Hidden Highlights 07.06.09: Issue #201

Posted by JP Prag on 07.06.2009

In the season finale of Hidden Highlights, Carlito remembers the time he tried to get Teddy Long fired, Chris Jericho and Edge won’t cheer each other on, Santino Marella does everything to avoid putting pressure on his leg, Don West realized the motivation of the foreign invaders, Michelle McCool gives Maria a little extra twist, and more!

Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and a mystery guest…

Issue #201

Intro

Hello everyone quite confused by the layout of this issue, and welcome back to Hidden Highlights!!



There are very few positive things on the Internet. It's more about everyone's negative view of what everyone else is trying to do.
— Eric Bischoff, Controversy Creates Ca$h

Hidden Highlight (n) – a small, hardly noticeable point that makes a big, positive difference. This could be anything from a wrestler putting extra emphasis into his moves to make it believable to a person in the background reacting while not the focus to the cameraman shaking the picture to create an effect. There are just so many unsung heroes of wrestling that it is impossible to cover them all.

On this week only, we take the top 3 Hidden Highlights from the biggest shows on television (RAW, ECW of SciFi and SuperStars together, iMPACT, SmackDown!, and a PPV or television special if there is one). Plus we turn to you, the readers, to let us know all the Hidden Highlights you saw this, last, or any week in history. On top of all that, we explore the other issues that prove why this is the most positive article in the IWC.

And who is this mysterious we, you ask?

Why none other than JP Prag and… ummmm… wait, who is here?


Ghost of JT: Finally I get upgraded into the main article! JP, it's damn fine to be here and get the respect I deserve after 100 issues of comp—

JP: Sorry, Ghost, but I'm afraid this was just a rus—

Ghost of JT: No JP, I'm sorry, but the ruse was on you.

JP: What do you mean the ruse was on me? This is my column, there is no rusi—

Commentator: Suddenly, this happens:





JT: And with that, the credits roll!





JT: Playing the part of JP, the fans, the readers, the commenters, the stenographer, the commentator, the boss, the owner, the drunk bitch in the corner, and everyone else: The Rock.

Playing the part of JT: Well, duh!

JP: Wow, way to ruin the nice intro I wrote just for you.

JT: No worries, I'm sure we'll fit it in. Before we get there, I'd like to mention something briefly. Last week, JP bombarded us with a plethora of Hidden Highlights "Did You Know" vignettes. I have to say, I have issues with a few. Here's an example of last week's work:





Now... I request – nay – DEMAND a retraction and apology post haste...

























...I most certainly do not have a room lined with PPV recordings in my parents basement...

JP: Nice try kiddo! But enough of your outright lying, let's get on with the Hidden Highlights!


Hidden Highlights for WWE presents The Bash: Sunday, June 28, 2009 by the Readers via JP

JP: For the first time since Backlash, WWE the Bash actually brought us some relatively new matches! I remember back in the day watching Jerry Lynn fight RVD every week for a year and half. As good as those matches were, I do enjoy watching the wrestlers mix it up with other opponents. Thankfully, the Bash and subsequent changes on RAW look to be speeding that process along.

(3) Double champion… Ag-ain!:

Rorster 1986: Shortly after winning the Unified Tag Titles, Jericho draped the belts over both his shoulders and recreated the traditional pose from the promotional material during his Undisputed title reign (he angled the belts in a way different to the normal shoulder drape). A nice little highlight from Y2J.

JP: If you really believed in Jericho, you wouldn't call him Y2J anymore, you sycophant. Oh, and Russ who asked if William Regal was Canadian because I said all of the members of the Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame were Canadian, Regal isn't in the Hall of Fame… yet. The only members are Chris Jericho and Trish Status since an important criteria is to have been retired for at least a year. Yeah, that worked out great! But don't worry, Regal has a place in the Hall as soon as he wants it.

