if, and how that might occur is not known to me at this time.

--Will J.R. have a role on the WWE Network? I sure hope so but that bridge hasn't been crossed as of yet. I know that I will be an avid viewer. Remember that youth and look always outdistance experience and talent in show biz. That's what Jim Carrey told the King and I in a casual moment during the filming of Man on the Moon.

--Will WWE ever have a major, WWE PPV emanating from the UK? The time difference issue so that the broadcast airs live, live in North America is a problem. Nonetheless I don't know WWE's plans for a UK based, major PPV. All I can say to fans in that part of the world is to stay tuned. The time zone issues may be more of a hurdle than can be overcome. TBD.

--King and I loved appearing in 'Man on the Moon' which must have been airing a bunch lately on cable because of the amount of feedback that I've received on it this week. King played himself and was a key component in Andy Kaufman's brief albeit stellar career. Jim Carrey, who played Kaufman, stayed in character during the entire filming channeling what he thought was how Andy would have conducted himself as a faux, wrestling villain. In other words, Carrey was largely a pain in the ass during the production of this Milos Foreman film. Nonetheless, Carrey was brilliant playing Andy Kaufman.

--Hopefully someone has told Brock Lesnar that he cannot beat Alistar Overeem by standing in front of the slugger with deadly knees. It's a simple strategy, destroy the slugger's vertical base with wrestling and then ground and pound a victory for the former, WWE Champion. I still have Lesnar winning by stoppage in round two.

--It's very rewarding for us to hear of how many of you are using our products in some form for your holiday feasts. It's almost like sharing a special meal with you during the holidays. Our business at http://www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss has exceeded our expectations. We don't sell gimmicks. We sell legit, excellent products from our family's own recipes. I hope that you will try them some day.

--Excited to be attending OU vs. Iowa in the Insight Bowl on December 30 in Tempe, Arizona. Travel plans made. I always feel that I represent OU and WWE when I show up to a game donning my black hat. Sometimes that's a challenging proposition depending on how much those that I meet have been drinking and the outcome of the games.

--Nothing new on a JR penned autobiography but I do have some writing partners in mind. I will write the book but I need someone to help me stay focused and to provide some order to my ramblings.

--Will we ever see an Austin vs. Goldberg match? Highly Unlikely as Gorilla Monsoon would say. In other words, NO, in my opinion.

--I am not in favor of 18 year old kids training to be a pro wrestler without also going to college at teh same time or having something viable to fall back upon. I'd be hard pressed to hire an 18 year old today unless they were very special and extremely mature.

--The Road Warriors were an 'attraction' tag team and not the greatest, in ring wrestling tag team that I ever saw. Were LOD big time main event stars? Unquestionably but much like Andre the Giant, Hawk and Animal were great attractions and were best utilized when they were protected and not overexposed. I do think that some of LOD's promo work was underrated. Joe and Mike complimented each other well and are one of the top teams of all time.

--The best wrestling villains are largely the ones that fans know or think are legit badasses and the wrestler's persona projects that "I can kick your ass." To possess a genuinely tough persona usually can't be manufactured and has to come from within the individual.

Thanks for stopping by and please follow us on Twitter @JRsBBQ.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.