It is great to get back to Norman, Okla., after one of the more challenging road trips in recent memory that included sitting in the lovely but talented Indianapolis Airport for approximately nine hours, Wednesday, with much of that spent watching the World’s Strongest Man hibernate in a chair built for someone the size of Hornswoggle. Henry’s snoring was epic and many folks took photos of him sleeping during our long weather-related delay. Bottom line, as “Stone Cold” would say, is that Mother Nature is undefeated and likely to stay such. It took me more than 14 hours to get from Indy to OKC on Wednesday. I know, poor me.

The Joe Louis Arena was rocking on Sunday night on what I thought was a very solid night of WWE action especially in the ECW, World Title and WWE Title bouts all which had memorable significant elements.

The final six to eight competitors in the Rumble match, which I had the pleasure of broadcasting with my fellow Hall of Famer Jerry Lawler, hope you liked the old band playing one more song together but don’t get used to it, really hooked me into the match. Then, the final four were especially intriguing and became the highlight of the Rumble match along with the surprise entry of RVD who looked excellent as usual.   

Oklahoman Jack Swagger wrestled in his first title bout on a WWE pay-per-view and was dominant in the end, in defeating Matt Hardy (more on him later) to retain the ECW Title. Swagger seems to be the young cornerstone of which ECW GM Teddy Long is building upon and Swagger certainly doesn’t need a rally towel to get noticed.

The John Cena vs. JBL World Title Bout seemed to center as much around Shawn Michaels as it did the two participants both of whom HBK has defeated in the past. I can understand HBK’s financial angst as I just met with our accountant and some of our stock funds died a natural death in ’08 to the tune of significant losses. Losses that equated to more than I annually earned early in my career. World’s Champion John Cena is a bull and his use of the STF is good stuff and reminds me of two items. One, Masa Chono utilized this maneuver to win many bouts in Japan back in the day and event further back in the day Lou Thesz, who won his first NWA World’s Title in 1937, used the STF at times as well. Once Thesz hooked then-wrestler Paul Boesch, who became the promoter of wrestling in Houston for years, in the STF near mid-ring and told Paul that was far as Paul was concerned the ring ropes “were at least a mile away.”

Did you know that the Cena-starred “12 Rounds” was filmed on location in Louisiana? I find that to be a wonderful thing considering that the folks in one of my favorite states as far as wrestling is concerned are still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. I love movies like “12 Rounds,” and from what I can tell our man Cena kicks butt in this one which has some unbelievable special effects.

Also at the Rumble, Jeff Hardy had a SmackDown administration stacked deck against him in his first PPV, a WWE Title defense against the husband of the SmackDown General Manager with the plan apparently to do all that could be done to make sure Jeff left without the title. That plan did not work, but who could have seen Jeff’s own brother doing the dirty deed with a steel chair in the No Disqualification Match? The whole scenario made me ill and the way Jeff Hardy was treated at the Royal Rumble was an embarrassment and uncalled for. Jeff is still likely the most popular superstar in WWE, whether the management of SmackDown wants to acknowledge it or not.

Bottom line, there wasn’t a champion in WWE hotter than Jeff Hardy before Jeff was robbed in Detroit.

Speaking of Matt Hardy, it would seem he is coming over to Friday Night SmackDown on a regular basis, or so I hear. Apparently Matt will attempt to explain his actions of late this Friday night on a program that emanates from Indianapolis, the hometown of the legendary Dick the Bruiser.

It seems like MVP may be about ready to turn the corner and get back on the winning track. We’ll know more on Friday, but I do know personally that MVP has told friends he would love to re-establish himself by winning the United States Title.

Does any one truly believe that new WWE Champion Edge cares a hoot about his nephew by marriage Chavo Guerrero? If Edge does, he certainly has a unique way of displaying it. Yeah, I know … I could be wrong.

Umaga returns to the ring on Friday nights this week, and the Samoan Bulldozer is apparently raring to go. Not many defensive linemen in the NFL, especially the defensive nose guards, have more natural athletic ability than the tattooed Samoan with the nasty disposition. I can only imagine what a magnificent, Hall of Fame Manager like Bobby “The Brain” Heenan would do with an athlete the caliber of Umaga.

Qualifying matches for the WWE Championship Elimination Chamber match at No Way Out begin on Friday Night SmackDown this week including Undertaker facing 400-pound Mark Henry. Each man has one chance to qualify as I understand it.

As a matter of fact there are three qualifying matches in all this Friday night for the WWE Championship Bout to be held inside the Elimination Chamber featuring WWE Champion Edge attempting to fend off five hungry challengers.

