Hidden Highlights 04.16.07: Issue #85
Posted by Prag-Thomlison on 04.16.2007
Edge learns something from Matt Striker’s chalkboard, Kelley Kelley does not know how to look for Snitsky, Andrew Thomas tells AJ Styles what he thinks of his opinions, Ashley cannot stop laughing in pain, readers love Diva action on RAW, and more!
Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and James "JT" Thomlison
Issue #85
Intro
Hello everyone wondering why the temperature has dropped twenty degrees in the past week, 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: Well, after the whole wrestling week, all the family stuff with my grandmother and Easter, and then me being called into work my first day off followed by working all week through Saturday, I finally got a day off to relax!!!
JP: Nice! So you're finally well rested and back to normal then?
JT: Well of course not. It was a day off. I drank myself silly and stayed up til 5 a.m. Duh.
JP: … I'm sure you learned a real valuable lesson from that, eh?
JT: Yes, yes I did. Going to bed at 4 a.m. instead of 5 is a much better idea!
JP: Hahaha, I must concure. All right, lets get on with the Hidden Highlights!
Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Monday, April 9, 2007 by JP
JP: RAW had a General Manager for the first time since Eric Bischoff was General Manager for a Day. Man, I really miss RAW having a GM. I'm glad that Make-a-wish kid was GM, at least someone was! But kid, I can't believe you didn't check your pockets after a visit from Cryme Tyme! I checked my pockets at WrestleMania and they were 100 feet away. What? No, that's not racist you jerk!
(3) Don't even look:
Part way into the evening, Randy Orton fought Shawn Michaels (more on him later) in a #1 Contender's Match for the WWE Championship. Some time into the contest, Edge came down to… check out the action. This immediately distracted Randy Orton, who started to jaw at Edge yelling at him to go away. Although the camera was moving away from him, I could just catch Edge's response: "I'm just watching. Don't mind me, man!" Absolutely great response by Edge, really putting over the fact that he, at that moment, had done nothing. The best part was that the camera was not on him and he said those lines only to the benefit of himself, Orton, and any of the fans close enough to hear him.
(2) You got a C… See me after class, that is:
Speaking of Edge, later in the evening we saw him again as he was walking in back getting ready for the Cutting Edge. But did you catch what Edge walked by in that brief moment? It was a chalkboard. This chalkboard, though, was not just any chalkboard; it was Matt Striker's. How did I know that? Well, the last time we saw Matt Striker use the board he was giving a lecture on the Undertaker. Sure enough, you could still see the outlines of the last few letters of the Undertaker on the board! Looks like someone did not do a good job of washing that board off. Besides, why did it get unpacked in the RAW arena anyway?
(1) It's a changeup:
Many times in Hidden Highlights we have pointed out changes in theme music, outfits, and character. This week, I get to highlight one person that got all three. Did you notice anything different about HBK Shawn Michaels this past RAW? You should have. He was lacking any and all DX references! He was wearing the mirrored HBK ring outfit, came out to the Sexy Boy theme song, and was acting like mean spirited HBK, not a fun loving DX member. HBK even said it earlier in the evening, he was tired of being a "nice guy". Well, the most recent incarnation of DX made Shawn Michaels just that, a nice guy. Where does Michaels get his mean guy back? With none other than the Heart Break Kid.
JT: Wow, I'm a bit surprised that you didn't mention the div-
JP: Oh, and before anyone wonders why I didn't do any of the ones from the Women's match, there is a great Reader Write-in that covered almost all of them for me, so no need!
JT: In other words you were lazy.
JP: Yes.
JT: How typical. I too got a kick out of having a GM. I like Coach a lot, but without a title it just doesn't feel official. Every time I hear "executive assistant" I think "Vince's bitch". I honestly think Coach has a great character that would make for a great GM. It would just have a better feel to it if I didn't think he had to ask permission for EVERYTHING he does.
Hidden Highlights for ECW on SciFi: Tuesday, April 10, 2007 by JT
JT: Vinnie Mac is back to remind us of his quest to destroy Lashley, CM Punk has a decision to make, Thorne gets a win over Dreamer (albeit a ballsy situation), The Condemned breaks the rules of reality television, Holly broke his arm, Punk gets scouted as he goes over Stevie Richards (who is an asshole, btw), Marcus Cor Von gets ANOTHER win for the New Breed, and they top off the night by having CM Punk join their team! …..or so we think….
(3) WWECRAWSD:
I'll probably catch some slack for this, but to me, sometimes it isn't always about the things that we enjoy, but rather why we enjoy them. That is what brings me to my first Hidden Highlight. As we all saw, RAW ended with Lashley taking a total beatdown from Umaga and Shane McMahon and a verbal lashing from Vince. The first thing that happened on ECW? Out comes Vince to further the oral assault followed with a video package from the previous nights show. I know, not too hidden, right? I'll give you that, but the fact is this was the PERFECT way for Vince to go. We could have gotten a clip to start the show that recapped last week's ECW for us, but no, we picked up right where we left off right now. The thing to remember is that Vince and Co. are trying to incorporate all three separate brands into three parts of one brand (as evidenced by the change in PPV's), and that simply does not make sense if you don't incorporate and reference every show into the other. It's not continuity, it's INSTANT continuity; and segments like these are necessary to make the transition from "brand extension" to "brand differences yet with some cohesiveness". I know, it seems silly, but it's nice to see them announce a plan and then actually try to incorporate it, something not always found with Vince's "bright ideas".
