Hidden Highlights 08.20.06: Issue #51 (Part 1 of 2)
Posted by Prag-Thomlison on 08.20.2006
Jeremy Borash’s mic is on fire, fake Hogan acts better than the real one, Taz shows off his chest, Homicide digs real deep, Kennedy steals the spotlight, and tons more!
Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and James "JT" Thomlison
Issue #51
Intro
Hello everyone who has woken up at 5am everyday this week, and welcome back to Hidden Highlights!!
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.
Every week we take the top 3 Hidden Highlights from the biggest shows on television (RAW, ECW of SciFi, 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?
First, there is JP Prag, defender of truth and currently on In Defense Of… hiatus.
And then there is James "JT" Thomlison, the man who finds goodness in the most unlikely of places.
We bring you Hidden Highlights with one goal in mind: to appreciate all those little things that make a huge difference. JT?
JT: HAHAHAHAHA how funny is it that we both have to link our user profiles? Lazy, lazy lazy we are! Just kidding. The good news, I never have to worry about WWE Diva Search Contestant JT jokes again!
JP: What are you kidding me? She'll be signed to OVW and back on TV before you can say "Playboy".
JT: Yeah… but then she'll be a Diva…
JP: So you'd rather be fully employed Diva JT?
JT: YES!
JP: ………. On with the Hidden Highlights!
Hidden Highlights for TNA Hard Justice, August 13, 2006 by JT
JT: Wow, this PPV was HOT! On fire even! Okay... so that joke got old four days ago. You know what though, I don't have a column during the week so deal with it! Eric Young keeps his job, Christian betrays Sting, Sabin is your new #1 contender to the X Division title, Brother Runt gets his ass kicked, Joe and company put on a slugfest, Styles/Daniels retain, and how about some kudos for the on the fly booking! Eric Young's improv was fantastic!
(3) Sometimes, people do things because they want to get caught:
During the main event, Christian Cage came in to "help" Sting by nailing Jeff Jarrett with a chair. He then threw down the chair but had to immediately pick it back up. Why? Because he had to have it in his hand in order to get banned from ringside. Both him and the ref would have looked pretty silly had Rudy Charles turned around and throw out a weapon-less Christian. Nice little diverted disaster on Cage's part.
(2) The hardest working microphone in the entire business:
Anyone else notice the Hard Justice mic? When they were outside, Tenay had a TNA one, and Borash had the Hard Justice one that he was supposed to be using for backstage segments and promos. Note: It is wireless. But he then handed it off to Don West to head back in the building. Later for his promo with Shelley, Borash had to use the TNA mic! He also had the TNA one for the Abyss promo, but alas, the Hard Justice one finally found its way home, as JB had it for the Rhino promo. Busy little mic!? And why only one!? Oh, that pesky TNA budget.
(1) You only have one face!:
When Eric Young was in the corner during his match with Johnny Devine, Devine was giving forearms to the right side of his face. Later, when he had Eric on the mat, he was giving him knees to the left side of his face. I thought this was very smart on Devine's part. Usually you go for the same area, a la same leg, same arm, same knee, etc, but that's because there are always two of those. Nice move to try and work the ENTIRE area… a face is only one… both sides still affect the overall face.
JP: Nice following of the mic all night. The TNA budget does lead to some interesting little details throughout a night. And yes, I did forget to put Hard Justice in the first draft, which can be evident by…
Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Monday, August 14, 2006 by JP
JP: Man this week has been crazy. It took me four days to watch RAW, so I'm not entirely sure what happened in the show and what didn't. I think Umaga was in there a couple of times, though.
(3) Clappa clappa:
Since JT was talking about perpetual gimmicks last week, I thought I'd chime in as well. One that I noticed this week on RAW but that I have not mentioned is for Shane McMahon. Whenever he comes out first, like he did this week, he stands and waits for Vince's music to hit and for Vince to come out. But what else does he do? That right, he starts clapping! Very funny and touching moment by Shane acting like a fan and clapping to see the guy he would be cheering for during his entrance music.
(2) Oh, it's my song:
Edge and Lita came out together for the opening promo of the night, and then as we were going to break the announcers let us know Lita was challenging Mickie James for the Women's Championship when we got back. When they came back from commercial, Edge and Lita were still in the ring, but the end of Lita's music was playing! Good job by production still giving Lita her own entrance and music, and timing it to be playing when the commercial break ended.
(1) My knee, my knee!:
The final segment of the night saw Hulk Hogan come out and confront Randy Orton. But just before that, Orton had a fake Hogan come down to the ring and impersonate his much larger likeness. But the guy who played Hogan did a great job, because as he was going around the ring he was limping on the same knee that Hogan had legitimately hurt! Excellent little detail there that almost made that part of the segment funny. I said almost. Still, people who try like that make me smile, and that's what it's all about: finding enjoyment in the little details.
JT: It amazes me people actually confused that guy with Hogan backstage a few weeks ago. Don't get me wrong, he does a great job impersonating him, but come on, he's like half his size! What's going on here?!
Hidden Highlights for ECW on SciFi: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 by JT
JT: Mike Knox is still a coward, the FBI have matching outfits (you're welcome JP), Dreamer and Sandman are pissed, and Justin Credible jobs again! I kid, they put on a fine match. How about Angle taking out the whole security team? That was great. AND! If you were paying attention, you heard Taz call Little Guido "Nunzio" (also props to Zach R. who caught it)...Oh, and RVD attempting to jump from the top rope to the contract was hilarious!
(3) Is it hot in here? Or are we ECW?:
I thought I had noticed it a couple of times in the background, and was finally able to confirm when they showed the two of them up close (THANK YOU WWE FOR TRYING TO IMPEDE ON MY DAMN HIDDEN HIGHLIGHT!), that Taz is now wearing (or at least, this week was) only a collared shirt with the top button undone. No shirt, tie, and jacket we had grown accustomed to during his days on SmackDown. While it may have just been hot at the arena or what have you, I think rather that this is just yet another little touch that everyone involved (wrestlers/announcers/writers/production) with ECW is doing to try and separate themselves from WWE.