(2) Hit the road, Teddy:

Andy Clark: At the Bash, Teddy Long had quite a few people bust into his office. The last ones to do so were jilted former Unified Tag Team Champions Carlito & Primo. In a funny moment Teddy asks if they wanted him to just stand there and be fired to which Carlito responded "Why not? You've been here long enough." I thought this was appropriate because it was Carlito that while a member of the SmackDown roster four years ago started a petition to get Teddy Long fired.

JP: Damn Andy Clark, you really won't die! Besides that, nice memory there. I had completely forgot about that, but I guess you and Carlito had not. Good work by the both of you.

(1) Striking action:

Boynesy: At the Bash during the Hardy vs. Punk match, as Punk was looking for the GTS you could see Striker in the background watching the action, lounging in his chair. As Hardy got the roll up, Striker bolted upright in his chair in shock at the action. Not even sure if the camera was on him he still reacted. You have to love Striker.

JP: I do love Striker, it's true! The guy is always on 500%, and for that he'll always get mad kudos. A few more years of this and he's Hall of Fame bound, too!

JT: Good stuff by everyone, and I can assure you this isn't the last we've heard of Matt Stryker!


Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Monday, June 29, 2009 by JT

JT: Packed show! Right off the bat, Big Dave! is put in charge of running the show, Y2Edge have their first title defense, the Night of Champions tournament gets underway, the Divas get in on the NOC action, the Big Show and Kofi double DQ, Randy Orton welcomes Evan Bourne, Jack Swagger (sort of) and Mark Henry to RAW, and the announcement that next week will be the return of the Million Dollar Cackle!!! Oh and let me say, I was going to mention the one about the Miz hitting Cena over top of the referees head which happened to be looking down, but then Cole mentioned it immediately. Hey Michael Cole. Stop stealing my thunder!

(3) Just.... can't... seem to.... :

During the Cena vs. Miz match, Miz had Cena reeling as he went up to the top rope. Cena recovered though and made it up to meet him. He put Miz on his shoulders and appeared to be ready to give him an Attitude Adjustment from the second rope. But then his shoulders started to shake and a wince came over his face. And why shouldn't Cena have this reaction??? Miz had only been working his back the entire match! Cole credited Miz for "countering", but I say it was Cena's selling of Miz's offense that offered up the precious seconds needed to reverse the momentum and plant Cena firmly on his back.

(2) We've been partners how long? ...meh:

You know, I don't get to watch as often as I'd like any more, partially due to time and partially because Mediacom Cable doesn't carry MyTV (leave it to WWE to once again establish SmackDown! as the better show during the year I won't have it), but when I do catch it I'm very rarely disappointed in Edge or Chris Jericho. And wouldn't you know it, I click on RAW, and there's the goodness that makes is them. Fresh off their win at The Bash to become the Undisputed Tag Team Champions, they immediately saw action as the Colon's invoked their rematch clause one night later.

Although the match itself was pretty good, I could not help but smile as I paid attention to the action – or lack thereof – of the people not in the ring. The Colon not in the ring was doing everything you'd expect. Cheering his partner on, trying to get the crowd involved, reacting emotionally to seemingly everything. The other corner was what I found interesting though. Edge and Jericho, when not the legal man, seemingly did nothing. No cheering, no reaching for tags, no encouragement, no crowd involvement, nothing. They both took the time to "catch their breath" and let the other go to work, utterly disinterested save a couple of near falls. This makes perfect sense! You have very new non-partner champions and two heels who don't like each other, so why would they care about the other? At the same time though, both guys are just cocky enough to care about gold. Completely involved when in the ring; calculating, cold, and almost indifferent while on the outside. There's a reason one is in the Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame and the other is a first ballot shoe-in (and also Canadian!).

(1) Charles Robinson, a true favorite of mine!:

When the match started between Kofi Kingston and Big Show, Kofi quickly began getting some offense in and almost immediately took a vicious clothesline from the Big Show. Over came Charles Robinson to check on him – yes, to check on Kofi – after taking ONE move from the Big Show! This was a great job by Robinson of recognizing the devastating capabilities of a man the size of Big Show, inferring with the check that a single move even very early in the match could put someone's career at risk! The referee can sell just as well as the wrestlers, and the veteran Charles Robinson is one of the best.