Michelle McCool was not a nice person to broadcaster Eve Torres on SmackDown this week, but the athletic Eve isn’t a shrinking violet which, ironically, was The Fink’s first lady friend when he started dating when he was 24, Violet Seinfeld (no relation).

Stocky Balboa was recently spotted at Joseph A. Banks looking at suits. 44 short.

The final match of the evening, sounds old school and we all know that old school reeks of ‘rasslin which is an unpardonable sin, this week on Friday Night SmackDown starring the “World’s Angriest Announcer” Tazz is a Triple Threat match featuring Triple H, Vladimir Kozlov, and the largest lady’s man in the world the Great Khali and the winner advances to the Elimination Championship Match for the WWE Title at No Way Out in Seattle in a few weeks.

Still being a big fan of Monday Night Raw, the ending, chaotic moments of the broadcast last week from Cleveland still have me scratching my head. I don’t blame Shane McMahon for defending his father by trying to beat some retribution out of Randy Orton, but the timing could not have been worse. I just can’t see how this matter is going to be amicably resolved especially with money-hungry barristers involved on RKO’s side. I’m happy that Michael Cole and the King have to try and sort this complex matter out for the Raw viewers and not me as yours truly is perfectly content to ply my wares on Friday Night SmackDown.

There seems to be lots of talk about the verbal spat between Chris Jericho and actor Mickey Rourke that occurred recently on the “Larry King” on CNN. I watched this “debate,” interaction, whatever, from my hotel room, you know the one with the natty shag carpet, on Tuesday night. Rourke may have inferred that he was going to WrestleMania while walking the red carpet at the Screen Actors Guild Awards Show last Sunday, but Rourke admittedly stuck his foot in his mouth.

For the record, many of us do that on a regular basis but Rourke really doesn’t have any business getting in a high-level, memory making match at the biggest event of the year, WrestleMania XXV. I loved Rourke’s role as Randy “The Ram” Robinson in “The Wrestler” and even saw the film twice. However, the brash Jericho accurately pointed out that playing a wrestler on film with the ability to have multiple takes for a scene, etc is a far cry from actually getting in the ring live without a net or the ability to do a re-take against a man who is proud, egocentric and not willing to compromise his skill level or legacy to a Golden Globe winner or not.

Rourke is not a spring chicken and reminds me a great deal of my friend Ric Flair, specifically, as he reportedly loves the night life and he should stick with those aspects of his life that he is truly blessed, acting and partying, and not step in the ring with Chris Jericho. If that were to happen it would make the ending of “The Wrestler” feel warm and fuzzy which it isn’t.

Don‘t do it Mickey. Do come to Houston; enjoy a great presentation at the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania, have fun, but stay out of the ring. Or do what in the hell you want.

For true students of the game, long time fans, die hard fans, etc I strongly suggest you consider purchasing the new book entitled “Oklahoma Shooter: The Dan Hodge Story.” You can read the press release about the greatest, pro wrestler I personally ever saw on the WWE.com homepage under Industry News or by clicking here. Hodge is the only man in history to win amateur wrestling championships and the National Golden Gloves Boxing Championship in his career. If Hodge were a young man today he would take people in the MMA like the feared Fedor and chew them up and spit them out and dominate MMA. There has never been an athlete that I have ever seen that Hodge could not take down, he never gave up a point in college while never losing, plus Dan could strike as evidenced by him winning the United States heavyweight title in Golden Gloves Boxing without any long term, formal training.

Hodge made two Olympic teams the first when he was only 19 and at the time the youngest American Olympian in USA history. Hodge’s [pro career is that of legend and this book has some of the coolest, vintage photos that I have ever seen.  Dan will be in our JR’S BBQ Moore, Oklahoma location on Saturday February 7 from noon until 3 signing his book and I look forward to being there with one of my true, boyhood heroes. For more info on the book please consider calling 641-791-3072.

Tazz and I got so bored on our 300 mile drive from Detroit to Indy on Monday that we started counting the number of basketball hoops nailed to barns and trees while traveling through Indiana. It kind of made me want to see “Hoosiers” again. For the record, Tazz hated “Hoosiers” but he hates most things except the chicken and dumplings at Cracker Barrel.

I am writing several blogs per week at www.jrsbarbq.com in addition to answering many of your questions or responding to your email thoughts as well. We appreciate all of you visiting our small but growing Web site, and especially for those of you that have purchased our sauces, Beef Jerky, signed J.R.’S Cookbooks, etc.

The Mrs., a Pittsburgher, and I are heading to Tampa to watch our first Super Bowl in person this weekend which we are stoked about and I might have to break out a new, black hat in support of my wife’s favorite team. I should probably start wearing more black attire because it is “thinning” and your BBQ lovin’ pal needs all the esthetic advantages he can muster.

Boomer Sooner!
J.R.