(2) Mr. McMahon gets a bit ahead of himself:
The second one actually came to me during said video package, and just happens to be one of those little errors that makes me chuckle. As we all saw from the Backlash match hype after Vince's promo, it's a "3 vs. 1 Handicap match for the ECW Title". But if you were paying attention to Vince from the video package, you'd see that last night, he got into Lashley's face and said:
"It's gonna be at Backlash! It's gonne be Bobby Lashley vs. Umaagaaa VS. Shane McMahon ……VS. Vince McMahon!"
Really? I'm sorry Vince, but that sounds like a Fatal Four Way to me. I even thought to myself at the time (Monday night) "well, he's fucked. They're just going to gang up on him". Poor choice of words! Poor choice of words! I'm sure he is was in the moment and meant it as separate sentences ("(you) vs. Umaga", "(you) vs. Shane", "(you) vs. Vince", etc), but it just came off as funny to me and sometimes, that makes it worth sharing with you!
(1) Blondes have the most fun:
Believe it or not, this is actually not the first time we've given Kelly Kelly some love in this article! I know, shocking, but hey, maybe she isn't THAT blonde after all (although reports from the NZ crew would say otherwise) but she certainly still knows how to act like it! So as the ECW Divas were….. primping, or whatever useless task they were undertaking, th-
JP: Oh now that wasn't very positive!
JT: Hey, sometimes you have to call a spade a spade! Even MeePositive would have to agree.
Meehan: Yeah, once in a while, there really is no defense.
JP: … I see what you did there.
JT: May I continue please?
JP: If you must.
JT: So… as the Divas were… "gracefully frolicking in the front of the mirror" (there, happy?), Snitsky walked up behind them. Now, the first Highlight from Kelly comes in the fact that while Layla and Brooke (I couldn't tell if it was Brooke or Trinity, so need for the correction emails) noticed him in the mirror, nope! Not Kelly; she was completely oblivious to his presence and seemed to turn only because the other too did. Classic blonde, but it gets better. After they had all turned and were facing Snitsky, the other two completely froze, not moving a muscle. Kelly? While somewhat intimidated, she kept right on brushing her blonde locks, almost as if she didn't quite grasp the seriousness of what was standing in front of her. Two really great little nuances to totally sell that she is in fact such a ditzy blonde.
JP: I actually did notice that, too. When she was in the mirror, I saw that she kept looking down and at herself so she wouldn't notice Snitsky. That was actually a very smart move. Still, I'm surprised you didn't mention the conversation Sandman had with CM Punk. You had to listen real close, but the Sandman started talking about something they shared back "in ‘98". Now, I have no idea what the two could have shared in 1998 since Punk didn't debut until 1999. Anyone have any idea what the Sandman was talking about?
Hidden Highlights for TNA iMPACT: Thursday, April 12, 2007 by JP
JP: As Jeremy Borash was so apt to remind us at the beginning of the show, this was the final iMPACT before Lockdown. I rather wish it wasn't, though. I think it would be interesting to get just one week of hearing the reaction of the members of Team Angle to Jeff Jarrett being the fifth man. I mean, he screwed over Joe for multiple title shots, had long feud with Rhino, and Sting chased him out of TNA. How do these men deal with Jeff Jarrett? If there is any continuity in the world, that needs to be answered ASAP!!!
(3) Best choice:
I believe we'll focus all of Hidden Highlights on the main event of the evening: AJ Styles vs. Samoa Joe for advantage in the Lethal Lockdown match. The first one comes from Don West as Samoa Joe was making his way to the ring. Don West complemented Angle for his pick because Joe has so much experience "beating" Styles. I thought the choice of words was great on West's part. It's not just that Joe and Styles had met many times and Joe knows Styles well, but that Joe has defeated Styles in almost all of their encounters. Few people have that type of win-loss record with AJ Styles (including Jeff Jarrett), so it's interesting to hear West emphasize the difference.
(2) That's a heavy guy:
Later in the match, AJ Styles was attempting a scoop slam on Samoa Joe, a man nearly twice his weight. AJ had to give up on the scoop part and just slammed Joe forward to get rid of him. After this, he immediately threw himself back into the ropes, held his back, and screamed, "Oh my god!" That was absolutely the best, most natural reaction to trying to lift the big man that AJ could have done. Whether shoot or work, the message was loud and clear: Samoa Joe is a big dude.
(1) Listen to the boss:
On the same subject of correct responses, we often complement people in these pages who pay attention to what's going on around them and react naturally. This week, those kudos will go to none other than referee Andrew Thomas. Styles had Joe in the corner and Andrew Thomas began to make the five count. Not enjoying the count, AJ told the ref to shut up. To this, Andrew Thomas replied, "I will not shut up, you'll get him out of the corner!" Absolutely hilarious and needs no further explanation. Super kudos to you Andrew Thomas, you deserve it!
JT: I stood up to AJ once… and had to look down half a foot to do so! I'm kidding, he is really short, but he still has me by a good three or four inches. Also, I'd like to give kudos for everyone not named Kurt Angle for their reactions to seeing Jeff Jarrett. Both sides really sold the shock quite well. Yes, I actually got to watch it on Thursday this week!
Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, April 13, 2007 by JT
JT: Ok, last time it was the 13th, you spouted something about not speaking Spanish.
JP: That was only Tuesdays.
JT: So FRIDAY the 13th?
JP: I'm fine with it. Why?
JT: Never mind… Teddy Long announces that the World Title rematch will be a Last Man Standing match (holla holla!), Kennedy and Finlay work out their differences… for the time being, Ashley is out because Jillian is in a mood (thanks Timbaland!), Deuce and Domino get themselves DQ'd in a tag title match, Kristal is still a playa, MVP gets a very hard earned win over Benoit, Kane gets that once a year "I'm a beast" push, and Big Dave / Taker get a win while… sort of… no… in no way managing to get along. They hate each other!
