Hidden Highlights 12.11.06: Issue #67
Posted by Prag-Thomlison on 12.11.2006
It’s the first ever Monday edition of Hidden Highlights, and we have The Big Show freaking out in the Extreme Elimination Chamber, Chris Masters doing the time warp, Tommy Dreamer impersonating a cadaver, Senshi going downstairs on Eric Young, King Booker and Finlay playing with the lights, plus a whole lot more!
Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and James "JT" Thomlison
Issue #67
Intro
Hello every old reader and those joining us for the first time, and welcome back to (or just to) Hidden Highlights!!
There are very few positive things on the Internet. It's more about everyone's negative view of what everyone else is trying to do.
— Eric Bischoff, Controversy Creates Ca$h
Hidden Highlight (n) – a small, hardly noticeable point that makes a big, positive difference. This could be anything from a wrestler putting extra emphasis into his moves to make it believable to a person in the background reacting while not the focus to the cameraman shaking the picture to create an effect. There are just so many unsung heroes of wrestling that it is impossible to cover them all.
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.
We bring you Hidden Highlights with one goal in mind: to appreciate all those little things that make a huge difference. JT?
JT: Welcome to Monday! I must say it was quite the week for me. I got all my Christmas cards sent out (I still attest that sending JP one is humorous), got all my presents bought and wrapped, and can now sit back for the next two weeks and watch everyone else panic! Good times.
JP: My favorite part was the e-mail you sent me:
I was actually going to put the appropriate Jewish holiday greeting in there, but sadly I was not 100% on exactly what that was, so I didn't want to be un-PC.
Hahaha, oh, I can't wait to come out to Michigan for WrestleMania. In the meantime, on with the Hidden Highlights!
Hidden Highlights for ECW presents December to Dismember: Sunday, December 3, 2006 by JT
JT: The Hardyz turn the lights out on MNM, RVD is ready, Striker fails again, Sabu is OUT of the Extreme Elimination Chamber, Burke and Terkay continue their dominance of the WWE (sans that Hardy Boyz win), Daivari beat Dreamer who was then destroyed by Khali, Mike Knox leaves Kelly Kelly stranded, and Lashley is your new ECW Champion!
(3) Yes, we give love to the useless eye candy sometimes, too!:
Alright, useless may be a bit harsh. Let's go with unnecessary. I know I gave her love a few weeks ago, but I cannot ignore her yet again! Look, I have to give overall love to Kelly Kelly. She is NINETEEN, and about as new to this business as I'm new to December 2006. She is always interacting with the fans, despite Knox's grievances. Not only that, while she shows her support for CM Punk (and while she may have been left out to dry), she is ALWAYS in support of Knox. When he was in the ring, she was constantly rooting for, yelling at, jumping up for, etc etc, him. He was this big protective asshole, and she managed to work both worlds. Be friendly with everyone, yet stay close to her man. Not ONLY that, but did anyone catch her hesitant-ness about getting in the ring? Remember, people. Exhibitionist. NOT a wrestler! She is just always so appropriately animated that it definitely deserves some love from us. She is learning quick, and its showing.
(2) I thought we were a team:
During the main event, Test was about to lay the big boot to RVD. Instead, he turned and gave the boot to Hardcore Holly. Now, he immediately went for the pin, and as he did, you could see Show in the background inside of his chamber, with his hands up and this look on his face like "what the…?". Great little sell by Show that they were all supposed to be on the same page, and he had no idea that Test would decide to go rogue.
(1) It's like he never left:
After Matt Hardy jumped out of the ring onto Mercury, and Mercury in turn caught and turned him, both men were down. As Mercury was on the ramp recovering, Nitro was in the ring going to work on Jeff Hardy's back with kicks and dropkicks. Mercury eventually made his way back to his corner, and got tagged in. What's the first move he went for on Jeff? Vertical stretch! (subsequently followed by other moves to his back) I thought this was nice multi-tasking by Mercury to not only sell the injury from Matt (appear phased and hurt on the ramp), but also make sure he was paying enough attention to what was going on in the ring so that when he did finally get in a position to get back in, he would know the best offense to go with. I've seen some good things from Mercury since he's been back; nice to see that there isn't a lot of rust.
