Greetings from under the black, custom made hat from WWE’s resident Okie fresh back from Utah where, surprisingly, The King did not marry three new wives or buy a hardware store. So if you had the under in the office pool, you won!

Seriously, the Salt Lake City crowd was red hot as was the 90-degree day we all enjoyed there; especially those that were wearing suits and sweating pulled pork.
 
This week’s Raw Superstar of the Week did not even have a match Monday night, but certainly made an impact and has Raw fans talking. The coveted award this week goes to Lance Cade, even though he was suckered into getting a barber college-like hair cut, but without question, raised his game significantly just before Raw left the air Monday night.
 
John Cena vs. Umaga, the saga continues, saw Cena win and not “get hurt” as Cena looks to be building some momentum going into the June 29 Night of Champions pay-per-view in Dallas where the Celtics fan will face WWE kingpin Triple H for the prized WWE Title. Cena, who has been known to enjoy the occasional cold beverage, will roll into San Antonio in a celebratory mood after his Boston team finished off the Lakers this week in the NBA Finals, but let’s not forget that the strongman could also be a draftee before the three-hour broadcast is completed.
 
If both Umaga and Cena remain on the Raw roster after the WWE’s Annual Draft, it will be a miracle.
 
Can any one speculate as to why the details of the 2008 Draft are being kept so secretive? We don’t even know the format … who picks first … why that brand would get the first pick … is it a lottery draft where all the names are placed in a hopper and drawn at random … how many draft picks will each brand receive … will trades be made on WWE.com after Raw leaves the air Monday night? Inquiring minds really need to know. This is good “dirt.”
 
All I know is that Undertaker is no longer in the WWE Draft and no matter who is drafted where, the line-up for Night of Champions stays as advertised.
 
Who knew Charlie Haas had the vocal skills to pull off MC’ing the Summertime Beach Bikini Blowout (whoever named that contest most likely never has been an announcer), but also who would have thought that Haas would have channeled Val Venis’ voice for a few moments either? BOO-YA!
 
Are we really supposed to believe that the purpose of the bikini contest was to feature the Divas’ “attire”? That’s about as believable as The King becoming a cabana boy for Siegfried and Roy … not that there would be anything wrong with that.
 
Jeff Hardy and Carlito had one of the better matches featured on Raw in quite some time. One has to assume that one or both will be gone from Raw after Monday night in San Antonio. Speaking of San Antonio, yours truly is going down early Sunday afternoon to enjoy the River Walk and to partake in some delicious Mexican food, just in case one might be wondering. I might also do some research and development by sampling some Texas BBQ seeing as though I am rapidly becoming the “Baron of BBQ.” San Antonio is a great city and the last time I was there was the 2007 Big 12 title game in college football when Oklahoma defeated the No. 1 ranked and talented Missouri Tigers.
 
It was a pleasant surprise seeing Ric Flair do a cameo on Monday Night Raw from Salt Lake City. I never dreamed that we would be seeing Ric back on TV this soon after his “retirement,” but I’m not complaining. Ric is still working for WWE as an ambassador, but has no plans whatsoever to return to the ring. One can argue that building up Flair’s return would have been advantageous, but no one can deny that the surprise element didn’t work.
 
The tag team scene on Raw gets stranger by the week. Monday night’s eight-second or so bout between the World Tag Champions, remember them, Hardcore Holly and his complete opposite Cody Rhodes, who had quite the contest (he says with tongue in cheek) with the equally red-hot Cryme Tyme. Thanks for making the trip to the Great Salt Lake, gentlemen, as yours truly is wondering who young Ted (don’t call him Teddy!) DiBiase will select as his partner to become the new World Tag Champions … DiBiase’s words, not mine.
 
The mixed tag match between Kennedy … Kennedy and Women’s Champ Mickie James and the Burchill siblings did not fare well for the Americans. As a result, Katie Lea Burchill has the opportunity to become the first-ever Brit to be WWE Women’s Champion at Night of Champions, and I wouldn’t want to bet a slab of our delicious, hickory smoked ribs that Ms. Burchill doesn’t prevail. However, take into consideration: When was the last time I was right with a prediction? The mid-90s?? Just so you will know, Katie Lea has one heck of a grip, and when she shakes one’s hand, it’s like sticking it in a vice. Her grip reminds me of some girls I used to know who worked on their folks’ dairy farm and milked cows twice daily. 
 
WWE Champion Triple H and Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho, who have never really cared for each other, had a dandy main event Monday night and it even looked as if Jericho might pull one out of his proverbial hat when young Lance Cade decided to get physically involved and assault the WWE Champion.

What’s Cade’s agenda? Yes, Cade was trained by HBK back in the day, but so what? Is Cade jealous of HBK’s friendship with The Game? Does Cade hold some deep seeded animosity against Michaels? Did Cade simply want to get everyone’s attention? Is Cade setting up Jericho? Stay tuned is all I can suggest.
 
Did anyone see The King circa 1988 when he was the AWA Champion on ESPN Classic recently sporting a lovely, wavy MULLET?? Mullet Mania was running wild in the ‘80s, BROTHER!! Seriously, many younger fans of today don’t realize just how good a wrestler The King was back in his prime and, quite honestly, he’s likely better than a fair amount of the competitors we all see on TV these days.
 
This is another busy week as yours truly will join Ric Flair, JBL and Mick Foley along with my favorite host “Mean” Gene Okerlund to tape of couple of what should be intriguing Legends Roundtables for WWE 24/7. Spirited debate will be the order of the day without question.
 
J.R.’s Family Bar-B-Q Restaurant No. 2 will open in Moore, Okla., just after the Fourth of July holiday. After spending a couple of days in the store and looking at all the memorabilia on the walls, this store, which is much bigger than our original store in Norman, is going to be spectacular. If anyone is traveling I-35 between OKC and Dallas this summer, please drop by one of the locations and check them out. We will soon have new photos and the return of our Q&A section of our newly redesigned Web site at www.jrsbarbq.com. Please visit us if you have the time.

Thanks! See you in San Antonio for Draft night in WWE!
 
Boomer Sooner!
J.R.                  

Editor's Note: You can read J.R.'s previous Superstar of the Week columns at his column archives page.