St. Louis Smackdown...Trish...Schiavone...Kowalski Remembered

Mon, 09/01/2008 - 13:26 — J.R.

St. Louis wrestling fans got to "play two" Sunday night with a doubleheader that included the taping of Monday Night Raw for Labor Day airing and this Friday night's Smackdown. Some random thoughts about wrestling doubleheaders...

The starting time might be re-evaluated to start earlier which might find the fans more energized with it being earlier in the day. How would a 5 p.m. start time be especially for the parents of young fans who want to see all the top stars in one night?

Whoever tapes 2nd isn't going to get the best of the live audience which is a no brainer especially if it's at 9 p.m.  and folks have been on the go since that morning. 

Nonetheless considering the tapings started at approximately 7:30 Sunday night, I thought the fans in St. Louis did a great job of helping make both shows better. 

Hindsight is usually 20/20 but an earlier start might be something for the WWE to consider.

The return of Randy Orton to Raw really helped the presentation as it added much needed "star power" to the broadcast.  

I don't know when Orton will actually be back in the ring but I have heard it could be in approximately two months.  It won't come none too soon. Injuries are a part of the fabric of the business and always have been. I've always believed that when someone goes down it creates an opportunity for others who have been waiting for their chance to strike pay dirt. 

That scenario is unfortunately the lay of the land right now in the WWE with some many talented individuals injured. 

The intriguing aspect of these unfortunate times is who will raise their game and break through? There has not been a more opportune time for a young, developing talent or a talent who has not been a perceived main eventer to challenge themselves and the system for "playing time." 

I can still remember the day a few years ago that Trish Stratus walked into my office on the 4th floor of the WWE headquarters in lovely Stamford, Connecticut to meet with me about a job in the company.  Any one with sight could see that Trish had an amazingly marketable look (she still does for that matter)  but what stuck with me the most upon reflecting back on that first meeting was her positive attitude and her overwhelming desire to be successful.  No Diva that I have ever been around in the WWE ever worked harder at getting better in the ring than Trish Status. Trish always gave great effort and was extremely reliable and low maintenance. Her new TV show which airs in Canada on Monday nights on the Travel and Escape Network is called "Statusphere."  On this 10 episode series "Canada's Greatest Export" travels the globe enduring some amazing physical challenges. For those who don't live in Canada,  after September 8 the program will be available on line at www.travelandescape.ca.   I have seen PR photos from  some of Trish's many adventures for this program and not surprisingly she looks amazing and shows no fear in attacking challenges of which most would never dream of attempting. 

If Trish ever needs a "gopher" for some of these jaunts,  I might be able to clear some time on my schedule. :)

Nice to read a recent on line interview with my former broadcasting colleague Tony Schiavone who is now doing radio in Atlanta and is the sports director for WSB AM750 which is the same station that I worked at back in the early 90's while on the Atlanta Falcons broadcast team and "Wrestling with Jim Ross."  Tony's passion was always baseball and I am really pleased to see him able to be living his professional dream broadcasting baseball for the Gwinnett Braves AAA club.  Tony and I used to travel together some while working for Jim Crockett Promotions and I enjoyed talking sports with him as he was always so well informed.  I can recall us sharing a room in Atlanta most weeks when we had to do late night,  post  production  at the TBS studios. We were only being paid $35 a day per diem which had to cover lodging, rental car and food. Sharing a room and a rental car made economic sense for two guys trying to earn a living in the crazy world of wrestling back in the late 80's. I enjoyed working with Tony on many broadcasts including the first Clash of Champions. Later in our career,  some in upper management tried to create an unhealthy competition between the two of us for various broadcasting assignments including the Saturday night SuperStation TBS wrestling program.  Wrestling politics are a part of the business but not a good part. Nonetheless at the end of the day I always liked Tony and when I left WCW in 1993 it gave him the chance to gain a higher profile role which served him well for many years.  

I am truly happy and somewhat envious of Tony's broadcasting career these days with him being able to work in baseball which, again, as been Tony's passion since he was a young kid.  It's akin to yours truly ever being able to become the radio voice of Oklahoma Sooner Football which is my  own personal, boyhood dream.

 As has been said, "boyhood dreams do come true."  

There aren't  many wrestlers that I have known over the years that I have respected for their natural,  in ring talents more than Kurt Angle.  Being involved in signing Kurt into pro wrestling and seeing him grow in the early part of his professional career was a very rewarding experience for me. However, I am growing tired of the talk that a viable MMA career for Kurt is going to happen essentially any day now.   

Reading this stuff is more painful than Kurt's ankle lock and I don't see Kurt ever migrating to the main stage of MMA,  the UFC.  If the talented, former Olympic Gold Medalist had gone that direction instead of coming to the WWE back in the day, I could easily buy it but not today. Too much time has passed, too many injuries have occurred and, to me, that ship has sailed.  No one asked me my opinion on this matter nor will they or should they but if asked I would suggest to Kurt to stick with pro wrestling and do all he can to maintain good health.   

If you look closely this Sunday on the sidelines in Cleveland you might just get a glimpse of a familiar face.  "The King" Jerry Lawler plans on taking in the first quarter quarter of the Cleveland-Dallas game before he reports to the arena  for Unforgiven.  King is as big a Browns' fan as I am a Sooner fan. Luckily for me, I will  be able to watch OU play Cincinnati here in Norman Saturday afternoon before I have to fly to Cleveland to participate in the PPV. 

If one studies the key matches that have positively impacted the wrestling business,  one cannot ignore the 1963 match in Japan between Killer Kowalski and the Giant Baba. Kowalski was a global star when he wrestled and lost to Baba in a match that really defined the early part of Mr. Baba's career and essentially put him on the map in a significant way in Japan. 

It's too bad many of today's young wrestlers never got the chance to know Killer who was a genuinely nice man with a quick wit, was amazing intensity inside the ring, and had a kind and gentle spirit.   Some of the matches Kowalski had with the legendary Bruno Sammartino will always be considered by those that saw them as some of the best ever in the WWWF and without question some of the most intense. Many top stars did not relish wrestling Killer Kowalski because of the relentless pace that Killer established. Bruno does not go on that list but some of the best in the business had to lace 'em up extra tight to hang with the well conditioned buzz saw who loved to isolate a body part and throughly destroy it.

BTW that methodology still works.

Thanks for checking in with us and I hope to answer several of your emails over the next day or so on our Q&A section of the site. We also appreciate your business as we had one of the best months in August that we have ever had.  Last week due to the OU football season opener both our J.R.'S Family BBQ Restaurants had wonderful weeks of which we are thankful.

Boomer Sooner!   J.R.