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JR's Blog: Monday Blog..WWE HOF, Horsemen, Edge & Jennifer Anniston, Joel Watts, Brodus, WWEShop.com for JR's Products!

Posted: Jan 17th 2012 By: CMBurnham

Thanks for stopping by and checking out our site. If you're new, be sure and check out the photo gallery. There's some interesting items there. Let's get started with some quick, random thoughts and by addressing some of your Twitter, @JRsBBQ, questions.

Raw in Anaheim tonight which means an early start live in California, 6 pm west coast time, which I always enjoyed. An early start means an early off air time which allowed for easier travel or something as simple as a normal night of sleep. (The King would fly in the morning of a west coast RAW and be on the red eye flight home to Memphis after the show.)

I always thought more could be made, I'm looking at the mirror quite honestly on this one, of the fact that there are only 30 spots available for the Royal Rumble Match. While other attractive matches are generally booked for the PPV, nothing really compares to the Rumble match and what winning it provides the last man standing in the ring.

Picking a winner of the Royal Rumble match is a tough task especially when one doesn't know conclusively who will compete. Because the PPV occurs in St. Louis, I 'guessed' that perhaps Randy Orton, if healthy, would be a dark horse to win in his home town. You'd be amazed at some of the Tweets that we received taking that bit of info to new levels.

Fans are extremely passionate regarding the WWE HOF which is both a blessing and a curse at times. As the old saying goes, one can't make everyone happy all the time but thus for, IMO, the announcement of Edge and the Horsemen being inducted seem stellar to me.

For the record, I have zero to do with the selections and found out about Edge and the Horsemen going into the HOF when other viewers did. It puts me in an uncomfortable situation when I'm asked who deserves to be in the HOF and who doesn't. That's not my place to pass judgment nor will I. Many obvious talents 'deserve' to be inducted into the WWE HOF and, overtime, I expect the normal suspects to be honored.

The Horsemen unit of Flair, Arn, Tully, and Windham are arguably the best in ring performing unit of all the Horsemen incarnations from my perspective. That's not to say that the other Horseman entities weren't effective. Adding a qualified in ring talent to the foundation of Naitch, Double A, and Blanchard always put that individual on a 'winning team.'

Over the years too many Horsemen incarnations watered down the attraction just as it did the nWo back in the day.

The controversy of original Horsemen member Ole Anderson being omitted is understandable especially for many long time fans but with Ole's unfortunate health issues and the fact that he has publicly said that he's not interested in being associated with WWE should be enough for those vocal fans to move on. But that isn't going to happen.

No one should overlook the influence JJ Dillon had on the Horsemen. I know from a behind the scenes role, JJ was extremely valuable to the charismatic albeit life in the fast lane unit. JJ was also a perfect compliment on camera and at ringside for, arguably, the greatest faction of all time. I know that JJ was especially moved by the HOF announcement last week on RAW.

When I first went to work in the NWA for Jim Crockett Promotions, the Horsemen welcomed me with open arms, not all did, and I always seem to have a little extra fuel in the tank when broadcasting their bouts.

When I speak of wrestlers maximizing their minutes, especially the younger talents, no one ever did a better job of maximizing their minutes of TV time than did the Horsemen whether it be a routine, TV bout or promo time. They got it and never phoned it in. They were stars and made it cool for some fans to cheer the villains.

Edge was one of a group of talented athletes we signed back in the day in WWE that contributed greatly to the company for an extended length of time. Edge fit into the desired recruiting category of being a life long fan, being a high level student of the game, he had a big motor, and the Canadian took ownership of his TV persona. If young talents wanting to make it in the business today would follow the Edge doctrine then they would greatly increase their chances of making it in the business.

I compared Edge to Jennifer Anniston on www.yahoosportsradio.com last Saturday morning as she spun out of an ensemble cast on Friends to earn solo stardom in films while Edge spun out of a talented, crowed tag team scene to become 'The Ultimate Opportunist.'