JP: You could continue those Kelly Kelly comments all the way into ECW on SciFi on Tuesday. She told the whole story with her facial expressions, that she loved Knox and was completely destroyed that he would leave her. And I like that Knox for the heat of dumping her, not her leaving him for, oh let's say, CM Punk. It makes Knox look like a bigger man and not a loser, yet he can be a complete dick about it and beat her up, thus making him not look like such a big man. Props to creative for doing it right this time.
Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Monday, December 4, 2006 by JP
JP: To say my copy of RAW was messed up would be an understatement. I guess where my dish is there must have been a terrible storm or something. I wouldn't know, I was in Greensboro, NC. But it kind of went like this: Victoria was setting Maria up for a sidewalk slam and suddenly she was giving Mickie James a piledriver and then she turned into a little old lady that was hanging out with Cryme Tyme telling some guy to back off her homies. Victoria can be pretty weird sometimes.
As you can imagine, this made it kind of hard to catch regular highlights, nonetheless Hidden Highlights, but I tried my best!
(3) When was that taken?:
After having set up the match of John Cena vs. Chris Masters in a Masterlock Challenge for the WWE Championship, we were treated to the usual graphics hyping up the contest later in the evening. But did you take a look at that picture of Chris Masters? He had a full goatee and black hair! When was that picture from? It looks like it's time to update the picture repository in the production truck! I got a good chuckle out of seeing the old Masterpiece getting ready for action.
(2) That was a match:
Speaking of the Masterpiece, at the beginning of the night Coach came out to announce that he was the one who sent the Masterpiece against John Cena and that the two would fight later. He also made mention that it wouldn't be like the time he and Cena fought. To that comment, Jerry Lawler just said, "Fought?!" in the highest pitch question you could imagine. That was a great bit of subtlety that thankfully nobody followed up on. It was not a fight between the two, it was a Cena beatdown on the Coach! There was no fight, it was just a pure massacre, and the King was definitely making fun of that fact. Good little quip by the King, and thankfully neither JR not the King tried to follow up on it and make the joke obvious.
(1) One is still my favorite:
The main even saw (well, some of you saw, I saw a minute of action every three minutes) DX and the Hardy Boyz team up take on MNM and Rated RKO. I'm still having trouble figuring out what brands everyone is on, so Linda McMahon, you better re-evaluate your comments during the conference call about the brands being different. Anyway, as MNM came to the ring for their classic entrance, Melina gave her two young men a kiss. But did you notice how she kissed them? To Joey Mercury she gave that peck on the cheek, but her main man Johnny Nitro still got a got smack on the lips and a loving little look. In case anyone was wondering, they are still a couple outside the ring, and in the ring she is still his manager first and foremost. So Johnny Nitro gets all the special attention from Melina why Mercury gets just the "normal" loving.
JT: I just can't help but be happy that they're having consistent tag matches. I know that DX and Rated RKO aren't legitimate long-term tag teams, but it's just nice to see it again. I can recall a time recently where I think I went three entire shows without seeing a tag match. Now if they can just get some other teams established, we could have the strongest division in years, folks!
Hidden Highlights for ECW on SciFi: Tuesday, December 5, 2006 by JT
JT: Paul Heyman "says his goodbye's", RVD sticks up for Sabu (while teaming with Punk), Sabu then shows up to stick up for himself, Daivari calls out Dreamer again, Kelly Kelly picks up a sneak win, and Lashley beats Big Show to retain his ECW Championship! I'd also like to give Kelly Kelly another shot out (even thought JP stole this from me earlier). She is always so into the crowd, yet she made sure to be completely bummed during her appearance this Tuesday. Was it obvious? Yes, but I just thought by her doing that, she was selling that her and Knox were in a real relationship, not something that could be blown off and forgotten in two days time. Good times.
JP: Did you just sneak a Hidden Highlight into your intro?
JT: I can neither confirm or deny that.
(3) Letting bygones be bygones:
As you all know, the HH team loves to point out when people are doing things that are not only necessarily on TV, but because it's interaction with the live crowd (JP the Editor's Note: Can't beat a live show!). During the opening tag match, Test had RVD in the ring and was pretty much dominating the match. Several times, chants of "RVD" (yes, RVD, more on that later) started up in the crowd. Now, I don't know if he was doing it a lot, but for a second during one of those chants you could see CM Punk in the top left of your screen in the background. What was he doing? The RVD thumb-to-shoulder point that RVD is so famous for, right in unison with the crowd! Again, we talk about it plenty, but not only was this not guaranteed to be on TV, not only was this live interaction with the crowd, but it was also a great little move by Punk to show his partner (getting his ass kicked, mind you) some support, especially in the face of the fact that one had eliminated the other at December to Dismember.
