Greetings from under the 200X, black Resistol hat from your resident Oklahoma Sooner fan, who is still in a celebratory mood after OU won the Big 12 Title last Saturday night in San Antonio and who is looking forward to the HUGE Monday Night Raw 15th Anniversary Spectacular this Monday on USA Network starting one hour early at a special time of 8/7CT.

This week's Raw Superstar of the Week are all the WWE Superstars and crew who left North Charleston, S.C., immediately after Raw to fly to Iraq for WWE's annual Tribute to the Troops event. There is no more important date on the WWE calendar than this yearly event that will be broadcast on USA Network on Monday, Dec. 24. My hat is off to all the folks who made this challenging journey and put so many smiles on the faces of our fighting men and women. Boomer Sooner to each of you!

Yours truly missed seeing Ric Flair Monday night in the "low country" of South Carolina. But considering that "Naitch" is literally in a do or die mode as it relates to his career, perhaps NOT seeing Ric be tested each week is a good thing. Nonetheless, from now on, every time we see Flair step into the ring, it is "must win or your career is over" time for the game's greatest, all-time in-ring performer. No one wins every match in which they compete -- no one. And even though I always wanted to broadcast Ric's last match, I never thought it would be under these circumstances. One would purely assume that Flair will be a part of the three-hour extravaganza Monday night celebrating WWE's flagship broadcast being on the air for an amazing 15 years in primetime.

WWE Women's Champion Beth Phoenix may be America's most dominating female in any walk of life and that includes Hillary Clinton and Oprah. The Glamazon is an impressive athlete and her somewhat easy pin in the Diva tag match of her No. 1 contender Mickie James makes one wonder if any current WWE Diva can beat the champion.

Is the talented Mr. Kennedy long-winded or what? I thought Kennedy was never going to stop talking as he rolled out some men in bad wigs who were supposed to resemble Marty Jannetty, Razor Ramon and Diesel. I was never so glad to see the real Shawn Michaels Monday night when HBK interrupted what seemed to be Kennedy's version of a Gone With the Wind-like epic. Can't wait for the sequel, how about you?

It is a testament to Chris Jericho's athletic ability that after a two-year hiatus from the ring, the former Undisputed Champion seemingly hasn't lost a significant step. It certainly appeared that way when Y2J faced Umaga Monday night. Umaga is hugely athletic for a super heavyweight and terribly intimidating. It was a helluva match until the WWE Champion, that would be "Rockin' Randall" Orton, cheapened it with his unwanted interference.

Mr. McMahon's young lad, Hornswoggle, may have one of the better win-loss records in WWE these days. "Horny" outsmarted the competition (A chip off the old block, wouldn't you say?) Monday night with a victory over Jonathan Coachman and Carlito, thanks to a cameo by The APA. It was good seeing JBL & Ron Simmons back together again, at least until JBL opened his mouth. Who the hell is Neil Cavuto anyway and why should I care? Poor Michael Cole.

Nonetheless, I can't wait to see the McMahon family portrait next week on Raw, which will certainly be a touching Hallmark moment. I see "angry people" and chaos ensuing. 

The unique enigma known as Intercontinental Champion Jeff Hardy re tained his championship against the grotesque Snitsky Monday night in what was a classic "bowling shoe ugly" contest. Snitsky is more psycho than a disgruntled Diva and even more dangerous. I wonder what sort of price Snitsky would bring in a bachelor auction. Snitsky's teeth are browner than J.R.'s Original BBQ Sauce, which is available, friends and neighbors, at WWEShop or at www.jrsbarbq.com.  

Interesting interaction between Triple H and Jeff Hardy after the Intercontinental Title Match, which underscored the new information we heard Monday night pertaining to the upcoming matchup between the two at Armageddon. The winner will earn a WWE Title Match at Royal Rumble, which raised the stakes significantly.  Raw GM William Regal seems to be almost euphoric when he is immersed in controversy, which I can understand. But I must ask this: What is the deal with Regal's soon-to-be long, flowing mane?

Imagine Mr. McMahon giving Jillian Hall the time of day. It makes one wonder what the amorous Chairman has up his sleeve. Singing in the shower seems to be totally out of the question, wouldn't you think? Jillian certainly is no Britney Spears when it comes to singing, which might be a good thing.

It was a spirited match between HBK and the lovely and talented WWE kingpin Randy Orton in South Carolina, with Orton winning via a bargain basement countout thanks to another unwanted appearance by Mr. Kennedy. Michaels vs. Kennedy at Armageddon in Pittsburgh should be a helluva bout and one that Kennedy needs to win if he wants to notch his gun against a big-time player. Speaking of HBK, Shawn's new DVD, Heartbreak & Triumph, is really good. Really good. I hope you check it out as it is eye-opening and a DVD that every aspiring, young wrestler should watch more than once.

There is going to be ample star power on the three-hour, 15th Anniversary celebration of Monday Night Raw including invited guests such as "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, who yours truly socialized with this week in L.A., Hulk Hogan, Mick Foley, Eric Bischoff and many, many others. I am sure that there will be some interesting surprise guests as well. … Perhaps even Sleazy, Queasy and Cheesy will show up to reunite with Jerry "The King" Lawler. Wouldn't that be special?

Don't forget that Raw starts one hour earlier this week, 8/7 CT and is three hours long, so set your TiVos and DVRs accordingly. I hope you enjoy the festivities, as we celebrate some amazing moments in the history of sports-entertainment. Who is your guess as the Greatest Superstar in Raw History?

Monday night should be a special show, and I invite you to tune in and help celebrate … except for those times that yours truly has either been fired or actually got in the ring in some of the most non-athletic presentations known to man. Surely none of that will air, will it??

 
BOOMER SOONER!
J.R. 

Be sure to check out J.R.'s Family Bar-B-Q Restaurant at www.jrsbarbq.com.