(2) Kurt Angle is a machine! A machine I say!:
When Paul Heyman cut his promo about Kurt Angle, he said something to the effect of "Despite his injury, he was able to finish the match". At the exact time he was saying that, you could see Show kind of roll his eyes, almost as if to say "like he ALWAYS does" (insinuating he's a wrestling machine). The whole point of the promo was Paul Heyman trying to keep Kurt Angle away from the title, presumably because he's such a beast. Show's rolling of the eyes sell this in ways words never could.
(1) I can't breathe, dammit!:
During the RVD / Sabu match, Sabu found himself belly down on the barriers that surround the ring. RVD jumped off the ring and hit Sabu in the back with the leg drop. This rolled Sabu over and the first thing he did was go for his throat. Odd I thought at first, but then realized that with his chest against the barrier, the legdrop actually brought weight down upon him and caused his lungs to suppress! Not to easy to breathe like that. Nice job by Sabu of selling an injury to an area we would not usually associate with this move.
JP: I have to say I was very impressed with ECW this week, and there were many more Hidden Highlights that I hope are down in the Reader Write-in Section (sorry, I haven't even read the e-mail this week!). And I was going to write about one, but then I saw it twice in the Reader's section, so no need. You'll have to wait until then to see what it is!
Hidden Highlights for TNA iMPACT: Thursday, August 17, 2006 by JP JP: With UFC back, TNA intended to pull out a non-stop show, and did a good job in my opinion. It was one of those shows where almost every segment ran into the next and everything was interconnected. The LAX storylines seemed to be the biggest thing going, while at the same time not detracting from the NWA Championship stuff going on. And I'll even cut Sonjay Dutt some slack this week, though Jay Lethal was the star of that match. And I really like Sabin and Shelly, but Jay Lethal is winning most of my X-Division points.
(3) That was gross:
During the opening segment beat down, Homicide had Christopher Daniels in the ring and the latter was well busted open. Homicide, though, was not just satisfied with having Daniels wear the proverbial crimson mask. Instead, Homicide started digging his fingers into Daniel's head (or at least making it appear like he was) and make the wound and blood even worse. It was gross, disgusting, and disturbing, but it was also a Hidden Highlight.
(2) Mayhaps the devil doth tempt mine soul:
During the four way match between half tag teams (which would be singles if you can't do the math), Chase Steven managed to get his hands on Chris Harris' handcuffs. For weeks, Shane Douglas has been pushing the Newly Franchised Naturals to do whatever it takes to win, and this is the moment when it finally got through to Chase Stevens. When he had the handcuffs on, you could almost read the internal dialogue on his face. Chase Stevens did great with just a few face motions that he was really thinking about what using the handcuffs would mean and if he could really do it. Excellent character play by Chase.
(1) BLOCK:
The main event on iMPACT saw the Undefeated Samoan Submission Machine Samoa Joe take on the former two-time NWA Champion Ron "The Truth" Killings. The match was over who could have the longest ring entrance name. Towards the middle of the match, Samoa Joe was leading Killings around, and was about to deliver a devastating knee to the gut. But then Killings did something very simple yet very effective: to block the knee he clasped his hands together backwards and did a double palm thrust. Tenay totally miscalled it and said the knee hit, but it was really the Truth showing that he can do a very smart and simple move to deny the offence of the Samoan one. Kudos to Killings for showing the simple and understated can still be the best.
JT: I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Ron Killings needs to stop dancing down the fashion show ramp with his shirt open, and start kicking some ass. The man is a former NWA Champion! He could be SO believable in the title scene, and little things like this prove it. The great ones do it all, and when was the last time you saw THAT move from somebody? Exactly.
Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, August 18, 2006 by JT
JT: Dave claims another victim, Terkay continues to dominate, the tag champs get taken out, and my cable sucks! Yup, that's right kids. First, I didn't get SmackDown on Friday because they were showing the Lions game (which I have no issues with), and then the following night during the replay, at exactly 8:31 p.m., my cable went out. It then came back on at 9:01 long enough for me to see Khali mouth the word "wow" (although I have no idea why or what it means), and it immediately went back out. In a complete act of God getting his sense of humor on, my cable came back on at 9:57. So sorry readers, but I only had one to that point, and certainly didn't find one in the last two minutes! Although I did hear JBL say "Look! It's the Royal Toes! The Royal Ankle! The Royal Inset!"… man he is classic.
(3), (2), and (1) SmackDown!:
Apparently in the arena in Washington D.C., there is a huge fan that hangs directly in the middle of the arena. I'm assuming this is strictly this arena because to my recollection, I have never seen this before. At any rate, the WWE decided to put a big spotlight above this fan. So, Mr. Kennedy comes down and gets into the middle of the ring. His mic comes down, all lights in the arena go out, and this spotlight turns on. Keep in mind, the fan IS on. So you have a big white circle in the middle of the ring with the shadow of fan blades going around and around; and standing in the middle of this doing his thing is one Ken Kennedy. It really is hard to describe it if you didn't see it, but it was absolutely PERFECT looking. It just fit Kennedy's entire character so well, and added a touch of spectacle to his already amazing intros. It really did look great. I'd suspect at least a few of the production crew members watching in the back (or from the production bus) were wishing every arena had that same fan. It just came off absolutely stunningly.
…and isn't it only fitting that when all three HH's are presented as one, it's a man like Kennedy who gets the honor!
JP: That was just lazy.
JT: HEY!
JP: I kid. Besides, I haven't even watched the last two weeks of SmackDown! yet, so I can't help just now. The good news about the Brand Extension is that I can start piling up episodes of SmackDown! and not be behind on the entire organization. What's that? SummerSlam is tonight? AH CRAP!
