Hidden Highlights 03.12.07: Issue #80
Posted by Prag-Thomlison on 03.12.2007
Mr. McMahon pimps his new cell phone, CM Punk stays just as upset at everybody, Jeremy Borash proves how much of a coward he is, Teddy Long keeps a secret closet, and more!
Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and James "JT" Thomlison
Issue #80
Intro
Hello everyone wondering why there is a $6 fee to have a bank check printed, and welcome back to Hidden Highlights!!
There are very few positive things on the Internet. It's more about everyone's negative view of what everyone else is trying to do.
— Eric Bischoff, Controversy Creates Ca$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. JP?
JP: I ju—
JT: JP? How can you send the intro to yourself?
JP: Well, I was going to complement you for handling all the crazy logistics of getting people from two different countries and various other locations together in Detroit for WrestleMania 23, but I guess not!
JT: No, no, you can compliment me! You do owe me after all that "irony" stuff from last week.
JP: Nah, I think I'll use the time instead to come up with even more ways to make fun of you. In the meantime, let's get on with the Hidden Highlights!
Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Monday, March 5, 2007 by JP
JP: First off, thanks to my buddy Steve for helping me fix my satellite dish so that I could watch the shows and work on Hidden Highlights in a timely manner.
JT: Uhhh… you still didn't get the draft to me in a very "timely manner".
JP: Hush you!
JT: Why? You interrupted me every ten seconds last issue.
JP: You know… anyway… let's just move on to RAW…
(3) Better than me:
Later into the evening's broadcast, we learned that AWA legend Nick Bockwinkle was going to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. After the promo video aired (and it was a good one, I'm proud of the WWE for not letting the AWA look second banana), JR turned to Jerry Lawler and asked him what he thought. The King that said that Bockwinkle was the greatest AWA champion of all time, in his estimation. Of course, Jerry Lawler was an AWA champion as well, so that means that Lawler thinks Bockwinkle is even better than him! Quite a humble moment from the King.
(2) Early product placement:
While in the back, Mr. McMahon was trying to make a phone call to his secretary Janet to tell her to not reveal any more potential Hall of Fame members if Hulk Hogan called. The reception was pretty bad in the arena, and Vince was forced to drop the call. It was at that point that Vince said to the Coach, "I'm going to switch over to Cingular next week, I tell you!" Sure enough, just two days later the WWE released that they came to an exclusive content agreement with Cingular. It's obvious to me the deal was already done by the time RAW came on the air, and Vince was just slipping in a little extra product placement for his new strategic partner.
(1) Always on:
The opening match of the show saw Shawn Michaels take on Randy Orton with Edge in his corner. And although Edge had his back to the camera, he still was fully involved and acting appropriately to the in ring action. When Randy was down, he had his hands on his head. When he saw an opening to get in the ring, he'd grab the ropes. When HBK was on the offensive, you could see tension rise in his shoulder as he pondered what to do about it. Edge was just a Hidden Highlight machine during this match, too many to list, but a perfect example of how being in the moment and doing the little things that nobody notices adds exponentially to a match. Kudos to you Edge for being one of the best in our field of expertise.
JT: I really like the way the main event for WrestleMania has been building up. It's very easy to get repetitive when you are dealing with two face vs. face main events, but the two have entirely differently feels to them. Taker and Batista, well, they're just flat out not each other's favorite person, whereas Cena and HBK must essentially (and reluctantly) be on the same team because Orton and Edge are out to terrorize them! Fantastic work by both Cena and HBK this week again.
Hidden Highlights for ECW on SciFi: Tuesday, March 6, 2007 by JT
JT: Lashley lets Vince know he better keep his hands to himself, Holly destroys Balls Mahoney, CM Punk has a choice to make, RVD gets a win over Burke leading the way for Tommy Dreamer to challenge the New Breed to a match at WrestleMania, and when there's a WWE ring, and there's "one of these here" WWE cameras, well… that means that in 20 days, Stone Cold Steve Austin's home is Detroit, Michigan!
