Hidden Highlights 12.18.06: Issue #68
Posted by Prag-Thomlison on 12.18.2006
Tenay and West break kayfabe, Carlito does not escape from the Masterlock, Abyss saves James Mitchell, King Booker changes his picture, Matt Striker proves how smart he is (again), and more, more, more!
Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and James "JT" Thomlison
Issue #68
Intro
Hello everyone who somehow caught JT's cold from 1500 miles away, and welcome back to Hidden Highlights!!
There are very few positive things on the Internet. It's more about everyone's negative view of what everyone else is trying to do.
— Eric Bischoff, Controversy Creates Ca$h
Hidden Highlight (n) – a small, hardly noticeable point that makes a big, positive difference. This could be anything from a wrestler putting extra emphasis into his moves to make it believable to a person in the background reacting while not the focus to the cameraman shaking the picture to create an effect. There are just so many unsung heroes of wrestling that it is impossible to cover them all.
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: Folks, I haven't even read the column yet and this might be the busiest week ever for either of us. I was dealing with extra hours at work matched with the possible loss of a co-worker (thanks to him being a dumbass), plus ECW didn't want to come on until Saturday night, and after tomorrow, I have to work thirteen straight days; …yes, that does include Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Years Eve. Oh, the joys of working for a company open 24/7 THREE-SIXTY-FIVE. As if that wasn't enough, we have JP, and how are you doing this week?
JP: Oh man, I'm totally dead to the world. I've been sick since Thursday and it doesn't seem to be letting up. Tie that together with four plane rides (including one red-eye from the west coast), a screaming baby, and working on Sunday, and I'm not getting better.
JT: That stinks dude, I just got over some illness myself.
JP: Yeah, I remember. And if I remember correctly, I made fun of you incessantly for it.
JT: Hey, wait a minute! That's right! Oh I'm so going to get you no—
JP: ON WITH THE HIDDEN HIGHLIGHTS!
Hidden Highlights for TNA presents Turning Point: Sunday, December 10, 2006 by JT
JT: Senshi survives four of the rosters best, Eric Young somehow beats Traci Brooks in a bikini contest (gotta love the TNA crowd!), Roode throws a hissy, the WWE taunts continue, Jerry Lynn picks a fight as Daniels goes over Sabin, baseball players from different teams don't like each other (shocker!), Styles "sneaks" by Rhino then gets into a brawl with him backstage, LAX wins a match and the right to play the Mexican Anthem, VKM… was there, Abyss manages to retain, and Samoa Joe evens the score! Let me just say, when watching five PPV's in a row, there could have been a lot worse than this 4th. Pretty entertaining show.
(3) Did you just say that!?:
Sometimes we catch breaks in kayfabe, but usually they appear unintentional and just seem humorous to us (except VKM, which is BLATANTLY obvious). However, I believe that the breaks in kayfabe for this PPV were completely intentional, and for a reason. First, during the baseball segment, as David Eckstein was coming down, Tenay turned to Don West and said, "I know you're a huge Cubs fan, but will you please put this guy over?". Now I liked this, but I liked the later one better. During the three-way for the title, as Sting went up for the Tower of Doom, Don West said "See! He sold the move (that he had taken), waiting for his spot, and picked his moment!". Now, TNA has been trying to sell that they are more about wrestling and the wrestling business, not about the spoofs and skits which you find in the E. Does TNA have those? Yes they do, but they generally try and be more direct and to the point than the E, and little comments like this from the announcer's help sell that they are there to put on a "wrestling" show, and are willing to acknowledge some of the backstage lingo to do so.
