Hidden Highlights 02.19.07: Issue #77
Posted by Prag-Thomlison on 02.19.2007
Readers don’t go Against all Odds, we learn that Christian Cage is TNA, Tazz figures out that he doesn’t have a hat, Ms. Brooks lets Eric Young know where to look, Super Crazy strikes a pose, King Booker and Queen Sharmelle go to the movies, Brian Knobs falls for a plant on Hogan Knows Best, musical guest don’t know their favorite wrestlers in WSX, and more in a week filled with over 12 hours of wrestling and wrestling related content!
Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and James "JT" Thomlison
Issue #77
Intro
Hello everyone done getting over Valentine's Day (for better or for worse), 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: So, did you have a good Valentine's Day?
JP: Well, I was in meetings in North Carolina until 8:30pm, ate dinner at Wendy's, went back to my hotel room alone, and had a nice long talk on the phone with the girl I've been pursuing about why we should take it slow and just be friends for now. You?
JT: Nice. I worked until 11 p.m., got home at midnight, listened to my parents complain about the burden that is going to dinner on Valentine's Day, popped open a few beers, and took the work phones for the night. Good times, eh?
JP: And now you all know why we are pro-wrestling fanatics. On with the Hidden Highlights!
Hidden Highlights for TNA Presents Against All Odds: Sunday, February 11, 2007 by JP
JP: Since I didn't order the PPV, and neither did JT, that leaves you the readers! What did you readers think?
Readers: …
JP: Ummmm… readers, don't leave me out to dry here?
Readers: Sorry JP.
JP: Again?! I'm sadly disappointed in you, this week. Luckily, JT is doing the Reader Write-in section, so he'll be a lot nicer.
JT: ….or so JP says….
Hidden Highlights for This is TNA: Monday, February 12, 2007 by JP
JP: I just want to take this time to give major props to Dave Sahadi and his team. Everything they do is simply amazing and makes TNA look like a million bucks. From the intro of comparing TNA to the rise of the Space Age to the advertisements for TNA's regular show, this man is simply a genius. He not only has a vision, he is able to execute on that vision in a very tangible way. No one has ever done it quite the same.
And speaking of guys who have never done it quite the same, this entire special is going to go to JT's favorite wrestler: Christian Cage.
(3) Go down I say!:
At the King of the Mountain match at Slammiversary, five men battled for the NWA Heavyweight Championship of the World. Part way into the match (hard to tell where due to the cutting), Jeff Jarrett was on the outside wobbling around. The then champion Christian Cage noted this and decided to take an advantage. So he chose that moment to jump off the top ropes to the outside and hit Jarrett with a bulldog. But he didn't just land into him like most people do; no, Christian took the time to pull his arms back and push forward, giving extra emphasis and strength to the move as he came down. Excellent extra motion from Cage that made the move that more devastating.
(2) Out of my way, you!:
Later in the year at Bound for Glory, Christian Cage was set to take on Rhino in an 8-mile Street Fight. On his way to the ring while in the back, Christian passed by a chair and just threw it to the side in frustration. I like that Christian took the time to react to an object in his way and not just keep going like most people do. Christian is always aware of his surroundings and reacts to them appropriately. And by the way, later in the match he and Rhino passed by that same spot and the chair was still flipped over! Guess the makeup girl there in the background didn't want to take the time to fix the chair anyway.
(1) Monkeys:
After the final match of the show, we returned to the ring where Christian Cage was set to reveal the number one moment in TNA history (which was two moments). To go to the clip, Christian told the "monkeys in the truck" to "roll the footage". Of course, we all know the man who used to say that all the time and coined the phrase: none other than Christian Cage's good friend Chris Jericho. And on top of that, the show closed with a Fozzy song sung by one Chris Jericho. Is Christian trying to entice his friend or just paying tribute to him? Either way, it was definitely a great bunch of moments that connected right back to the Ayatollah of Rock-n-rolla.
JT: You know, Jericho is one of those guys where no matter how long he stays gone, I miss him just the same. Other wrestler not so much. From Brock who has been gone for years to Trish who recently retired, you get over it and you move on. But it seems every time I hear Jericho mentioned I think to myself "man, I miss him. Come back Y2J!". As for giving Christian Cage mucho love, how could I not appreciate that? Now the question: did I return the favor by showing Carlito some love!?
Hidden Highlights for ECW on SciFi: Tuesday, February 13, 2007 by JT
JT: Lashley manages to escape Holly's recent roll, The New Breed gets a win over the ECW Originals, CM Punk is Mike Knox's "vice", Snitsky kills him for his trouble, and more of the Originals suffer defeat at the hands of the New Breed! I also like that during the Lashley vignette, he made a point to note that jumping up on the ring was his idea and then explain the reasons behind it. Hopefully that will silence some of the black Lesnar talks. Aside from a great physique and accomplished wrestling background, I honestly don't see the comparisons. Let me give you another example: Lashley looks Holly directly in the eye, whereas Brock towered over Holly.