Also, I'd just like to note the vignette shown for the "Summer Slam Reading Jam". Far too often WWE is thrust into the national spotlight for a negative story or silly mainstream press; we here at Hidden Highlights have never hesitated to give props for the good they do, be it things like going overseas to see the troops, encouraging young people to vote, or now this. Kudos to them for continuing to give back and be proactive in the WWE Universe despite the little attention they receive for it.

JP: I love to see the referee Hidden Highlights pointed out because those guys never get enough credit. It's a shame they no longer have names (Scott Armstrong was called "that official" on both SuperStars and SmackDown), but we remember who you are. We speak your names!


Hidden Highlights for ECW on SciFi: Tuesday, June 30, 2009 and SuperStars: Thursday July 2, 2009 by JT

JT: By the way, you can all wish me a belated Happy Birthday. I turned not-30 on June 18th. Thank you. I will also say that I love Matt Stryker on the mic, and him explaining how Regal changed his name when he found out he was a descendant of William the Destroy, and also how only saying his last name instead of his full name of "Sir Lord William Regal" was disrespectful. Great background stuff. Oh, wait. That means I have to change- ...here we go.

(3) Right, like that was going to work:

ECW: It's Sir Lord William Regal's debut on ECW, and we're going to talk about him. Early on in his tag team match, it was him and Christian feeling each other out. Christian grabbed his arm and swung it around himself to begin to go for the Hammerlock (putting Regal behind him). Now, Sir Lord William Regal could have easily continued swinging and in one fail swoop they could have executed it, but no, not Sir Lord William Regal. He took his free right hand and for half a second placed it on Christian's right shoulder, attempting to claw his way into a potential counter. That didn't happen and Christian continued into the move and if you blinked you missed it, but it's the fact Sir Lord William Regal even made the gesture that counted. It was completely unnecessary and barely noticeable, but little things like that are second nature to Sir Lord William Regal. Welcome to ECW, sir. Er- Sir Lord William Regal.

(2) YOU MAKE-A ME SO ANGRAY! ….but I mus' be cayaful:

WWE Superstars: The opening match pitted Santino Marella against THE (BAY) Brian Kendrick. Throughout the first few minutes of the match, TBK went to work on Santino's right leg, from a drop off the rope to numerous kicks and ground attacks. This eventually led to some sort of a pity party for Santino as Kendrick smacked him around telling him how pathetic he was. This led to anger and an eventual swing in momentum. Now, kayfabe leg splits to avoid a clothesline aside, Santino then went for a hip toss. Only rather than executing a routine one he shifted all of his weight to his left leg, and threw his right one completely off the ground, almost up to back level! He made sure there was no chance any pressure would be put on the injured leg so that it wouldn't be more of a liability than it already was as he tried to continue his assault (which lasted all of three more seconds until Kendrick caught him with a rope assisted drop kick to the face!).

(1) LEGS – Now standard with 3 Horsepower each:

ECW: GM Tiffany started the show by promising that ECW was still the place to see young, innovative talent. Naturally when Shelton Benjamin came out I thought that he was the proof in the pudding. Turns out, it was Yoshi Tatsu that got my attention! After the circus act that was Shelton Benjamin trying his own sort of ...mime-yet-audible-stand-up-routine, Tatsu hit him with a pretty sweet kick to the dome. He then dropped to the floor and began a traditional leg-hooking pin, but didn't stop there! For the second and third count, he flailed his legs into the mat. At first I thought it was nothing more than excitement, but after thinking about it I realized he was actually pushing his momentum! Let me ask you, if you're standing on the step of a set of stairs and you put all your weight and force into both feet and don't move them, how far are you going to get up those steps? However, if you use the most routine of motions to move and drive your feet to propel them, you're going to get up those steps with much more efficiency (as in, at all!). With each step you're re-sending a burst of energy back in the opposite direction. Tatsu wasn't excited; he was literally driving as much force as he could into Shelton's body to pin him into the mat as powerfully as possible.

