Hidden Highlights 08.06.07: Issue #101

Posted by JP Prag on 08.06.2007

Cryme Tyme stereotypically likes the white ladies, Elijah Burke is quite happy with himself, the girl at the concession stand is shocked at Kurt Angle’s behavior, Kenny Dysktra wants Jimmy Wang Yang to stay out of his face, Brooke Hogan packs way too much luggage, readers still notice RVD on RAW, and more! All with guest co-host Jordan ‘Ogre’ Williams!

Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag

Issue #101

Hello everyone, and welcome to the all new, all different, giant-sized, uncanny Hidden Highlights!!



Hidden Highlights, they are about the little things that make the product great. They are about showing the positive motions all those involved in wrestling do to make a better show. William Regal may bend his opponent's hand backwards just a little bit harder to dish out the pain. Christian Cage may reference a piece of obscure history. Tazz may bring realism to the product by describing an abdominal stretch in detail. The camera operator may take a low shot looking up at the Great Khali to make him look like a true monster. These are all examples of what Hidden Highlights is about.

Every week this article spotlights Hidden Highlights from the biggest shows on television (RAW, ECW of SciFi, iMPACT, SmackDown!, and a PPV or television special if there is one), delves into the past to find the ones never recorded before, and goes beyond to small shows, live events, tapes, and the indy scene to see what no one else sees. This article may have an author, but it is just as much written by the readers and true fans of professional wrestling—those who love what they watch and want to tell the world what they have found.

I am JP Prag, and I bring you Hidden Highlights with one goal in mind: to appreciate all those little things that make a huge difference.

JP: Welcome everyone, to the next phase of Hidden Highlights! Thanks for coming back to a world sans JT. We're going to have a lot of transitions going on here; seeing what works and what doesn't. Your feedback, of course, is always appreciated. But what I need most of all is for you to continue to send in your Hidden Highlights, especially for the PPVs!

Now, I'll let you in on some of my plans. For the next eight weeks, I've lined up a series of guest co-hosts to help out in these pages. Each guest has been given free reign to pick which two shows they want to cover. The only thing I've asked is that they actually write Hidden Highlights! Let's see if they are as good as you guys and gals at home.

That said, I thought it best to put our best foot forward. That is why we are starting with a Hidden Highlights alumni! Long time readers will remember that this man used to write into this article fairly regularly before landing himself a weekly serial over in the burgeoning Games Zone. I give you the author of Working Title, Jordan ‘Ogre' Williams. Ogre?

Ogre: Sup?

JP: No, this is the part of the article where you do some quirky intro.

Ogre: Oh. Ok.

JP: So?

Ogre: Yeah?

JP: Uhhh… are you gonna do a quirky intro?

Ogre: No way, man! Let's just get on with the Hidden Highlights!

JP: No, that's totally my line! Come on dude!

Ogre: Your line? I'm the guest. I'm always right… or at least I think that's how it goes…

JP: But you've read this article since the beginning. You've thought of something, right?

Ogre: I had no idea what you wanted me to do. You never explained anything.

Ghost of JT: Yeah, that sounds about right for JP…

JP: Oh… well, in that case, let's just get on with the Hidden Highlights!

Ogre: Yeah, that's what I said!

JP: Yes… but I always get the last word in the intro.

Ogre: Why's that?

JP: Ummmm… because, that's how it's come together.

Ogre: Not always.

JP: I guess that's kind of true…

Ogre: Damn straight it's true, now stop stalling.

JP: I'm not stalling, you're stalling!

Ogre: Why would I be stalling?

JP: I don't know! All right, I know I already said it...

Ogre: … Even though I said it first…

JP: Uuugh… what was I thinking… let's get on with these Hidden Highlights!

Ogre: What he said.



Monday, July 30, 2007 by Ogre

Ogre: Look at me, at one point I was writing into this column week in and week out and now all of the sudden I'm writing FOR it... next to my ex-arch nemesis no less. Well, I guess beggars can't be choosers. Speaking of which, man RAW really wasn't kind to me in the way of Hidden Highlights this week. After watching the show about three times I really couldn't find much...maybe I'm just rusty or it's a grand scheme by JP to make me look bad. Hmm...

