Hidden Highlights 01.22.06: Issue #21
Posted by Prag-Thomlison on 01.22.2006
Hidden Highlights can now legally drink! Yeah, like that ever stopped JT. Join our party for Impact, Final Resolution, RAW, SmackDown!, Eric Bischoff, Chris Jericho, and more!
Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and James "JT" Thomlison
Issue #21
Intro
Hello everyone as hopped up on Robitussin as I am, and welcome back to Hidden Highlights!!
Hidden Highlights is designed to look at the wrestling we watch each and every week and point out all of those understated things that go into making the shows great. This could be anything from a wrestler making a facial expression to an announcer talking about the history of a belt to the production guy timing fireworks just right. There are just so many unsung heroes of wrestling that it is impossible to cover them all. So every week we will take the top 3 Hidden Highlights from the top 3 wrestling shows on television (and maybe a PPV or television special if there was one. And for the second week in a row we've got one for you!).
Who are we? Well, I'm the One and Only JP, and you might recognize me better as the ultimate defender of the truth for In Defense Of…! My cohort in crime is the venerable and often under-appreciated (and soon to be former) Byte This! recapper James "JT" Thomlison! Together we are the most positive duo to ever step foot in the IWC… if stepping foot into an imagery realm made up of a mass network of computers and people sitting in their mom's basement were possible.
Still, we bring you Hidden Highlights with one goal in mind: to appreciate all those subtle bits that make a huge difference. JT, why in the hell did you give me your cold?
JT: How could I give you my cold?! We live a thousand miles apart!
JP: Damn you with your… logical… logic… logically…
JT: Damn JP, why don't you take a break. I'll get us started. Although, I'm currently on day 14 of a 20 day working streak without a day off, so don't start with me.
JP: But I didn't say anyt—
JT: I SAID don't start with me!
JP: Okay, apparently, we're both Sensitive Sally's this week. Perhaps my sick self…
JT: … and my exhausted ass…
JP: … should just get started...
Of course, before in engaging in Hidden Highlights, be sure to read:
JT's ByteThis! Report featuring Superstar Billy Graham and Maria! Cliff Notes: Hilariously good interview with Graham, and Maria half naked... need I say more?
AND…
JP's In Defense Of… Scott Hall (Part 2 of 2). It's voting time, so get that long hair out of your eye, your toothpick out of your mouth, and get into the jury box!
JP: ....the world has gone mad. I suppose. People link other sites all the time in their columns. Hell, I'm going to do it a bunch of time a little later in this article!
JT: Sweet! People, if you get the chance, go read my OWW column, J to the T. It's the only time I really get to talk... because re-capping ByteThis! and living under JP's rules will just never allow me to do so.
JP: I don't have rules!
JT: JP, you're sick. You should be resting, and filling your mouth with soup, not words. Let's get to it.
JP: Grrrrrrrr. I'm trading in that reprieve you gave me when you were sick. We're even.
JT: Fair enough.
Hidden Highlights for TNA Impact: Saturday, January 14, 2006 by JT
JT: I have to say, it was a fine build up to the PPV, despite the fact that practically none of my HH have anything to do with that. Perhaps that's because I was at work... who knows.
(3) Forecasting the weat..er future!:
During the Samoa Joe / Cassidy Riley match, there was a sudden run in by ...Shannon Moore? Yes. He came into the ring all happy and proud about having stolen the plaque, and was waving it around. But there was someone following him. AJ. As Shannon Moore ran out and AJ tried to enter the ring, Samoa Joe planted him.
READERS:JT, we all saw that, and?
AND, because of this, we saw simple foreshadowing for things to come. TNA appears very high on anything to do with Joe, Daniels, and Styles right now, as evidenced in oh... the last two weeks of Impact! and the PPV that I'm getting to? This was such a nice setup to either Joe vs. Styles down the road, or Joe vs. Daniels vs. Joe, or Joe vs. Daniels, and then Joe vs. Styles, or BOTH / ALL. It's small things like this (along with AJ's throwing in of the towel the next night) that setup great feuds in the future. Nice job of TNA booking throwing in those 20 seconds for something we might not see until June.
