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

Thanks for stopping by and spending a few moments here in the land of WWE and BBQ. All is well in both ... unless you know something that I don't know.

WrestleMania XXV is on the lips of everyone in WWE as we continue to count down the days until the big event in Houston at Reliant Stadium which looks like it will be packed with around 60 something thousand WWE fans.I can only imagine how great the stadium will look come show time. Early in the afternoon on the day of WrestleMania is one of my favorite times as it allows one to leisurely walk around the ringside area and even sneak upstairs to look down at the entire lay of the land. It is sort of the calm before the storm because when the show starts, it's on!

Monday Night Raw had a little bit of everything on it from Jacksonville, Fla., this week including a face-to-face between two WWE Icons, the crowning of a new IC Champion, an alleged affair involving WWE management, a new title match signed for the 25th Anniversary of WrestleMania and a home invasion.

Just for my money, there might not be a match at WrestleMania more eagerly anticipated than the one-on-one between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. Both men are sure-fire "first ballot" HOF'ers and as HBK pointed out Monday night, Undertaker has never defeated Michaels. Do you remember their epic Hell in a Cell Match? These two Superstars will likely never meet again in an environment such as WrestleMania. For me, simply as a fan, this is a "must-see" match, just as last year was when Ric Flair had his farewell match in Orlando at 'Mania ironically thanks to HBK.

No one that I can recall has ever been a better "big match" wrestler than Shawn Michaels, but one could argue that Undertaker is "right there" being 16-0 at WrestleMania. 16-0 is freakish when one really thinks about it and breaks down all the stars that have lost at WrestleMania events but are, as they should be, still considered legends. "The Streak" will never be approached in my opinion, and if anyone can beat 'Taker it's Mr. WrestleMania.

Speaking of the Demon of Death Valley, 'Taker gets the opportunity to avenge his recent Friday Night SmackDown loss to Vladimir Kozlov come this Friday night on MyNetworkTV in a main event that the "World's Angriest Announcer" and yours truly look forward to broadcasting.

Did Triple H take things too far with his home invasion of Randy Orton's abode this past Monday night? Many will say yes on this one. I say settle this in the ring where it counts, but I also realize how personal an issue this matter is. I think WWE should do all that they can to keep these men separated until April 5, but the judicial system may provide an unlikely assist on this matter, too. I guess we get to see more lawyers on Raw which is always a treat as we all love the barristers of our world.

JBL is the new Intercontinental Champion after defeating CM Punk who will still compete, I assume, in the Money in the Bank Ladder match at WrestleMania.Does this mean that the brash talking Texan turned Big Apple native will defend the IC Title at WrestleMania? When was the last time the IC Title was at stake at the WWE's premier, annual event? Nonetheless JBL vs. whomever at WrestleMania will be hard-pressed to out-perform the WrestleMania Intercontinental Title Bout between "Macho Man" Randy Savage and 2009 WWE Hall of Fame Inductee Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. That bout was arguably the greatest IC Title bout in WrestleMania history.

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