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 JT gets to pick our Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights of the week.
JT: Oh have we got some great things in store this week! So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…
Getting us kicked off this week is resident 411 writer Jeff Small, who hit us with this last Sunday:
I just saw that I'm scheduled to compete next week which is all fine and dandy but I'm just wondering what day I will receive the questions. The reason I'm asking is that next Sunday (20th) is my birthday (thanks for the present guys) so between Snakes on the Plane and lots of alcohol, my ability to type might be hindered. Actually, come to think of it, I'll probably be much more positive this way.
JT: Well, Happy Birthday Smallsy! Actually, we just put this in to point out the fact that you're going to be a drunk-ed, blubbering idiot later while reading yourself in TGPD. Good times. We also want to send a shot out to Ted L. You had some good one's Ted, just a hair obvious, but keep at it.
There were no emails for Hard Justice! Shame on all of you!
First and foremost for RAW, I have to defend the Nature Boy, as we got a negative Hidden Highlight! But that's okay. We appreciate all emails, so allow us to try and put a positive spin on what's actually a pretty good observation by Rick L.:
As pointed out by ygun24, Melina made a face of disgust when Ric Flair said 20 years ago she would have been up all night long. I have a problem with this, because 20 years ago, Melina would have been about 7 years old. Way to go "Natch." Embarrass yourself in front on national television.
JT: See, we give everyone equal opportunity here! Rick, your observation is definitely correct; that I cannot argue. However, I'm pretty sure what the Nature Boy was implying was that if the current 27 year old diva was around – and age 27 – twenty years ago, she'd have been up all night. But it does even add to the face of disgust because maybe Melina was thinking "meh, I was seven, how sick". So let's cut our man some slack. We knew what he meant. Either way, there probably weren't too many that thought of that (I know I didn't), so good catch. Speaking of Divas, Brian B. caught this during the women's match:
On Raw during the Women's Championship Match Mickie James put her feet on the ropes during a pin and Edge shoved her feet off. Usually J.R. will be against anybody doing this but because Edge and Lita are such heels he and Lawler both got mad at Edge allowing Edge to continue to be a heel, as well as J.R. to continue to his rant about what an indecent human being Edge is, whereas any face helping out as such would have been backed by the commentary team.
JT: In addition to what Brian caught, I'll add on a little of what I noticed about that. Something the commentary team would also usually do is call out Mickie James for using the ropes! No mention. It's really comical to listen to these guys sometimes on what they condone and condemn. Great catch. Moving on to a big feud from tonight's PPV, Jamel W. has something for Foley and Flair:
"Please tell me he didn't just say that."
Watching RAW right now, listening to JR hype the "I Quit" match (leave it to Foley to give a poor imitation of Flair/Funk after he tried horribly to replicate Flair/Steamboat, but I digress). JR brought up the Flair/Funk "I Quit" match from 89. And he made a point in saying that he had the pleasure of calling that match. In the process, he let slip a blooper in quoting the great Solie when he said "just as he said: two words, six letters....I quit."
Let's not put JR in charge of the math department at Yale, eh?
JT: Indeed let's not. I put this in because a couple of week's ago I mentioned that sometimes the bloopers can be funny. If you heard that statement from JR, and instead of chuckling a little bit you went all "JR is shit", you take yourself way too seriously. Remember folks, AFV (and AFHV) has been on the air for twenty years; there is a reason for that. From the *email* of Nicole T.:
My names Josh and I'm on my gf email right now...cause when I saw this hidden highlight I just had to email you guys quick... my email is [blocked] if you want to get back to me. I don't know if this is much of a hidden highlight but this is my first one so I thought I'd give it a shot. During Eugene's tag match against the Spirit Squad, I didn't notice it until the middle of the match but his boots were green and it took me about 10 seconds to remember what happened to him by the McMahon's when he had that green paint or whatever it was pored on him, and I thought that it was cool that he kept the paint on his boots to 1) remind us what happen and how cruel the McMahons can be and 2) still make Eugene seem "slow" for not wiping the green off of his boots.
JP: Well, hello Nicol-
JT: For goodness sake, did you not see that his name is Josh and Nicole has nothing to do with this???
JP: Well, once I saw Nicole I just kind of skippe-
JT: You really are impossible. Sheesh. At any rate, Josh; 1) work on the composition, I felt like I was editing a column at OWW! But that aside, it really was a great catch. I didn't notice. JP didn't notice. Hell, maybe NOBODY noticed! By I agree that it was a great moment of continuit-
JP: Actually, I did notice, but I was saving that for a secret rendezvous between me and Nico-
JT: My GOODNESS man! Just STOP! May I continue!?
JP: …I suppose…
JT: You're like a frat boy who never gets any…
JP: I actually lived in the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority for three months.
JT: WHAT?
JP: Too long of a story here. I'll tell you about it at Wrestlemania.
JT: Remind me to ask. Anyway, some others noticed this particular HH and also emailed us (like Alan and others) so let's show them some love as well. At any rate, Brian G. gets some love for actually tapping my profession:
The HH I noticed was this past week on RAW when JR and Lawler are talking about the past couple weeks of the DX/McMahon saga. When the King was referencing HBK being hauled off the jail in Memphis, King didn't say jail or prison, but rather said he was taken to 201 Poplar. If you're from Memphis (like Lawler) the jail is called just that, 201 Poplar (the address downtown were it is located). I bet Lawler didn't even realize that he was showing off his Memphis roots!
JT: I work in a bail bond company, so this is so great to me. My company is the largest in the state, and fourth largest in the country. So when I ask "where are they at?", and they say "County", it's hilarious… it's like "WHAT county?", because we have local numbers everywhere so nobody has to call long distance. At the same time, if they answer "14th precinct" or "Frank Greenan", I know exactly what they're talking about. Nice job by Lawler (even if inadvertently) showing some love to Memphis. It's about time that RC returned, but he finally has:
On RAW, during Carlito Caribbean Cool vs Edge, Carlito Irish Whips Edge towards the turnbuckles and Edge hits it back first and falls down face-first. Carlito then proceeds to first look at Trish and say something after which he turns around and as the camera starts cutting to a new shot at Edge (in which Carlito can not be seen) he starts - "That's Cool" too himself - although he doesn't know whether or not he was on screen or not.