(2) Selling the return of a legend:
Now, we all may have heard it, but did we process it? Or did only our subconscious process it? Mike Tenay said the word "Sting" 13 times. THIRTEEN. He made sure that we didn't forget there was a Pay-Per-View tomorrow, and it would be the return of a legend. Nice job by Mike Tenay of hammering our brain with that. Need proof? I bought it.
(1) Wait... awards?:
Yes, that's right people. TNA actually gave out PERSONAL AWARDS to people this year, and that is something that is done by magazines, the IWC, and shows held in private. It is never put OUT THERE like that. But finally, it was.
Knockout of the Year: Jackie Gayda
Finisher of the Year: Canadian Destroyer
Who to Watch in 2006: Christian Cage
Tag Team of the Year: Team 3D
Memorable Moment of the Year: Christian Cage debuts at Genesis
X-Division Star of the Year: The Phenomenal AJ Styles
Feud of the Year: AJ Styles vs. Christopher Daniels
Match of the Year: Barb Wired Massacre – Sabu vs. Abyss
Mr. TNA 2005: AJ Styles (3rd consecutive year)
Now, as if it wasn't great enough that they decided to have their own awards, what I really love here is the fact that it was based on FAN VOTING. TNA knows that up against the likes of WWE, it needs all the help they can get. What do they do? Listen to the fans. First, they brought in Austin Aries at the request of whom? The TNA fans. Then, they present a completely unorthodox (meaning nobody else does it out in the open) awards presentation, and all the winners are based on... who? That's right, THE FANS. Nice job by TNA to make it seem more "in touch" with the viewers than the norm. I loved this.
JP: I was surprised at some of the winners. Sometimes pleasantly surprised, sometimes saddened. But that's what happens with award shows, you don't always get your picks. The awards that really set TNA apart, though, are "Who to watch next year" (the idea that wrestlers get better with time and can have a huge impact [no pun] is not recognized in the WWE) and "Finisher of the year" ("finisher" is a video-game term that has found its way into pop and wrestling culture [although according to Ashish those are the same thing], and acknowledging that a match ends with a "finisher" is not something you will hear come from any WWE announcer [listen to the commentary during a Shawn Michaels match. "He really favors using Sweet Chin Music to put his opponent away!"]. The word "finisher" breaks kayfabe but stays in it at the same time, so it really is just a subtle way for TNA to be honest with their fans but still stay in the imaginary realm of wrestling.).
Hidden Highlights for TNA Presents Final Resolution: Sunday, January 15, 2006 by JT
JT: I was at work for this, which added to my complete disdain for being a member of the professional world. Yes, I saw Sting's return. But I wanted to see it LIVE. Damn the man... DAMN THE MAN I SAY!!!
(3) You can trust me, Stinger!:
Right before the main event, Shane Douglas was interviewing Christian Cage. Earlier in the night, Jeff Jarrett and Monty Brown had both tried to convince Sting (in their promos) that Christian Cage couldn't be trusted, and that he would turn on him. Christian was in turn in his promo trying to convince Sting not to worry, and that he was completely trustworthy. At the end of Cage's promo, he said "Because" followed by the crowd response of "that's how I roll"; but when he finished the statement, he said "that's how we roll. I thought this was a great little touch by Christian Cage to throw in the word "we", reinforcing to Sting the fact that he could be trusted.
(2) Putting one over with the no sell...?:
During the AJ Styles / Tanahashi match, Styles hit him with a serious kick to the head - which Tanahashi completely no sold. Originally, I thought "nice no sell". However, a little later in the match, I changed my mind. You see, Tanahashi hit Styles with the exact same kick, and AJ also no sold it. It wasn't a complete no sell by either men, they both did stumble a little, but neither went down. I think this was completely planned ahead of time. First, when Tanahashi doesn't go down, you have "man, Tanahashi is one tough S.O.B."; but then when AJ doesn't go down, you get "we're pretty tough over here ourselves." (as Tanahashi is from Japan) So, in essence, by "no selling" each other, they in fact put each other over as two tough competitors. Good stuff by both men, and it added to a pretty decent match considering these two are completely unfamiliar with one another.