(3) This is OUR announce table:
When ECW started out on Sci-Fi, yours truly pointed out that the ECW announce table was on the TV side of the ring. To be honest, I think it was about eight months ago and I cannot remember exactly what kind of love I gave it, but I'm fairly certain that it had nothing to do with reasoning other than being different. Well, actually, it may have been the same! You see, I never stopped to ask myself "was there a logical reason to it? Couldn't they just switch it out with the SmackDown one?". Well as I watched Lashley and Holly brawl on the outside near the announce table, I noticed that it directly faced the ECW entrance ramp. Well, hello JT! WWE announce tables always face the entrance ramp! Nice note of consistency by the E to make sure the announcers always have a front and center view of the entrance ramp so that they can comment/call the action the second the wrestler comes out (for instance if they're in different attire, have someone with them, etc).
Or so I thought…
But after further evaluation, I realized that they are not only facing the entrance ramp, but they have in fact moved to do so! There were no longer on the TV side! Don't know if this was because of the arena or what the deal was, but little things appear to be different from week to week (probably due to venue), and it's up to all of us to catch them!
(2) Keeping me from being bored:
We don't get to give a lot of love to the announcers for HH (a pet peeve of mine), but once in a while we get a good one that I just can't pass up. At the end of the Lashley vs. Holly match-up, Taz said "My hats off to Bobby Lashley. I'm not wearing a hat but that was pretty sweet.". Now kids, this is one of those where you just have to bear with JT. I honestly have no reason, explanation, or motive for why Taz would say this; the fact remains that the announcers have their job for a reason – to keep the audience watching, call the action, and put over the product. Not sure that Taz did any of those things with that comment, but he caught me in the moment, and it made me laugh. When we watch wrestling, we can always hear the announce team, but we aren't always listening. Comments like that want me to make sure I stay tuned in on them.
(1) mmmmmmmmm…….beeeeeeer…………..:
This week we saw a couple of tag team match-ups, one of which being Sandman and Tommy Dreamer vs. Kevin Thorn and Marcus Cor Van. As usual, they always have to scan the crowd to find Sandman, and they finally did. There were two things about it that I liked.
1. Tommy Dreamer was with him, as opposed to Cor Van and Thorn who had separate issues, enforcing the fact that ECW Originals are unified and are acting as a team, as opposed to the new blood, who seem to out for themselves (Thorn pushes his own agenda and Marcus is all about himself).
2. While Sandman always take a big fat swig of beer and then spits it into the crowd, not Tommy! He swallowed it like a champ! Nothing wrong with getting a little "brave juice" in you before a bout. That, and as a beer drinker, sometimes it's nice to see it not wasted.
JP: Did you just make a spit and swallow HH? …I'm just sayin…
JT: Well don't just say! Let the frat boys have some fun would ya? Mr. Nonbeerdrinker…
JP: ……….I'm just saying………
JT: Don't just say!
JP: Ok, but I believe I read that the Sandman actually doesn't drink anymore, which gives even more reason to spitting out all the beer, which I'm not even sure is beer given the number of kids he spits on and the WWE low tolerance policy.
Hidden Highlights for TNA iMPACT: Thursday, February 15, 2007 by JP JP: Over on iMPACT, the TNA crew tried to put on a strong show to go up against Thursday Night RAW (to not much ratings avail). This included some high profile matchups and a star-studded Gauntlet for the Gold match. The big stuff on the show is always interesting, but I'm all about those Hidden Highlights that you didn't see.
(3) Look at what:
In the middle of the night, we got a retrospective look at how Ms. Brooks was able to co-opt Eric Young into signing a contract with Roode Industries. By the way, I only have one semester of Business Law under my belt, but even I know that a contract signed under duress like that will not hold up in court. Also, contract with unreasonable limits can be overturned, and contracts that require illegal activity (like slavery) are also not valid. So Eric, you're free!
Anyway, during an interview segment, Ms. Brooks was trying to explain to Eric how he was owned. She then gave the best interview of the night that went like this:
Ms. Brooks: Eric, look at me!
[Eric looks at Mr. Brooks' chest]
Ms. Brooks: DON'T LOOK AT ME!!
I thought that quick exchange was absolutely fantastic and was the perfect words and actions for the character of Ms. Brooks.
(2) Good ‘ol boys:
In the main event, we had the aforementioned Gauntlet Match, which eventually paired down to Steiner, Tomko, and Samoa Joe. It was at that moment that Jim Cornette chose to say, "As a good friend of mine says, ‘Business is about to pick up!'" Quite odd that Cornette chose to quote a "good friend" of his that works in another promotion. But it just goes to show you how much freedom TNA employees get on the mic!
