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JR's Blog: 'Taker at WM29?..WWE PPV in UK..2 Influential Matches..Rumble MVP..JBL Underrated?..Most Powerful Weapon in the Game

Posted: Feb 7th 2013 By: CMBurnham

Enjoyed seeing my #Sooner friends today for the National Signing Day activities at #OU. College football lives the year around here in Norman and I love it. To live in a college town is really great for a sports fanatic. Even with no NFL team in our market, we have the @okcthunder and college sports. It's a good life. I'm getting some INSANE questions on Twitter @JRsBBQ and here on our website at the Q&A section. Let's review, shall we?

Not all of these are insane but...

Is WWE coming to ________for an event? Best way to find out is to simply call the arena in question OR go on their website for the info that you seek. I'm not Rand McNally.

Will WWE ever have a PPV in the United Kingdom? Never say never but being live in North America at 7 or 8 p.m... eastern time is imperative. Being LIVE, LIVE is the key here in my view. Without question, WWE would be able to fill a stadium in the UK but addressing the time zone, live broadcast issues are matters that I simply can't answer.

When are you returning to broadcast Monday Night Raw? I have zero plans on returning to weekly TV at this time. Don't get me wrong I still have great passion for broadcasting in WWE but not for the weekly travel that it takes to facilitate such. When WWE wants to utilize me at a specific event, they will. @MichaelCole and @Jerrylawler are where they need to be.

Why do I push the BBQ sauce, etc so aggressively? It's a passion of mine, a homage to my late mother who was a superb cook and who made BBQ Sauce from scratch plus I enjoy creating and building things. Notwithstanding I'm very proud of what we produce. They are NOT gimmicks but quality, great tasting products.

What's my favorite match that I ever called? I'm not sure that I could honestly answer that one if someone held a gun to my head. Oh, I'd make up something under those circumstances but my nose would also grow. I've been blessed to have been at the right place at the right time to call some classics. Damn tough to pick just one off the top of my head.

I will say that two bouts that influenced my career were the Danny Hodge vs. Hiro Matsuda NWA Junior Heavyweight Title bout from Tampa where Matsuda won the title. I studied that epic, long contest dozens of times and used it like I would a text book. Gordon Solie was on the call in the match that match happened when I was 12 in 1964. When I went to work for Bill Watts and Leroy McGuirk in 1974 that was my primary learning/study tool on an old one inch Beta machine.

Also, in the early 60's the Masked Assassins had a brutal, personal rivalry with the Kentuckians which was another amazing story that came to life. The promos were haunting and the matches told an amazing story. Their program really hooked me and pushed the right buttons on an impressionable kid.

It was all about the art of story telling and it still is. Nothing has really changed except previous generations of wrestlers were overall, as a business from top to bottom, better than many of today's performers. Why? There were multiple territories where a performer could go 'off Broadway' to hone their craft. Those viable, weekly wrestling territories don't exist today.

That's why talent development is the heartbeat of the future of today's sports entertainment genre.

How old is too old to start training to be a wrestler? There are so many variables to this one. One's athletic background, mental toughness, intellect, etc all play a factor. I'd say certainly under 30 and preferably right out of college. One must secure great training and then have as many matches as can be procured in the Indies. Assemble a body of work, get in on a DVD and start networking.

Another way is to have a bona fide, amateur athletic career along with the aptitude for sports entertainment and get scouted or noticed by WWE.

Bottom line is that making it as a wrestling star is a helluva long shot and is arguably more challenging than making it in the NFL.

I also encourage ALL wannabe wrestlers to have a viable Plan B in their back pocket. That means something, an education or a skill, to fall back on.

Who do I become a writer? Really? Really? If someone wants an office job and can't figure out how to find WWE's corporate website to look for job openings, etc then their chances of getting hired are slim to none and Ol Slim just left town. To be a creative writer is a job that has clearly defined info on WWE's corporate site that outlines the requirements. Good luck.

Will the Undertaker wrestle at WM29? I honestly and truly have no idea. However, I don't believe all that I read online from those who are speculating multiple tales regarding the subject.

Do I think that the Undertaker is done? No. Absolutely not.

Would Bruno Sammartino have made it in today's wrestling business? Absolutely. Bruno had 'it.' 'It' cannot be taught or feigned. Bruno knew how to connect with the paying customers. He was believeable. Just because Bruno never did a hurricanrana or a tope doesn't mean he would not have done well. It's all about talent and television and how the talents are perceived on TV. That means it takes a partnership between the two entities with the talent being the key component.

Now here comes the 'PUSH' and the 'promotion killed the persona' barrages.

Who goes into the WWE HOF? I find out when other fans do. I like it that way. Are there wrestlers who deserve to be inducted that aren't? Of course. Randy Savage comes to mind but I'm of the belief that every thing will work out as it should at the end of the day. No one can do any thing about the past or the 'much overdue' debates.

How would I format the 2013 WWE HOF? I'd open with @RealMickFoley and close with Bruno. I opened in 2007 with @steveaustinBSR and it worked for the live audience and the TV show. Or so I think.

Do I think that JBL gets the credit he deserves for his long, title run? No. @JCLayfield reinvented himself multiple times after we hired him and each time he got better. He's a smart Texan who likely overachieved, as he and I both did in marriage, in the eyes of his peers. John was an excellent athlete who did not want to be average. He was a competitor who wanted the spotlight and was willing to put in the work to get it. If that meant pushing someone aside, so be it. I applaud that mindset and am proud of John's certain, HOF career. He's also a breath of fresh air on WWE TV and brings a high IQ to the broadcast table in his antagonist role.

...and whatever you do, for the love of God, please download the John Layfield Report app! (It's actually very cool)

Why don't I give more details on the NXT tryouts WWE held last week? Just being professional. I know who I voted for but I don't know the final tally of voting so I don't know who's going to be offered. The camp started slowly with a long, arduous Friday but picked up very nicely on Saturday and Sunday.

Am I going to WrestleMania? You damn right! Wouldn't miss it for the world and love every minute of AXXESS, attending the WWE HOF and being around the talents on 'game day.'

Who was the MVP of the Royal Rumble PPV? Another subjective question with multiple right answers but for me, in my personal opinion, it was Chris Jericho, @IAmJericho. That's no knock on any of the other 'boys.' I think the live audience attending in Phoenix would likely agree.

What's the most powerful weapon in the business? Cowboy Bill Watts told me years ago, as in 1974, that it was......the eraser.

Thanks for supporting our efforts at WWEShop.com http://www.wweshop.com and in the UK and throughout Europe @americansoda in Manchester, England. Get ready for WM29 now with JR's as your tag team partner. '

Q&A's here are updated. You got to see the array of dandies. Plus, one dude got a little testy.

Follow me on Twitter @JRsBBQ as our timeline is classic more often than not.

Boomer Sooner!

J.R.