(2) Tomko breaks shit up:
During the same triple-threat match, I was trying to pay attention to the background because whenever you have several people ringside (James Mitchell and Tomko), something tends to happen. What I noticed was that during the match – no matter what was going on – you could catch Tomko pointing and confronting certain people in the crowd; telling them to "shut up" and what have you. What I liked about this was the fact that Tomko is Christian Cage's "bodyguard". Being one's bodyguard includes duties other than watching his match. Now, did he have to stop anyone from getting to him? No, he didn't. But part of being a bodyguard is dealing with hecklers, which Christian had plenty of during the match. Thought it was great that while he was keeping an eye on the match, he was dealing with certain members of the crowd who were giving Double C a hard time. (You could almost add fan interaction into that.)
(1) A smart change in direction:
During the main event, Kurt Angle found himself in the corner. Samoa Joe went to rush him, and Kurt moved; but he didn't just move. As he stepped to the side, he put his hand on Joe and pushed him into the rope instead of the corner, causing Joe to bounce off the ropes and start walking backwards. Hopefully the HH here makes sense. By pushing him into the rope, he ensured that Joe would have backward momentum when he delivered the following clothesline. Had he have let him hit the corner, Joe would have turned around and had forward momentum going into the clotheslines. Obviously, a clothesline delivered to a man moving in the same direction as opposed to the opposite direction is going to be more effective. I realize this HH is all over the place and somewhat confusing, but the fact is that the little move by Kurt to change his direction was a very smart thing to do in terms of offense.
JP: Ah, I love wrestling physics! Did you ever read that Mad Magazine issue like 15 years ago (I'm dating myself badly now) where they were going through all of the things that only work in wrestling? Like when a guy does a splash off the top rope and lands on a person (who is made out of hard bone) he's fine, but when he lands on the mat (made out of springs) he is hurt. I love that stuff! I think Meehan did about a 12 week special on it as well.
Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Monday, December 11, 2006 by JP
JP: RAW was live in the Mohegan Sun Arena in CT, and sadly I was not there! Normally I would be, but work kept in North Carolina. And then I left North Carolina the day of the TNA house shows. So all-and-all, it just looks like I'm running away from wrestling. But that is simply not true as I watched everything that was on TV and found some good ‘ol Hidden Highlights!
(3) Still Unbroken:
Although they are not pushing Chris Masters as a serious contender, they are making sure to keep the Masterlock itself strong. To this day, no one has broken it, though some have come close. In the second match of the night, Chris Masters and Viscera teamed up to take on Jerry Lawler and Carlito. Late into the match, Masters went for the Masterlock on Carlito, but Carlito managed to slip down and then reverse the move into a rollup and dropkick. Although to the quick of the eye, it looked like Carlito managed to reverse the Masterlock, but that was not true. JR took the time to stress that Carlito managed to escape the Masterlock "before it could be fully applied". Good work by JR (although I don't always like you, you do have your moments)!
(2) What was that move?:
In another tag team contest of the night, The World's Greatest Tag Team reunited to take on the Highlanders. Although the two team members didn't wear matching outfits (hey, it was their first night back), they did start to pull off some of their old tag-team moves. Late into the match, Charlie Haas lifted Rory over his shoulders and across the rope to set up for the Leapfrog-backbreakers. But Shelton Benjamin did not immediately react. Instead, Charlie had to call him over and remind him what the move was. I thought this was a great little touch as two men who haven't teamed up for a while wouldn't be on the same page as crisp as they used to be. Great little element of actually showing the rust in the ring.
(1) Tell me how it hurts:
Victoria's list of destroyed divas continued as she took on Torrie Wilson with Chloe. The beating started early as Victoria laid in high impact move after high impact move. After kicking Torrie a few times in the ropes, Victoria started screaming at Torrie and said, "Does that hurt now?!" Absolutely great moment by Victoria staying in character, putting over the angle, and letting everyone know exactly what was going on in the ring. We have often given props to Victoria in the past for things she screamed in and out of the ring, and this was another awesome example.
JT: As you'll all see later, we seem to be talk oriented this issue. However, let's not forget the important point here is that Victoria is getting a push which is great, AND the Widow's Peak is the second most devastating move in the entire business. I'd give you the first, but I haven't found it yet. VIVA LA WIDOW'S PEAK!