(1) Trust? Perhaps not:
At the beginning of show, Steiner's opening monologue turned into a beatdown of Kurt Angle, turned into a run-in show from the locker room. Eventually, it ended with Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe in the ring. The two shook hands and parted, and Mike Tenay talked a lot about respect, but I noticed something much more evident: Somoa Joe never turned his back on Kurt Angle. Though they may be on the same side at the moment, and maybe do respect each other, Somoa Joe has no reason to trust Angle and continued to watch him. Even as he turned around to walk away, Joe kept his eyes on Angle until he was well out of the ring. Good job by Joe to always be on guard against Kurt Angle, showing that he truly does not fully trust him, not after all they have been through.
JT: Watching tonight! Although I did read your first one, and let just say, chances are I will also not be looking her directly in the eye. Take that for what you will.
Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Thursday, February 15, 2007 by JT
JT: Vinnie Mac and Donald Trump make a date for WrestleMania, Nitro and Melina get their win back against Super Crazy and Mickie James (you know what I mean), Eugene becomes Khali's latest victim, HBK is apparently now "Mr. WrestleMania" (which is kind of funny because I actually called him that in a column I'm working on before I had ever seen this, although I'm sure I've heard it before so it's by no means mine), Carlito and Flair are still pissed – later on Flair got the best of him, Jeff Hardy shut down Masters' IC dreams, the good guys get over the bad guys in the main event, and Dusty Rhodes is your first inductee into the WWE Hall of Fame, Class of 2007!
(3) Don't look…. Don't look…. Don't look….:
Okay, I'm going to give some love to some truly unnoticed people. When HBK was cutting his promo for WrestleMania 23, did anyone notice the guy behind him? Or more importantly, that the guy behind him was staring straight ahead, not even glancing in Shawn's direction? Well, that's because he was either security or arena staff. Most arena's (I know, stupid rule) forbid their employees from watching the shows as they're taking place. Now this may seem like no big deal, but think about this. You're a huge wrestling fan. You're working backstage at a WWE show. You are sitting 15 FEET from your favorite wrestler who is cutting a promo (next to a super hottie no less), and someone tells YOU that you cannot even glance over. Not so nice anymore is it. Look, I'm sure that it's nothing to 80% of the people that work at these arenas, but you know there are a few wrestling fans out there who have to go through this every time the show comes to time. Poor bastards… so, we salute YOU, Mr. Can't-watch-the-show-because-I-have-a-job-to-do Guy!
JP: Oh JT, you and your jokes that are five years too late!
(2) It's never a bad time to strike a pose:
To start off the inter-gender tag match (minus the catfight in the beginning), we had Nitro and Super Crazy going at it. At one point, Nitro hit Super Crazy with a very acrobatic leg drop. While it was impressive, the Hidden Highlight came at the end, as whatever technique he uses to perform the move, when he hits it, it leaves his legs (and body) in the exact same position he uses in his "Nitro Pose" when he enters the ring with Melina! He even took it a bit farther by scooting around a bit to be sure that Melina saw him. Very creative way to incorporate his character into his moveset.
*Update!* During one of the promos for RAW, they showed him doing it again! So be on the lookout for it folks, it's apparently not the first time and surely won't be the last!
(1) Oh my, Flair was right all along:
Well, since I had the unusual duty of covering RAW this week, I figured I would do JP justice by getting in two of his favorite things; facial expressions, and …….wait for it…….. CARLITO! The entire time, from the pinfall, through the handshake with Flair, to walking up the ramp, the look on his face was CLASSIC. It's like everything – Flair's promo, losing the match, realizing Flair was right – all hit him at the same time. JR said that he believed Carlito had indeed learned a lesson; judging from how well Carlito sold it with his look, I'd have to see I believe that, too. Now maybe Carlito really WILL light a fire under his own ass and get back to bringing the goodness!
JP: I'm not on the bandwagon that Carlito has been phoning it in, but believe that the agents, writers, and people backstage have been holding him back. Not intentionally, I mean, but emotionally. I'm sure it is very confusing everyday to have ten different people telling you what to do every step of way, especially when those things are contradictory. His choices are really to disobey those people and likely get nothing for being "unprofessional" or try to do them all and get nowhere because he looks directionless. I really sympathize with any young wrestler in the WWE locker room. They are trying to create through experience and planning, not organic growth. Even those who find organic meaning (see John Cena three years ago) are pushed into a mold because someone upstairs decides they know better (see John Cena today). That's one of the things I always liked about WCW; the wrestlers were in control of how they were perceived, not ten other people. Sure, it led to chaos sometimes, but that was part of the fun, too!
Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, February 16, 2007 by JT
JT: Boogeyman gets a clone on the way to defeating Finlay, Deuce helps his team get yet another win over the champs in the form of Kendrick, Book and Co. go to the cinema, Cena and HBK are on the same as they take out the youngin's Kennedy and MVP, Ashley unveils her Playboy cover, Lashley is in the house, and Batista and Taker come out on top! …..at least until Team HBCena showed up!