I'm no physics major, so I probably didn't explain that nearly as well as I'd like to have, but hopefully at least four of you get what I'm saying.

JP: All I've bee thinking about is what would happen if Sheamus took on R-Truth. Not to be too racist, but I've never seen any two people at more of the extreme of their skin tones. And I've met an albino!


Hidden Highlights for TNA iMPACT: Thursday, July 2, 2009 by JP

JP: Over in the non-WWE show for the week, the new and possibly improved Main Event Mafia began their reign of terror, Jeff Jarrett finally remembered that he is an owner, too, and can kick people like Foley out of the building, the Knockouts and Tag Team divisions shined quite brightly, and then (of course) plenty of Hidden Highlights were spread around.

(3) Get to steppin':

To open the show this week (like many others), the Main Event Mafia came out to show off their new lineup. As they were getting in the ring, Sharmell got up on the ring apron and held open the top and second ropes for Booker T and Scott Steiner. Meanwhile, on the outside, Jenna Morasca just stared up at Sharmell and refused to come in. But it gets better! Jenna waited until Sharmell was well inside the ring before she even got up on the ring apron and then waved off Sharmell as she went through the ropes. It was so many subtle jabs and motions that I was quite impressed. Perhaps there is something to this girl after all!

(2) JT would do this, too:

Later in the evening, Team 3D was taking on Booker T and Scott Steiner with Beer Money on commentary. Late into the match, Kiyoshi and Sheik Abdul Bashir came out and fought with Beer Money all the way to the back. Tenay was quite flabbergasted and wanted an explanation about why Kiyoshi and Bashir would perpetrate the unprovoked attack. Don West was quick to provide the answer:

"I don't know… I think they wanted a beer or something."

That is classic heel excusing right there! Nice works, Don West!

(1) Designed to look bad:

After the tag team match, Mike Tenay said we were going to send it to the back for an interview with Lauren and AJ Styles. He seemed to pause for a second and then said they were not going to the interview and instead were going to commercial break.

At first this seemed just like a technical snafu to me and I was a little disappointed that TNA would leave it in. But after the break, we learned that Doctor Stevie was actually holding Lauren captive. That's when it call came together for me! You see, the interview actually was set up, but then Lauren could not be found. When that happened, the director told Tenay on the headset to go to commercial instead. It was not a technical mistake, but actually a perfect foreshadow and excellent storytelling in a very short period of time.

JT: And who wouldn't want a beer!? It's a holiday weekend!


Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, July 3, 2007 by JP

JP: On the eve of America's birthday, I watched the Australian version of the show because I could not wait for the real one on TV (it shows at 11:30pm in my market). So I'm guessing I missed some Uncle Sam related antics, but that's ok. I got plenty of in ring-action and a few Hidden Highlights to go with them!

(3) Remember that time?:

Fresh after winning back the Intercontinental Championship, Rey Mysterio decided it was time to renew old acquaintances by taking on Kane in a non-title match. While Kane was beating down on Mysterio, Todd Grisham commented on Kane's viciousness. To this Jim Ross responded, "He's a remorseless man, I can ensure you of that!" Nice memory by JR to think back to his personal experience when Kane set him on fire. I'm quite sure Kane has never apologized for that one.

(2) Let's twist again:

After the big men fought, the divas were in action when Maria (who seems to only go for heels, thus proving that good girls always end up with jerks) teamed up Melina to take the new Women's Champion Michelle McCool and Layla El. Layla managed to escape from Maria and forced her into a split, a move that looked to have hurt Maria's inner thigh area. Layla then tagged out to Michelle who went right after the injured area. But McCool was not just kicking Maria in the thigh as you would expect, she was also twisting the ankle and knee to dish out some extra pain. Excellent work there by the former teacher (former teachers seem to do very well at Hidden Highlights).