Hidden Highlights for TNA iMPACT: Thursday, December 14, 2006 by JP
JP: iMPACT came off of Turning Point with a whole ton of momentum to set up the next phase of angles. The whole night, though, was all about refs, officials, and other peripheral people getting beat up! I still can't believe Jim Cornette did not suspend Angle for thirty days after attacking SoCalVal. Instead he got a reward! Crazy! Well, SoCal, I won't forget you and give you the opening Hidden Highlight for iMPACT…
(3) Hey, that's me!:
The middle of the night saw X-Division champion Christopher Daniels take on Petey Williams in a non-title affair. Per usual, Daniels gave his ring attire and belt to SoCal and she started to walk away with all of it. But the camera took a moment to follow her, and SoCal quickly realized it. And what did she do? Well, most ring girls would just keep going, but not our pretty lady. Instead she turned the camera, smiles, and gave a one-shoulder shrug and wink. Just perfect little timing by SoCal and a nice reaction to a camera being right there instead of ignoring it. I look forward to the day she gets more involved and we see her as a manager/valet/wrestlers. It'll be good.
(2) Save me… errr… him:
Earlier in the night, Abyss was taking on Ron Killings in another non-title contest. This time, Ron Killings was able to knock Abyss around enough that he bailed from the ring to confer with his manager/handler Jim Mitchell. Well, Killing went for a flying leap through the ropes and we got TWO Hidden Highlights. First, referee Slick Johnson actually held his hands out to tell Killings not to jump because it would be illegal. Too often I feel the refs sit back and don't actually act like they are trying to enforce rules, and I'm glad to see Johnson take on this role. Second, when Killings made his leap through the ropes, Abyss actually pushed Mitchell out of the way to save him! Tenay did not catch it at the time, but it was an important part of what happened later as Abyss still cares about Mitchell and wanted to protect him. Excellent work by all in that match.
(1) Pants, drinks water, pants:
After the aforementioned match, Jim Cornette came down to join Mike Tenay on commentary. I really like Don West, and I like Cornette, so I'm torn with how I want this to go. Maybe we get a two hour show and switch in the middle like on Nitro. Or Cornette does PPV and West does iMPACT. What? Oh yes, so when Cornette joined the booth, did you catch what he was doing? That right, he was panting! Why was he panting? Because Cornette was running around backstage trying to take care of the messes that Angle, Cage, Abyss, and others were causing while also checking on Don West! So of course he was out of breath when he made it the announce booth; he literally ran out there!
JT: [Don't get it until Saturday night! And I was busy with ECW HH!] I'd have to assume that JP is spot on here, whatever he said.
Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, December 15, 2006 by JT
JT: Cena started things – along with Booker, Finlay, Big Dave, and Teddy Long (and Sharmelle!), Jimmy Wang Yang helps London and Kendrick beat down the British Beasts by pinning Helms, Mercury and Matt Hardy both re-begin their singles career, The Brothers of Destruction continue to embarrass Team KenneMVP, Chavo sneezes at Funaki and wins, Vito makes an appearance in a victory over Sylvan, and Cena becomes the only man in history to not job in his hometown (at the expense of Finlay!). Just kidding kids, we have to throw in the hometown joke once in a while. And speaking of Finlay, how about the "Your Shillelagh is showing!" sign. Glorious. Also, I'm spelling it Shillelagh from now on. It's the only spelling of the word that won't put a stupid little red line under it in Microsoft Word. Take that Office!
(3) Sometimes, you're just a weirdo:
After Vito got the pin on Sylvan, Charles Robinson happened to be in a bad spot as Vito had to roll out of him to get out of the ring. As Vito headed up the ramp, Charles Robinson came up for a second to raise his hand and point at him. As he did, you could see him kind of roll his eyes and raise his eyebrows almost inquisitively as if to say "okay, that was… something", referencing have the man in the dress rolling over him. Great move by the ref to sell that not everyone is quite sure how to handle the big man's personality (or more specifically, prancing around in a dress).