(3) Give the fans a little more credit JT!:
After Edge and Orton made their way into the ring for their match vs. Big Dave and Taker, they showed a fan's sign that read "BATISTA". It was half red, and half white. I immediately (being the color guys that we are) thought to myself, "Why would you make it red and white? Especially on SD which is dominated by blue. Probably just a color preference on the fan's part". No sooner had I thought that when Batista's music hit, and both Titantron screens as well as the entrance ramp screen started playing Dave's video… …yup. Sure enough, the entire thing was red and white themed. Whenever his name or the "B" was in white, the background was red, and vice versa. We try to throw some sign love in every now and then, and I have to give this fan props for clearly having deliberate intent in his sign making, and for apparently being much more observant than I have been regarding Batista's entrance video.
(2) Selective advertising:
The SmackDown "Slam of the Night" is something that the E and advertisers do in order to get a product face time while showing a devastating move that was performed the week before. This week, it was presented by Reno 911 (which I MUST see) and showed Kane cleaning house at King Booker's ‘Key To The City' presentation. As usual, it had the little line saying "LAST WEEK". Only problem was, it wasn't last week! It was two weeks ago! Now some might say this is manipulative, and you'd be right, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. The company still gets its product pushed, and it gave the E an opportunity to refresh everyone on the King Booker/Kane feud (as all we got last week was a two minute apology demand by Book). This was also really good because of what it led into… which was…
(1) King Booker and Queen Sharmelle go to the movies!:
So I was typing up my HH for the Slam of the Night, and this came on! HO-LEE-SHIT! The "King Booker & Queen Sharmell go to the movies" is the funniest thing I have seen on a wrestling program for the entire year of 2007 thus far! I laughed so hard at this. It was so over the top that it was stu-F'N-pendous! As you know kids, whenever we have something this great, it calls for fun with bullet points!
The opening scene that showed the title of the show had a crowd on it. But the crown wasn't stationary, it was spinning. Glorious stuff.
Kane's face = Vanquished? Disturbed? Hilarious!
Booker and Sharmelle's overzealous laughter after the clip showed. Good times.
King Booker Quotes just like the real movies! You may have also noticed that it said "King Booker – Smackdown Kingdom" instead of just Smackdown.
"I've seen scarier things, watching muppets! Muppets I SAY!" - ……….AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA……… greatest…. line….. EVER…..
(As he is standing in front of a blue screen that is showing the clip holding an axe): "Deuhhh, deuhhh deuhh, daaaaahhhhh! That's right! Run! Run for your lives! I'm King Booker! King and ruler of the SmackDown world! ….and I got an axe, too… So run! Run for your lives! Or fall victim! Victim to the King of the Waaahld!". Now, this is no forum, but FIVE STARS TO YOU SIR!
"Oscar Winning King Booker, Can you dig that?". You've earned it!
Seriously, that segment was beyond gold. I will throw love all around. From Booker himself, to the writers, to the production people that threw it all together, THAT was entertaining. I'm not sure I've laughed that hard since HBK posing as Hogan on "Larry King Live".
JP: Not to derail your bullet points, but you really should have lambasted that fan for not having a red and white "My Sign is a Hidden Highlight!" Now THAT would have been special. Just because we've been on TV three times doesn't mean you people should give up! I want a sign on every show every week! Keep them coming!!!!
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: Even two weeks later and there is still plenty of Cryme Tyme talk. Luckily, we also had a few Hidden Highlights. So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…
To start us off this week, JP's imaginary girlfriend Catherine emailed us again to give Heat some love:
Hey guys, just wanted to chime in with yet another woefully out of date contribution.
This was actually a match on Heat, featuring the Highlanders going up against my undefeated Raw Deal tag team, the World's Greatest Tag Team. Yes, I play Raw Deal - my reputation as a nerdy wrestling chick has been cemented.
Anyway, Haas was in the ring with one of the Highlanders, the one with the
hair. Upon further research this is revealed to be Robbie. Robbie was trying to maneuver Haas into a sunset flip, however, Haas was able to reach out and tag Benjammin just before he went down.
After falling into the pinning attempt, Charlie lay there in the pin. The ref made no move to count as the tag had been in plain sight; however Robbie hadn't seen it. This gave Shelton time to climb into the ring and kick Robbie in the head.
The highlight comes from Haas. He didn't just take the pin laying down. He
sat up partway and held on to Robbie's hair. He knew that the ref wasn't going to count the pinfall, so it didn't matter if he lay there; but by hanging on to Robbie's head/hair, he made sure that the Highlander couldn't get up before Shelton attacked. A brilliant bit of tag team logic that I felt compelled to point out. These two haven't tagged in a while, but they've definitely gotten their synchronicity back.
JT: An excellent catch. Just goes to show you while the result may be scripted, it still takes a great deal of on-the-fly choreography to put on an entertaining match. And you're right, TWGTT does appear to have picked up right where they left off years ago. Catherine continues:
Congratulations on the milestone. JT, the column wouldn't be the same without your tireless dedication, keen eye and Oscar Wilde like wit. JP.... uh, way to show up. Nice hair. I have to confess that the Cryme Time version was a little tough to read, but I couldn't help but appreciate the time and effort that went into writing it. Looking forward to your foray into the triple digits.