(1) If only I'd gotten all of it:
During the opening match, as the ref was distracted, Austin Aries and Alex Shelley both had a foot of Sonjay Dutt. At the same time, Roderick Strong had a hold of both of his hands. They all began to lift him up, and as they did, Strong lost hold of his left hand, thus only slamming him down by his right arm and two legs. Roderick then went for the pin, but Sonjay managed to barely get the shoulder up... his left shoulder. Because Roderick was unable to maintain a hold on his left hand, it allowed the blow to be slightly less severe on his left side; the same side that allowed him to avoid the pin. They could have went for the whole move and still had Sonjay kick out, but not, they wanted to give us a reason why he kicked out. This was such an unnecessary detail that really made the "telling of the story" more enjoyable.
JP: And who said spot monkeys couldn't tell a story in the ring. Thank you Jerry Lynn and all the veterans in back for working with these guys on their story telling and Hidden Highlight skills. By the way, regarding the AJ vs. Tanahashi match: back in ECW during the "International" matches (one-on-one, three-way, four-corners), Joey Styles used to put over that the referee in the match (I can't remember who) spoke four or five languages (usually including English, Spanish, and Japanese) and that he was there to maintain order. That's a shoot, kids. The ref plays a pivotal role in the pacing of the match, and in a match where the two guys don't speak the same language, the ref may be the only person who is sending messages back and forth. This may have been true during the Styles/Tanahashi match as well. Time to start paying attention to who the ref is for all the matches featuring non-English speaking wrestlers.
Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Monday, January 16, 2006 by JP
JP: RAW had all the H's I loved: Hilarity, History, Hitting, and (of course) Hidden Highlights. We saw an inter-brand match, wrestlers changing positions, storylines actually being compelling, and main event that made me scream out loud more then once fearing for everyone's lives. But of course, you saw all that. Now, what didn't you see?
(3) Subliminal Edge:
Instead of fast forwarding through the intro to RAW, I decided to actually watch it this week. Well, luckily I did because they updated all of the clips in the intro! What I noticed, though, was that every two or three clips was a blip with Edge in it. The WWE is subliminally trying to keep Edge in our minds and accept him as champion. The more exposed to something you get, the more times you hear the message, the more you are likely to remember it. I'm not sure who to credit this to (marketing, production, Vince, all of them?), but it really does work to make Edge seem like the centerpiece. Oh, and who is saying Edge is a transitional champion?
(2) Oh, so that's what happened to the Cabana!:
When Carlito was out to run down RVD, he showed a clip of him beating down RVD a number of months ago when RVD made a guest appearance. After the clip, the King said something to the effect of, "And that's one of the reasons that there is no more Cabana!" OH! I just thought they forgot about the Cabana or dropped it for no reason! Thanks for filling us in King, and giving a logical reasoning to something that would normally just be forgotten. I do love conclusions.
(1) She's MINE!:
Our top Hidden Highlight of RAW, though, goes straight to Mickey James. Mickey has shown me she is a consummate professional and will play her character to a T, whether or not the camera is on her. When Trish, Ashley, and Mickey were making their way down to the ring for their match, Trish was in the center, Ashley was on her right, and Mickey on her left. When Mickey saw that Ashley was getting too close to Trish, Mickey's expression turned grim and she raced over to the other side to get between Ashley and Trish. She actually bumped Ashley back a little bit and then ran ahead, skipping along with Trish! Way to go, Mickey James! Of course your character would be upset with Ashley even standing close to Trish. That was such a subtle way to continue your storyline. Major kudos for that one!
JT: I noticed the Carlito thing, and was very curious when they showed an RVD clip on SmackDown!. What does this mean? Is RVD going to win the Rumble? I doubt it... but either way, which show is he on? Revenge on RAW, or freshness on SD!?
Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, January 20, 2006 by JT
JT: I'm too busy and you're too sick... let's just get to it and hope that all of our readers forgive us.
(3) Not another damn video:
I know, me and JP do this once and a while and it doesn't seem hidden, but I cannot deny the opening promo. It kept Batista in the picture (if he ever comes back), and it just put over the entire storyline in general. It took three minutes, and despite the fact I had seen it, it made me get excited about SmackDown!, and any storylines coming in the future in terms of the WHC. Plus, it put Kurt Angle over huge, who is now apparently the guy coming to SmackDown! to carry things. A definite nod to production for putting this piece together just right. It made me care.
