It’s been another big week in the WWE headlined by some Friday Night Smackdown Superstars spearheading Monday Night Raw to a MASSIVE TV rating, no I’m not talking about large, flat screens but the number of people actually watching Monday Night’ Raw, the announcement of the 2010 Wrestlemania heading to the desert, Ricky Steamboat going into the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame, and one of the best bell to bell, MyNetworkTV Friday Night Smackdown broadcasts in several weeks on tap Friday night.

Seriously, congrats to the Monday Night Raw brand for earning an awesome TV rating this past week as fans tuned in big time to see HHH confront Randy Orton. Raw blew away ESPN’s Big Monday college hoops doubleheader that actually featured the Kansas at Oklahoma Big 12 battle that yours truly attended. Also, loud talking heads who might have been wrestling managers in another life,  Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity,  saw more viewers watch Raw than both the O’Reilly Factor and Hannity COMBINED. How fair and balanced is that?

Stone Cold Steve Austin once told me that Ricky Steamboat was Steve’s all time favorite wrestling opponent so I find it ironic that both Steamboat and Stone Cold will both be inducted on Saturday night April 4 in the Toyota Center in Houston. With Dusty Rhodes slated to induct the amazing, Funk Brothers and now hearing that Ric Flair will induct Steamboat, the inductees had better be on their games or they might get upstaged by their inductors!

The post HOF party is shaping up nicely. I can already hear Mrs. J.R. say, with firm conviction, “Give me the car keys, J.R.” Smart woman my wife.

I hope I enjoy the trip back to Phoenix, o.k. officially Glendale, Arizona better than my last experience at the exquisite stadium where WM26 will be held. That would be the trip to the wood shed my Oklahoma Sooners took at the hands of the West Virginia Mountaineers in the 2008 Fiesta Bowl.   

Just in case you didn’t notice it, Chris Jericho, whose book “My Life in Spandex” is a must read, has a big mouth and has verbally done all he can to “steal the show” the past several weeks on Monday nights. Jericho may follow only Randy “It’s Not My Fault” Orton as the most disliked athlete in WWE.

By the way, whose fault is it Randy, your cousin’s?

So the ubiquitous John Cena is coming to Friday Night Smackdown this week is he? Don’t except the attitudinal Cena to get a warm welcome from Smackdown management after his “400 pound beast” remark he made to Smackdown G.M. Vickie Guerrero Monday night. I look for “Handsome John” (quick, which Henry Fonda movie was that borrowed?) to not have a good Friday night back on his old show.

Miz and Morrison were so busy wrestling C.M. (Chicago Made) Punk Monday night in a Money in the Bank qualifying match that the World Tag Champs did not get the chance to mention that they were challenging for the WWE Tag Titles against Carlito and Primo on Friday Night Smackdown this week. I wonder where the Bella Twins stand on this matter. Where’s Detective Fink? He’ll get to the bottom of this Bella Twins conundrum. Nonetheless M&M have a chance to unify the tag titles Friday night.

The Undertaker has many potential apparent suitors wanting to face the Demon of Death Valley at WM25 but first ‘Taker has to face Vladimir Kozlov this Friday night on Smackdown. This bout feels like one of those “trap games” some sports teams play from time to time. Kozlov has yet to be pinned or made to submit on MyNetworkTV’s #1 rated broadcast so something has to give this week.

My friend Stocky Balboa says that the Undertaker-Kozlov match could be a main event any where in the world but I can’t say that sort of wrestle-speak for fear of hearing Randy Orton-like voices in my head.

O.K., so it seems that Matt Hardy is extremely jealous of his younger brother Jeff. Point established and point made. The two brothers, sorry Matt, are slated to compete Friday night but has any one stopped and wondered how their Dad feels about this dysfunctional family train wreck? Matt and Jeff lost their Mom when they were both kids and their Dad has raised them as a single parent. My guess is that Mr. Hardy is torn up over this matter which is a shame since he’s a heck of a nice “Good ‘Ol Boy.”

This may not be a popular statement, but I think it is a shame for brothers to fight. Being an only child I know that if I had a brother I would be reluctant to fight him in public…if you will.

The “World’s Angriest Announcer” and his sidekick are joined by MVP this Friday night for some commentary. It wouldn’t surprise me to see MVP go into that line of work once his wrestling days have concluded. However, for now MVP is focused on winning Shelton Benjamin’s United States Title.

The Legends of Wrestlemania Video Game from THQ is going to be released with much anticipation and fanfare on March 24. This video game makes it possible for fans to make their own dream matches from a roster of approximately 40 of Wrestlemania’s greatest stars. I love the concept of the game, who ever thought of it is a genius, and I know that Jerry Lawler and I had a great time handling the voice overs and we reverted back to a more adversarial time in our former partnership. You did know that the King and I reunited for this project didn’t you?

I am currently reading, no jokes please, the new book on the life of Andre the Giant. So far so good as it seems to do a nice job of revisiting the life of the “8th Wonder of the World” who was not only an amazing in ring attraction but the also the most represented and feared man in any locker room. Plus, one never wanted to volunteer to pick up the tab at any ‘happy hour” Andre attended. Oh, yeah the book is entitled “Andre the Giant, A Legendary Life.”

Many fans are sending me suggestions at www.jrsbarbq.com for their most memorable Smackdown moments for a story I am going to write for this very website. I would appreciate yours too if you have the time to check out our website. Plus, we have some great deals on some unique packages of our products that are available to you in our on line store.

We are headed back up to the lovely, Nutmeg State for next week’s Friday Night Smackdown doubleheader Tuesday night at the Mohegan Sun Casino. Yes, I will arrive early on Monday and perhaps try my luck at a game of chance and enjoy one of our favorite facilities to produce WWE TV. We hope to see you there if you’re in that neck of the woods.

Enjoy Friday Night Smackdown this week or Tazz will be dispatched to Suplex you out of your shoes…..not really, but he still can. It features some great wrestling plus you receive, absolutely for free, the witty banter and repertoire of “The World’s Angriest Announcer” and your favorite Okie who’s happy to still be along for the ride.

Be well everyone.

Boomer Sooner!
J.R.  

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