J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q

Greetings from your barbecue-selling, Oklahoma football loving, road warrior who took 14 hours to get from Lafayette, La. to Norman, Okla., thanks to Mother Nature (who can be colder than a mother-in-law’s hug) as the countdown is seriously on for WrestleMania XXIV.

This week’s Monday Night Raw Superstar of the Week is really an easy choice when one stops and thinks about it. Monday’s Raw was a “unique broadcast” to say the least, and many individuals had their “moments.” But my choice as the Superstar of the Week may never get the opportunity to attain this recognition again. This week’s winner has been a winner in my eyes for years, but more importantly he has been my friend – “Nature Boy” Ric Flair.

Albeit “Naitch” had his hands surprisingly full with the hell-bent (hell bound??) Mr. McMahon Monday night in a bowling shoe ugly, bloody street fight. And with Ric’s Career Threatening Match with Shawn Michaels on tap for WrestleMania, striking while the iron is hot as it relates to recognizing Ric in this space seems timely.I am not predicting that Ric will lose to HBK, which seems to be a forgone conclusion in the eyes of many, but Ric is obviously the underdog going into WrestleMania.

I hope Ric has a special moment this Monday night in “Flair Country” in Columbia, S.C., where he has entertained the masses for four decades. Monday night has the potential to be one of the most emotional Monday Night Raw broadcasts any of us have experienced in years.I hope the fans of the Carolinas pack the arena in Columbia Monday night on what may be their last time to see Ric Flair as an active wrestler.

Read the rest of J.R.'s column at WWE.com »