(1) Decisions, decisions:

The main event of the evening saw the World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk team with number one contender Jeff Hardy to take on the new Unified Tag Team Champions Edge and Chris Jericho in a non-title match. Early in the match, Jeff Hardy was holding Edge in a ringing arm grip and tagged in CM Punk. Punk then got on the second rope and put his arms up to deliver a double ax-handle to the arm. There was a moment, though, that was so quick it was easy to miss. Once Punk's hands were in the ax handle position, he paused just for a moment and darted his eyes to Hardy. You could read that he was thinking about hitting his partner and not his opponent, but quickly changed his mind. It was a great bit of psychology in the smallest of moments, exactly what we are always looking for in the ring.

JT: I have not seen SmackDown! in over a year. Thank you DirecTV. Thank you Mediacom. GOD BLESS YOU HULU! FYI, the Dennis Leary Hulu commercial is about the greatest thing ever created. I know that has nothing to do with these Hidden Highlights or with SmackDown!, but it needed to be said.


Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights

Hidden Highlights aren't just for us to find and tell you about, but for you to spot and share with us. Don't just sit there and stare, but be a more active, attentive, and engaged viewer. Appreciate all the hard work that goes into making the wrestling we have the privilege to watch and then let us know what you caught this and every week.

This week JP and JT gets to pick our Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights of the week.

JP: Bet you readers didn't know you'd all end up down here this week! So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…

JT: I don't get to see the inbox anymore. I blame Small for convincing JP that I would somehow sabotage a JT-less column. How about you mind your own business Jeff and stick to your Small-For-Whatever-The-Hell-You-Call-It-These-Days news report. Seriously, perhaps you should update your profile on the 411 page. Your column runs on Tuesday now and has for months, you schmuck.

JP: Ummmm… I changed it to just my e-mail address so I didn't have to go to a bunch of different places to read mail address to me. I hope you've enjoyed all the spam in the old account!

JT: And I have! But speaking of the profiles, don't think I haven't noticed my sudden removal from the current superstar/alumni page Ashish and Larry. What the Hell? Did I fail wellness? Am I no longer welcome?



*Achechechechemmmm*..... As I was saying, I don't see the inbox anymore, so my contributions will be coming from the comments section and I would be utterly remiss if I didn't address one in particular first. To the lovely Susan, let me apologize for JP. He seems to focus only on the looks of our female reade—

JP: Oh don't be silly! I focus on age, too. And let me say, Susan looks pretty cute from a side profile, obstructed, blurry shot point of view.

JT: Has nothing changed?

JP: You read the column, do you have to ask?

JT: ...(sigh)... anyway, Susan, I apologize for JP's lack of recognition as it pertains to substance rather than style from our ladies. For those who didn't read the column (or comments) last week, Susan pointed out for us that she in fact DID get a Hidden Highlights sign on TV during the 4/19/09 edition of ECW (despite JP's scolding of it being over a year). Well after research, it turns out that is in fact true. I was able to capture it, but 411's Sat actually beat me to it by about 10 minutes. Show off. Here is his picture:



And here is mine:




Thank you so much Susan, it is more appreciated than you could ever know. And DJ, we'll never forget you man! The original!

JP: I just want to know why you didn't tell us sooner?! We would had you at the front of the article for months on end. And maybe by my side, too.

JT: Maybe THAT'S why she didn't say anything!

JP: Such a shame. In the meantime, we'll kick it off in no particular order except that in which they came into my mailbox with Jimmy Garoufalis:

Hidden Highlight from Slammiversary.

After Taylor Wilde threw Daffney onto the tacks, she didn't go for the pin right away. Instead, Taylor waited a few seconds near the ropes so that Daffney could sell the excruciating pain for the cameras.