(2) Opening changes!:
Now, I honestly either don't remember or didn't pay attention last week (or, maybe even fast forwarded it – love ya TiVo) during the intro, but it probably happened. Since I didn't see it then, I'll give it love now – a mere one week later. However, one thing I loved about the intro for the last few months is that the last thing you would see is King Booker (wearing the belt) in front of the SmackDown logo, lifting up the left side of his robe, and opening it quickly. It would cover the screen, and it would cut right into the show. I just always thought that was an excellent job by the editing team. So imagine my surprise when this week, instead of Booker pasted over the logo, I see him in the very last shot of the segment; a video clip of him standing in the ring with robe spread wide, belt-less. Now, this also just happened to be the very last clip before they cue what? Batista, pasted over the logo screaming and holding up his World Heavyweight Championship. Well of course, he's the new champ! And Booker is the one that he took it from. Nice touch by the production department to change up the ending of the segment to reflect the current champion.
(1) Not me! Not today!:
During the main event, Cena threw Finlay into the ropes. As Finlay was heading back his way, Cena dropped down for the Drop Toe Hold. When he threw his right leg into the back of Finlay's legs, Finlay started to go down and then hesitated for just a split second before finally going down. I'm sorry but this had to be completely intentional. In kayfabe land, they always "scout" their opponents, and we saw from his immediate scrambling to the ropes that he knew an STFU attempt was coming. This little hesitation by Finlay was the exact same thing. He knew what was coming, and tried to nip it in the ass before it ever got started. MEMO TO THE HH AUDIENCE: Finlay is the man, and things like this are why.
JP: You know, I should have been paying more attention while watching SmackDown! this week. No, not to catch more Hidden Highlights, but to watch for cute girls in the audience. I mean it was from my hometown of Boston, so I should be looking for hottie wrestling fans that love IWC writers!
Hidden Highlights for ECW on SciFi: Saturday, December 16, 2006 by JT
JT: Special night, special time, and what may be most important… no Kelly Kelly. Shame on all of you at ECW! Seriously, I RARELY will fawn over someone her age because of my age, but my goodness that woman is HOT. I mean, she-
JP: Maybe you should just focus before you say something you regre—
JT: Fine! You know, just because you're sick and on the other side of the planet doesn't mean you have to—
JP: I said focus!
JT: …fair enough. I was sick for like three weeks so I feel your pain. At any rate, Test got another win on RVD, Striker and Burke do a lot of talking, CM Punk gets a win in a losing, beat down effort, Dreamer does the same, and Lashley wins his handicap match in DOMINATING fashion!
(3) I'm smarter than you, as ALWAYS:
When Matt Striker was talking to Balls Mahoney in the ring, he made the joke about how Balls had a lot less bounce, and a lot more rolls. But as he does, he begins to chuckle and then turns to the audience and laughingly says "do you get it, because he's fat!". Well, Striker, of COURSE we get it, but this is just the type of thing Striker would say. For one, he's nerdy, and nothing spells nerdy (or rather I should say spoils a joke) than explaining it. The funny drops instantly. More importantly, like Michelle McCool, Striker believes himself to be smarter than everyone else, so while he would automatically get the joke, he had to explain it to the "dumber" audience. Double HH! Hey, I love me some Lance Storm feedback columns, and I hear where he's coming from on Striker, but that man brings the damn funny to me and has always tried to bring the little touches to define his character.