JT: ehehe… she said you suck.
JP: That's NOT what she said!
JT:True story! Thanks for the kind words Catherine. I'm sure the fourteen people that catch the Oscar Wilde reference will appreciate it as much as we did. As always, glad you enjoy the column.
JT: Wow, JP. Tell me you did not just cross off everything I said just because I'm the one getting all the love from YOUR "ever faithful" Catherine.
JP: Oh, JT, my naïve child…
JT: I'm older than you…
JP: Don't you see? It's just one of the many little games we play! And did you catch that last bit? "Nice hair"? As everyone knows, my hair is my best feature. Even though it was in a joke — a joke we lovingly share that you are not a part of — it was still a compliment to let me know she is thinking of me and misses me so while stuck out in Korea.
JT: That's not what I see at a—
JP: Don't worry my dear. I also got your last line about the triple digits. Yes, the temperature is rising between us.
JT: You really need to sto—
JP: And although JT may try everything to keep us apart, you have nothing to fear since I am ever faithfully yours as well.
JT: You began the article talking about another girl you are pursuing!!
JP: See what I'm talking about? JT and his crazy imagination. It's ok to be jealous JT, but you have to know she'll never come between the article. You have nothing to be afraid of!
JT: All you have to do is scroll up and see what is already written there… You know what, we need to move on.
JP: Sounds like a plan, JT. I'm proud of you for having the courage to continue.
JT: Oh please just shut up.
JP: That's fine. I'll be with Catherine over there for a while, so the rest of the section is yours.
JT: And you think I'm delusional?! Oh well. So, before we get to RAW, Tremaine O chimed in with his thoughts on the Cryme Tyme issue:
Yep, I know I'm late on the "Cyme Tyme" issue of HH but, despite those "haters", I enjoyed it. I might have never have finished reading the article because I might have died laughing. It was actually TOO funny. It wasnt even hard to read. It didnt piss me off or offend me, It was a "kayfabe" article. Shad and JTG probably dont even act like that out of the ring, it's a gimmick and you guys pulled it off. While you may never do it agian, It got me wondering what if you did one as MNM, now that would be something!
JT: We appreciate it to death TO, we really do. We're glad some people realize that what we were doing was – as you put it so nicely – a kayfabe article that was merely portraying characters. We're well aware they don't act like that out of the ring, and that is EXACTLY what we were trying to capitalize on. It is an ACT. A completely over-the-top act; we again thank everyone who actually gave the entire article a chance. As for the MNM thing, I think the problem is that they don't have enough mic time to base a personality on. Cryme Tyme has a ton of vignettes and promos… the best we have from MNM is Nitro's "address"… don't think anyone wants to read an entire article of that! But I see your point about possibly throwing some white boys together for something…. I could totally see a Ric Flair (WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!) + Kennedy issue… that might rock on many levels. Did I say WOOOOOOOOOOOO!? Or even an Edge and Orton issue. I could spend the whole time hyping how great I am while JP just called me an idiot the whole time. Good times, and never say never; when myself and JP get an idea in our heads, we rarely consider outside perception, and will roll with it to the fullest.
JP: Catherine and I are discussing a few possibilities with this, I'll have to get back to you later.
JT: Now that we got that out of the way, we have to address Manu B. before we start the actual RWHH, because emailed us like 73 times so let's just start with that because he is indeed a loyalist to 411, and therefore deserves credit:
"you would notice that she had her dog wrapped up tight against the frigid Iowa cold. The odd part? That dog was not Chloe!! Unless Chloe lost a mask vs. fur match with a breed change on a pole match, I'm not sure what happened. That dog was a naked Chihuahua!! Unless the hidden message is that Torrie got a Latino dog as a tribute to Carlito? IE, Torrie gave up Chloe to get something that was more representative of her boy-toy. If so, kudos on that one!"
Actually, back at Vengeance, before Carlito's match with Shelton and Nitro, Torrie asked him to hold her puppies while Maria rubbed oil on her. That's when the Chihuahua made its debut.
JT: Going to have to take your word for it Manu. I will also take Chris B.'s word on things as he said:
I was watching Vengence last night (on my DVR) from last year and I noticed that Torrie was holding two dogs. She was holding Chloe and a Chihuahua. I remember the Hidden Highlight from Feb 5 had mentioned that Torrie had changed dogs but I guess she has had both dogs for a while. I do not recall seeing her carry a Chihuahua at any other time but she definitely had one at Vengence.
JT: So it appears to be fact! Thanks Chris, great catch and excellent timing on watching last years PPV! Back to Manu, where let me just say, the part where we capitalize everything for you; that's going to have to stop. Spend the three seconds to hit the shift key, brother. He continues in another email:
"We cut to the back where Tomko was so frustrated with "that guy" that he was beating the railings with an iron rod. Christian Cage eventually came over and calmed him down by giving Tomko the rest of the night off? But did you catch the shirt that Tomko was wearing? It was a white shirt that said "Pump"."