JP: That, and she was probably waiting for Daffney to roll away from the tacks a little bit so she wouldn't get caught. On why would you ever wear a bikini to a match involving tacks? Wouldn't you take the opportunity to but one of those X-men style full leather suits. Mmmmm… leather… I'm such a bad vegetarian.

JT: I think I know where you were going with that joke, but I'm still not gonna touch it, just to be safe. First up from the comments section is Penny:

This one was on this past weeks ECW and is not for a wrestler but for a person in the audience. During Mark Henry's entrance before he entered the ring the guy right behind him in the audience said something along the lines of "That guy is HUGE."

It's nice to see the audience actually get into the product like that don't ya think?

JT: We here at Hidden Highlights have campaigned for live shows our entire existence, so it's only fitting we get to do it one last time. I don't care how big your HDTV is; if you think Big Show is big, go see a show. If you think Rey is small, go see a show. If you think Lillian is hot (or Tracy Brooks isn't for that matter), go see a show. There is nothing like being there, as evidenced by myself and JP forever having a permanent room in the annuls of WWE history via the Ric Flair Retirement Ceremony. That's right, we're on each and every one of your DVD's!

JP: I'm also on the LockDown 2008 DVD, but that's a story for another day. Moving on to some of the regulars, Chris Jericho and Edge make yet another appearance this week. Oh, you thought I was going to say writer David is a regular. Well, he is, but that's besides the point.

In a follow-up to their Hidden Highlight in Issue 200, new Unified Tag Champs Edge and Jericho show up on RAW with the small details well in hand.

As per the pics on WWE.com, they showed how they are on the same page, but not completely:





Wearing the Titles the same way, except for which shoulder they carry their WWE Tag Title on.

As far as you know, It is the first time the 'Tag Team Partners Who Don't Get Along' has been done with the bad guys instead of the good guys (ie. Cena/HBK around WM 24)?

JP: I expect that they'll be wearing the opposite belts around their waists soon enough. They are too good not to come up with that one.

JT: With the recent turn of events, that might not be the case unfortunately. Best wishes and speedy recovery to Edge. You will be missed, sir. Had to let Peers chime in:

Well... you could just use footage of a 'classic' sign. It's what you do when you can't find enough modern stuff to talk about, right?

JT: AHAHAHAHAHAHA.... okay, might as well take a few shots on the way out, no? To be fair to JP though, watching anywhere from 8 – 12 hours a week in a limited time (we do have jobs and lives you know) can lead to a little "corner cutting" once in a blue moon. What? You've never done that? Besides, you guys haven't seen the dungeon Csonka throws us in if we miss a deadline!

JP: The dude starts texting me two hours before deadline wanting it in earlier! The slave master never stops. Going back to numerous earlier thoughts of how much we love Matt Striker, Garrett gives us even more reason to do so:

During the ECW main event when William Regal punched Tommy Dreamer, Matt Striker said it was the "power of the punch" or something along that line. The Hidden Highlight is that in 2002 and 2003, announcers would say the same thing whenever he used the signature brass knucks. Nice of Striker to remember the things that other announcers said years ago.

JP: How can I deny a Hidden Highlight that includes two of my favorites in one sentence?

JT: And the second mention of the same match! Those two must be gold! Coming from THE Shawn:

Prag! Unfortunately I took a "MY SIGN IS A HIDDEN HIGHLIGHT!" sign to the March 23, 2009 episode of MNR, emanating from Kansas City, MO! The hangup? I sat in the 3rd row, and NOBODY within the first 5 rows were allowed ANY signs.

Absolutely ridiculous, considering the 6th row was located directly behind the 5th and they were allowed the option of holding up terrible John Cena and Jeff Hardy signs.

Just thought I'd let you know I tried, and failed. Perhaps we can change that at the upcoming SD! taping in August here in Kansas City, again!

JT: Ludicrous! Leave it to THE MAN to hold our readers down! LAAAAAAME! Thanks for the try Shawn, good luck in August!