(3) But you work here! ….for now, anyway:
It's time to give the little man some love! I have discussed with you before how bad I feel for event staff that are wrestling fans, because they are not allowed to participate, watch, enjoy in ANY way. Well, when Big Dave walked out, he then walked off the ramp and off to the left towards the crowd. When he got about ten feet from the crowd and posed. As he did, you could see right in front of him was a "staff/security" person, and he was CLAPPING HIS ASS OFF! That is practically the BIGGEST no-no if you are working an event, be it sports, wrestling, concert, whatever. You are there to WORK, not have anything to do with the show. Sure, you can listen (as you can't avoid that), but looking is generally a big NO. This guy basically said "meh, I'm here twice a week, fuck ‘em", and let the fan come out. So, there certainly wasn't anything spectacular from the guy, but anyone who is willing to throw away his job and livelihood just to cheer a wrestler… well, that guy is going to get some kudos from me. After all, there may not be any more chances to give him kudos after this!
(2) So funny it hurts:
Okay, I'm going to go out on a ledge here, so feel free to agree or disagree.
The RGX girl is beyond hot.
Okay, that wasn't really it, but I am still going out on a ledge. When Michelle McCool gathered some staff and ran into the girls locker room, what she found was Jillian doing a number on Ashley. Now, Ashley was quite vocal about this, and while she did appear to be in pain, it honestly sounded to me like she was LAUGHING about Jillian not being in Timbaland's video. Again, I might be insane, but it sounded to me like it was a very painful sounding hysterical laughter that was basically aimed directly at Jillian; she even seemed to have half a smile on her face while grimacing. We've seen for weeks that Jillian wanted to make that video, and knowing that she hadn't, Ashley may have just broken down in uncontrollable laughter, even when Jillian did a number on her ankle. Chances are that I am out of my mind and Ashley is just that bad of an actress and conveying pain, but her "laughing cackle" combined with Jillian screaming "I didn't make the video!" just made sense to me, and made me laugh. It was like Ashley was completely no-selling the injury (while grabbing the ankle of course) because the thought of Jillian failing was too funny to her.
…alright, so in hindsight that probably isn't the case at all, but as we've told the readers many times, it's about how you see it and about what entertains you. Well, to me, the woman was laughing and I found it quite funny, so deal with it!
(1) Can you hear me now?:
During the Tag Team Championship match between the Hooliganz and the Untouchables, there was a point where London and Domino were in the ring. London threw a kick, and Domino caught it. London then jumped up and rolled Domino over in what Cole described as a "unique, unorthodox" pin, and as the ref counted, you could see Deuce start to enter the ring. Domino kicked out though, and as the ref got up, he threw up his right arm and pointed, motioning Deuce to get back outside of the ring. This combined with the action in the ring may have distracted you from the ref's left hand, which was taking a half second to reach up to his ear and adjust his earpiece (likely pushing it back in a little farther)! That is honestly something I don't think we've mentioned or touched on before in 85 weeks of this column. We all know the earpiece is there, but I guess we all take them for granted and assume they just naturally stay in. But the fact is the ref is an active guy in there, and one of the countless things he has to do is make sure that the earpiece stays in his ear so that he can hear the boys in the back. That, and they certainly don't want a loose earpiece midway through a match flapping about wildly as they do their thing. Subtle little motion we've probably seen a hundred times and never realized.
JP: You know JT, that guys boss in #3 may not have noticed him breaking the rules. But now he has written proof that the guy wasn't doing his job. Way to go, dude, you totally got that guy fired now!
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: And we appear to be back with the big batches which we love! Maybe everyone took March off? Either way, it's good to see the readers back in action and on that note, let's get to it!. So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…
Before we get started though, you all know that we are willing to share any and all feedback, even if it disagrees or is even insulted by us. With that in mind, I will first let MidnightPunk share a potential correction on last week's RWHH:
I think Matt and Ashley are still together. On Matt's MySpace I'm pretty sure he says in one of his blogs they are (he writes huge blogs) and at the HOF they sat next to each other.
JT: Well, we certainly weren't close enough to tell. What I have been able to tell is that on his MySpace (last login of 4/10), it lists him as single, AND ObsessedWithWrestling says that he "Once Dated" Ashley. So they may be or they may not be, but at this point, I'd say they may have simply been sitting together at the HOF as friends. From what I've heard, their parting was much more amicable and likely due mostly to being on different shows/working different schedules. Now, before we get started, I will ALSO let Chris Jacobs vent, and just a reminder to everyone that last week was JP's week and therefore I will let him respond because hey… not my beef!
His first email:
On my JR comment about communicating with the Ref. I can't tell you where I heard it because I honestly do not know, but I swear I heard it and believe it is true. Yeah they have earpieces, but I'm sure there are times of technical difficulties. Sure JR likes to react naturally, and guess what, HE STILL CAN, just because he knows that it will go a little longer, or end abruptly doesn't mean he knows what is coming. I wouldn't just make something up and send it as a HH, I did hear this somewhere and I apologize for not remembering where.
His second email:
I just commented on JR communicating with the referee, and I don't appreciate being called a smark by a reporter when I am actually a pro wrestler in training, and know a little bit more on backstage tendencies than most people. Not saying I'm smarter or better, but I am definitely not a damn smark. I feel like Big Show when Rock called him a Jabroni, LOL!!!
JT: Hmmm… seems like you may have misjudged JR AND offended a reader. Nice. Any words there, JP? Maybe a little humble pie for ya? We do have milk.