(2) You play the hand you're dealt:
After Tommy Dreamer landed the DDT on Daivari, he went for the pin. But as we could all clearly see, he was in no shape to hook a leg or pin an arm; not in the shape he (and his arms) were in. So he had to improvise, and he did so by practically laying his entire body on top of Daivari and then going to dead weight. I don't know about any of you, but I've found in real life, dead weight can be a bitch. In an incapacitated situation like that, it was very smart of Dreamer to do the only thing he could; attempt to add more (dead) weight onto Daivari's body to prevent the kick out, essentially requiring him to use more than usual effort if he wanted to do so.
(1) It really was your passion:
Well, I figured just in case we never see him on an ECW program again, I'd throw Paul Heyman some love. Some symbolic love. Sure, we all saw the blood on Heyman's suit (he pointed it out enough times), and sure, we all saw that he was clearly weeping *tears*. But something I noticed that put it all together was that big sweaty forehead. It seems silly, but it just seemed fitting to me that in the last appearance of Paul Heyman – be it shoot or work – it was him talking about his love of ECW, covered in the "Blood, sweat, and tears" of his labor. If it's a work, see you soon Paul. If not, best of luck to you and thanks for the memories.
JP: I think we've moved back in shwork territory. For those unfamiliar, in the late 1990's, backstage situations that were leaked to the dirt sheets and internet were often written into the show, much to the confusion of the general audience who had not heard the news. Think Matt Hardy/Lita/Edge, except with no on air history whatsoever to work with. This seems like they are trying to take a real situation and make it into an angle. We'll see if they go anywhere with it or forgot that they were actually trying it!
Hidden Highlights for TNA iMPACT: Thursday, December 7, 2006 by JP
JP: Remember when I was talking about subtlety earlier? Well, that is not Vince Russo's particular strong suit. He will definitely have the joke beat you over the head and then explained rather than let it stand. For instance, Mike Tenay was talking about Eric Young vs. Ms. Brooks in a Bikini Contest, and he said that she was "amply endowed". That was perfectly fine and got the point across and was funny. But then Don West had to go and say, "Amply endowed? They're freaking huge", followed by a breast feeding comment during the actual match. Russo definitely gets the idea of Hidden Highlights, but the trouble lies in wanting to highlight them. He wants to show that he gets the idea of the little things and that it adds layers, which it does. But it works much better when you let the Hidden Highlights speak for themselves and not say, "Hey, see what I did there! That's kind of cool, isn't it?!" Besides, it makes my job much easier when the Hidden Highlights are just there for me to pick. Ah, low hanging fruit, my favorite sweet dessert.
(3) Grabby grabby:
Speaking of Eric Young and his getting distracted, this led to Senshi being able to hit him with an offensive flurry that lead to his finishing move: the double foot-stomp from the top rope known as the Warrior's Way. I've noticed a lot in the past that after the move Senshi tends to slip away and have to crawl his way back. This week, it looks like he was attempting to figure out a way to keep his balance and make the pin right afterwards. Unfortunately, this did not work out for Eric Young because Senshi ended up grabbing him right in the crotch! Intentional or not, that would make the Warrior's Way an even more devastating more, thought it could help Eric in his upcoming Bikini Contest at Turning Point (now in the past, but upcoming when this was written).
(2) That's not my sign, but oh well:
As you know, we do like to read the signs in the audience. Signs like this one are especially appealing:
More of those would be great! This week, I did not catch one of those, but I did see a sign while Jim Cornette was in the ring setting up the Flag Match for Turning Point. For a second, the camera came to a sign that said "TNA is Professional Wrestling, not Professional Soap Opera". Now, I can't decide is this sign is an honest prop up (TNA is about wrestling, yeah!), ironic (TNA should be about wrestling, not soap operas), or a message (I want TNA to be about wrestling, stop the soap opera stuff). Either way, it was show during a very soap opera moment, which makes it amusing in its own right. Then you have to remember that someone in the production truck decided to show that sign. What message were they trying to say? Were they saying the sign rang true, or that they wanted the sign to ring true? It really is confusing and interesting to over-ponder.