JP: And don't ever give up Shawn. We're still looking for that sign all the time. Though not everything is so in your face in the world of Hidden Highlights. Some are small, even perhaps noticeable, but good nonetheless. BigMan3056 provides this kind:

I was watching ECW when Shelton Benjamin was coming to the ring he said "guess who's back". I know it's probably not worth the time of your column but I just got my internet turned back on so I wanted to attempt to give it a try.

JP: Never feel bad about picking up on a Hidden Highlight, no matter how seemingly insignificant it may seem. I know some commentators can be cruel when things aren't "hidden" enough for them, but I appreciate all the little things that make a difference. And besides, how can I deny someone getting back online for the first time in a while!

JT: Look no further than the first 200 issues to see that even the most miniscule of catches help make what we do great. I say good job by Benjamin and good find by Big Man! And since we hinted at the "classics" earlier, here we have Andis:

Classic highlight - Survivor Series 1998.

In a semi-finals match of the WWF World Title tournament, The Rock squared off against The Undertaker, who had recently regained Paul Bearer as his manager. During the match Paul Bearer attempted to interfere. Rocky sees this and makes a gesture towards Bearer, and if you listen very closely, quietly calls him a "fat piece of shit." This wasn't unusual behavior for The Rock, but he was a face at the time. I found this as a good use of foreshadowing The Rock's heel turn later that night

JT: Hmmmm, looks like Rock spent a little time during his match getting into character! Like he needed the help though, the man is without question one of the best and this is just another example of why. Reader Bza also enjoyed it.

JP: I'm no Rock fan, but I can see why moments like this help others enjoy him, so I'm all for his existence! When you aren't able to get extreme enough, there's always a bit of the last ECW original, neverAcquiesce. And you thought I was going to say Tommy Dreamer.

While Christian stood on the turnbuckles to pose to the crowd, leaving his back to his opponents, Dreamer watched both Regal and Kozlov to make sure no Offbeat Shenanigans took place. Tommy may not like Christian but he knew he was vital to the tag match and was looking out for him.

JP: I'm glad someone was watching out for him! I never understood how these guys can turn their backs on their opponents, even during an intro!

JT: *Begin stupid fanboy moment* Please, nobody would dare attack Christian during his awesome intro. Who would deny peep-scanning? Christian is entirely too fantastic, stealthy, and bad ass for that. *End stupid fanboy moment* Heading into our final comment RWHH of the day, lilwayne1 walks towards the bright light:

During Orton's entrance last night, every time there's a guitar riff in his theme music, the white modd lighting goes off. A nice little touch to add to the brewing violence inside Randy Orton.

JT: You know for once I watched anything and everything this week and I must say they are doing some really nice things with that jumbo-mega-super-tron. There is something small and significant to just about every single persons theme package.

JP: And I walk around all day singing, "The voices in my head / they talk to me / they talk to me." Let me just say that people look at you more funny for singing to the voices in your head than just talking to them. For the last one I'm pulling out of the mailbox, dan nyman wants us to know:

Perhaps more subtle than all out hidden. On WWE Superstars this past week, when Edge won the match via CM Punk quitting, Edge quickly raised his hands and cheered, looking all happy that he won. Most wrestlers, when winning by way of interference DQ, quitting, or anything of the sort, get their hands raised by the ref and not by themselves while ultimately feeling cheated for not getting the win themselves. This was a very subtle highlight into Edge's 'ultimate opportunist' character.

JP:: Edge doesn't care how he wins, so long as he wins. And win over the World Heavyweight Champion is nothing but good for him!

JT: Just another reason I'm going to miss Edge. Although I am in the minority that prefers Edge as a face storyline wise, I certainly concede that he is the ultimate uber-heel. GET WELL SOON MAN!

JP: Having had achilles tendon problems 15 years ago that are still bothering me today, all I can do is wish Edge a speedy recovery. In the meantime, that just leaves more John Morrison to enjoy! Wow… that came off super gay.