JP: Me? Humble? Have you learned nothing in 85 weeks? Anyway, Chris, I wasn't calling you a smark (and I did want to put this in the open here and not like the other personal e-mails I sent you), I was calling the rumor smarky. Also, you didn't counterpoint the fact that there are 10 production people around the ring that could do a much better job of getting a message to the ref than magic JR hand signals from further away. And no offence, but sometimes doctors make the worst patients. Just because you are in training to be a professional wrestler doesn't mean you understand all facets of the business. Not saying that I do in any way, shape, or form; I just have my own theories though production experience, business knowledge, and attentiveness to the product. I could see what you are talking about happening a lot more on the indy scene. There, the announcers are generally right on the ring side and are the only people in contact with the back or keeping track of time. Or they are the owners of the fed. In those cases, the announcers may most likely be making hand signals to control match pace and end times. On a larger stage like the WWE, that type of hodge podge is completely unnecessary. And JT, you can eat that pie and drink a gallon of milk for that one.
JT: You know I was kidding… sort of. Let's finally head into RAW, shall we? Starting us off is Caleb S., who caught something from the April 2nd RAW:
When "Coach" come out and tells HBK and Cena that they'll be defending the WWETTT in a Tag Team Battle Royal, Cena slides his WWEHT Belt into the corner and picks up his Tag Belt. A nice reminder that ALL belts are important and a Champion is a Champion, no matter WHAT the title is...
JT: Myself and JP were probably marking entirely too hard at the announcement to notice this (and oh yes, we were marking; should have seen us for the second one), but it's a great call. When you have two guys who AREN'T a regular tag team – AND fighting for the main belt – it's easy to forget that they are representing another division besides the heavyweight. Yet again, the big bad hated man of the wrestling world steps it up and does the LITTLE THINGS that make the great ones great. He isn't there yet, but he's certainly grabbing all of the weights the fans put on his back and marching straight uphill towards a possible eventual point where you can't help but give him his due. Go ahead… keep blaming him instead of booking; see where that gets you in five years when he's one of the best.
JP: …..uh… did you just go on a Cena rant?
JT: I may have a bit. Sorry. It's a bit late and he caught me in a mood. My apologies.
JP: No problem, I like the Cena love. Maybe you could keep the long rants for That Other Section, though?
JT: Fair enough. We should get to Logan S., who found a couple regarding, ironically enough (yes, IRONICALLY JP), the Hardy's and Edge.
First, when the Hardys came out they had Jeff's entrance stuff going instead of their joint opening.
JT: Honestly, despite the fact I've given credit to the fact they're trying to sort of merge everyone yet still keep them separate, I would say this is because Jeff is technically the RAW guy. I could be wrong though.
JP: I'm still not seeing the irony here.
JT: Shut up! Logan, please continue…
Second, well it takes place when Edge is making his way out for the Cutting Edge. When's he's walking what does he pass by? Matt Striker's chalk board! Just goes to show how production placement is when they load up.
JT: I think JP above didn't see it as product placement, but that's ok. Speaking of which, we also got this from Tyrone C.:
Hey I love the Hidden Highlights column and I read every time. I thought this would be a fun little highlight. I was watching Raw this Monday (April 9th) and when Edge was walking to the ring to do his "The Cutting Edge" segment I thought it was interesting to see him walk past Matt Striker's chalkboard that Matt uses during his "school teacher" segments on ECW. You could clearly see this when Edge is walking through the halls and the chalkboard is sitting with the huge trunks that WWE uses for its equipments and such. I guess WWE is really doing away with the brand extension in every way shape and form.
JT: As JP said, I suppose that my question here is why the hell isn't that chalkboard on the way to wherever ECW and SD were being taped!? I suppose that this issue has been appropriate as we have definitely discussed the end of the brand extension combined with them trying to maintain some separation. Either way, great catch by both of you, and JP I guess. It's always nice to get Striker some love, even if he has nothing to do with it! Next up is Ian C., who has both good and bad news for us:
Bad news first. Plans fell apart, so I will not, in fact, be attending the Smackdown/ECW tapings that I told you so eagerly (6 weeks ago) I would try and bring a ("My Sign is a Hidden Highlight") sign to.
JT: We are sorry to hear that, but we understand. JP was unable to make it to the SD/ECW tapings on 4/3, so no biggie; we appreciate the thought though. Moving on:
That being said,
I did catch a Hidden Highlight from last night's RAW. I don't know if it was so hidden, but it happened before the Divas tag team match. Victoria made her entrance after the other team of Mickie James and Candice Michelle, and as Victoria came down the ramp, there was a quick shot in the ring, where you could see Candice framing her nose with her hands. As we all know, that same nose was broken by Victoria some months ago. A nice little nod to continuity by Candice, I thought. And one would think you'd never forget about a thing like that.
JT: Continuity rules. If Victoria broke my nose, I would be a little cautious if I ran into her again as well, especially if she had put me out for a while like that. Good call, and we do have more on the Divas match next from Jis, who actually found two!
While rewatching RAW tonight, Victoria--my favorite Diva--did two things worthy of note. The first one occurred while Melina was making her entrance. Melina put one leg up on the apron, then the other, as usual. When Victoria saw this, she buckled her knees and clutched at her nethers with a pained expression on her face. Normally, this is done to express sympathy when someone (namely a guy) gets kicked in the crotch. But in this case, it was as if Victoria was saying, "That HURTS when I do it!"
JT: The funny part is that Victoria can probably do that just as easily as Melina… ah… that Victoria…. …………….
……………………………………..
………….sorry, I should focus.