(3) Gotta start somewhere:
I'm going to have to go against the norm here, and give Vince credit for putting Bobby Lashley on the mic this week. No need to read that again, yes, I said that I'm all for Lashley being on the mic. Look, Vince McMahon wants Bobby Lashley to be a SUPERSTAR for years to come. He is one of ten to fifteen guys Vince plans on taking the company into the future. Well, you know what, to be the kind of superstar Vince wants Lashley to become, he needs to have the look, the in-ring skill, and be able to talk. Well, you can't get better at talking unless you do just that; talk. Is it pretty atrocious at this point? Probably so, but he will get better. You think that HBK could cut an HBK promo his first year in the game? Hell no, but they kept feeding him the mic and five years later he could out-talk just about anyone. Now, I don't feel Lashley will ever get anywhere close to HBK on the mic, but I do feel that through practice and experience, he will be not only bearable on the mic, but on the rare occasion even enjoyable. He still has a long, long, …..long, LONG way to go, but to me he just looked like he felt more comfortable on Tuesday, and when he told Vince he'd break him in half if he ever touched him again, I almost bought the intensity. Its clear Vince isn't going to give him a mouthpiece, so he may as well let him go through these growing pains now so that he may reap benefit in the future.
(2) Hey, I'm trying to talk here!:
Speaking of talking, I'd like to talk about CM Punk's promo. I have seen quite a few of his indy promos, and let me tell you, the man can DEFINITELY cut a good one when he needs to. We haven't really seen anything quite as comparable yet in ECW, and therefore we haven't really been able to give him any love for his skills on the mic. Funny thing here is that it has nothing to do with anything he said. As he began speaking, he was interrupted by Elijah Burke, and immediately got this "why the fuck are you interrupting me" scowl on his face. Then, as Elijah Burke was talking he was interrupted by RVD. CM Punk turned his attention to RVD but kept the EXACT same scowl. And why shouldn't he? He has no vested interest at this point in either side. He's no more a friend to RVD than he is to Burke. After all, he was trying to conduct an interview. It doesn't matter if it's a face like RVD, or a heel like Burke, the fact is that his mic time was being interrupted and he was not happy about it. Nice job of keeping the frustrated look on his face no matter WHO is distracting him.
(1) And in this corner:
During the RVD vs. Elijah Burke match, RVD hit Burke with a SICK kick to the face. Burke immediately DROPPED. But as soon as he did, he jumped back up and threw his hands into the strike position. Of course, we all saw that lasted about two seconds and he immediately hit the floor again. I loved this because as most of us know, Burke is a former amateur boxer (with an impressive 98-1 record). Anyone who knows anything about boxing knows that when you are knocked out/down, you have a 10 count (or sometimes a standing 8 count) to get back to your feet and show the ref that you are okay to go, which Burke immediately did. Now, this was of course unsuccessful because he immediately went back down, but I thought this little hop up/fall down action was a great way to not only sell RVD's kick, but also incorporate his boxing history into his character.
JP: Now I'm just picturing Little Mac in Mike Tyson's Punch Out trying to get up. Come on, I'm hitting A and B really fast!!!
Hidden Highlights for TNA iMPACT: Thursday, March 8, 2007 by JP
JP: On the last show before Destination X, it was six-man match-up mayhem as everyone needed the final push to the big show. Still, aside from a DQ in the main event, the show actually didn't feel overbooked. It flowed nicely and the storylines intertwined, which worked out nice. Well, worked nice for me and Hidden Highlights.
(3) Losing it:
In the main event match of the Christian Coalition (Christian, Steiner, and Tomko) versus Samoa Joe, Kurt Angle, and Rhyno, future Coalition member AJ Styles came down to distract and attack his nemesis Rhyno. As Rhyno gave chase to Styles, Styles climbed to the top of Elevation X and promptly… LOST HIS BALANCE!!! Poor AJ. A scaffold match is tough work, and this was obviously an attempt to get the competitors used to the environment with a crowd watching. Well, it shook AJ a bit despite him being careful, and it cause a noticeable slip. Here's hoping AJ and Rhyno will be able to get over the height and slipping and pull off a good scaffold match of some kind!
(2) Poor Cornette:
Speaking of people in tough position, Jim Cornette sure gets a lot of people invading his office. After finally clearing of James Storm, Ms. Tennessee, Chris Sabin, Bob Backlund, and Christy Hemme, Letisha was still skulking around in the background. The camera began to fade away, but not before Cornette could get that last little comment in under his breath. I almost didn't catch it, but sure enough he said, "Why won't anyone do anything I want?" Just a classic response to the chaos and pure Jim Cornette moment that deserves to be put over.