(2) Gotta help the kids!:
During the opening bout, Test was in control of things and threw RVD into the ring post shoulder first. As he was coming up, Joey Styles said that a move like that could "shatter your clavicle", to which Taz responded with "yeah, it can mess up your shoulder, too". Now, of course most of us know it's the same thing and he was just making a joke. But remember, there are young kids that watch this show. If a six-year old hears ‘shattered his clavicle', chances are that he has no clue what Joey is talking about. Enter Taz, whose helping the younger ones understand how exactly their favorite superstars might be in trouble. Intentional or not, Taz in making an adult joke actually helped younger kids
(1) Wait… our what doesn't match?:
At some point in the main event, Taz pointed out that Heyman's henchmen technically still had to tag each other in, and the ref had the tumultuous task of covering two men who were dressed exactly the same. Well, naturally that got me paying a little closer attention and I began to compare things on both men. Mask, same. Shirt, same. Pants, same. Both wearing a belt (nice touch), same. Boots… aha! While one man was wearing patent leather (think corofram for you military guys), which is so glossy you can see yourself in them, the other was wearing actual leather, which was dull and un-shined. Anyone who knows anything about the difference between patent leather and un-shined real leather will tell you there is no way you couldn't notice the difference. Don't get me wrong, I think it was a good call by Taz because unless you're GLUED to their outfits, you really can't tell the difference in the two wrestlers (especially if you're a ref, Cook will attest to that), but the fact is there was a very distinguishable difference that Taz helped me notice.
JP: I'll watch ECW before I get on my redeye… maybe. If I do, this comment might change. "Might" being the operative word. "Lazy" being the most likely word. But sickness is a close top runner.
Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights
Hidden Highlights aren't just for us to find and tell you about, but for you to spot and share with us. Don't just sit there and stare, but be a more active, attentive, and engaged viewer. Appreciate all the hard work that goes into making the wrestling we have the privilege to watch and then let us know what you caught this and every week.
This week JP gets to pick our Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights of the week.
JP: We heard from a lot of the 411mania staff, new readers, and old readers alike. All and all, I'd say this move to Mondays was a good deal. So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…
We'll start off this week by going back two, all the way to December to Dismember and Matt Moses:
I know these are a little late, but since there are almost NO December to Dismember HH being shared, I feel like I should throw a few in. A lot of these I saw because I attented DtD live (I live in Augusta, so sue me). If you were to look at the stage from the ring, I was just to the right of it in the middle section, EXTREMELY close. Close enough to feel some heat from fireworks and have my ears ring. The show was in fact better live, but still felt disappointing overall. However, one moment SOLD the night for me and made it worth all the money.
- As the Hardy's were going up the ramp after the end of their match, Jeff was clutching his back in pain. Matt kept giving him this concerned look, even at one point kinda hugging him and appeared like he asked if he was alright. Jeff had his back worked on the entire match and then there was the big Swanton Bomb on both Mercury & Nitro, so of course his back would be hurting. Was it legitimately hurting or was he just selling? No idea, but he sold it all the way through the curtain...so good job on making it somewhat believable.
- CM Punk had just been eliminated from the chamber. The crowd was obviously pissed and had switched to cheering 100% for RVD. Most people were focused on the ring and what was happening, but from where I was sitting, I could see some of the backstage stuff going on. Punk had just walked through the exit that is next to the stage (he didn't go up the ramp) and was making his way towards the back. Right before he disappeared, he turned around to glance at the crowd. I'm in plain sight, watching him (didn't care about the match anymore) and made the X arm symbol. I also had X's on each hand (because I've been straight-edge for a few years now). I could see him smile big and he did it back before disappearing. I'm a happy man after that :-)
- Rob Van Dam had just been eliminated from the match and the crowd was UBER pissed off. As he went up the ramp, he stumbled around dazed and confused. Almost walked off the ramp at one point, ran into the ECW screen, walked into a black wall thinking it was the exit, until he finally walked back through the curtain. That was fun to watch, lol.
- After the Elimination Chamber match ended and nobody cared about Lashley winning. Anyway, I'm not sure if this was on camera or not...but Heyman came and got into the ring with Big Show. The fans were standing and cheering for Big Show, giving him a face reaction. Heyman came in, talked, shook hands, and hugged. That is where the blood on Heyman came from...Big Show's head. Anyway...Big Show walked up the ramp, looked back at the crowd and did the Chokeslam signal for a little pop, playing to the crowd. While an obvious highlight, it was still interesting to see him play to the crowd in one of his last appearances before his time off.