(1) Keep them away:
The unadvertised main event saw the top tier of TNA going at each other in a six corners match. Christian Cage (with Tomoko) was the first man out as everyone else made their way down. Did you watch Christian as the rest of the wrestlers came out? He left the ring and then continued to walk away from whatever corner they chose! Christian did not want to put himself in any danger before the match, especially because he knew he had problems with everyone in there (Sting, Abyss, Rhyno, Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle [though that one is harder to explain and would require an Evolution Schematic or something]). Christian is always a smart wrestlers, and this just showed off his brain at work again, always thinking of his characters safety at any moment in time.
JT: I hate spoilers, so allow the cliché' "I agree completely, JP. Good call" to commence!
Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, December 8, 2006 by JT
JT: Kennedy gets scared off, the tag champs fall at the hands of British brawlers, Cena is happy to be here, King Bookah gets nervous, Batista continues his roll, HH fave Jimmy Wang Yang moves closer to the title (as Helms looks on), Chris Benoit does what Chris Benoit does, [skipped segment], and Kane wins for a change! And let me just say that Dave Taylor is a beast, because damn, he told that major injury to fuck off so he could continue to be out there.
(3) Lurking colors!:
Yes. Colors. Deal with it! As Booker and Finlay were *discussing* things in the locker room, you all may have noticed for some odd reason, there were colors lit up in the background on the walls. Half blue colors, half red colors. I don't think I have to explain what each color signifies, but I will point out that I liked it because it was almost as if the light was "looming", as is their impending match against John Cena and Batista. LIGHTS PEOPLE! CAN WE GIVE THE LIGHTS MAN SOME LOVE!? We sure can. Look, I know we dribble on about lights and colors to no end, but can anyone honestly remember the last time you saw a "locker room" scene where it wasn't just the normal light from overhead. Colors in other places? Definitely. But usually when they show two guys in a locker room, it's business as usual with normal lighting. Someone both in production and in creative went through the trouble to not only think of but execute this little touch of symbolism. Kudos to that/those guys.
(2) Be aware of your environment:
When Kennedy came out to start the show, he went and looked into the driver side window of the hearse (looking inside and at the dash). He then went and looked at the front, the side, the back, etc. Now, some might say he was just being curious, but I don't think so. Let's remember, Kennedy has two victories and a severe beat down on Taker. In his mind, there is no question he will win the Last Ride match. So, naturally, when a hearse presented itself, he inspected it so that he would know his way around it when he finally got a beaten Undertaker near it. He was scouting the location if you will. In his mind he already has an advantage, why not increase it by familiarizing himself with the most important "prop" in his upcoming match. He furthered this theory by cutting a promo about how confident he was and what he was going to do to Taker at the PPV.
(1) Ensuring success is smart!:
After London/Kenrick had attacked Regal/Taylor to start their tag team match, they managed to get them in the ring. They also managed to separate them and get them into opposite corners of the ring. As they (London/Kendrick) were about to go for the double Irish Whip, I notice that Kendrick took a second to apply a Wristlock to Taylor before sending him in the opposite direction. First, I'm assuming that when you put the Wristlock on, it's MUCH harder to reverse the Irish Whip (something we see all the time), but that's only half the point. The other half is that it was CLEAR that they were going to hit the double IW, and so I just thought it was a great touch by Kendrick to throw in this little move to help *ensure* that it was going to work even though we all know it would have anyway. Little things, people.
JP: Might I say, I love our new schedule! I can actually watch SmackDown! before the final draft is due and comment on it. Will I comment on your Hidden Highlights now, then? No, I don't think so.
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: Wow, not a single email regarding the HH HOF. Come on people! Do you really want to this in the hands of myself and JP!? We need those ideas, candidates, etc! So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…
Kicking us off this week is Mark W. Why is he kicking us off? Because for once, JP gets corrected!
You were way off about Chrisitan not being seen on RAW...he's clearly shown (face and everything) at the beginning of the highlight reel for the No Mercy 99 ladder match and is seen taking a ladder shot from Jeff's catapault...
JT: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
JP: I'm still not convinced that was him, but I guess I missed it. So, one face shot got through, I was still right about the rest. It's not like they said his name in the clip at all, and that still takes a lot of work. Besides, the editing crew never gets enough love. I mean, come on, they are hiring a guy whose entire job will be to blur out the WWF logo! Do you have any more for me?
BTW, those weren't "TNA" chants on ECW...they were indeed "RVD" chants...
