Yes, the Wipe and Factory restore did the trick. It is like a new phone. The whole "butter" experience with JB is true. Smooth and fast. No lagging. I also have not see the android.process... stopped working dialog.
I did experience a "freeze moment" while using BeyondPod. So, I have started using PocketCasts. No problems since. So, some of my issues might have been with BeyondPod.
The one thing that is still an issue is that the speech recognition in Google Search stalls out when a Bluetooth is connected. This seems to be a problem with the build, as some web searching revealed that this is even a issue on the GS3. Gonna keep working on this one.
As for me, I will now always do a factory restore after upgrading to a new version of the OS. Tip...I use Nova Launcher Prime, so restoring my home screens was a breeze.