(2) We have animals on SmackDown! ...?:
At the end of the Orton / Jordan / Booker / whatever match, Benoit came up to INSANE pops from the crowd. Now, despite the fact we could hardly hear a word being said by Tazz or Cole, Tazz made sure to say "The wolverine has been let out of its cage". I loved this. For one, Tazz said it as if it wouldn't be drowned out by the crowd noise. For another, he made sure that despite the fact Benoit is sort of stuck in mid-card-limbo, he is a beast. Not only a beast; a RABID WOLVERINE. Nice job by Tazz to put Chris over no matter what the circumstances.
(I will also mention that I can't remember the last time I heard either Tazz or Cole refer to Benoit as the Rabid Wolverine, making it ever better)
(1) JBL comes up short:
During the JBL / Lashley match, young Mr. Bobby had managed to hit the Wrestling God with about four power moves in a row (we're talking clothesline, slam, etc, nothing fancy). After said series of moves, JBL began to get up... and he began to throw up his hands in typical heel "no, wait, please don't" fashion. But as he got less than halfway up with the hands he collapsed onto the floor. I LOVED this. JBL could have just dropped like a rock, but no – he threw in the extra "effort" to try and get the hands up, and then totally sold it as he wasn't able to. This was a great move by JBL to throw in a little something extra as he was "collapsing" to the floor.
JP: If I ever write an "In Defense Of… JBL" I'll be sure to include your Hidden Highlight. Just like with the TNA spot monkeys, the "WWE Big Guys that can't wrestle" tend to show that they can wrestle, and can tell an awesome story with just a few little gestures.
Reader Write-in Hidden Highlight of the week
By the way, we aren't just doing this article for our health. We want to make you the reader a more active and attentive viewer, and one who appreciates the hard work that goes into making all of the wrestling we have the privilege to watch. So don't just sit there and stare, but take in everything that goes in to making the product this great, and tell us about it!
This week JP gets to pick our Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights of the week. Please keep in mind that any reader write-in for SmackDown! applies to LAST week's show, because nobody is going to get it in on time for Friday's column.
JP: Another great batch of write-ins, so I'll be the evil man and limit how many we'll post here. So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…
First up is Ori, who gets the first spot because (1) I always promise to use his stuff, (2) JT still hasn't told him how Survivor Series was, and (3) I saw this one, too, and because Ori wrote it I could highlight something else in the RAW section above:
Well one HH from RAW this week...when Edge made his speech, right after his first sentence, he wanted to get rid of the glasses...but the shirt was in the way! So, as much as I detest Lita (person, character, looks, friggin all of her!) she actually did something useful in paying enough attention and taking the glasses from him so he can carry on with his speech without wasting any time.
JP: Edge and Lita have been winning me over a lot lately. I may not like what they did in the real world, but I'm not holding that against their characters and/or wrestling ability. In this case, I noticed Edge, too, was really trying to get his glasses in his too right jeans, and Lita really came through for a nice HH moment.
JT: I would just like to say I sent Ori an email apologizing for the delay and asking him to remind me exactly what it was he wanted to know about Survivor Series; I did not hear back. Now that you've told me, I'm on it. Also – JP – we're apparently doing our job, because not only did you and Ori catch that, I caught it too! He was trying like a madman with those glasses and I saw her grab them and I thought "nice save, Lita".
JP: Thanks, but stop interrupting me, kiddo! Next up is first time write-in Andrew MacLean who said we needed more Carlito Hidden Highlights, but also added on to one I caught from TNA last week:
First time writer, 20 time reader from Nova Scotia (Where we got to see Bobby Roode weekly before there were weekly PPVs [go Real Action Wrestling!]); just wanted to mention that in the HHs for TNA, JP mentioned that Gail Kim was peeking at D'Amore's envelope to see info about Jackie. One might also argue that she was looking for anything that had to be said about Canada, seeing as she hails from the Great White North as well!
JP: I hadn't thought about it that way at all! And I should, since one of the top five reasons I'm deeply enamored with Gail Kim is the fact that she is Canadian! JT, the next time you want to distract me, Gail Kim pictures work better then anything.