JP: I'll take this one JT. Carlito is great. He is amazing. He always does the little things that makes him one of the greatest characters ev-
JT: OKAY. And you tell ME to stop interrupting… Good call RC. We often talk about how guys do things when the camera may or may not be on them, and this is a perfect example. Great job by Carlito to remember that there may not be a camera in his face, but there is a crowd, and if you're close enough, you can hear him. Switching us over to ECW is regular Manu B., who noticed some possible foreshadowing a couple of weeks ago?:
So, ya know how after RVD got arrested and Paul turned on him, he then declared himself the messiah of the new breed, or something to that effect? Well, at ONS 2, at the end of his speech, before declaring himself the swinging schlong of the extreme, he promised to be the messiah of the new breed unleashed.
Having said that, I _highly_ doubt they had it planned out that he would side with the WWECW guys at that point, I think he was just so happy ECW was coming back, and it was the Paul Heyman we all know and love that was speaking from the heart.
Just thought it was an interesting coincidence.
JT: I agree with you Manu that it was mere coincidence. Things like that happen sometimes where real life is almost forced into the storylines because of how much the fans know nowadays; sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. In this case I think they've done it well. In the Matt Hardy/Edge situation, I do not. Sticking with two weeks ago is Garrett W., who is doing his job of watching the background:
I was watching ECW a couple of weeks ago and I noticed a Hidden Highlight. During the segment when Paul Heyman was backstage with his security guards, he was heading toward a door, and that was when Sabu confronted him. Just before that, I noticed what looked like Mr. Mcmahon looking at a monitor, and when Paul E was walking by, McMahon turned his head and nodded at the camera for a second. I thought that was a good Hidden Highlight. Good Column, keep it up!
JT: First, thank you. As per your Hidden Highlight, I honestly remember the scene you're talking about, but I do not remember seeing Vince in the background. Since I'm not going back to check it, I'll take your word; and if you indeed saw what you saw, then that is CLASSIC McMahon. It would be just like him to make sure his face was on the screen for a quick glance and nod, reminding us all that it's *his* ECW, no matter what kayfabe says. Next up we have Mark J., who is seeing a pattern… no… literally, a pattern:
This week, I found a fairly easy one that I felt needed to be acknowledged. Rob Van Dam was wearing the same exact attire he was wearing at Wrestlemania 22, where he won the Money in the Bank Ladder match, which led him to win a WWE Title and to be awarded the ECW Title. Maybe RVD thought the singlet was lucky?
JT: Very possible. You know how we like our attire around here, and maybe it's one of his favorites. He probably carries more than one in his bag, and on special occasion, breaks that one out. Excellent catch. Chris V. also has attire issues:
First timer but I think I found a good one...
On ECW Paul Heyman suspended Kurt Angle at the beginning of the show, and Angle would attack Heyman later on. When the Bashams, aka Heyman's masked security force, tried to prevent Angle from attacking the ECW messiah they ran into a bit of an issue. They had to battle not only Angle but fight to keep on their face shields to hide their identity. As each week passes the camera angle on the security duo gets lower and lower, almost exposing their true identity, the same way Smackdown uses the low camera angle to make Khali look taller.
JT: Definitely a good one for your first. Every time I see the "Security Team", I think to myself, "Will the Basham's be able to stay unrevealed?" Those guys are identical, and I've even been noticing how similar their chins are; so good call bumping up the *accessories*. And get up cameramen! We don't need the Worm's-Eye-View (you artists will get that reference)! Next up is an issue which more than one reader caught. First up we had Jeff C., who said:
Just wanted to point out that during the Angle/Big Show altercation on ECW tonight, Paul Heyman was screaming at Angle after he'd been detained. As secuirity was taking Angle away, Heyman yelled "I'll crucify you!" It is possible this alludes to the Raven/Sandman crucifixtion angle that occured a few years ago. Kurt was in attendance during this show and walked out after witnessing Raven crucifying the Sandman. Hidden highlight or pure coincidence?
AND, we also had Bob, who mentioned:
I'm sure I'm not the only person who caught this but during the segment on ECW where Angle attacked Big Show, Paul Heyman, and Heyman's bodyguards after Angle had been subdued, Heyman started yelling that he would "crucify" Angle. This I think was a clear reference to the fact that the reason that Kurt didn't join the original ECW was an angle involving a crucifixion.
JT: Well, I can't argue with that. I was too busy watching Angle destroy like eight people to notice that, but it's clearly a great HH. Definitely fitting as well; while they're trying to establish a "new" ECW, they always make references to the past. It's also funny to think of how Taz now hypes Angle up, when he was one of the first to bitch him out in ECW. Bob also had this to say:
P. S. Hey JT what ever happened to more pictures of Maria and Stacy for the column?
JT: Fair enough Bob… fair enough.
And also:
Now, if we may. Ryan J. caught something I also caught, which relates to my earlier HH:
Then, still on the Kurt Angle thing When they get Kurt Angle standing, Big show puts Kurt's gold medal (which had fallen off while laying on the ground in the scrum) back around Kurt Angles neck... a behind the scenes show of respect for Angle? But the smirk on Big show's face still sells himself as the heel, not as someone doing something nice for Angle.
JT: I completely noticed this. It was almost a way for Show to say "You might have a Gold Medal, but your ass is getting hauled off tonight". Considering the fact it's a replica, I thought it was a nice touch by Show. It also sold the fact that it's the "real" medal he won.
None from Impact either! Shame on all of you again!
