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.

Cena, who chatted with Jay Leno earlier this week on NBC, will be on Friday Night SmackDown this week from what I understand, which is always a good thing.

Jeff Hardy has demonstrated, in small increments, just how extreme Jeffrey Nero Hardy can be when properly motivated, and this Friday night Matt Hardy gets the same opportunity. Hardy vs. Hardy will be a hard match to follow at WrestleMania, especially since Extreme Rules have been put in play.

This Extreme Rules match will be a better contest than many of us saw from the USA’s “all-star team” in the World Baseball Classic won earlier this week by Japan. Congrats, Japan, and it is too bad that you could not play a true American all-star team because of money, greed, and politics, which seems to be three, prevalent traits of our country’s society these days. The hardballers needed a “bail out” in the tourney, but got no such boost from their governing body.

So now we know … the unification bout for the tag titles between Miz/Morrison and Carlito/Primo will now be a Lumberjack match. Will all the Lumberjack’s be required to wear plaid shirts like in the old days? I’m a little bit of a Miz/Morrison “lean” in this tag bout at WrestleMania. At times, Miz/Morrison remind me of the Midnight Express and at times they hearken back to the days of Perfect/Ravishing Rick Rude to my veteran eyes.

Have you caught the Legends Roundtable this month on WWE 24/7 On Demand about Texas Wrestling? It is really a great show hosted by HOF’er Gene Okerlund with panelists that include Michael P.S. (No I DON’T go to Dog the Bounty Hunter’s hair stylist) Hayes, Dusty (If you Will) Rhodes, Cowboy (I’m single again ladies) Bill Watts, and yours truly, your shameless, BBQ hawking Okie. There is some lively discussion on this show and some big time footage that I know longtime, die-hard wrestling fans will love.

Man, did Randy Orton up the ante or what this past Monday night when he AGAIN got physical with Triple H’s wife, Stephanie, but this time only mere feet from the handcuffed-to-the-rope Triple H. Orton has essentially gone “all in” for you Texas Hold ‘Em buffs out there and the third-generation star may have gotten so deep inside The Game’s head Monday night that Triple H may simply want to destroy Orton more than retaining the WWE Title at WrestleMania. We’ll have more on this intensely personal issue on Friday Night SmackDown. Is Orton truly suffering from his own sick, March Madness? Or is there a method to Orton’s madness in the form of Orton’s Law?

Sources say that HBK will take another bold step forward this Friday night as it seems that Shawn is obsessed with getting in and staying inside Undertaker’s psyche and tormenting the Demon of Death Valley from now until April 5. I’m not sure if it will be Friday night on SmackDown or next Monday in Dallas on Raw, but I would bet a slab of J.R.’s slow-smoked, Hall of Fame Ribs that ‘Taker will seek and find some retribution on the confident “Mr. WrestleMania” before the two men face each other in Houston. There is no match at WrestleMania that I look more forward to than this battle of WWE Icons.

Chris Jericho is likely to feel about as welcome Monday in Dallas on Raw as Denver Broncos’ QB Jay Cutler does in the Mile High City these days when the brash Jericho meets my former broadcast partner Jerry Lawler in a one-on-one match. Lawler, who has never wrestled at a WrestleMania, will likely look at this contest as the King’s personal WrestleMania, especially after Jericho put a huge gash in Ric Flair’s head on Monday night.

Speaking of the King, Jerry and I handled the commentary on the Legends of Wrestlemania video game which is available now. Its old school commentary that I think you will enjoy and being able to pit this who’s who against one another is awesome. Many have wanted to see a Stone Cold vs. Hulk bout for years, and on this video game you can see them compete in a variety of ways.

Our Q&A section of www.jrsbarbq.com has been updated in addition to me writing multiple new blogs on our site over the past several days. We’ve also got some great deals on JR’s BBQ products that I would be pleased if you checked out including autographed cookbooks, caps and much more including our sauces and hot selling JR’s Beef Jerky and Dry Rub.

Be well everyone and thanks for stopping by and keep counting your blessings.

Boomer Sooner!
J.R.