(3) I guess they really DO all look alike:

At least to JR they do. This week he was obviously having some problem with the Diva's this week. How could you tell? Well he confused the names for Jillian Hall and Beth Phoenix for the entire match. You'd think after the first time King or someone on the headset would correct, them. But nope, he just kept on trucking. Maybe it shows that having two blonde women of the same shape on the same side of the tracks doesn't really prove well... that or JR needs a stronger prescription on his glasses.

(2) Ladies <3 Cryme Tyme, Cryme Tyme <3 Money:

Maybe it was just me, but during Cryme Tyme's segment did the cameras seem to zero in on EVERY SINGLE white woman in the audience? We all know the cliché that black men LOVE white women and vice versa, and seeing that Cryme Tyme pretty much operates on clichés and stereotypes. It would make a lot of sense that the camera men would spend a majority of the segment trying to make sure that they show every single white woman in the audience was into the thieving duo.

(1) EMT <3 Orton:

So, RKO has been going on his head-kicking world tour for a long time now. Every time he does the EMTs have to get out there and clean it up. But something was different this week. The EMTs were FAST. WWE knew that nothing good was going to come out Orton vs. Slaughter, so they already had EMTs on hand to clean up the bits of skull that would be flung across the ring by young Randall. It was a great little nod to continuity because it shows that now that he is the #1 Contender, that everyone is starting to take him a bit seriously. And when someone who calls themselves the Legend Killer is in the ring with a Legend, they just already knew how it was going to end.

JP: I have to say this is the first time in Hidden Highlights history that anyone has used the "heart' symbol in a title, nonetheless three times! I really like your Cryme Tyme one because it picks up on stereotypical racist things that a racist white Jew like myself would not pick up on. I actually wrote a few down, but you did a good job so need to embarrass you yet… that's what ECW is for!



Tuesday, July 31, 2007 by Ogre

Ogre: You know, it's kind of sad when the show that has such a little roster, as well as only being an hour long ends up being consistently better week after week. Sort of makes you think what the hell is going wrong everywhere else, huh? Ironically, all of the Hidden Highlights I noticed this week happened in the CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke vs. Tommy Dreamer match.

(3) Respect vs. Hate:

When CM Punk and Tommy Dreamer were making their entrances the camera decided to pan on them a bit, which is something I always like because I like seeing the weekly HH's like a wrestler wiping their feet off before they get into the ring. That didn't happen THIS week, but something else did. CM Punk and Tommy Dreamer made sure to look at each other and say "Respect". This shows that the two of them have no ill will towards each other, it's just business. However, when Elijah Burke made his way to the ring, they made sure to let him know that they had no love for him at all. I thought it was a nice little moment to do especially because they couldn't be sure the cameras would even pick it up.

(2) Lucky Burke:

I really like Elijah Burke. He is just awesome, so this week he gets a little solo highlight of his own. Every week we see him do his matches and there's a spot he does that we can always count on seeing, his handstand elbow from the top rope. This week when he did it he overshot it juuuust a bit and it turns into a legit handstand. For awhile there it looked like he was going to lose and take a spill to the floor, but he somehow held on and landed the elbow. The actual hidden highlight is what he did AFTER he landed it. He stood up and gave the audience the most shit-eating grin ever. Of course WE are led to believe he smiled like that just to prove what a cocky bastard he is, but we all know he was smiling because he was happy he didn't topple back first out of the ring and hurt himself. I know I'd be smiling for the same exact reason.

(1) Ref Pain:

Seeing as you JP and JT (Gonna miss ya, buddy) do so love the Ref Hidden Highlights, I paid extra attention to make sure I found at least one...and I did! During the main event near the end where CM Punk was having his way with Tommy Dreamer, Punk goes for a pin and the ref slides in to start to make the count. Elijah runs in to make the save and we get two highlights out of it. One, as the ref is making the count you can see him look up only to see Elijah coming down on him with an elbow. He doesn't break the count because of the impending break up, he breaks the count because he is trying to move out of the way if Elijah! But the Ref isn't quite fast enough and ends up taking a good chunk of the elbow himself. But does he DQ Elijah? Nope. He just stands up and shakes it off. It's good to see that finally there's a Ref that can take a love tap and not get knocked out for 5 minutes.