(1) Biggest coward ever:
Shortly thereafter, Mike Tenay, SoCalVal, Letisha, and Jeremy Borash were in the ring inviting Hector Guerrero down to receive a plaque. Just as the prize was to be turned over, the Monster Abyss made his down to the ring because he is attracted to shiny objects. After deciding he didn't like the brand of polish used on the plaque, nor the font, Abyss threw it to the side and gave SoCalVal a black hole slam. Now, some could call Hector Guerrero or Mike Tenay cowards for not trying to save SoCalVal, but who was the biggest coward? It was none other than Jeremy Borash. As soon as Abyss lifted SoCalVal into the air, Borash bailed from the ring and ran to the back! I have to say, Borash, that was THE most cowardly thing I've ever seen you do, and it made me glad when Abyss threw you in a cage later in the night.
JT: Jeremy Borash, you sir, should be ashamed of yourself! I am clearly pumped that there is "officially" a Christian Coalition, and I too hope that Styles and Rhino don't have any serious accidents dealing with the scaffold on Sunday. Best of luck, gents!
Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, March 9, 2007 by JT
JT: King Booker finds yet another way to win (shoe shenanigans!), MVP has decided to finally set his sights on a title…. albeit against the Rabid Wolverine at the granddaddy, Batista eventually gets through Kane, the Miz continues to have the difficult job of being around hot chicks, Khali continues to pick a fight with the Big Red Machine, Kennedy gets a win for SD over ECW's CM Punk, and Taker defies Irish odds to beat Finlay! My one question though, and I mean this in the most positive way… where is Jimmy Wang Yang and the cruisers! I needs me some cruisers!
(3) Kane: ….WrestleMania force?:
During the Batista vs. Kane matchup, JBL spent the entire time telling us how Kane was a perfect test to see where he stood against the Undertaker. But the thing to remember here is that he's not talking a normal match with Taker, he's talking about a match at WrestleMania. Now the first thing all of us probably think is "Kane is a jobber to the stars, how is he possibly a test? Not only that, Kane's record at WM is an average 5 – 4 record and he has in fact been quite successful when it comes to WrestleMania. The fact is that record is very misleading. For one, two of those losses came by way of Kane not being pinned, as Lance Storm pinned RVD in a tag match (which required help from Team 3D, and which saw Kane and RVD win the Tag Team gold the VERY next night), and the other was the MITB, a match that pitted him against five other opponents in a ladder match environment, two factors against his odds. The other two losses did see him lose cleanly, but to who? Yup, the Undertaker, the man with said 14 – 0 record. For another, he has beaten the likes of Triple H and Kurt Angle at WrestleMania; so if you exclude his two losses to Taker (which is significant in this scenario), he – like Edge – has never been pinned. No, this is not a ramble about how great JBL is, because there is nothing Hidden about that; this is merely giving credit to an announcer who often times makes unusual references that we may not necessarily get (like a civil war in Ireland during Finlay's earlier years… "Bloody Sunday", anyone?). Fact is in most of these cases, JBL is spot on and knows what he is talking about. This is a prime example of that. Under the circumstances of dealing with Taker at WrestleMania, Kane has not only done it twice, but has also been to the show (and won) enough to know how important a match like this is.
(2) You can change over here, my dear:
The thing to keep in mind here is that this HH is based on complete kayfabe. In fact, many of the highlights we find are directly related to kayfabe, we just don't mention that because it's often implied. At any rate, as MVP and Teddy Long were discussing the U.S. Title match for WrestleMania 23, I noticed that front and center in the background was a partition (7 foot or so tall foldable dividing screens that in most instances women use to change behind. Yes men use them to, but they're normally seen in movies and things as used by women). Now, it isn't necessarily there on a consistent basis, but I have seen it before, just never given much thought to it. I mean, after all, as GM Teddy Long probably arrives at the arena decked out in suit and tie, AND as GM Long probably requests everything in his *office*, so he would probably have no use for it himself. However, someone else – say like…. Krystal – may need it in case she decides to pop in for a visit. With the current storyline their running with, it looks like Teddy Long is prepared for "any and all" situations that may go down behind the closed doors of his office.
