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

Even though I am still battling pneumonia, I was able to stay coherent (no wise cracks please) and enjoy Monday Night Raw in my overstuffed, recliner from our home in Norman even with tornadoes in the area.

What a start to Raw with the Jericho/Flair interaction. Jericho’s sucker punch lead to Flair’s demise which resulted in 11 staples inserted in “Naitch’s” head. Nice job Chris and I hope that you are proud of your actions. I am surprised that jerry Lawler didn’t intervene but King has so much respect for Flair that Lawler knew that if he did intervene on Ric’s behalf that flair would have likely been offended. It’s this thing called pride that so many of the old school guys have and that the younger generation in wrestling still doesn’t “get” yet.

Next week in Dallas, I plan on being there live to see King take on Jericho in a one on one match with Lawler going in as the underdog against the younger Jericho who, for some perverse reason, has issues with Legends and WWE Hall of Famers. Jericho need not under estimate The King who still wrestles several times a week on the independent circuit and will not enter the squared circle with any ring rust I can assure you.

One thing that can be said of the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WM25 is that there is no clear cut favorite and that the high stakes match is wide open and anyone’s to win. If all 8 men leave that environment without significant injuries it will be miraculous.

HBK has firmly proven that he is not intimidated, afraid and is somewhat defiant of the Undertaker as these two icons prepare for their historic one on one match at WM25. Both men have Texas roots and competing in front of what is expected to be over 70,000 in Reliant Stadium will be a defining moment for each, future Hall of Famer’s career. There is no match on this year’s WM25 card that fans I run into on the road ask about more than this one. If this match closed the show at Wrestlemania it wouldn’t offend me but I expect a Championship Match to bring down the curtain on WM25.

I see that Santino’s unibrow has returned. How stable is a man who wants to compete in a 25 Diva Battle Royal in the hopes that he would be named Miss Wrestlemania? Does Marella think that distinction might look good on a job resume?

More people watched Raw on cable TV Monday night than any other program for the 6th consecutive week. Oh, my!

Monday Night Raw really kicked Fox’ Bill O’Reilly’s backside which give new meaning to the no spin zone.

No one seems to know what historic feat that Intercontinental Champion JBL is going to accomplish at WM25 but JBL beating Rey Mysterio isn’t a gimme. Oliver Stone-like conspiracy theories abound on this history making feat but my sense is that we will have to wait until Wrestlemania to see if this is indeed something JBL will pull off or if this is just lip service to take Mysterio’s mind off the prize at hand.

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