JP: Damn, I really wanted to lay it into you, but those were all top notch. You are good. Guess I'll just have to go berserk over missing the biggest Hidden Highlight of them all on ECW (and SmackDown!): The "JP" sign in the fifth row! That thing made so many appearances this week it was just crazy. Of course, people, I really do appreciate the props, but I've told you before there is one sign I prefer:



Thanks!



Thursday, August 2, 2007 by JP

JP: I have to admit, I was more than a little worried starting off this issue with two sections that weren't from me, but Ogre has not disappointed. But now it's time for me take it up a notch with TNA and the continued build to Hard Justice. I would dedicate every single one of these Hidden Highlights to Christian Cage's opening promo, but more of those jokes were either great on their own or ones we've covered before ("Maybe she'll hold your toy belt, Tomko), so I'll focus in on a few different things.

(3) The Guru of quick kicks:

Anyone who has been reading for a while knows I am no fan of Sonjay Dutt. I find most of what he does spotty, sloppy, and without psychology. That said, when someone does something good, I'll be the first to put that person over. Dutt and "Black Machismo" Jay Lethal were taking on XXX members Christopher Daniels and Senshi. About halfway into the match-up. Senshi was in the corner and Dutt took a flying dropkick at him. Senshi moved out of the way and Dutt went through the ropes. With his legs half out of the rope, it looked like the move was a complete failure. But Dutt kicked his legs up in the air from below the top rope and hit Senshi in the back of the head. That was am amazing bit of athleticism that was also creative, in the moment, and sharp. Maybe there is hope for you yet, Dutt!

(2) I am shocked and appalled:

In any backstage or other are scene, there are bound to be other people in the background either passing by or watching the action. This week, Kurt Angle, his wife Karen, and their daughter were at a concession stand outside when Jeremy Borash came over and ambushed them. It was then that Kurt began to lambaste his wife for her fat behind and various other mental and physical deficiencies. It was at that moment that I started to watch the girl at the concession stand. Much to my delight, she did not just stand there and stare, but reacted differently to each every comment. Sometimes her jaw just dropped, sometimes she covered her mouth in shame, and sometimes she put her hands on her hips and gave a sassy "sister stand up for yourself" look. Either way, good job at being part of the action instead of part of the scenery.

(1) Hi there:

Back to the tag match mentioned in number three, the Motor City Machine Guns Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin (now dressed like Alex Shelley) came down. Eventually, Christopher Daniels noticed they were there and turned around to figure out what they were doing. At that moment, the camera flipped behind Alex Shelley who gave a little "hi-hi" wave to Daniels. Absolutely hilarious stuff by Shelley there—who else would think to just wave when they are spotted?

Ogre: See, if I watched TNA my complete and utter corruption of this column would've been near complete… but I don't… so JP wins this round. It must feel good FINALLY beating me at something. Next time I'm going to challenge you to a game of Polo… on tigers.



Friday, August 2, 2007 by JP

JP: Over on SmackDown! we got two hours of the previously covered "JP" sign, but since I already mentioned it I guess I'll have to take about a few other things. Hmmmm… let's see here… let me think… let me think… Well, it seems like SmackDown! has been rushing a lot of storylines (as has ECW) in order to get to SummerSlam and pick a new direction. For instance, we only got one week of the Hardy-MVP games before it already became a wrestling match. I was really looking forward to the game of "Sorry" they were going to play, followed by curling. MVP would totally own at curling! What does Matt Hardy know about ice? I spent last winter in North Carolina and the state shut down when there was a THREAT of snow! And the next day it snowed less than an eight of an inch. Pansies.