Actually, the "Pump" shirt was last week's clue. this week's clue was Tomko using the lead pipe.
JT: ehehehe he is all OVER you this week JP. Better check that DVR when trying to watch the most recent shows. Even more:
Looks like you got a lot of negative feedback on the Cryme Tyme issue. Let me add – didn't even make it to the first section before I gave up.
Sorry guys. If I missed something great, it was my loss.
JT: Again, Manu, shift button brother! It's right under the CAPS and right over the CTRL. As for the CT issue, you saw the feedback last week and you'll see more of it this week. JP and I (and others) think it's was a really well though out and well written column.
Heading into RAW is Samer, who actually got to watch RAW on Monday (lucky man!):
Well the main event was ALL about hidden highlights, hell the match itself was a HH.
Ok I'm gonna start with a negative HH.. While usually a HH is a good thing, this one really isn't: Right when Orton hit Cena with a Knee drop, he covered him, and the Undertaker came in and broke the pin. Now the referee yelled at him and forced him to get out, as the ref was doing that, Orton tagged in MVP, now this happened behind the ref's back as he was yelling at UT, but when he turned around he just made the tag sign, and the match continued. I find that odd, because we often see a babyface wrestler getting beat up and he finally makes the tag, but the ref wouldn't see it since the heels distracted him, so he thinks the man is illegal and forces the other wrestler to get in again. It's not a big deal I guess, but i just found it funny that a rule is applied to faces only and not heels.
JT: Ah yes, the ol' double standard. To be honest there are a bunch of these regarding referees but this is a prime example that just goes to show that be it a face or a heel, sometimes you can get away with it, and sometimes you can't.
Now the second HH in this match was simply: THE UNDERTAKER.. Like him or hate him, this man's presence is electric. Just try to ignore the action in the ring and look at the UT on the apron.. The guy is just walking back and forth as if he was part of the action, he's so involved in the match even when he's not the one in the ring doing all the fighting. And to highlight this fact (no pun intended), Cena was playing face in peril and getting beat up for minutes, and what was the crowd doing? chanting Taker's name. I just thought u gotta give it to a veteran like the Undertaker for knowing how to get the crowd involved without taunting them directly.
JT: I think you used the perfect word here. Presence. The Undertaker is a presence that simply cannot be ignored; you are right, he indeed had that entire crowd in the palm of his hand. It was no difference the next night and let me just say I agree 100% with JBL when he said about Undertaker, "Never looked better". He really hasn't. He is the best shape of his life, and he seems lighter, quicker, and more animated in his role as of late.
The third HH: well this match is the perfect example of veterans carrying the match.. Just watch it again, and look at how HBK and the Undertaker are calling the match.. they're clearly the ones directing the action..
Enough with the veteran love I guess, let's give some love to a rookie (?)..
Now this one isn't from RAW, it was from Smackdown last week.. When Kennedy (who else!) was making his way to the ring for his match against Batista, he stopped, and stared for like 5 seconds at the Wrestlemania logo. While we all knew that Batista was going to win and he was going to face taker at WM, it was a nice touch by Kennedy to add some realism to the match, and showing he means buisness.
JT: And again, facial expressions come through for us! I couldn't agree more with you Samer, even the slightest hesitation to take note of the sign puts over that he might legitimately win the match and head to WrestleMania as the World Heavyweight Champion. I also liked what he did on SmackDown a few days ago, standing there hurrying MVP along as was posing, trying to get him to realize that "hey, that's John Cena and Shawn Michaels, we don't have time for this, let's go". I have a real feeling he's going to be one of the great ones. No ECW HH's for this week so let's get right to Impact with John R., who wants to hit us up with some goodness:
First off I'd like to say that I love the HH section, especially with using the Cryme Tyme characters. Perhaps you could have other characters come in every so often to spice things up a bit.
JT: We will definitely look into John, but at this point we apparently throw everyone's Chi off when we do so.
Ok, I'm going to go out on a limb here and hope this makes the section. I know that you already noticed the HH on Tomko leading up to Big Poppa Pump's return to IMPACT (the shades, the goatee, the "PUMP" t-shirt, and the pipe he gave to Christian Cage on last week's episode). One thing I picked up during their exchange outside the Impact Zone was when he mentioned he couldn't work with that "crazy guy" and he had a "Wolverine mentality". I was thinking first "is that a Benoit reference, naaah it couldn't be". Then it hit me, Steiner is a U of Michigan guy. Kudos to TNA for providing such great subtlety in introducing BPP back to Impact!