JT: You mean like this?
JP: Better than Comtrex buddy. Wait… didn't I just say to stop interrupting me?
With a little more TNA goodness is Gametime who chimed in with:
On iMPACT!, when Shannon Moore surprised AJ during the Mr. TNA presentation, before Moore turned AJ around, Mike Tenay yelled into the mic "AJ!" trying to alert AJ that Moore was in the ring. I liked this because too often announcers will do NOTHING when another wrestler comes to the ring, they'll just clam up. Later on, AJ was held back by Security and AJ yelled "why are you holding ME back!?" This made sense, why were they holding AJ? AJ was the one who was [attacked]. AJ was the one who had his plaque stolen. Good job by AJ to question why they were holding him back.
Those were a couple of great ones that I noticed as well. I like that Mike Tenay stays involved in the ring, and doesn't hide who he's watching out for. And AJ, that was right on. I was thinking the same thing! Moore is the outsider that security was trying to get rid of, why would they hold back AJ? AJ, you were screaming the truth!
And then we have Mike LaFave who always has something good, and I liked this one best:
Another Hidden Highlight goes out to Batista himself. He wanted to send a shout out to his good friend HHH, but knew that breaking kayfabe is a big no no (all he'd have to do is ask Hunter about that, does Curtain Call ring a bell). So he used the name Paul. If you've read HBK's new book, it seems it's a theme that whenever anyone in the Kliq won the strap they were told to "enjoy the ride", HHH must have kept that tradition alive after doing the favor for Dave and Dave wasn't about to forget his "good friend Paul" in his goodbye.
Wow, I never knew any of that! I have been totally educated today!
JT: I personally thought that was obvious... but hey, you're sick, it's okay.
JP: Now who's starting with who!
JT: Dually noted, please continue.
JP: Finally, last up is Jason Goodman who added this:
On Raw this week, the Highlight has to go to Referee Chad Patten (or however you spell it) What did he do? He watched Kurt Angle get hit with a chair and proceeded to count his shoulders down, without hesitation, for the 3-count. Why an HH? Because the last three weeks Chad an Kurt have had their own little personal feud going on. I think it may have something to do with the ref's military background, and Angle's sudden turn on the troops, but First Patten forces him to fight Davari for real, and counts him out for a loss.
Angle calls him out on the air the following week for screwing with him, and who calls for the bell in the tag match against Masters and Carlito? I believe it was Patten again. And this week it was more of the same, "You give me grief? Well I keep an extra-close eye on you, and don't be surprised if you get counted out again!" It's continuity that helps suspent your disbelief sometimes, and I thought it was a nice touch in Angle's final RAW match for a while.
I hadn't even realized it was always Chad Patten screwing over Kurt Angle, but I believe you are right. Nice catch there!
And nice ones all around! Thanks for everyone who wrote in, and sorry we could not get to you all this week!
JT: The readers really are starting to catch on. Whether we're sick, or swamped at work, or whatever, it's the write-ins that remind me why we do this, and prove that we in fact are having an impact on them, and helping make their wrestling more enjoyable.
Do you have a Hidden Highlight of the week? Or a Classic Hidden Highlight that you would like to share? Please e-mail JP..erT…er…us at jpjthidden@yahoo.com with your thoughts! Send them by Friday afternoon to be considered! And remember, they can be from any show, live or taped, or any house show, or anything you saw… we just like to know!
And speaking of Classic Hidden Highlights…
Classic Hidden Highlight
Every week we take a look into the past and remember something that was done to make a show that much better. Well, sometimes we don't remember, but you remember for us. Anyway, without further ado JT presents the Classic Hidden Highlight of the week:
JT: Ummm… I… wait… where are my notes…?
JP: Are you not ready to go?
JT: NO! No, I am… it's just… with work… I can't find anything around here…
JP: It's ok, dude. I've got you covered! Or rather, our faithful reader Daff does!