Do you have a Hidden Highlight from this or any week in history that you would like to share? Well, you better read the next section first.


The End of an Era – Part II

JP: Well everyone, if you have not guessed it by now, this is the season finale and most likely last issue of Hidden Highlights ever. After 3 years, 10 months, and some odd number of days, I have decided that it is time to call it a wrap. Although I feel like I've made my point with this article, I hope you continue to look for all of those little things that make a difference and appreciate everything you see.

This was a very difficult decision for me, but one that had to be made. There is simply too much wrestling to watch now to handle this show on my own. Tie that in with changes in my own life, schedule conflicts, and a general need to create something new and it became apparent that it was time to end this run. I considered the ideas of getting a new permanent partner, passing the article on to others, or breaking it up into smaller articles (a la the 4R's), but none were too appealing to me. I hope you understand and continue to read me in The Hamilton Ave Journal each and every Thursday until I burn out of that one, too.

In the meanwhile, though, I am looking forward to regaining a lot of time on the weekends. No more cramming in 8 hours of wrestling on a Saturday morning! I'll actually be able to do things like enjoy my trip to Baltimore to watch the Red Sox, sleep on a Sunday night (when I most need to before a work trip), and watch wrestling when I want without paying 100% attention to every moment of every show. I'm ready to just be a fan again and not be watching everything for work.

It has been an absolute pleasure writing Hidden Highlights for you and having you write Hidden Highlights for me, JT, and everyone else. Remember to keep spreading the positivity and look for Hidden Highlights in all parts of your life. I'd love to have you keep writing in and telling me all the ones you find. Maybe once in a while I'll feel inspired to publish a few of them.

Thank you for sticking with us for 201 issues of great times and even greater times!

JT: Three years of friendship and I get one mention that comprises 3% of one line in the ending paragraph? Nice. Way to get sentimental.

Kidding aside, I covered all of this and said my piece in Part 2 of Hidden Highlights, Issue #100 and it all still applies. JP and I don't touch base quite as often as we did when writing this every week but we're certainly not strangers, just busy guys. I loved writing the column, I loved reading the column, and although it will be sad to see it go it has probably run its course as best it can and so the sendoff is bittersweet.

I will definitely miss the column, but I'm sure you're all used to me be gone from the site and JP isn't going anywhere, so stay tuned!


Exit, stage left!


JT: JP, could you do me a favor before we close this thing out?

JP: What's that friend?

JT: Would you mind getting rid of that pesky you know who?

JP: Who, the commentator?

JT: No, not the commentator...

JP: The stenographer???

JT: NO, not the stenographer!

JP: ….................................................................. the readers?

JT: NO, NOT THE READE—

JP: Okay okay! I'm just kidding, I know who you mean. Stop being a Sensitive Sally would ya?

JT: Just get it over with man!

Ghost of JT: Please, no, I can be of use to you. I mean, I'm awesome! I'm the best imaginary character there ever was!

JP: I'm sorry old friend, but this must be done.

Commentator: JP took a couple of steps back, and...





JT: Ahhhhhhhhhh, that felt good. Finally I have closure! ...stupid ghost! Thanks, and until next time, try to keep finding those Hidden Highlights my little Bengal cubs!

JP: Oh yes, just like good old time JT finds the best way to ruin the emotional moments! Well everyone, I will miss you and Hidden Highlights every week, but I'm counting on you to keep the good fight alive. Remember: it's all about the little things that make a difference, and you are one of those little things. Thanks so much!











JT: …...................too soon for a reunion tour?

JP: You're the one who quit first two years ago!




Thank you for joining us for all 201 ISSUES of Hidden Highlights!

We'll catch you sometime in the future in the reader approved most positive article in all of the IWC: Hidden Highlights! So long for now!


If you are interested in doing a new, Hidden Highlights-style column for 411, please send a sample to Ashish. Thanks!