Anyways, that's all...hope you all enjoyed that.
JP: Those were great, really great. You should have sent them in earlier, especially the ones that only the live crowd would get to see. That said, where was this:
I'm a little disappointed. Thankfully, Chris Wingert is here to pick up my mood:
This is a little late, but during the Highlanders/Cade & Murdoch match from last week's RAW (Dec 4), While Robbie was pulling Murdoch out of the ring, Roddie, was in the process of School Boy-ing Cade. As Cade was fighting to stay on his feet, he was reaching and yelling "Trevor" trying to get Murdoch's help, but it was too late. I thought this was a great hidden highlight of by Cade.
JP: Never too late for a good one like that. This is kind of like the Haas/Benjamin one I talked about earlier. Tag team communication can be very believable in moments like this. Getting back to the present is Kareen Hill and the PPV of last week:
I don't know whether or not anyone has sent this in but in the match between Sabin and Christopher Daniels for the X-Division title when special referee Jerry Lynn held up the belt to signify that it was on the line I noticed he lingered a little bit and has a faraway look in his eyes. Perhaps maybe reliving past glories?
JP: It would seem to be so as it looks like he'll get back in the ring for either Daniels or Sabin or both. You are right, it's quite a bit of early foreshadowing that will be appreciated much later. It seems like that was it for Turning Point, so Sam J returns and starts us off with RAW this week:
Durring the quick Torrie/Carlito promo, what did Torrie seem to have on her wrist? A pink wrist band, matching the rest of her pink outfit. This was no ordinary wrist band though, it had Carlito's apple symbol on it. Although not the greatest HH to herald my return, it at least kept a solid little storyline link between Torrie and Carlito.
JP: What do you mean not a great one for your return, of course it was! I don't know what happened to the self confidence of our readers, you guys should be proud of how awesome you are. If that was not enough, Same went on to tell us:
Oh, and I've also got my lady-friend Amanda into wrestling. I'm quite proud of myself for that.
JP: I am too. But my real questions are how close are you two and how old is she?
JT: Couldn't wait to pounce, could you?
JP: Well I could be hitting on Jis again.
Jordan ‘Ogre' Williams: Oh no you won't! I've been quite long enough.
JT: You're in for it now!
Jordan ‘Ogre' Williams: So are you, because I've come back with two Hidden Highlights of my own:
RAW -
On RAW they have the whole Carlito angle running with Torrie Wilson. Carlito is racking up more white women than Cryme Tyme. Either way, the hidden highlight was from Torrie. In her match she added something a bit special to her ring attire. Carlito's wristbands. During her match she wore Carlito's wristbands on each of her wrists. Aww. So cute.
Smackdown! -
This week we had Cena on Smackdown, and he had really nothing else to do with this hidden highlight. The highlight was that Cena is from RAW and was on SD! But look at the nameplate when he comes to the ring. It isn't the Smackdown nameplate. His name was actually shown with the RAW nameplate to show that he is still from RAW. Very creative.
There. I sent in a highlight. Now BOTH of you can stop stalking me.
JP: Wow, that was a lot less painful than I thought it was going to be.
Jordan ‘Ogre' Williams: It's about to get a whole lot more painful!
JT: You better not mention that he used the same Hidden Highlight as Sam above him.
Jordan ‘Ogre' Williams: What did you say, bitch?
JP: I think he said, everyone should read Working Title over in the Games Zone!
Jordan ‘Ogre' Williams: Damn straight. Now move on to our next reader Chris Pugh and his RAW thoughts:
I noticed during the opening theme to RAW Shelton Benjamin is shown just as the words "get no respect" are sung. Not sure if it was intentional or not.
Seeing a Mercury look-a-like in the audience was that much better during the Nitro match. Also did you notice Nitro sung along to his introduction by Lillian?
