My new Smackdown-based schedule allows for me to be at home on the weekend’s which is a helluva perk for a budding restaurateur and for a guy who likes to see his young granddaughters. This is really the best work schedule that I have ever had and I am really happy that I wrote so many blogs about not wanting to move brands during the draft or, as "sources close to the decision makers" say, it might not have happened.
 
Yours truly will arrive in Baton Rouge early Tuesday morning for this week’s Smackdown taping and will be home Wednesday morning which is a great travel schedule for this coming week. I also did some more research on the rumor that Smackdown was going to be changed to a live broadcast on Friday nights and my "sources close to the decision makers" say it is absolutely not going to happen. Take that as you may as some folks would rather believe rumor than factual info.
 
Ric Flair and I had a social beverage on the road recently and "Naitch" told me that he was on the road traveling for the WWE in June, or was it May, 19 days which is a bunch of travel. Ric is enjoying his new public relations role with the WWE and is also looking forward to making many public appearances in the coming weeks and months.
 
The King and I, remember us, will be making an autograph/photo op appearance on Long Island on Saturday, July 19. We have mentioned this before and I will speak more about it next time but I do hope that the many wrestling fans in the Long Island area come out and see us and say hello the night before the Great American Bash.
 
There will be some weary travelers arriving into New Orleans this weekend from the latest international tour that included stops in Chile, Peru, and Panama. The Lima, Peru event on July 3 grossed over $1M which pretty awesome. The wrestlers had a 5 hour flight delay getting into Peru but the event still started pretty much right on time. The traveling party went directly from the airport to the modified soccer field utilizing a police escort to make up for lost time and not to keep the fans waiting.
 
I got a chance to watch the OKC Raw on my DVR this week and I thought Michael Cole did a super job handling the show in my home state under less than positive surroundings. I was happy to have Michael as one of our many guests down at our new restaurant Monday night after Raw. Michael will obviously do a great job on Raw and fans will adjust, move on and continue to enjoy Monday Night Raw as much if not more than ever  without a black hat in sight.
 
I was talking to a friend of mine about Wrestlemania matches in the past and we came to the conclusion that the WM13 match between Bret Hart and Steve Austin because of what the match meant in the long term, big picture is arguably one of the top 5 WM matches of all time. This match moved "The Hitman", simply one of the best in ring performers ever, to the antagonist side of the fence while moving Austin from that role to the role of protagonist. The match was huge for both men’s persona’s. I know that personally it is one of my favorites especially on a WM event that might not be considered one of the WWE’s best one’s, in hindsight.
 
It was surprising to see that likable Trevor Murdoch was released this week from the WWE. This one really caught me off guard as I personally always liked the Harley Race trained wrestler who I know will land on his feet and continue to grow in the business that he loves. I was looking forward to calling Murdoch’s Smackdown bouts but, as The King always says, one can’t grieve forever. I do wish Murdoch nothing but success and great health. This business is all about challenges and obstacles and how one handles them.
 
Mick Foley and I are having fun with referring to Smackdown as  "the WWE’s #1 broadcast" but don’t read too much into it. Key term here is fun…even if it is true.
 
Speaking of Smackdown, I wonder how good Bam Neely, nice name, will eventually become as an individual wrestler as time marches on? Bam, if that is his real name, sort of reminds me of Big Bubba Rogers aka The Big Bossman aka Ray Traylor from back in the day. I encourage you to find a way to see the Dr. Death vs. Big Bubba Rogers UWF Title bout from, I think, OKC back in the late 80’s. It was a dandy let me tell you.
 
Big Jerry Lawler fan and Memphis native Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, one of my favorite UFC fighters, is in action Saturday night in Vegas against Forrest Griffin. Jackson is a life long fan of the King and his ring persona as it relates to his entrance, etc reminds me of the late Junkyard Dog.
 
Somewhere this week I read that someone mentioned that it was said that new World Champ C.M. Punk was nothing more than an "Edge knock off" which personally makes little to no sense to me. I just don’t see that analogy. I like Punk’s unique style and applaud him being added to the upper card mix on Raw as it has really gotten many talking which should translate to bigger TV ratings which is the bottom line.
 
The World Series of Poker is starting and I am anxiously awaiting to see how this year’s tourney comes out especially in light of the format changes. I am a HUGE Texas Hold ‘Em fan and refuse to read the "spoilers" on the ‘net as to who has been eliminated. For what it is worth, I am not a huge fan of "spoilers" in general but I did love the work the late Don Jardine did as "The Spoiler" back in the day if that counts for any thing.
 
Good to see that the NFL is cracking down on the conduct of their players and that some players are getting cut from teams because of the player’s boorish and classless behavior. For many years the NFL and other pro sports leagues including boxing and wrestling often times turned their heads when star players committed acts that should have sent the money maker’s packing. Times are a-changing for the better. 
 
Speaking of the NFL, on a personal level I hope the legendary Bret Favre stays retired but if his heart says "play" then I would damn sure play if I were Bret. However, the incessant rumors and alleged indecision is not doing any one any favors in Title Town. If you are keeping score at home, Favre is my all time favorite NFL QB.
 
I hope everyone has a safe, great weekend. Thanks for your support and your business in our online store.

BOOMER SOONER!
J.R.