The adventures of Hulk Hogan's shirt
Daff said:
I've just been watching Royal Rumble 92 again on the Flair DVD, and I've noticed something for the first time. When Hogan comes into the ring he tosses a few people out and then does his usual shirt ripping routine. He then proceeds to choke someone out with the shirt, fair enough. The shirt is then on the floor in the ring, and different wrestlers keep picking it up and using it as a weapon, some even hanging it round their necks for future use. None of this is mentioned on commentary which is probably why I've never picked up on it before. For me it shows how much the Rumble win means to the wrestlers, that they will pull out all the stops for the win. I think it also shows how much improvisation goes on a Rumble match, surely they couldn't have booked the shirt to stay in the match that long :)
Strange that it's only took me 14 years to notice it, your columns must have some influence :)
JP: That's the best part of Hidden Highlights, it changes how we even view the matches we watched a long time ago. I like to re-watch movies because I always think you can see something new each time you watch it. Well the same it true with matches, and you'll be sure to find a lot of Hidden Highlights that you never knew existed. Excellent work Daff, glad to see our influence in full effect!
JT: Thanks for the save, JP, I swear I'll have one next time!
JP S'okay, JT. I understand what it's like to be crazy busy at work. There will be plenty of Classic chances in the future!
And let's not forget our Wrestlemania Classic Hidden Highlights Special Edition on Monday March 6th. We need you to write in to us with all of your Classic Hidden Highlights for Wrestlemania before our special issue!
That Other Section
That Other Section is an idea, a free forum for a few things that just don't have a place. It could be Read Between the Lines where we'll look at a news bite in more detail. It may just be a Pointless Question trying to connect the unconnected dots. You might read a Hidden Highlights Profile where we explore one of the masters of Hidden Highlights (like Chris Jericho) and explain what they do right. It could even be some additional Hidden Highlights, or something else entirely. And sometimes, it might not exist at all. Hey, if we don't have anything to talk about, why force it?
This week, JT has something for That Other Section.
Inaugural Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame!
Welcome to the Debut edition of the Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame! Basically, JP and myself want to give certain performers their due for their consistency and exceptional performances when it comes to Hidden Highlights. Thus, what makes more sense than a Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame? ...I couldn't think of anything either, so we'll stick with it.
I have no idea how JP plans to do this if he ever chooses to do so, so I'm just going to do it my way for now!
Basically, I'm going to break down three Hidden Highlights over the chosen inductee career; one for their work on the mic, one for their work in the ring, and one wildcard (may be on the mic, in the ring, or something else).
Our first inductee is certainly no stranger to Hidden Highlights. Okay, actually he is a stranger to Hidden Highlights because he was gone before we started this column, but that isn't really the point! He has given us countless Hidden Highlights over the years, and maybe, just maybe, his induction in the HH HOF will convince him to come back and give us some more!
Ladies and Gentleman, I present the Inaugural Inductee in the Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame, Chris Jericho.
ON THE MIC:
No Way Out - 2000. As he was coming out to have his Intercontinental Championship match with Kurt Angle, he brought a microphone with him to the ring. As he's makes his way up onto the ring apron, he begins to speak:
JERICHO: You know something, Kirk Angel...
This completely undermines Kurt Angle as a legitimate threat, and Jericho was always so good at this when he cut his promos. Believe me, it isn't the easiest thing to find anything hidden when you're looking for something in one of Jericho's promos. The guy was pure gold no - platinum on the mic, and if you needed motivation to enjoy him talking, then I suggest you check your pulse. In my opinion, Jericho is one of the best talkers in the business EVER.
IN THE RING
No Mercy – 2002. Chris Jericho and Christian were taking on Booker T and Goldust for the World Tag Team Championship. After Jericho finally got tagged in, he immediately went to work on the left shoulder of Goldust. He attacked with arm pulls, forearm-to-shoulder shots, and even managed to get Goldust in the typical "I'm about to take a 619" position so Jericho could run from the ropes and plant his knee into his shoulder. After a couple of minutes, Jericho wants to go for the pin. The only problem, he's on the right side of Goldust's body. So, he had to jump to the other side in order to pin him from the left side of his body. This actually has TWO Hidden Highlights, so feel to take your pick on which one it really was! First, Jericho knew he wanted to be on the other side so that his weight would be laying on the left shoulder of Goldust, giving him an increased chance of getting the pin. But wait! Jericho also knew that by him taking the extra two seconds to get to the other side, it would make a kick out by Goldust more believable. As I said, take your pick.