Also....when was the last time a match was stopped because a wrestler couldn't continue? I don't even remember.
JP: Am I back in control of this article? Good. Those were a good few right there, and I'd like to see a match stopped for odd reasons, like throwing too many punches. Just not with the false ending mixed in, just as it. No need to go trying to make it controversial, it's controversial enough. George Rogahn keeps us going on RAW with this one:
After they showed Jerry Lawler winning the AWA title in the this week in wrestling segment JR commented that King will finally get paid for the match. This was a away of sawing the AWA was small time and couldn't pay the wrestlers and implying WWE is big time and pays its people.
JP: I actually think they were referring to the fact that the AWA was running out of money (and would die a slow death for many years after that), and that the King was probably never paid in full for all his work. See: ECW owing RVD $130,000 (still!). Jeff Copeland owes me about the same, but he's trying to buy back his debt with Hidden Highlights:
For Raw this week I saw a couple of hidden highlights
During the Jeff Hardy/Umaga match when Jeff hit the whisper in the wind he hooked his leg around Umaga's neck. A nice little touch to show that it would take a little bit more to take the big man off his feet than somebody like Nitro.
After the DX/Flair v. Rated RKO/Kenny match JR says poor Kenny, he doesn't even have a last name but when the camera zooms to the heels you can clearly see the initials KD on Kenny's tights, I think that JR was just putting over the fact that Kenny hasn't earned anything yet. i.e. A spot in Rated RKO or a last name.
JP: I feel like I've been put to shame with how good all these RAW ones are this week. Of course, we all know Kenny's last name, and who he is sleeping with, but that doesn't count on television. Which reminds me, I got this e-mail from JT:
Yes, I have read what we've gotten so far; I just re-mark them as un-read so you know where to start. But I must say, we have had some QUALITY HH this week and it's only been two days. Another thing I noticed was that a couple of these names are unfamiliar to me. Monday move perhaps? Either way, damn they are bringing the goodness this week.
JP: Couldn't agree more, JT!
JT: You know, you could have just written me in like this, like you're doing right now.
JP: I could have, but where's the fun in that? Besides, I needed a segue for Josh Lankton to take us to iMPACT:
When Kurt Angle snapped and locked Don West in the ankle lock, West was screaming and shouting in pain. But I noticed something. Normally, when a wrestler is put in a submission hold inside the ring or out whether in a match or not, they always instinctively start tapping. But Don West doesn't have that instinct. He's not a wrestler and has never been one. Good job of Don West for selling the attack like a non-wrestler.
JP: I noticed that too, as I was watching to see what Don West would do. I like Tennay screaming and even throwing down his headset as if he were going to help, then realizing he could do nothing. Heading way back in time, John LeJeune gives us several classics in one statement:
I've got a classic HH, this one comes from the King of the Ring '93 match between Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect. From the beginning of the match the commentators -- JR, Heenan, and Macho, sell hard that Hart now has tape on his fingers, due to his previous match with Razor Ramon. Before Hart and Perfect tie up, Hart pauses and shakes his injured hand, just a little, to draw attention to it and show everyone that it's injured and now taped up. This becomes important later in the match, and the way he does this is so subtle yet effective in getting the psychology across that that ALONE is an awesome hidden highlight. But there's an even more interesting HH in this match.
Towards the end of the match Bret goes for the sharpshooter, but seeing the tape on Bret's fingers (by the way, note which hand the tape is on, so as to make it easier for Perfect to grab it in the sharpshooter position....great foresight), Perfect desperately grabs the injured hand in an attempt to block the hold. Hart sells it like his hand is being sawed off and has to let go of the hold. Perfect then takes the advantage and Heenan gets really excited on the mic; throughout the match he has been ribbed by J.R. for ruining Perfect's career when he was Perfect's manager, but Heenan hasn't really had a good response. Now he sees his chance and gets excited. After Perfect grabs the fingers, breaks the hold, and takes control, Heenan yells... "YOU SEE?!? YOU SEE?!?!? PERFECT IS STILL USING MY PSYCHOLOGY!!!!"