JT: Why wouldn't it make the column!? Of course it's a U of M reference, and a damn fine one. Foreshadowing in a subtle way is always a nice little note for wrestling fans such as ourselves. We will even touch on that quite soon. No SmackDown either this week (I will assume it is because you are all stuck basking in the greatness that is JBL and therefore cannot write in!) but we do have a couple for the Classic/Other portion of Reader Write In. First up is JPAdam N., who wants to give a lady some love!:
I was recently re-watching the Allison Danger/Rebecca Knox match from Shimmer Volume 3. It started out as face v face, but about halfway into it, Knox turned heel by faking an injury, but a few minutes before that, when she had Danger in a submission hold, she grabbed the bottom rope for just a second. The announcer said she just did it so she knew where it was, but knowing that she turned heel later in the match made it a nice bit of foreshadowing.
JT: Foreshadowing is usually completely obvious (SEE: Edge and Orton's problems). To see a little move like this that not only struck the point home but also got help from the announcers to no-sell it is great stuff. Usually you can see a turn coming a mile away, but it sounds like this was indeed a shocking turn that was so nonchalantly set up. Next is Jarkota who had several things to say:
This really isn't a Hidden Highlight, JT, but I just thought I'd point a couple of things out since you were obviously confused:
1) The main show, Wrestling Society X, is what airs Tuesday nights @ 10:30 PM on MTV. WSXtra, however, is an exclusive web-based show that recaps the main WSX show, and also features a match or two that you won't see on television and was/were taped specifically for the web show. It's kind of like Heat, but with better wrestling.
JT: I gathered that, but I appreciate the clarification nonetheless. It's kind of like when the Real World tells you to go to MTV.com and watch the extras that you couldn't see.
2) The name of the Japanese tag-team that faced That 70's Team was Team Dragon Gate, not Team Dragon Hate. I don't know if this was a typo on your part or if you just misheard the announcer, but I thought I'd clear that up. Their name comes from Dragon Gate Wrestling in Japan, where they are regular stars (they're sort of "on loan" to WSX). I'm not sure how old the fed is, but they have some fantastic talent working for them, and the two we see on WSX are just a sample of what they deliver.
JT: It was indeed a typo and as you probably saw, it was corrected as soon as I got your email. Stupid G being right next to the H. Thanks again though…
3) Lastly.....can you *not* do another Cryme Tyme Hidden Highlights? Or anything of the sort? I got a headache from trying to translate it, and it took me four times longer than usual to read the column. I tried using ebonics and stuff to sound "cool" when I started high school, but this 350+ pound black guy (everyone called him "Squeaky" because his voice sounded like someone on the Japanese audio track of a DBZ movie) set me straight. Squeaky said to me, "Son, you're white. I'm black. You talk the way you do, I talk the way I do. I'll stay black, and you stay white." I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but I *strongly* suggest you take Squeaky's advice as I did.
JT: We appreciate the opinion J, but like we said last week, we stand behind it. As mentioned earlier, we were portraying characters and loved the idea. We're sorry it was not your cup of tea, but there is a big difference between you talking "cool" in high school and us putting in the work and time to write an entire column with these two characters. Speaking it and putting it into text are two entirely different levels of strain. We also have Robert D., who wants to elaborate on a WM 19 HH from last week:
Someone mentioned the Rock-Austin WM19 match, where at the end the two are in the middle of the ring talking. You can actually find out what they said, as both men acknowledge the moment on the "Mania of Wrestlemania" documentary included on the third disc of the WM20 DVD. Austin had gone to the hospital the night before, and had only been released that morning to compete. Austin had already decided that match would be his last, so Rock thanked him for the matches over the years after he got the win. You can also see during that match, that as Rock goes to the mat to talk to Stone Cold, that he pushed Earl Hebner out of the ring before he starts talking, so only him and Austin could hear.
JT: I own that, and I really wish I could remember which one of them did which. If I recall offhand, they asked Rocky what he said to Stone Cold, and he replied with "You'll have to ask him; he can tell you if he wants, but I'm not telling you". They then asked Austin what he said to him and he spilled the beans… or vice versa. Either way, it was a nice little …..you know what, I'm popping it in right now, fuckers.
Okay back. Rocky is the one who did the talking, that part we knew. As it turned out, when they interviewed the Rock in the back, he said "no way" and refused to talk, but did say that if Stone Cold wanted to share, he could. Stone Cold didn't share that evening, but it was him who shared the conversation in a later interview regarding the matter. It should also be noted in the same documentary, they discussed the risks behind the Kurt Angle / Brock Lesnar match. What happened? While everyone was concerned with Kurt Angle's neck, Brock almost broke his…
Go ahead, tell me Karma doesn't exist. Finally we have Nate S., who ends us with a correction (once again, yours JP!):
Hey firstly love the column, it adds a NEW element to the greatest business in the world. Now on to a minor correction, you mentioned in your last issue the Torrie a naked Chihuahua!! Not actually the case, yes she was carrying the dog you mentioned but Chloe was being carried in the bag she had over her shoulder. Much more protected from the elements. But great stuff, huge fan.