THE WILD CARD
WrestleMania XX – 2004. Ironically, this also saw Chris Jericho and Christian, only this time, they were going against each other. Now, this came neither on the mic or in the ring, but rather in the entrance. If you recall, Christian had just started feuding with Jericho when he felt that "Trish came between them" (at least that was the story to this point). Now, when Jericho's theme hit, he came out, did his "turn around with the arms" thing, did his "turn on the ropes" thing, did his "shimmy in the ring" thing; did it all. Only this was a little different. He wasn't as enthused. He wasn't as laid back. He made sure that 1. He went through the motions only because he had to, 2. Kept his eyes on Christian a majority of the time, and 3. Never lost the seriousness to his face. This was different. This was WrestleMania, and for "kayfabe" purposes, this was about a girl, which has turned even the best of friends into mortal enemies. Great job of Jericho selling the feud rather than the WrestleMania crowd.
INDUCTION SPEECH:
Chris Jericho is a master of minor detail; I mean, on that earlier one, you could actually take your PICK of Hidden Highlight from the same move! His attention to the little things are what make him one of the most entertaining wrestlers of my generation. Without question in my mind (and hopefully none in JP's), he is easily just as deserving as anyone else to be the first entrant into our Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame. JP?
JP: Ummm… so apparently we have a "Hall of Fame". Little did I know!
JT You created a list of awards without me knowing! I think it's only fair that I can create something without you!
JP: Sigh… I suppose you are right… Speaking of fame, that word rhymes with shame, as in ‘it'd be a shame if he's done for good'. And I was only able to come up with that goofy rhyme due to mixing drugs!
JT: Indeed. If that is the unfortunate case (about Jericho, not your drugs), then this is certainly a fitting initiation of our HH HOF, and I thank him for the memories.
JP: There are so many great ones, too. You touched on a lot of recent ones, but I have got to give a few of my own:
Man of 1004 Moves:
Back in WCW, Chris Jericho was involved in a long feud with Dean Malenko over the Cruiserweight Championship that has so many Hidden Highlights:
~ Name Calling – Jericho used to come us with original names to call Malenko every week to keep undermining him, including "Stinko Malenko" and "Dean-o Machino".
~ The Rule Book – Jericho actually used the "rule book" for WCW to get his belt back when Malenko interfered in a match. He quoted some random paragraph to JJ Dillon to prove he could not lose his belt that way, and it worked. How imaginative is that! Actually having a real set of "rules" to use!
~ A wrestler's wrestler – As everyone knew, Dean Malenko was the "Man of 1000 Moves". So what does Jericho do? He goes to the ring and declares himself "The Man of 1004 Moves". Not 1001, 1004. As we've discussed in the past, random numbers are hilarious. And how does Jericho top it all off? He stands in the ring and lists them out! They even went to commercial break and came back and he was still talking! That's attention to detail!
By the way, the complete list can be found here. And if you actually read that list, you can see about twenty more Hidden Highlights.
Come on baby!
On many, many an occasion, Chris Jericho would do the one footed cover and scream, "Come on baby!" What am absolutely great heal moment. That is one of those repeated little things that really got to the crowd. Another good one was whenever Jericho had an opponent in one of his many variations of an armbar he would scream at the ref "Ask him!" as in ask him if he wants to submit. Well, in Japan an armbar may be a regular submission move, but it does not fly in the states. Still damn funny that he would stay that much in character and the moment and ask for the submission.
Facial hair or not to Facial Hair
Nobody likes to mess with the taping schedule of WCW more then Chris Jericho. WCW Saturday Night usually taped about four episodes in one sitting, Thunder two, Worldwide four, and Nitro live every week. Well, on Monday and Thursday you would see Jericho with a clean shaven face, on Saturday he would have a full beard, on Monday he would be clean shaven again, on Thursday he would have sideburns, and on Saturday he would have a full beard again. Killing continuity? Why not!
Well, those are some of my Jericho Hidden Highlight moments. JT?
JT: … Why do you always have to show me up?