For Edge fans longing for Edge to have the seemingly obligatory "One More Match," I hope that educated fans realize that medically that would be a major mistake for all involved.

Trying to figure out the best way to start collecting what fans feel are some of my most memorable lines over the years for a potential project. I get some of these nuggets from time to time on Twitter @JRsBBQ and usually had forgotten them until reminded. It's amazing what fans recall beyond the usual such as Slobber Knocker, Beaten Like a Government Mule, Business is about to pick up, Running like a scalded dog, Goofy as a pet coon, etc.

One more time, the only retail stores in the world that carry JR's Products are the four, Norman, Oklahoma Homeland Grocery Stores. They carry our entire line of products. Otherwise, simply go online and order at www.wweshop.com/Category/JimRoss. WWEShop.com can answer all your questions regarding where and what they can ship and have a customer service department set up for such questions.

Brodus Clay maximized his minutes last week on RAW and Smackdown. I'm told that the reaction that he received on the road this week was positive. The red attire, the dancing and the ladies who accompany him are the 'sizzle' in Clay's TV persona but rest assured that the super heavyweight can deliver the 'steak' from bell to bell which is where, over the long haul, he will make his money.

"When will Chris Jericho address his fans?" When he's damn good and ready or so it seems. Perhaps tonight on RAW but that's Jericho's call. I'm anxious to see where this unique presentation progresses.

"Did JR watch the UFC this weekend?" Nope..not a bit. It was the NFL playoffs at my abode. BTW I went 4-0 against the spread...too bad I didn't bet any cash. UFC is still one of my favorite sports to watch but they are also getting to the cusp of being overexposed on PPV. When any PPV event ceases being truly special then a case can be made that there are too many PPV events. Same goes for wrestling. It's a tough line to walk with these events coming so frequently and with talent depth issues.

BTW...if you are a college football fan I suggest that you follow @finebaum on Twitter.

We're still getting great feedback on the Rivalry DVD on @BretHart and @shawnmichaels_ with fans wanting to know what will be the next one. I've heard nothing of a 2nd Rivalry DVD but there are endless ideas. My personal theory is that the rivals need to be alive and willing to openly and honestly engage in conversation. Unfortunately that eliminates several options.

Our Twitter followers have exceeded 326,000. And that's with limited exposure.

The WWE Tag Titles changed hands at a non televised, live event this weekend in Oakland. That sent a message that "anything can occur at a WWE live event" and that the tag titles perhaps are on the cusp of becoming more meaningful.

Right now WWEShop.com is running a special on JR's products where you get 15% off any purchase of $75 or more. The packages make great gifts plus consider sharing an order with a family member or friend. Split the cost and enjoy the family recipes that we offer you.

"Where's Joel Watts?" Gosh, I'm not 100% sure but I think that he's back in the Tulsa area and may be involved in video production. Joel was way ahead of his time in the wrestling genre as it relates to music videos, etc. He was a major asset to the success of Mid South Wrestling and the Watts' UWF.

"Do online or Twitter petitions work?" Really? As Monsoon might say, "Highly Unlikely."

The BCS College Football System is going to change or so it seems based on their recent meetings. They need to protect the importance of the regular season so no one actually backs into the 'playoffs' but the national title really needs to be decided on the field. Seems like a 'Plus One' scenario might well work. With TV ratings down for the Bowls, as well as attendance, changes are inevitable.

"Are there any fool proof ways to make new stars in wrestling?" Short answer, NO. However, making sure that said talents are physically and mentally ready for prime time (the road, the locker room, etc) helps. So does allowing them to be natural extensions of their true personality. Plus, fans like winners no matter if its in pro sports or entertainment. Wrestlers who get 'hot' and then over come odds and/or continue to win by hook or crook get noticed. The wrestlers write the music and the announcers create the lyrics. When all those things come together with other important elements of the total presentation then the 'chance' of success increases but there are still no guarantees.

I will take a closer look at the NFL playoffs later in the week and provide some RAW thoughts as well.

Follow us on Twitter @JRsBBQ. Thanks for stopping by and have a great day.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.