JP: Well, I even said someone would correct me if I was wrong, but I was actually agreeing with a rea—
JT: Oh no you don't! No spoiling the fun for me! I'm moving on! We only got one for December to Dismember; can't say I blame you guys. Don't get me wrong, we're definitely uber-positive around here, but even we have to admit that sometimes it just isn't all puppies and hugs. At any rate, Brett from down under is writing in about Team Extreme:
Now, onto the new one at December to Dismember. While the Hardys are celebrating their win on the ramp they do a DX like pose, when Hunter stands behind Shawn who does his muscleflex thing anyway you know what I mean with Jeff playing the Shawn Michaels role and Matt in the Triple H role, slightly different with Matt throwing up a V1 and Jeff doing his thing, but I found this interesting considering the recently the Hardys and DX have been teaming up. It's easy to miss as the camera cuts away 1/2 way through it only to come back at the end but it is definitely there.
JT: You know, I have noticed for about the last month or so between DX, The Hardys, and CM Punk, there has been a lot of putting other people over and love going around. I didn't see this so it appears that the trend continues. I assume it's because they were playing off the win at Survivor Series, so I'll be looking pretty closely over the next couple of weeks to see anybody does anything else. I'm kind of bummed I missed this one and may have to go back and watch it. Thanks Brett. Before we start with this week's RAW, we have one from two weeks ago (I know, seems weird, but hey, we're on Monday now!) from Chase K.:
During the Cutting Edge segment when Edge was waiting for his guest, and Randy Orton appeared from behind the curtain, before we even see Ric Flair, there is a little bit of blood splattered on Orton's face. Now I don't know if he intentionally put it there or if it just splashed on him while they were covering Flair in it, but it made those few seconds before they revealed Flair much more ominous as it was obvious Orton had just really done a number on somebody.
JT: Have to be honest; didn't see it. But I certainly will take your word for it Chase. This is the exact type of little touches we are trying to look for around here. The comedic value of Orton cutting a "it might be him" promo with a little bit of blood all on his face is great. Some of you may have seen this and some of you may not, but Manu sent this in:
JT: Pretty funny, I just wish they had gotten someone who sounds remotely like Ric Flair. Next up is John L., who has one from Survivor Series, and then also from RAW a couple of weeks ago!
The first one comes from Survivor Series as the Spirit Squad entered the arena for their classic survivor series match. Kenny was out in front of everyone else with his arms wide open, hogging the spotlight. Right before the camera cut to the ring one of the other members, I believe Johnny, came up, shoved Kenny's hand away and walked by him, showing that The Squad~! isn't all Kenny and displaying the recent dissent within the team.
The next two are from RAW when Spirit Squad faced off with DX and Ric Flair. When Triple H said on the mic that this would be the last time we saw the Squad one of the members - not sure who, maybe Mikey? - yelled out audibly: "We will never die!", keeping in character even though the attention of the viewers and audience was obviously not on him.
JT: I've liked the little things like this from the SS lately. We all know the split is coming, and it seems like they're (some of them anyway) trying to establish themselves as their own character with their own identity. Really good catch on the Johnny one also. Also John, I couldn't use your Batista one, because if you recall, it was one of my three for SmackDown in last week's issue! Jarkota has something from last week's RAW:
My HH is for the 8-man tag Main Event (DX and The Hardys vs. Rated RKO and MNM): The four heels made their usual entrances, and then it was the Hardys' turn. When they made their entrance, they did the usual posing and the like down the ramp, but they stopped at the bottom of the ramp and kept a sharp eye on Rated RKO and MNM, not making another move towards the ring until DX arrived and the numbers were even. This shows that, despite being singles competitors for a long time, the Hardys never forgot the old phrase "strength in numbers". And the fact that they kept an eye on their opponents also proves that they know what the four men are capable of and, being the veterans they are, didn't want to give Edge, Orton, Mercury, Nitro or even Melina the slightest chance at a pre-match ambush/beatdown.