Last Page
The Last Page is where we get to express something else positive in the world of wrestling. For myself, JP, it is most likely an In Defense Of… Mini-Case. For JT, it's most likely time for a Bi-weekly Rant! Who knows? Well, actually, you do…
Additional Evidence: In Defense Of… Eric Bischoff
By JP Prag
Certain people, events, organizations, and storylines in wrestling history have gotten a bum wrap. Some writers have presented overtly critical comments and outright lies as fact, and others have followed suit. Well no more! "In Defense of…" has one reason: to bring the truth to the wrestling fan!
About ten months back, I presented my first case of the IWC vs. Eric Bischoff. I recently received an e-mail from Anthony Maurizio over at WCWLive.com (which is an excellent site that is has just started up filled with lots of old school WCW stuff and current news on former WCW talent. I also recommend checking out DDT Digest, which is really the forever resource on anything that ever happened in WCW… when it happened). Anthony mentioned that he had recently read my article on Eric Bischoff (which can be read in Part1, Part 2, and Part 3) and would be passing it along to friends who worked in WCW.
So I re-read my article, too, and really got to thinking about something I said in Part 3. I talked about how despite the fact that there are plenty of people who hate Bischoff and talk smack about him (Ric Flair and Bobby Hennan come to mind), that there were lots of people who liked, appreciated, and looked up to Bischoff and have gone on record to say so or have just remained silent.
And much to my delight, I found this on the newsboard. From Mike Johnson's recap of Sting's press conference on January 11, 2006:
When asked about Eric Bischoff, he said he has nothing but good things to say. He said that everyone likes to remember him as the one who sunk the WCW ship but it was a "group of us" overall who undermined each other and had a lot of secret agendas. He said that Bischoff was the first one who would talk to wrestling fans and get feedback and he surrounded himself with people he could trust. He said that they had a good working relationship. He said the night they launched Nitro, the rest was history.
Plus earlier in the recap:
He said that he remembered when Hulk Hogan came to WCW in 1994, he was often asked if he was upset he was pushed aside. He said he wasn't because it took the pressure off of him personally and that it would help the overall company. He's hoping that he can do the same for TNA.
This just puts to rest so many rumors that have lasted a decade. As Sting said, everyone thought he hated Bischoff for bringing in Hogan, pushing him aside, and (as some think, not me) messing up his year and half long storyline to Starrcade '97 in the main event match. Well, Sting has put it all to rest! He not only had no problem with any of it, he preferred it!
Sting then highlighted several of my own points. One being that Bischoff was not the one who sunk WCW. Another being the Eric Bischoff was excellent with the fans and really took time out to interact with them. Also, as noted, he was a lot more open to suggestion and new ideas then others would have you believe.
On top of that, Sting was very complimentary to Eric Bischoff. What did he have to gain from being nice to Bischoff? Absolutely nothing! Eric Bischoff has no stroke anymore and is (currently) employed by the WWE. He had no reason to say anything nice unless he meant it.
In the end, I just wanted to add Sting's testimony as evidence that Eric Bischoff was a much better person, promoter, and performer than many in the IWC have given him credit for, and to thank Eric Bischoff for all of the years of WCW I enjoyed under his tutelage.
And the Response
JT: Well, I'll be the first to admit, while I do joke about always voting guilty, I thought Eric Bischoff's defense was one of your best. And have you noticed that people have been saying things lately like "where is Bischoff?", and "why isn't Bischoff back yet?".
The fact is he's a good on screen character and apparently, a good man. I'm certainly not going to doubt Sting. The man is as moral as Earl from My Name is Earl... and that guy is pretty damn moral.
Exit, stage left!
JT: JP, I'll be honest. You are sicker than a dog, and I am busier than Hell in the midst of a 835-day-with-no-day-off streak... so I think under the circumstances, we've done quite well. I hope you feel better, bud.
JP: Thanks JT, I'm also about to begin another week on the road straight, so it looks like no time for healing. Happy playoffs, and I'll catch you next week!
And thank you for joining us for the twenty-first issue of Hidden Highlights. Be sure to drop us a line and let us know what you think and all the other Hidden Highlights we missed. Plus, we want to hear your Reader Write-ins and Classic Hidden Highlights for all the moments you see this and every week.
We'll catch you again next time in the most positive article in all of the IWC: Hidden Highlights! Until then!