The second thing of note happened after one of her tag team opponents landed outside of the ring. When Victoria pursued her, I heard her say something along the lines of "Did that hurt your little tummy?!" in a very condescending tone. I'm sure Victoria's a nice lady, but she does that incredibly well. She's my role model whenever I have a bad day.
JT: Victoria is indeed a great heel. The E should consider themselves lucky that we are positive here, or this probably would have been the start of my 23rd career rant about how Victoria is horribly misused. There should be at least two Widows Peak's on every episode of RAW, I say! And no need to worry Jis, the water and beer are plentiful, so we're all set! And as if that wasn't enough, Brian chimed in with even more from that match!
The first is from Melina. She had her usual ring entrance, doing the splits into the ring. What the HH is is where she did it. Normally she does it on the ramp-side, or 'west' side, of the ring. Tonight she did it at the 'south' side of the ring, the side with the most cameras and most coverage. Melina is the woman's champion and she feels she should be the center of attention and she will do whatever she needs to do to ensure that the cameras and attention is centered on her.
JT: A Hollywood diva seeking attention!? Never!!! I kid, Bri, your reasoning makes perfect sense. And heck, while everyone ELSE is chiming in on this match (sheesh, the ladies really brought it this week!), I will add one that I caught myself! As Victoria came down to the ring, Mickie sat on the middle rope, inviting her in. Instead, Victoria got down towards the ring and turned towards the right, and as she did, she made a little point gesture towards the heel corner and shook her head a little as if to say "no thanks". Just good stuff all around in this match! …..except of course the lack of Widows Peak!
…..you know, never underestimate warm blooded American males. Here we have all this stuff going on with RAW, and yet AGAIN – by this point to the surprise of no one I'm sure – have a Hidden Highlight from the Divas match! This time, from Adam N.:
I noticed a hidden highlight during the diva tag match on Raw. When Melina was in the ring with Candice, Victoria put her knee with the knee brace on the second rope so that Melina could drive Candice's head into the knee brace. Most of the time when a heel team is doing that spot, the person on the apron just puts their foot on a rope, but they knew that the knee brace would do more damage than Victoria's boot.
JT: I'm sorry, Adam, but I am exhausted on this match. It was definitely a good call on your part, but at this point I think I've talked Victoria and the other ladies up enough and just don't know what else to say. Thank you for the submission though, and you were definitely not alone! And of course, not to be out done was Allysson C., who actually found ALL of those highlights in the Diva's match! Talk about one-upmanship! (myself and JP can both assure you she does NOT have access to our Inbox):
I found the women's match to be full of Hidden Highlights. First, during Victoria's entrance Candice kept doing boxes around her nose to put emphasis on it because Victoria broke it back in December. Next, during Melina's entrance Micke held the ropes open for her, what did Melina do? She went to the other side of the ring! Also, when Melina did her splits Victoria held onto her... private area to show how it could hurt, she then clapped to show how much she was impressed with Melina's flexibility. Then, when Victoria kicked Candice's gut, she went over to the other woman and asked if her "little tummy" hurt. Later, when Melina tagged back in for the double team move, she pointed to Mickie who responded by putting one leg into the ring. Finally, went Melina dragged Candice to her and Victoria's corner, instead of hitting Candice's head on the turnbuckle she hit it on Victoria's knee. Better yet, it was the knee that Victoria's wears a brace on! Great heel tactic. Like I said before, the match was full of highlights.
JT: Well, I mean there you have it. I think it's fair to say that every person on the planet was watching the Divas match as close as humanly possible. Thanks to all who submitted one (or all of them) for that match. That really was something I don't think we have ever seen here at Hidden Highlights and was quite entertaining when reading one email after the other, so thanks for being a part of it! Just think, now you can say to yourself, "I was one of the 83 people who took part in that CRAZY Hidden Highlights overflow from that one Divas match!". Your certificates of commemoration and merit badges are in the mail.
JP: And now you know why I didn't write about it above. The readers covered almost every single point of that match. I was so impressed that I just had to let the readers get all the credit. Absolutely the best match of the week from a Hidden Highlights standpoint, which makes it the best match to me!
JT: You just want to ogle the Divas some more because I'm not letting you ogle the female readers this week.
JP: Damn, I hate it when you are right.
JT: What can I say, except up next is Jannie from Denmark, who gets right to the point!
When HBK wrestled Orton, he had tape on both of his wrists, and you would think he had time to take it off when he came out later in the show, but he didn't.. Guess he had to get his eye cleaned up..
JT: Although he apparently found time to put on an HBK T-shirt! Available NOW at WWEshop.com! Plus you never know what's going to happen when you head out to that ring, so maybe he just wanted to be safe in case he had to lay some Sweet Chin Music on Cena, Orton, or Edge. Finishing us off with RAW this week is Dan T., who can appreciate minor attire adjustments:
This isn't strictly a hidden highlight as it wasn't exactly hidden. But it was a highlight. I thought coach was brilliant when he straightened the Make a Wish kid's tie and then had to add: "As I thought, a clip-on". Made me laugh out loud - such a stupid thing to say but so much in character that he would feel threatened by a sick kid and feel smug because he can tie his own tie. Really, really funny stuff. And wasn't that kid great at getting his revenge and announcing the main event for backlash? Good work all round.
JT: I completely agree. When he leaned down and fixed the kids tie, I thought to myself ‘that is SO Coach like'. I really don't think Coach gets enough credit for his on screen character, so I'm glad you wrote in. I'd also like to send kudos to the WWE for not half-assing the Make-A-Wish thing by having him meet a wrestler or something, but rather putting him and his cause front and center. Putting a random kid front in center on a live television show and letting him announce a main event for an upcoming PPV is NOBODY's decision other than Vince, so he may not have any hair, and he maybe a total douche when it comes to being a business man, much like the trips to Iraq something like this shows that he does indeed somewhere in that body have something resembling a heart. Getting us into SmackDown this week (no TNA love?) is Scott B., who was just all over the place!