JT: This is actually a pretty common thing, but since we rarely mention it (if we've even ever mentioned it at all), I figured I'd throw it in because it is all a part of psyche and storytelling. Very smart move by the faces. Gannon C. is a first timer with some thoughts on race relations:
Before I started reading your column I was starting to get bored watching wrestling on TV. But, your column has given me a new reason to watch. I think I found my first legitimate HH this past week on RAW. After the Cryme Tyme skit at the old folks home we get back to the arena in a back room with Super Crazy, Shelton Benjamin, Hacksaw Jim Duggan and Todd Grisham. On the back wall there was a picture of an American flag. What caught my attention was Shelton yelling about Super Crazy about how Cryme Tyme brings to everyone's attention negative stereotypes about African Americans. I also thought that the four of them in the room represented the different types of people in our country, Grisham (in a suit) represents white collar workers, Duggan represents blue collar workers, Benjamin represents African Americans, and Super Crazy represents Latinos. Another thing was after Super Crazy walked out Benjamin looked over at Grisham and Duggan and both of them didn't address Benjamin's "fruit selling" comment to Super Crazy. They just walked away which I think represents how sometimes people in our country look away from some of the unfortunate racism and race issues that we have today. Anyways, you can take this and run with it but I'm curious on your thoughts on this potential HH. Thanks.
JT: Well, first let me say we're happy that you're no longer bored and have a new reason to watch! We appreciate your comments on the column. I liked your explanation of the different types of people and how certain people react to certain things when it comes to race. I doubt it was designed to come off like that, but we've said many times intent has nothing to do with it; it is how you perceive it. Personally, I took Duggan and Grisham no selling of the joke to indicate that they felt he was being a spoiled little brat. To each their own though.
JP: And might I just say: Cook, changing the way people watch wrestling = another point for Team Hidden Highlights! Boo yeah!
JT: Oh, did you have to end with a boo yeah? Though you are right, Hidden Highlights is all about making an impact (and getting signs on TV. The mission isn't over yet, people!). Finishing us up on RAW is Jis, who really racked her brain on this one!:
During the DX interview on RAW, HBK did all the talking while HHH stood back, taking on a strong-but-silent appearance. Correct me if I'm wrong, but during more their usual promos, isn't HHH usually the mouthpiece while HBK stands back and looks pretty?
I thought about just HOW this could be skewed--I mean perceived as a Hidden Highlight. Thinking back to the bitter feud that dissolved the remaining pieces of Evolution for good some time ago, I realized the possibility that, for continuity's sake, it wouldn't make sense to allow HHH to defend Flair so adamantly after beating him even more severely--and frequently--than Rated RKO had that night.
Furthermore, think of the traditional symbols for theater: a comedy mask (the smiling one) and a tragedy mask (the weeping one). HHH has been like the comedy mask--piping out comical quips and ribbing as happily as can be--whereas HBK showed us that he is capable of being the serious side of DX when necessary.
JT: Well, not much explanation needed there. You pretty much clarified your HH as much as it can be clarified. I think you make a very interesting point about the HHH/HBK thing, and I see no other reasoning that makes more sense than that. I was also going to throw in your comment about continuity, but you know how JP gets.
Jordan: It's like he forgets I'm a large African American gentleman.
JP: Please, we know that's just a ruse. I could take you out in a heartbe—
JT: Maybe you should just stop right there. He might not know where you live, but he knows where you'll be come next April! And a perfect segue from RAW to ECW comes from regular J2K, who found a HH on both shows:
During Raw, on the Masterlock Challenge, the announcers sold the ref bump as accidental, but I see it a different way. Masters realized that Cena was on the verge of breaking the "unbreakable" Masterlock, and rather than have the only marketable thing about him get ruined, he swung his body and Cena's into the referee so he could break the hold himself without losing the challenge.
On ECW, one major thing I noticed was during Big Show's entrance for his rematch against Bobby Lashley. When he goes up to the ropes to do his "roaring giant arm-raise" thing, you see him reach at his shoulder first. For a moment, I wondered if he was selling some injury from the PPV, but then I realized: he was reaching for his ECW World Title! He'd become so used to having it there, that out of habit, he went to hold it up but forgot it wasn't there anymore.
JT: I thought he did it as more of a sign to say he was getting the belt back for the shoulder, but I like yours as well. Like I said earlier, there are rarely flat out wrong HH. It's how it appears to the viewer, and the fact that you even made the connection with the belt shows that the way you watch is slowly changing, so good job man! And I agree with you 100% on the Masters thing. I actually found it quite odd that the announcers tried to sell it as an accident because it was so blatantly obvious that Masters was a finger from losing it and had to act fast, so good call.
Heading us into SmackDown (no ECW or TNA emails!) is 411's own Mathew Sforcina, who keeps us on our toes:
Last SD (the first one I've watched 100% in a fair while, to tell the truth) had a very obvious HH, which I know sounds like a contradiction in terms, but hear me out.
