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

Greetings from under the black, custom-made hat from your BBQ lovin’, tornado dodging, Oklahoma neighbor who is counting down the days until WrestleMania 25 in Houston’s Reliant Stadium while inviting you to join us this week for Friday Night SmackDown on MyNetworkTV as we bring you episode 501.

We will see all eight participants who will compete in the Money in the Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania in an eight-man tag this week on SmackDown. The good news is that Hornswoggle did not enter the “Tazz zone” and attempt to provide guest grunting … or commentary during this bout. “The World’s Angriest Announcer” might not have “cottoned” to Finlay’s son donning headsets. I have thought about it a fair amount and I still don’t see a clear cut favorite going into this high stakes, MITB contest where the prize will be hanging 20 feet above the ring.

New United States Champion MVP has momentum, and has even been compared to new Buffalo Bill Terrell Owens at times, but I don’t even see Montel as a heavy favorite in MITB. One thing we do know is that MVP will actually report for work on April 5 unlike Owens, who told his teammates and fans that he would be at the Bills’ voluntary camp and then no-showed.

The relationship that SmackDown G.M. has with her husband Edge and her “lover” Big Show seems to be more fragile than Michael Jackson’s nose. I don’t “need” to know what goes on behind closed doors, thank you very much.

John Cena has essentially “guaranteed” that he will win the World Title at WrestleMania from Edge and Show, and knowing Cena to be a man of his word, I think one can take that bold prediction to the bank. It’s akin to Joe Namath’s famous guarantee that his New York Jets would win Super Bowl 3 over the Baltimore Colts many, many years ago. I don’t have time to explain this famous moment in sports here and now, kids, so Google it when you get a minute … or ask The Fink who is a life-long, die-hard, Jets season ticketholder.

BTW, our congratulations go to The Fink for being the final inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame in the 2009 class. Howard went from being an usher in the New Haven Civic Center to the WWE HOF, which is a heck of a journey. We tip our hat to you, Fink, and know that Mean Gene will knock it out of the park when he inducts you. But beware of any run-on’s by your arch rival Harvey Whippleman, who may try to besmirch your moment in a renewal of a rivalry that is akin to Sammartino-Watts, Austin-McMahon, and J.R. vs. various diets.

Rey Mysterio faces Chavo Guerrero this Friday night on SmackDown in a renewal of a SmackDown rivalry that has deep roots and even deeper family roots in the annals of Mexican wrestling. I know that there are many fans that hope Rey goes to WrestleMania and wins the Intercontinental Title from JBL, and then gets drafted back to SmackDown on April 13’s Annual WWE Draft that will be held this year in Atlanta.

Hey, did you know that “12 Rounds” starring John Cena debuts in theatres this Friday? One would almost have to be living under a rock with the AIG executives to not know that.

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