Not sure if this is going to be to late or not, but I noticed that during the Smackdown promo for the Untertakers undefeated streak the only opponent that didn't get the Tombstone was HHH. He's shown going down to the Last Ride, but even BikerTaker used the Tombstone when needed. Plus, it is WM and Taker ALWAYS uses the Tombstone to win there, right? This is probably more for the trivia columns, but could go either way. After all, it was a "hidden" moment and it was during a "highlight" segment.
JT: While I'm sure that Trips didn't have anything to do with this (although someone probably did), it is kind of comical that he'd be the only one not to be shown taking the Tombstone. After all, he is probably the biggest name Taker has beaten at WM, AND he is prepping for a pretty big return soon; better to not take any chances I suppose!
OK, maybe that's a stretch, how about this one. Ever notice how the Miz only seems to get any offense going when he's doing more traditionally recognized "heel moves." But every match he's got it's the same, normal offense not so good, a little underhanded move and he's all over a guy. I used to think creative didn't know how to use him, but now I'm wondering if it's a slow buildup for a decent heel push. Lord knows, all it will take is a couple solid heel matches and JBL finally giving the Miz props for "taking things seriously and doing what needs to be done" and the fans will buy into it. Even if that's not true, he should get mentioned for taking those chops from Benoit. Wasn't there about 20? Highlight there is everyone knows the chop from Benoit is supposed to be on par with Flair so taking that many like the Miz did gives "old school" respect for a move in the day of flashy finishers and submissions. I watched the match and thought "Damn, how many chops is he gonna take?" How can those not be stiff???? Come on, you got three to choose from...gimme some HH love....
JT: Well, I'll get myself in the doghouse a little and admit that I simply have not paid THAT much attention to the Miz's moveset habits, but I was at the SD taping and you could hear those chops at club level, so I will agree on giving him so kudos for that. Like JBL said on Friday, "Chris Benoit chops you so hard, it's like getting hit from inside". And you're right, taking chops like that can not only help sell the chop (as if it needs help), but will also help Miz out with the boys in the back. If Benoit thinks you're okay, chances are MOST will think you're okay, no matter how you got to your "spot", or the gimmick you may be stuck with.
Heading us into our Classic/Other section is Asim B., who almost didn't write in!:
Hi all,
I debated for a long time weather I should send these Hidden Highlights or not as they are quite old but every time I think of them I kinda smile to myself so I thought that by definition they make good HH so here goes:
JT: That does INDEED by definition make a good HH! Listen people, we are looking for your classics. Since we grew to such a big column, we had to cut that section out and we always enjoy hearing yours. Like he said, it's about what YOU enjoy, and that's what we want to hear, be it Please continue Asim:
1. Did you notice that whenever King Booker is talking about Jeff or Matt Hardy, he calls them Jeffery and Mathew. They may not be their original names but as a royalty King Booker naturally assumes that Jeff and Matt are nick names and he should address them with their proper names as all royalties tend to do.
JT: Well, we certainly have noticed! It's not the most hidden, but you're right, whenever he talks to someone as King Booker, he uses their "appropriate" name. My favorite is probably when he refers to Teddy Long as "Thadius". Great little touch to his character, and a reason he should KEEP IT PEOPLE! I will never knock anyone, but I will say I disagree with some who feel that the King Booker character has run its course. Now, he may have to drop it with the KOTR coming up; that doesn't mean it's the greatest decision.
The next two HH are of veterans showing us that experience is the best teacher.
2. During the segment announcing the first entry into this years Hall of Fame, Umaga came in and destroyed Dusty Rhodes. This was when Piper came in with a chair and hit Umaga on the back. Umaga totally no sold the shot. The expressions on Pipers face were priceless, kinda mixture of fear and un-believability. It was so priceless that it made me laugh but the HH is that the expression made Umaga lose his focus and he just stood there looking at Piper. Guess what Piper does.... to cover up the time he starts bad mouthing Umaga and the best part is that during the rant he tells Umaga to "push the chair out of my hand" at least twice before Umaga does just that.
JT: Well, I suppose that if anyone can stall, it's Piper. Nothing like buying a friend a chance to possibly get out of there, even if it's at your own risk.
3. During a segment during RAW when Khali was attacking Ashley (I think) King decided to come to her aid. Did you notice what King did. He didn't go for the standard Punch in the back that most of the other wrestlers do. Being the veteran he is, he realized that the weakest part of body are the knees so he when for a shoulder block directly to the knees and made Khali stagger. This was the most effect anyone till that date had on Khali during an attack from the back.
JT: If anyone knows how to find a greater opponents' weakness and exploit it, you'd certainly have a hard time arguing against King. He's been doing it for 30 years, and you're right, that is pure veteran stuff right there. Those were some really good ones Asim, thanks for contributing to the Classic HH's. Taking us back ALLLLLLLLLLLL the way to…….. well, WM 23 is Jon R., who might have found an INSTANT CLASSIC (yeah, I sure did) if he is correct (I erased it off my TiVo TODAY… figures. I will get to the DVD before next week's issue and we will revisit):
I'm surprised I haven't seen anyone catch this one yet:
Just before the final match at WM23, a fan ran into the ring in order shake hands with the referee and congratulate John Cena on his well- developed chin (I assume). Of course, the camera cut away from the looney tune and right to Shawn Michaels, who did his lovely little wait-on-the-top-rope bit for everyone's enjoyment. If you watch HBK closely, however, you'll see him look down at his "watch" and say, quite clearly, "Can we get this show on the road? I have a 'job' to do." The camera then cuts to Cena who looks more than a little distraught at Mr. Michaels' kayfabe rope-walking. Whether or not this little double entendre was intentional is debatable, of course, but would you really put it past The Icon to give away the ending to the biggest match of the year before it even started?