Jose G. starts us off with SmackDown to ask if he qualifies, or if – given how great JBL is – he even dare mention it:
I was just wondering if the "JBL is a HH god" section means that we no longer need to send in our HH. I hadn't watched SmackDown! for a long time until just a couple of weeks ago and with all of the shit the show has been taking lately (not from you guys of course) I was a little nervous. I was pleasantly surprised however because the overall show was pretty good. But JBL was most definitely my favorite part. His interaction with Michael Cole is great in part because they banter back and forth so well, like during the Vito matches, and other times when Cole just completely ignores him, like when JBL starts ranting about Tatanka. Anyway, I was just curious as to if we should send in the JBL goodness or not.
JT: JBL goodness? I love it! I want one! How much do they cost! Okay, back to reality. First off, I give a lot of props to JBL in the intros because since he is an announcer, not much about what he does is Hidden. His greatness is out there in the open. But the RWHH section is for people to email us and tell us what made the show more enjoyable for them; and if JBL makes that cut for you, then by all means, send us the JBL love! I will never hesitate to show JBL some love! The man is great. You mentioned a lot of it, like his rants about Tatanka and I especially love when he's listening to Cole call a women's match. Keep the JBL love coming Jose!
Before we go, we got an interesting email from Ananta B.:
Hey whoever it is this week,
JT: It's me. Welcome.
I am back after a 40 week hiatus. I was featured in week 11. Couldn't really keep up with wrestling due to the stupid stuff on my television; but started watching it again after Edge - my favourite wrestler since his WWE debut - won the title again.
JT: Glad you're back!
And coming to this week's HH which is related to him but belongs to 'Good Ole JR'. -
In the first segment of WWE RAW aired 8/14 Edge informs us that he has been stressed out and somewhere in the segment he tells us he has to defend his title tonight against Carlito. And then after the match went underway we had JR telling us that it is a non title match as the Summerslam was already announced between Edge and Cena...he further adds that "He [Edge] came out here earlier tonight thinking that this match is going to be a title match, he's so stressed out" VINTAGE!
JT: Great save, I agree. But now things get really interesting.
Why even hold the great positivity debate?? Everyone knows it's you guys, to have come through showing us positive stuff from the crap for the past 50 weeks.
JT: Allow me to humble us. While we do bring the positivity every week, that doesn't mean someone else can't be as positive; it just means we do and they don't. That's what this TGPD is about. Seeing who on the staff can be the most positive (which allows us to display that to the readers), and putting them up against us. But a little competition aside, I like it because it allows the readers to see a different side of some of the writers who may not be the most positive at all times. It also shows that the IWC is not necessarily as one-sided as our reputation would lead you to believe. Just because many of us lean one way, doesn't mean that we can see the good in things, even if we disagree with them or find them to be the wrong decision or stupid.
P.S. In my earlier mails I mentioned that Csonkamania sucks, that guy is taking a slow turn from heel to face. Watch out you guys....maybe you could have a stable!!!
JT: I have no idea what that means, but we'd never team with a lame like Csonka. Moving on to-
JP: Wait… you didn't include Katie.
JT: Yeah? And?
JP: Well, she's a lady, so I demand that yo-
JT: You need help, you know that right?
JP: Yes I do. …so you can include her, right?
JT: FINE! We got this from Katie:
I was watching a part of the Cena/Angle feud of '03 where Angle rapped the first time (NOT the opening of the SD when he splayed as Cena. Both were awesome though); and at the end, pretty much right before Big Show's music hit, Angle hugged Cena outta nowhere and told him he didn't major in HUGanomics (as opposed to Thuganomics, Cena's specialty). Hasn't he brought that up once before? I could've sworn he did...
JT: I have no idea. You're only here because of JP.
JP: That's not fair at all… (especially because I didn't even write most of my lines in this section this week)
JT: I was joking! I don't specifically remember it, but I do vaguely remember exactly what Katie is talking about. It was a short feud, and I believe that this definitely happened; kudos to Katie on this one. Speaking of kudos, Clark found a great example of continuity (which you'll of course love JP):
During Mick Foley's promo at ECW, when he was talking about never saying the words "I Quit," he made sure to say that the words "I-Q-U-I-T" never escaped his lips, making sure to spell out the words. Why would he do that? Because the last time he was in an "I Quit" Match, The Rock recorded his voice saying the words "I Quit" (in a similar promo) and played it during there match! Way to not get burned a second time by Mick.
JT: How awesome is that? C-O-N-T-I-N-U-I-T-Y. I'm surprised JP hasn't chimed in already. This is a great call; making sure he isn't taped a second time. He wants to make sure his feud with Flair is completely legit. And we have to end with our good buddy LaFave:
You guys said the hidden highlights don't have to be on one of the shows right?
Well, I was on wwe.com, and I watch the behind the scenes footage for the Summer Slam commercial shot. It was actually pretty fun, you guys should check it out. But, at one point they are doing an interview w/ Snitsky. He start commenting on all the fun everyone is having and how there are beautiful women walking around in bikinis, and get this...open toe sandals!!! Snitsky is so good at incorporating the littlest things from his characters past at every opportunity he has. I mean this is a interview for a commercial and it's only airing on wwe.com, and he's only going to be a small part of it and he comes out w/ a gem like the open toe sandal line. That my friends is a hidden highlight!!!
See, I told you guys I'd still send them in if I caught a really good one...there's the ketchup.
Keep up the great work!!!
Mike
JT: You know, it seems anytime we give some love to Snitsky, it's never actually anywhere near a wrestling ring. Not to say that's a bad thing, just saying. It's always something backstage, or some promo, or some interview, etc; but to me that's kind of the point. Here is a guy rarely featured in matches or angle's, yet he always brings his A game and does his part to try and make the show entertaining. Big ups to Snitsky! Great catch Mike.