As MVP came out for his match with his entrance, at one point he quite notably jumped and was spooked. This, you imagine is somewhat natural for anyone going up against Taker, but it was to something very specific.
He got spooked by the big bursts of flame that shot out of his "MVTowers" or whatever they are called. And what sort of match does he have coming up soon, the one he was bitching to Kennedy about a few moments beforehand? Why, an Inferno match!
I'm quite shocked you didn't catch it.
JT: Ah, Sforcy. I did catch it! Remember kids, just because we don't use it doesn't mean we didn't see it. To be honest Matthew, I immediately made the connection when I saw it, just felt the other HH I went with were a bit less – as you say yourself – obvious. No matter now though as we can just give it love this week! MVP did indeed look quite spooked by the pyro. I'm telling you, someone in the back is telling that man to go out there and suck, because not only is he sucking (kayfabe), he's doing the little things to help put on an entertaining show. I dare say he is actually growing on me. But that wasn't all from thr 411mania crew, as Nick Marsico emailed us later in the week to talk more SmackDown:
So I noticed last week but didn't think to bring it up... Batista has looked disheveled, unshaved and kind of dirty more or less since his return, and it got worse and worse as the months went on. After he won the title at Survivor Series, however, he made his return to SmackDown with the title over his shoulder and was clean shaven (except for the trademark patch under the lip) and his nearly shaved head was neat and cropped rather than dirty looking. It's just a nice little Hidden Highlight that I've actually been thinking about for a while. I wondered if this would happen, and it's exactly what did.
JT: I actually thought about this very thing. When he came back, I too noticed the stubble and "dirty" look to him, and actually thought it was helpful in him getting his edge back a little. It's almost as if he didn't have time to bother with such things because his #1 goal was getting the title back. Now that he's succeeded, he can get cleaned up and present himself how a champion should, and to take an it to an even further HH, it would appear from this week's SmackDown that he has attempted to find middle ground. He did the scraggly, he did the clean, and now it seems like a clean shaven yet cleverly calculated facial and head haired Batista.
Keep up the good work, fellas. It's the next best thing to the Little Things. I miss the Little Things.
JT: We have no idea what you're talking about! Moving on! Jay P. (hehehe) also caught the one by MVP, and this one from the same match:
During the December 1st edition of Friday Night Smackdown, MVP came out with his usual cocky demeanor for his match against the Undertaker, but seemed determined to make amends for hitting the Undertaker with a chair during their last encounter. As the Undertaker made his way toward the ring, MVP was mouthing an apology, but it wasn't like your typical "cringing heel" type of moment. MVP wasn't trying to completely beg off the fight. No, MVP may be wary of the Undertaker, but he still believes his own hype.
JT: First off, thanks for the kind words Jay. I think this is just another great example to further my theory that MVP is a very talented guy who in fact does know what he's doing out there; he is merely playing the role of underachiever. As we all saw last Friday, he even went and bitched about the flames to Teddy Long. Good times. Sticking with playing roles, James G. did a little research on our good friend Little Bastard:
My HH is not for a spot on a show but for Finley's overall character and specifically his weapon of choice. While traditionally the shillelagh is used as an "attitude adjuster", they are used mainly as a walking stick that doubles as personal protection. Now Finley's stick appears to be about as long as his forearm which would be about the right length for a club type weapon, but just the right height for a LEPRECHAUN! This would explain why Little Bastard has an extra to slip to Finley when he can't get to his own.
JT: I love it! That does indeed make perfect sense for why he has one. I certainly like it better than "he has an extra one because it was scripted that way so he could help Finlay". Heading elsewhere, reader Michael W. wants to show CM Punk some love:
JT: I like this, especially considering it's HBK. We all know HBK involves himself in EVERYTHING to put on a good show, and this was sort of like Punk matching that sort of involvement. Red chimed in with thoughts regarding last week's Ron Simmons discussion:
Just a note about Ron Simmons' theme. His current music, the APA theme
with the word "DAMN!" before it, is, I guess, made just for his run as a "Legend". Years ago, when he wrestled singles matches while still part of the APA, instead of "DAMN!", his intro went, "Well I'll be DAMNED!". Basically the same, I guess, except now they're trying to sell his shirts.
JT: So I suppose this one goes to both marketing and production. That pesky Vince and his love for money! Thanks for the info Red. That's pretty much it, but before we go, we've got one more. Now, typically JP and I are above shamelessly plugging ourselves and other people, but –
JP: Uh, …we d-
JT: Shhhh. Just roll with it, I'm leading to a killer joke.