JT: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. I'm sorry but that is just great stuff. I really will find out before next week's issue. If so, that is GOLD. I'd assume he didn't say it purposely as the fan came out of nowhere, but just catching his lips mouth the words is hilarious when you think of the double meaning. Jon, I assure you I will get to the bottom of it sometime before the end of 2008. Back again is Ian C. who found this great one for all of us:
As I was listening to my usual local rock radio station (out of Providence), who happens to come on the show but Mr. Money In The Bank himself, Mr. Kennedy. With Smackdown at the Dunk tonight, he came on the show, took a few calls from some fans, and that may not have been the one place he wanted to be at 7 in the morning, but his appreciation was sincere, and he even got off a few classic in-character blasts. These included when a caller asked who he was going to cash the Money In the Bank in against, Kennedy responding with "I don't discriminate. I'm an equal opportunity ass-kicker." And to cap it all off, as he was leaving, Kennedy left the show with "The pleasure was all yours." This man is gold.
Just wanted to pass that along to you guys.
JT: I obviously didn't hear the interview, but I did cover an episode of ByteThis with him (yes, occasionally they WERE good), and he was exactly the same. When he was talking non-kayfabe, you could tell he was passionate about the business, but he made sure to rib a few guys and drive home the "Kennedy" character. We got another oldie from Fixxer by way of Steve Cook, who actually had the ironic nerve to question OUR chick pulling abilities… Very funny Steve, I don't even need to make a joke here; they write themselves. Anywho, from Fixxer:
I just recently watched Starrcade 1995, and I caught this highlight in the
commentary. The bulk of the show revolved around the WCW v. New Japan fued, and during the Alex Wright/Kanemoto match, Bobby talked about how the Japanese wrestlers got to the US a few days early and were training in the Smokey Mountains. Tony said incredulously: "Smokey Mountains? No one wrestles in the Smokey Mountains." This was a pretty sly inside joke, as Jim Cornette's Smokey Mountain Wrestling had folded in November of 1995. I like this because it was a semi-subtle dig, and I prefer that far more than the blatant digs that Bischoff took at the WWF at the same time
JT: Well, that is certainly a hell of a lot more subtle than Bischoff standing in the middle of the ring and announcing Mick Foley was going to win the title an hour later. I completely agree though, the little subtle ones you catch are always funnier than the outright jabs… unless of course it's JBL talking, then we're of course dealing with a different set of rules altogether! Ending our section this week is regular Catherine, whose taken a few weeks off… more specifically, every other week, whatever that means…
Figured it's been a while since I've written, so I thought I'd make another shamefully out of date contribution.
JT: Cath, you should know that no contribution is out of date. We like to call those Classics, even if they're only a few weeks old!
After the Last Chance Battle Royale, Edge was doing that .... unique celebration, but in case you didn't catch it, he took the opportunity to make fun of Flair too. As the camera's focused on Flair's disappointed face, if you looked over his shoulder, you could clearly see Edge saying "Dirtiest player in the game." Not only did Edge take the spot from Flair, he took his nickname too, mocking the master if you will.
JT: You know, this is just another reason why (as I've said before) Edge has been the best heel in the E for the last two years. Why not take a page from Flair's own book; after all, in his heyday, mocking was one of Flair's more prominent heel characteristics. Payback is a bitch, as they say. Although, it also further shows that Edge is a student of this business, and deserves everything that has come his way.
Finally this week, we got an email from Steve R., who was also in Detroit for WrestleMania weekend, and would like to share his thoughts about the weekend in general but more specifically, his night at the Fox Theatre for the screening of The Condemned, which was apparently much like our evening there:
My name's SteveR, this was also my 1st WM this year and it was everything y'all said it was. Spiritual is the best word to describe it, I keep telling everyone I've peaked at 24 and now have no where to go. Well, at least till Orlando I guess. Anyway on with my point; I just finished reading your HOF review and in regards to the fans bring obnoxious shitheads it must've spilled over from the world premiere from the night before.
JT: As I was reading this, I pretty much knew exactly where he was going with this. After all, who wants to go to a movie and actually – you know – sit there and enjoy it?
I was fortunate enough to score tix to that event (lack of funds kept me from the HOF) and was really surprised by the film itself, more on that in a moment. Halfway through the film there was one of those real quiet suspenseful moments with pretty much dead silence and then you hear from the annals of the crowd somewhere "Keennnnnneedyyyyyyy!" Now, even I'll admit I got a good laugh out it but it seemed to open the floodgates as every time someone took a breath during dialog there were 35 idiots screaming at the screen. I understand that there will be some rowdies in every group of 4500 people, but these jackasses really almost ruined an awesome experience for everyone. I was sitting about 15-20 seats away from Arn Anderson, Ricky Steamboat, Steven Regal, Dave Taylor, Dean Malenko, Mark Henry, The Miz, and a host of others.
JT: The Kennedy one definitely gets a pass. It was the first, and seemed to be perfect timing on the guy's part, so I even say kudos to him. It's the rest of the jackasses who should be kicked out of the building. Again, like I've said before, you pay for your ticket and you are entitled to enjoy the show however you like, but there is a time and a place. Sitting six rows behind Arn Anderson and shouting at a screen every thirty seconds at the top of your lungs while everyone is trying to enjoy a movie is not one of them.