JP: Wow, we certainly heard from a lot of our fellow writers this week. I guess it helps that people who write in to Hidden Highlights originally become writers here. Anyway, I just want to say that I totally had the same thoughts as Andy Clark with the continuity, was happy to see some Snitsky love, and would never be in a stable with Csonka. Actually, Team Positivity has been feuding with Csonka and his Bitches for quite some time now. But I thought we were the heels?
Do you have a Hidden Highlight from this or any week in history 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!
That Other Section
That Other Section is an idea, a free forum where we get to explore the other bits of positivity in the universe. Sometimes, though, it might not exist at all. Hey, if we don't have anything to talk about, why force it?
This week, JP and JT have something for That Other Section.
JP: If you didn't read what this is about, then click that link because it will explain all.
THE GREAT POSITIVITY DEBATE 3 TOURNAMENT
JP: It's hard to live in a world of positivity, and the Great Positivity Debate is a demonstration of that. In a typical debate, the writers are trying to make the most valid point for their side. In TGPD, the writers are trying to make the most valid positive point as a test of their writing skills and imagination. You the readers are the ultimate judges and decide who moves on and who hits the bricks. As a reminder, here are the rules for the opening round:
We will list four topics.
Each side may have only one response to each topic.
The response to the topic can be no more than 500 words.
The response to the topic must be the most positive thing that side can think up.
The positive response must be something that side believes in (honor code in effect).
The first two topics will be answered first by one side, and then the two shall switch answering order.
At the end, you the readers will vote who is the winner.
Neither of these two competitors are fighting for who is more positive. Instead, they are fighting over who has more writing skill in the confines of positivity.
Last week, Stephen Randle took on Sat in a furious battle of Umaga, the Boogeyman, X-Division Nash, and Stephanie McMahon loving DX. And with 58.5% of the vote, the winner was:
STEPHEN RANDLE
I think Veej's response on the message board says it all:
Poor Sat, "I'm wasting my vote" is getting more votes than him. I didn't think Randle beat him by that much, but Randle definitely won.
Well, because of that win, here are the updated brackets:
As a reminder, opening round matches consist of four questions, semi-finals six questions, and the finals eight. The winner of the tournament goes on to face JT and I in THE GREAT POSITIVITY DEBATE 3: THE SEQUEL NOBODY ASKED FOR!
Without further ado, this week's competitors are:
Jordan Williams – Pioneer of the new Games Zone here at 411mania, Jordan writes Working Title and other video game reviews. But Jordan first made his name as a Reader Write-in here in Hidden Highlights (like Andy Clark before him). More importantly, his long standing feud with JP trying to stealing his girlfriend has grown infamous in the pages of Hidden Highlights, and Jordan is seeking one final moment of revenge while trying to bring pride and honor to the new Games Zone.
Jeff Small – One half Heat Recapper one half Small for All News Reporter, Jeff Small has come a long way since burying the hatchet with fellow Heat Recapper Slimmer. But Jeff still contends that he has the best article appearing every Sunday here at 411mania, and you know we can't have that.
JT: All I can say is, you guys think THESE questions are tough, wait ‘til the next round!!!
JP:Question 1: Because of the fire at TNA's Hard Justice, the four way tag match was pulled from the card. Was this the best match for TNA to pull given the choices left after the fire?
Jordan Williams: I don't follow TNA much, so I am not going to portray myself as I do, but as from a strictly booking standpoint, I do believe it was a good choice. We have a pretty stacked card already, why try to cram a match that will do better with some more time to properly work out into a PPV space that has always been complicated by that of fire? The fans wanted to see a real match, not exactly a rushed one. The fans deserve to see the full match in its entirety, as well as the performers deserve to be able to perform without the rush and constraints. Let's give both parties what they want and let the teams go all out on a show that we can promise will deliver them what they wanted and then some. We can guarantee that the match will go off without a hitch and make sure that we make up for pulling it from the card in the first place. It's just in the interest of the program. With a card as stacked as TNA's Hard Justice (looked up the card). This was the only match that TNA could've pulled and held off to a later time where they can guarantee that they can deliver the match for the fans, and the viewers at home. Fire is pretty unexpected, and even though most of the workers worked through the dilemma, they lost some valuable time for it, thus the match gets cut. But they know they have an obligation to the fans, TNA won't disappoint if anything the match they will have now will be better than the one they originally had planned, a little extra time to work out the spots never hurts. Devote some more time to it, and it'll be the perfect make up to the fans that paid to see the match and had to go home disappointed.
Jeff Small: TNA made the absolutely right decision by scrapping the four way tag match in favor of keeping the other remaining matches. The four way tag match deserved to be cut largely due to its non-effect on TNA's storylines. Yes, the match was for the #1 contendership to the tag team titles, but I do not think there was anyone who thought the LAX/Styles and Daniels feud would have ended at the PPV. Plus, the majority of the remaining matches had championships involved.
In addition, the four way match had the least amount of build compared to the other matches on the card. Sure, many people would have been happy if Sirelda/Gail Kim never happened but that match had months of build. This match was just a hodgepodge of competitors that happened to impress Jim Cornette enough to get booked in this match. Heck, the majority of them have been on a losing streak!!! America's Most Wanted spent the last month teasing a breakup and losing most matches via miscommunication (it's like someone's booking with an EWR simulator). The Naturals should see a push come there way once the Shane Douglas speeds up. Right now, they have also spent most matches staring at the lights. Kazarian and Maverick Matt are heatless and winless since Kazarian's return. Only the James Gang has looked good over the last month.
Furthermore, with the fire limiting the amount of time left for the other matches on the card, it makes sense to eliminate a match that needed a decent amount of time. Four way matches are almost impossible book in an under ten minute timeframe (thanks to each of the eight men needing to hit their signature spots). TNA was wise enough to cut the entire match rather than trying to rush it which might have placed a damper (at least match quality wise) on the overall enjoyable PPV. With six weeks before the next PPV, TNA has plenty of time to redo the match to make it up to the fans.