JT: In JP's defense, he was focusing on the…
JP: Don't say that in front of Catherine!!! That's it, we need to end this section and keep rolling!
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, JP has some things for That Other Section.
JP: After a week off, it's the return of…
Hidden Highlights for Hogan Knows Best: Sunday, February 11, 2007
JP: Where to even begin on this episode!? "Nasty Boy" Brian Knobs returned for the best episode of Hogan Knows Best ever! Five stars, all the way.
(3) Philly Street Fight:
For those fans of early ECW and mid-90's WCW, you were treated to the greatness of the Nasty Boyz in all their glory. Among their many matches, the most famous had to be the Philadelphia Street Fights, the street fights that took brawling to a whole new level and made hardcore more common place in American wrestling. Forget "Little Italy" or "8-mile" or any of those, it was the Philadelphia Street Fights that really set the tone. That's why I was delighted to see Knobs show up at Hogan's house wearing a Philadelphia Eagle's jersey. It just reminded me of all the great things he has done over the years, and he still hasn't forgotten his Pennsylvania roots.
And speaking of Pennsylvania roots, the Philadelphia Inquirer (newspaper) subscription department gave me a call on the phone a couple of days ago to get me back as a customer. I told them I no longer live there. Well, here's how it went:
JP: I no longer live in Pennsylvania.
Inquirer: You moved from Norristown?
JP: Yeah, I live in Rhode Island now.
Inquirer: What's Rhode Island?
JP: Ummmm… that state?
Inquirer: What state?
JP: No, Rhode Island is the state.
Inquirer: What state is that in?
JP: ……………………………… Just south of Massachusetts… that state…
Inquirer: Oh, Massachusetts! So you did moved from Norristown to Rhode Island, Massachusetts.
JP: Uh… yeah.
(2) Kind of frilly:
Back to our real story, Knobs was sleeping in one morning when Hogan came to wake him up. But did you catch that Knobs was wearing a frilly sleeping mask?! I was quite taken aback that a man of Knob's… character… would choose to wear a sleeping mask. It definitely made me giggle quite a bit.
(1) It's a plant!:
So after waking up, Knobs decided to help out with a few chores, including doing the laundry. For some reason, Linda was doing a load of whites that consisted of about 1/5th of a basket. Usually I do laundry in full baskets, but whatever. Then, all of sudden there was this random red shirt on the floor. Oh come on! That shirt was a total plant to set Knobs up! That was too freaking hilarious to ever be true. Nice try there, kids!
JT: And how about Duggan snapping! "I won't take this anymore!" followed by the ‘I'mgonnakillyou' lunge. Good times. But what was up with having a bowl of cereal, empty beer cans, and beef jerky all in bed? How do you sleep like that!?
JP: With a 2am bathroom trip, of course. And now the other side of the equation with…
THE Hidden Highlight for Wrestling Society X: Tuesday, February 13, 2007
JP: I guess this might be the last Hidden Highlights for WSX if the rumors are true. I like how they went from getting set to tape Season 2 to being pulled after 3 episodes. Ah well. Maybe they weren't upset about the fireball, maybe they were upset about the lack of true educational value on the show. Hear me out!
During the opening match, Teddy Hart decided to electrocute his opponent, and then poured some water on him to turn up the juice. It was at this point that the announcer let us know that water is a conductive source. AAAAAAIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNTTTTTT! Wrong again, kid. SALT water is a conductive source. The reason why you can get electrocuted in the bathtub is because salt escapes your body through the pores, making a "fresh water" source into a conductive salt water source. Someone should do some homework there!
(X) Who do you like?:
Speaking of the opening match, the announcers were giving their typical play-by-play with the band of the night. Now, I don't care to take the time to look up his name, but the singer from the band of week was asked who he sympathized the most with in the match. The camera then cut back to the booth, and they caught the singer looking down at his script to read the line, "Hart, most definitely Hart." Oh man, I love when people are caught on film doing things they shouldn't, especially when you have that much time to do editing!
JT: I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the science of electricity conduction! It also sounds like the Philadelphia Inquirer has some real winners for them. Sounds like people I deal with on the phones. You would be amazed when I tell people our fee is 10%, how many ask me "so how much is that"…. Ugh… I'm not saying people need to be walking calculators, but if the bond is $10,000, and I tell you it'll cost 10%, you should NOT need to ask me how much that'll be!
Exit, stage left!
JT: 40 DAYS TIL WRESTLEMANIA! WOOOOOOOOOOO! Speaking of which, JP, you may want to consider actually booking a flight. I'd hate to have to give your ticket to Catherine…
JP: Now wait just a minute! She is mine you son of a bi—
JT: Woah! Calm down there guy. Think of the kids. Thanks for reading all and I'll see you next week my little Dingos!
JP: I just need to find out what state I'm coming FROM, and then I'll book the flight for sure!
Thank you for joining us for THE 77th 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: Hidden Highlights! Until then!