Let me break into some of the other goings on at the premier....
-HHH got the biggest pop for someone not named after the capitol of Texas
JT: Not a big shock here. He's already universally over, but when he is out with an injury, the pops for Trips always get a little louder.
-The movie I had little to no expectations for after viewing the 1st two WWE Films efforts, however this one really blew me away. The action was awesome, the dialog pretty decent, and Austin really had a good presence on the Big Screen. (my one complaint is those fight scenes filmed with handheld cameras that have become the rage since the Bourne franchise, but that's my complaint with a lot of movies lately)
JT: I have heard similar things. It seems that for a WWE film, this was a pretty darn good one, and I look forward to seeing it. It sounds like it has the potential to crossover with mainstream appeal, although that will always be difficult when you have "WWE Films presents __________ starring [wrestler]". Although I will say, I recommend anything with Vinnie Jones in it. That mad is bad F'N ass.
-In the event that everyone else finds the movie sux I'll attribute it to the fact that this event kicked off my WM Weekend so it could have been "Ass the Movie" from Idiocracy and I still may have shat myself over it.
-No cameras were allowed in the theater for the movie, so afterward when the lights came up and SCSA came out to address the crowd several people busted out digi cams and call phones and other picture taking devices. I noticed some yelling going on to my right and I don't know if a security guy tried to take Mark Henry's camera from him or what but Big Dummy's screaming "I wanna see you take it, why don't you just try to" and go back to taking pictures. I don't know if the guy kept wanting to confiscate it , or if a fan popped off at the mouth or what but the next thing you know He is in full Kid Kash roid rage mode, with fists clenched and muscles twitching (almost doing that dreadlock tossing head shake thing he does before he enters the ring). I seriously thought someone's face may get smashed in right there at the Fox theater but calmer heads prevailed as some cat came over and cooled Big Dummy down.
JT: hehehe, poor security schmuck. I wonder how he felt when someone told him who it was. And man, how funny would that have been if Henry would have just picked him up and drop slammed him right there?
I think that's everything, I hope you tried Pizza Popalis in Greektown while you were there as it is the best pizza I've ever had anywhere, ever.... in the history of pizzaness.
JT: No, none of the others tried it, and I didn't have to. I live here, so I've had it on more than one occasion and you're right, it is some DAMN fine pizza. New York and Chicago probably reign supreme on the pizza tip, but Detroit is a little hidden gem in the pizza world, or at least Popalis is.
Overall, I'm glad you enjoyed your trip and that your movie wasn't ruined for you. The thing to remember is that when you throw 80,000 wrestling fans into the same place for an event, you are bound to get the idiots as well. Yes, I called them idiots. There are simply people who do not know how to fucking act in certain situations, be it wrestling or any other aspect of life requiring any level or tact or respectfulness. Look, defend wrestling to your death, I know I will, but I will NEVER try to defend wrestling fans, because for every 10 of us out there who have any sort of common sense, there are two idiots waiting to fuck it up for us.
It is – essentially – what separates wrestling fans from any other sports fan on the planet (sans those European soccer fans, those people are just flat out insane; we don't have insanity, just idiocy). I have no problems being passionate, but there is no other American sport where you would see something like this where it doesn't belong. Don't me get me wrong, there are plenty of idiots in other sports, they just have evolved to the point of "time and place". I'll use baseball as an example. Are there Red Sox fan idiots at baseball games? Sure. Are there Yankee fan idiots at baseball games? Absolutely. But again, "time and place". You can take the most DIE HARD YANKEE IDIOT FAN and put him at the Hall of Fame ceremony, and I guarantee you he will keep his mouth shut, even if a former Red Sox player is up at the podium being inducted. There are situations where a player has simply ascended the mere game and joined into the alumni of the SPORT, and it should be no different for wrestlers. It's pissing me off even writing this because it is taking me back to Fox Theatre. Fucking morons. Yes, if you read me and you were one of them, I am talking to you. Sorry if you don't like it, but grow the fuck up and have some respect for the people who have dedicated their lives to building the foundation of what you get to see today, no matter what avenue that might be in.
Well, that was a fun little rant! At any rate, thanks for the email Steve and to all who wrote in this week; it has been a blast as usual!
JP: Interesting that you went for the Red Sox/Yankees comparison, given our team preferences. Hmmmm…
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 something for That Other Section.
JP: I actually don't have anything to say. Just I wish I could have been at the ECW/SmackDown! tapings in Providence last week (since I live ten blocks away from the Dunkin' Donuts Center), but I was in Virginia and could not make it. Sadly, with my schedule it might not be till WrestleMania 24 that the WWE and I cross paths again. Well, TNA, that gives you an opening. Bring a house show my way!
JT: So then this would be a bad time to mention that I'm considering heading to Kentucky for the TNA house show this Friday? Very well. Let's just move on then.
Exit, stage left!
JT: Everyone be sure to check for my contribution to JD's latest project, The Kayfabe Chronicles, I think you will really enjoy the read regarding a title reign for Shelton Benjamin! Have a great week my little thimbles!
JP: I see the repeating endings has come back in full force.
JT: What the hell are you talking about? I've never called them thimbles...?
JP: You aren't fooling anyone. Everyone knows you came in and changed it after I submitted it to the site.
JT: ....I would never....
JP: Sigh... Well kids, I intend to buy the "Ric Flair and Four Horsemen" DVD as soon as my Best Buy gift card gets here, so look for a special section on that in the future. For now, you know the drill…
Thank you for joining us for THE 85th 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!