This sounded so weird... I think Heenan probably wanted to say something like "strategy" but in a clear Freudian slip he breaks kayfabe and says PSYCHOLOGY!! Ross and Macho are stunned and have no idea what to say, and all Macho can muster is, "I'm not even gonna dignify that with a response." Heenan realizes he screwed up too, and doesn't really come back with anything. It's one of the few times I've ever heard a commentator blatantly break kayfabe like that, unintentionally, and in a way that's so obvious.
In all the match reviews I've read, I'm surprised that no one has mentioned this, but this is one part of the match that always makes me feel a bit uncomfortable, even though it's an AWESOME match, one of my favorite ever, mostly because it's so packed with action AND storytelling AND indeed, psychology. I'm not sure if that's a HH, but it's certainly something
interesting that you could miss if not paying attention.
JT: heheheh, he said "Do You See?", which is classic J-
JP: We get it, stop talking. That was a great batch, and you are right that that match works so much because of the Hidden Highlights. What happened with Heenan was definitely a Hidden Highlight moment, and I hope more people quote that part of the match in the future. I believe you have truly set the precedent here. Finally, wrapping us up this week Joe K. gives us a little psychology lesson:
"After Tommy Dreamer landed the DDT on Daivari, hewent 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." —JT
This reminds me of a question that was answered by Bret Hart during a Q&A session at the Capitol Legends Fanfest in Rockville,MD that I went to. Someone asked Bret why he never hooked his opponent's leg during a cover. Bret responded by saying having his weight on his opponent's chest should be his main concern during a cover attempt. Pressure more than leverage? Your call.
JP: Interesting insight from the Excellence of Execution. All I can say is that there can be many different types of artists in the ring, and each will have his own unique style.
JT: I think I've said enough, considering. But in case I haven't, let me just say that we had a fabulous batch this week. Can't wait for next week when I get 76 emails. Joy people!
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: Well, it's ti—
JP: Actually, John Bryant (who is extremely overzealous, but I like him anyway) wants to know:
I was just wondering seeing as the majority of HHs are about how a wrestler sells a move. I was wondering. who do you consider the best Current wrestling seller and the worst seller in todays wrestling?
JP: I'm going to go with Randy Orton. What? Oh yeah, when this guy gets hit he folds up like an accordion. He looks like every move takes the world out of him, and continues to sell old injuries in all his matches. Watch him, he'll still clutch at his shoulder now-and-again because of surgery he had a couple of years ago. And who can forget the RNN updates? Remember when he went to the stock exchange and hurt his shoulder again after pushing the button. The man is great when it comes to selling and Hidden Highlights. JT?
JT: I must say that I can't disagree. RKO sells the earlier injuries quite well, although I will also mention that Cena has sold that left arm injury for several weeks now. Not nearly as long as RKO, but he's selling it nonetheless. Considering that he is in the main event at Armaggedon, I say good times.
Exit, stage left!
JT: Let me just say, under the circumstances, have a great nice my little fireflies. Other than that, I'm out… work is a whore.
JP: I'm pretty sure you are the whore… but without the sex. Well, I guess that is it this we—
Jeff Small: You didn't plug me this week! And I wrote to you and everything!
JP: Well, we usually don't plug that much…
Jeff Small: Readership was at all time high this past week and indeed it might have had to do with your plug! We must repeat!
Randle: You know that's not true! Except the part about Small stealing from the Observer.
Jeff Small: You know that I reported that Rebecca from the Diva Search was knocking boots with Batista a good TWO months before it was posted on 411!
Randle: That's news?
JP: Ok, enough you two, take it to your own columns.
Sean, David, and Alex: What about us and The Triple Threat, now ruling Sundays!!
Everybody Else: SHUT UP!!!
Thank you for joining us for THE 68th 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!