JP: Jordan: 320 words. Small: 337 words. JT?
JT:Question 2: Spirit Squad may stick together, and face a DX that has at the very least joined forces with John Cena. That's a good thing, right?
Jordan Williams: Good! WWE something I know about! Hell yeah it's a good thing. Sure, Cena has had some rough times as a face, but what better way to get him back on the good side of the casual fans than to align him with what is arguably one of the best factions in pro wrestling history? Spirit Squad needs a nice multi-man team to feud with and DX/Cena would be the perfect fit. We have Cena, who despite the reaction is pretty much young, brash, and capable enough to hang with DX in promos and out of ring gags. Spirit Squad can more than definitely hang in the ring, and a three vs. three way tag would just be pure fun to watch. For years people have been saying Cena would fit like a glove in a brash DX like faction, and it's true. This won't just be a way of elevating Cena(again), this will bring back the DX people know and love, not saying the current DX is bad, but they need some young blood in to liven things up a bit. This will do WONDERS for Spirit Squad, having such a feud with three high profile stars in the company like that will put them over the top, we've seen them able to hang in the ring, and the five of them together can definitely hang with the promos on their own. Give them some time (and possibly a belt) to work with, and they could easily become the next Evolution. There can always be room for improvement even among the greatest, adding in the youth of the Spirit Squad and Cena to the old school antics of DX and you could easily get a great feud that should make for some great match, great promos, and best of all, a very exciting product for Monday Night. Spirit Squad vs. DX with John Cena? Sign me up.
Jeff Small: Yes, keeping the Spirit Squad together is still a good idea. Not all members of the Spirit Squad are ready to break out as singles characters. While Kenny is promoted as the LeBron James of the group, he's only 19 years old and still needs time to grow as a professional wrestler. Johnny and Nicky are poised to be tag team wrestlers for the majority of their careers, while Mikey will likely take on a Crash Holly-like character (during his 24/7 hardcore reign) to showcase his excessive personality. But for the time being, none of the five are truly ready to split up and it's a shame to hear that the stable almost ran its course.
To answer the question, it never hurts to work with DX and John Cena. Sure, the last time they feuded, the Spirit Squad was never made to look as equals to DX and that's fine. No one expects five rookies to hold their own against two in-ring veterans. So why exactly is John Cena needed in this equation? It surely seems to me that the WWE wants to give the Spirit Squad more of a rub. There's no other way around it. If the company just wanted to give up on these five men then they would have been disbanded after Saturday Night's Main Event. But for the group to now feud with DX AND the ex-champ and #1 face of Raw, that's great news for the Squad. That alone gets me interested in the upcoming post-Summerslam future. Will the Spirit Squad defeat DX with Cena? Probably not although one win would do wonders to their careers.
Plus, there's the whole Cena and DX together that might be a dream to certain marks (it surely will sell a lot of merchandise). While not one to me, anything that will allow Cena to be a little less restricted on the microphone is a postive. Hell, with HBK objecting with much of the DX material due to his Christian beliefs, it might work better for HHH to have a member to be juvenile with.
Lastly, this pairing allows Edge to grow as WWE champion without having to face such high-maintenance opponents (such as Cena and HHH). While Cena and DX are off to feud with the Spirit Squad, Edge will be able to run with his own feud. He will be able to use all of his swarmy antics to help give the rub to a new main event face. An extended main event feud without any of the usual suspects (Cena, HHH, etc.) is nothing but good for the Raw program.
So to sum up, there are a lot more benefits to this pairing than most people would like to believe. Not only will the Squad receive a push (sure beats feuding with the Highlanders), but so will Edge and the entire Raw program. And of course, Cena and DX will wind up looking strong, too.
JP:Question 3: Kurt Angle has apparently had another injury and chosen to work through it. Is this a good decision for his career given his history of recurring injuries?
Jeff Small: No, Kurt Angle should not be working through this groin injury. Angle really needs to sit down and reflect upon his career. While Angle is still very entertaining in his current persona (as the Wrestling Machine), every injury is affecting his performance. It is funny how many fans do not believe that the Undertaker is still being played by the same Mark Calloway, yet Angle's physical transformation throughout the years is not that far behind him.
Anyway since this is a Great Positivity Debate, let me run through the benefits of Angle taking time off. First, it will obviously increase the length of his career. Looking back, Angle should have taken a year off for neck surgery back in 2003, but his unmatched loyalty to the WWE rushed him back. Now, Angle needs a good chunk of time off to heal all of his wounds and come back at 100%. The next ECW PPV is not until December so he has plenty of time to rest. Plus, you know that Angle's return would include another excellent WWE video package and could help booster ECW's ratings over the 2.5 threshold. Using the Undertaker as an example again, his limited schedule has actually boosted Smackdown as his character does not run the risk of overexposure and is still used to sell main events and help work with rookies. A similar schedule would increase Angle's career and allow his character to stay fresh.
Second, it actually benefits the ECW brand by allowing more time to be allocated to the other extremists. The fans already know who Kurt Angle is, yet many do not know who Roadkill or Ballz Mahoney really is. And that's just for ECW veterans! Look at the wonders an extra 10 minutes would do for the new extremists. Case in point: last week, there was not enough time for a CM Punk match after his extremely successful debut. Without Angle, there's one more slot open to a CM Punk or a Kevin Thorn or even Shannon Moore. Throughout the ten weeks of ECW, ratings have stayed stable enough that the viewers do not need established superstars or even a brand crossover to keep watching. Furthermore when Angle does return, instead of squashing "worthy" opponents like Justin Credible and the Brooklyn Brawler, a new breed of quality wrestlers will be available for him to feud with.
Lastly, it's a shame to see such an athlete and great entertainer continue to be saddled with constant nagging injuries. Like I mentioned above, Angle's not the same wrestler he used to be and even a switch in styles (to his more MMA moveset) has not helped curb his knack for getting injured. Sure in the short term, we will all miss Kurt Angle's presence. But by resting these injuries, we (and Angle himself) will prosper in the long run.