(1) Rookie drive, Veteran mentality:
Now, I don't know if credit should go directly to Kennedy for improvising, or for someone in the back making sure the spot got on, so I will simply call him/them "they". When CM Punk went for his patented running knee strike, Kennedy essentially caught him and then threw him out of the ring. In case nobody is paying attention, that is the FIRST time that move has been avoided/ducked/countered, etc (at least that's the first time I've seen it). That shows one thing: scouting. They have been trying to build Kennedy as a superstar who ahead of the curve; ahead of his years if you will (minus of course the Lashley abomination, even JBL said that Kennedy is leaps and bounds ahead of where he should be). No matter who deserves the credit, when someone is on a roll like CM Punk and you are the one who evades this devastating maneuver for the first time, it really helps sell that you may in fact be ahead of the game, someone everyone else better watch coming; invaluable to me when heading into a match like the Money In The Bank on the biggest stage of them all.
JP: Kennedy always throws out a surprise move or counter that makes you go, "Where the heck did that come from?!" I bet if he was allowed to go all out (or if Punk was) we'd see some amazing stuff in that WWE ring. And speaking of not being allowed to go fully out, I'm surprised you are crying for the neutered cruiserweight division.
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: Pretty light load this week. That's ok, I had way too much to do anyway. Still, it was the first time in about six weeks that I watched all four of the main shows. Good times. Anyway, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…
First up is Cram with a bunch I will have to take his word for:
I found a few hidden highlights watching RoH Dragon Gate Challenge that I picked up last week:
The first is in the Delerious/Danielson vs Shelly/Rave match. Delerious motions to go for the tag to Danielson and does tag him, then holds up the arm as if to motion for Danielson to get in and kick him in the gut. Danielson looks to Delerious for a split second then just grabs Shelly's arm and twists it. Just a little subtle reminder that NO-ONE tells Bryan Danielson how to wrestle, not even his own tag team partner.
In the next match on the card Claudio Castagnoli does his whole "heeeeeyyy" schtick coming to the ring, as usual. When he grabs a chair to put next to the apron to get into the ring he says to the ref "get out of the waaaaayy" very much like he says his "hhheeeeeyyy". Although it was barely audible I heard it and got a laugh out of it.
Some costume love now. Samoa Joe's boots say "Samoa"on both sides, but I just realized that they're in the same text that the original RoH logo was. Nice reminder that Joe's been in RoH nearly from the beginning and he loves the company enough that he copies the text for his boots.
Keep up the good work guys, nice to see the column revert back to its old self after the *shudders* cryme tyme incident.
JP: It's always good to hear about Hidden Highlights from other places. We never get to talk much about the independent promotions or tapes of the past (like we used to), so I love to get interesting ones like you sent in. Good job on explaining a lot of the backstory, too, since most of us are unfamiliar with RoH and its characters. That said, still hating on the Cryme Tyme issue? Man, that was five weeks ago! And revert? We never left! Speaking of that issue, Cory~! returns with a few thoughts of his own:
Hey Guys,
Cory here again, the first and last time I responded to your "Hidden Highlights" column was right after the dreaded Cryme Tyme edition. Thanks for responding to my email and everyone else's emails in the following week's edition, and all I have to say is I'm damn glad it won't be happening again!
All funny bidness aside...
Matt Hardy has always performed the Twist of Fate by grabbing onto his opponent's neck the way he usually does, and performing a 3/4 turn on himself and falling to the mat with his opponent always facing down. The way you guys described it is essentially a regular swinging neckbreaker, where the opponent always twists and lands on his back. The Twist of Fate has never properly ended with the wrestler receiving it twisting along with either Matt or Jeff Hardy. I should know, since I've been a Matt fan since before the Hardyz originally broke up the first time.
So I guess my second letter isn't as critical as my first, eh? Trust me fellas, there really isn't MUCH to be critical about with your column.
JP: That's good to know. JT, do you want to defend yourself some more or just accept that you weren't able to make a valid point?
JT: There was nothing to defend? I don't get into arguments with drunk foreigners for weeks at a time; that's you. I said, "I think it's this way although I am not 100% so I may be wrong and if so, so be it". So thanks Cory!