JP: Oh, I'm sure.
JT: So yeah, JP and I would never stoop to such a level. Jeff Small on the other hand, has no such dignity, and will shamelessly plug himself from here to eternity. We here at HH merely give him the forum to do so:
J's,
JP: Wait. Where was the joke? I thought you said there was a joke coming?
JT: I already used it, it went over fabulously.
JP: Perhaps you should point it out because I seem to be having some trouble finding a joke – let a lone a killer joke – anywhere in that last statement.
JT: You know… the whole part about him not …having… you know what? Let's just let him talk:
J's,
So am I the only one left on Sundays now?
And really shouldn't Sunday be a large hit day considering there's always a PPV that night?
Lastly, thanks for bringing me back to the column... I enjoy your fake conversations. Use me more (I'm gonna need all the pluggin' I can get!!)
JT: With that in mind, the man himself, Mr. Andy Clark.
Small: Hey!
JT: Whoops. Sorry about that. Ladies and gentleman, without further ado Mr. Jeff Slimmer!
Small: Now that's just low… even for you.
JT: Oh, who can tell the difference; you guys are practically interchangeable!
Small: ………this is NOT what I came here for!
JT: I know Small, just harassing you. Do your thing.
Small: Thank you. As many of you know, Hidden Highlights moved to Mondays, and you may be asking yourself, "what ever will I do on Sunday's now". Well, fear not. You needn't look any further than my Sunday Small-For-All News Reports to get you through the end of your weekend. I promise a hard-hitting, insightful and informative look into the world of pro wrestling filled with intelligent, professional dialogue halfway decent column with a bunch of news you already read about all week mixed in with some zingy one-liners to get myself ove….. hey… wait a minut…. WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?
JT: Perhaps next time you'll think twice about calling me a fag and making up fake me-hitting-on-you comments.
Small: Come on! It was funny! Larry does it all the time!
JT: Larry can also fire me, something not within your means.
Small: Alright, alright! Fair enough. I'm sorry about the comment!
JT: Just harassin' ya again! Man, you're right, having you in the column is super fun! Kidding aside, go read Small, folks. He's good people. And that's it for this week!
JP: Oh man, I think I had like a million comments (many just for Jis), but that last conversation made me lose them all. This section is done!
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 Saturday 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
This week, JT has something for That Other Section.
JT: A bit of a sad announcement this week for That Other Section, so make sure the Puffs are plenty-
JP: Oh please, must you always be so dramatic? It's not that big of a deal, for Chuck's sake.
JT: …why Chucks?
JP: Didn't really feel like Pete's. You know me, Mr. Rebel.
JT: O…kay… at any rate, folks, I have decided that 2007 will be the Year of the Cheap-Ass. Your boy JT is done spending between 70 and 120 bucks a month on two hour and ten minute wrestling PPVs. It's one of many efforts being made on my part to start saving a nice little nest-egg, but one I felt like mentioning. Now, JP has said he can pick up some of the slack on the WWE PPV's due to being close to Blast Zones, and I'll still get the random PPV here and there (including the Big 5), but the fact is when it comes to TNA PPV's, we're going to be coming up pretty short on the HH stick.
So basically, we're been discussing two things. The first being an open invitation to any reader that orders the TNA PPV's that feels they could be reliable and consistent on providing the three HH for said show. If we get such a submission, we will definitely take a look at it, but for now, we're looking at the second option; we need you guys now more than ever! If you watch the TNA PPV's then please, by all means, send in those HH because the following week, hopefully you'll be one of the three selected for the respective PPV section.
I'd hate to see us have to drop the PPV HH, we can't do it without you people!
Exit, stage left!
JP: Well, I totally feel like this was a "JT" centric issue. And for our Monday debut no less
JT: Are you inferring that that is a bad thing?
JP: Inferring? No. Suggesting? Possibly.
JT: You are such an ass. Unless you are kidding, which we know you are.
Randle: I think he left, which just leaves you and me.
JT: That's it, I'm out of here. Goodnight my little igloos. Always remember, it's a Tomtom, not a Scottscott.
Thank you for joining us for THE 67th 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 for all the moments you see this and every week.
We'll catch you next time in the reader approved most positive article in all of the IWC, and most definitely the most positive article on Mondays: Hidden Highlights! Until then!