Jordan Williams: Hey, the man is a friggn' WRESTLING MACHINE. Sure, down the road this might be bad for his health, but we know Kurt Angle isn't going to drop until his body absolutely can't take it anymore. That man lives, breathes, sleeps, and shits wrestling. It's coursing through his veins. He probably loves the business more than most of the people that can claim the same thing. He knows pain, I am sure the pain he has to go through every time he steps in that ring is just down right awful, but he works through it with the sheer power of his heart. Injuries are a part of wrestling, Hell, injuries are a part of who he IS. Angle wants to go out and impress his fans, he wants to impress his co-workers, but I think the main driving force behind himself working through these injuries is that he wants to prove to himself that he is tougher than anyone one else in the business. Sure, it might be a bit of a pigheaded reason, given many people have lost their lives on the same premise. But who else would you trust enough to make you BELIEVE that he is the toughest man in the world? He is decorated, and he has proved to the business time and time again that he is capable of holding his own. He has proved it to the WORLD when he won the medal back in '96.
It's a good decision because it's his decision. No one is forcing Kurt Angle to work through these injuries, there's no one holding a gun to his head to make sure he wrestles every house show and live TV match. He is doing this because this is truly what he wants to do. If someone were forcing him to go on like this, then I would have a big problem with it. But because he is doing thing on his own steam, and proving to the locker room that if you can put your mind to it you can do a lot of things. He is showing that he is truly deserving of that medal dangling around his neck. He is risking his body and very well his life, but I am sure to him, he wouldn't want it any other way.
JP: Small: 475 words. Jordan: 384 words. JT?
JT:Question 4: What is your positive reaction to the Diva Search Segment from Friday Night SmackDown! on August 11th?
Jeff Small: Well, it's a good thing I watched Smackdown this week. For those readers who are not familiar with my Sunday News Report, I'm actually a semi-fan of the Diva Search. I was quite disheartened when my pick, Rebecca, was eliminated a few weeks back. Thankfully, she already has been offered a DSW contract.
To answer the question, there was one major positive from the Talent Show: the quality of the performers (not the performances). But before I delve into that, let's flashback to the first week of the Diva Search. After the Miz introduced us to the ladies and fudged up with the voting instructions, he allowed each potential Diva to explain to the crowd why they should win. For the next three minutes or so, we were witnessed to some of the worst mic skills this side of Jeff Hardy. Each Diva had no idea on how to work a crowd or even how to enunciate (I'm pretty sure JT slurred until she called herself a MILF). But hey, it was their first time on live TV and they should have been forgiven.
Flashforward to the Talent Show and each of the remaining four Divas showed their improvements. Hell, each of them is leaps and bounds better than she was just a little while ago. For starters, instead of being a Mike Jones-wannabe, Jen's Stone Cold Steve Austin impersonation showed that she is familiar with popular superstars AND more importantly, much better with crowd interaction (she led a "What?" chant!!!).
Layla finally exhibited what made her a very popular Miami Heat cheerleader with quite the dance. While no Stacy Kiebler, she's ten times better than Kelly Kelly or Molly Holly. With the most popular Superstars being just extensions of their real-life personas, Layla showed off a valuable asset to the company if she were to win the competition.
Also, her "catfight" with Jen was done quite superbly. Yes, their scuffle was nowhere near WWE-ready, but they at least had the proverbial "balls" to do it. Jen and Layla demonstrated that they have the willingness to be molded into successful Divas.
Even though the other two were not nearly as impressive, you could also see their improvements. Milena deserves credit for busting out a cross-armbreaker, though she still had no idea how to improvise for the next 50 seconds. (Obviously, that led to her elimination.) Finally, JT showed that she is quite good at gathering X-Pac heat, which is much better than the heat a lot of the Divas can get.
So in conclusion, while the crop of Divas in this year's search is not as strong as the previous years, there are still positives in each of the remaining Divas. The Talent Search proved that two of them (Jen and Layla) have the "tools" to become successful. We all have to remember that even Trish Stratus was quite green when she started and look how she turned out.
Jordan Williams: Simply put? They showed they have some sort of talent. I was sad to see Melina go, because she was my first-pick favorite going into the competition, but that's just how voting is.
The segment showed that while the girls might all just end up shipped off to OVW win or lose, that WWE just might be taking the time to see who has the talent to pull it off in this business. Be it Jen who exhibited the mic skills, or Layla who brings her dancing to the table. It showed that even though all of the girls might end up as simple T&A for the show, that they indeed wanted to at least see if the girls had what it takes to improve, possibly even become a wrestler.
Even though we know that the reason for the Diva Search is probably far from wrestling, seeing as the only wrestler it's churned out so far is Melina and the astonishingly improving Candace. Melina was already a pretty decent wrestler, so she doesn't count too much. Either way, this is positive. So, let's be positive. We know that the Diva Search is pretty much a way to bolster the amount of women Vince sees on his screen, but I am sure SOMEONE in that business is tried of this, and actually wants to get some legit wrestling women around. Seeing as Trish will be leaving soon, it seems like they are really pushing to get some girl wrestlers to take her place, and maybe even bring the division back to the glory that it once had for that short amount of time. Putting on a talent show puts the girls on the spot, and I was surprised that for once, it didn't simply degrade into AS MUCH of a T&A fest you'd expect it to break into. We had Melina trying to show off her fighting skills, Layla doing what she does best (dancing) and Jen showing off some impressive mic skills. Sure, none of them were up to WWE caliber yet, but it showed that the ingredients are there. They can work with these girls, they can train them, and out of all three Diva Searches, I will say these looked like the girls in the talent show looked the most athletic so far. My reaction was a very positive one, I see some future in those girls, and more importantly, I see some future in the Women's Division.