JP: That was some PC BS, JT. All right, enough of that. Besides, Chris Page has an interesting observation that we forgot to highlight:
Don't know how hidden this was, since this is the second time I've seen it, but I haven't seen anyone, anywhere, even mention it so perhaps it's worth throwing in as a possible hidden highlight (especially seeing as it didn't get a mention in this weeks column). This past week on Raw during the Lashley/Umaga brawl when a ton of referees spilled out to break things up, who did I spy in the melee but Captain Mike Rotundo himself getting involved. As I said, not the first time I've spotted him (he was on Smackdown a week or two ago too) but not quite as blatantly as he was this time around. Sure, he appeared on the Family Reunion show several months ago (and I still can't quite get over the thought of I.R.S. playing a face role) but I didn't even realize he had a job in the WWE. Now all we need is Dean Malenko breaking up a few fights and I'm a happy camper.
JP: Do you know what is really funny? Every time there is a brawl like that where people come from the back I'm always looking for Dean Malenko. Man, I really miss him in the ring. Sadly, I didn't miss Jon, but he wrote in anyway:
Not sure if this would count as a highlight but decided to mention it anyways. I noticed during the silhouette for the money in the bank ladder match, each competitor has a background with there brand on it. Edge and Jeff had Raw, CM Punk with ECW, and Matt, Finlay, and King Booker had Smackdown...but what of Mr. Kennedy? His lacked any brand and was different from the others it seemed....or maybe I just didn't look at it closely enough. Thanks for putting up with my BS.
JP: I did like the brands in the images, I thought it was a good touch. But Kennedy did have a SmackDown! symbol in his. The problem was the lightning made the image kind of fade in and out so it wasn't that visible. Trust me, though, it was still there. Speaking of there, we'll wrap up this week with the return of Josh Lankton who always brings the goodness:
Directly after RVD pinned Elijah Burke this week, all of the Originals were standing in the ring while the New Breed were shouting and taunting at them from ringside. For just one slight second, Ariel can be seen off to the side shaking her head with eyes wide in fear at The Sandman and his Singapore Cane. This was an awesome little bit of continuity by Ariel as The Sandman had delivered that horrible Cane shot to her backside just the week before. Just thought it was a brilliant move on her part no matter how brief it was. Thanks for the time. Keep up the good work, guys!
JP: See, what did I tell you: always bringing the goodness. I have nothing else to add because you did as good of a job as I or JT could ever do. So I'll go take a nap while JT wraps this section up.
JT: You know, I have been noticing Ariel in the background quite a bit on ECW. She always seems to add the little touches that sell her freakish character. Excellent call Josh, and good job by everyone else who wrote in.
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: I do? This issue is full of surprises! And the real surprise IS…. I'm giving us the week off from this section in the spirit of shortness (or rather, how short this column is). So kick back, relax, and here is your non-alcoholic, neon blue margarita topped with girly little pink umbrella.
JP: …you are such a lazy bum. You really have NOTHING to talk about?
JT: Hmmmm…. Well, I did discover this week that some guy back in the 60's actually went skydiving in space!
JP: Really? That's a pretty odd fun fact, I'm surprised I've never heard of this. Really? Skydiving from space!?
JT: Yeah, I know. Bizarre. Apparently he went up via an air balloon for NASA, and was like 30 kilometers above the Earth… some test on one of Einstein's theories on gravity. He was right, too. Go figure! The guy attained the speed of sound without a vehicle or aircraft and had no sense of falling!
JP: Geez, was he okay? That did nothing to his body?
JT: Nope, he was completely fine. That's gravity for you.
JP: Weird, not quite as weird as us actually having this conversation, but weird nonetheless. I guess we should actually talk something wrestling in the future…
With that in mind, next week there is a WSX marathon. Look for the top five Hidden Highlights of the end of WSX! Man, that sub-section in here did not last at all…
Exit, stage left!
JT: Wow, nine pages? We may have a record! So it goes I suppose when you're too cheap to order PPV's, MTV can't keep a promotion afloat for more than a month, and Vh1 refuses to honor Cook's wishes of airing a new episode of Hogan Knows Best every single week of the year. Have a good week my little jaboticabas!
JP: Issue #74 was about the same length as this one. But the last time an issue went nine pages or less? Issue #6. Issue #5 was actually 8 pages, as was Issue #2. Issue #1? Six pages! Ha, that didn't last long at all. We didn't even have TNA back then, nonetheless ECW. Sheer craziness. Anyway, remember that we will need your Destination X write-ins more than anything, so be sure to send in tons of those, even if you think they are crap. Maybe they'll be good enough to fill space!
Thank you for joining us for THE 80th 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!