(3) The hand is a thing of magic:

Speaking of things MVP is better at than Matt Hardy, it is certainly Hidden Highlights. After suffering a wrist and arm injury during their arm-wrestling contest, MVP continued to shake the arm the whole match trying to get feeling back into it. I think the best one, though, was when on the outside of the ring, he needed to throw Matt Hardy back in. At first, he tried to use just his good hand to move Hardy, but could not get him to go. Then, he realized that he needed to use his other hand to move Hardy and did so. I was so afraid MVP was going to forget the arm was hurt, but he did not disappoint me. Instead, as soon as he let go he gave the biggest grimace of the match, clutched his wrist, and almost fell down. Now that was a great sell of the injury!

(2) Keep away from this area:

Later in the evening, Jimmy Wang Yang took on Kenny Dykstra in a rematch from their mixed tag match the week before. Before we get too far, props again to Kenny and anyone around him for the props he brings out. This week it was a bottle of water and a spit bucket, as if he were a boxer. Anyway, as the match went on, Jimmy got some good shots in on Kenny's face. Finally, Kenny had enough and yelled, "Don't you ever hit me in the face… EVER!" How funny is Dykstra? Even in the middle of a match he remembers how conceited he is and let's his opponent know just were he stands.

(1) Where'd she go and how'd she get there?:

Earlier that night, Deuce was in the back looking for his girlfriend Cherry (who is apparently a little looser that we have been led to believe. I wonder what her brother Domino thinks about that?). On his way through the back, he asked one of the production monkeys if he had seen her. He then said, "Last time I saw her, she rolled into that locker room on the left." Rolled? Now that was the appropriate verb to use with Cherry's preferred means of transportation. Kudos to that production guy for being creative instead of just saying, "She went over there."

Ogre: I caught the last hidden highlight about Cherry. I was going to write it down but then I remembered I have to let you get SOME part of this column… so I decided against it. It is pretty cool that the production guy got to take the one line he'd ever get on national TV and turn it into a Hidden Highlight, though.



Sunday, July 29, 2007 by JP

JP: With Brooke's music career picking up, Hogan going to Memphis (it was May as Linda mentioned), and Nick heading for some more drifting with the GED he acquired last season, no one was around to watch after Brooke to make sure she didn't spoil her virginity…

Ogre: Why is my name here?

JP: This is the part where JT would normally say something like, "Yeah, because we all know she's saving it for you."

Ogre: Hehehe… that would be pretty funny… wait, what?

JP: … Sigh… anyway, Freddie the bodyguard was hired to take care of business for this week's LA adventure.

(3) Luggage galore:

As many of you know, I'm a traveling consultant in the real world and spend four days a week on the road. Because of this, I've learned how to generally pack light (though there are many much better than me. I still pack a backup outfit.), so I was very interested to see the luggage Freddie and Brooke brought with them. Now, from what I could tell, the trip was one day of travel, one day of appearances, and one day traveling back. So, it was a generous three days at most. When Freddie came to pick up Brooke, he was carrying a small weekender that was not bulging in any way, an appropriate amount. Brooke, on the other hand, stuffed a whole rolling duffle with more clothes than I brought with me for my ten day trip to Israel! Wow Brooke, that was a bit excessive.

(2) You're next reference:

Long time readers of this Hogan Knows Best section know that Hulk Hogan is best friends with Howard 101 talent Bubba the Love Sponge. I always like to point out when Bubba is around or when he is referenced, and this was a great week for it. When Freddie and Brooke returned from their trip, Hulk was wearing a "Bubba Army" shirt. Co-currently on Bubba's show, the Bubba Army was put to work requesting Brooke's song on VH1.com, which led it to be the #1 most requested song on the web. True story!

(1) The Mask:

Early on their day in LA, Brooke was at the gym working out with Freddie in close proximity. That's when I took a good look at Brooke's face: she was wearing pretty heavy blue eye-shadow. Not only that, but she had lipstick, mascara, and blush one. Who goes to the gym with a full load of makeup on their face! That stuff is just going to run off in half a second. Unless it's that no-run kind, then I guess it would stay. Either way, pretty weird to me.

Ogre: There's only one reason I can think of as to why someone would go to the gym wearing make up. It's because it's when you are celebrity, you have to look hot and trendy at all times. Nothing spells hot and trendy like having Technicolor sweat. NOTHING




Hidden Highlights are not just about what was written above, but about what you have seen as well. This article strives to not only spotlight the best Hidden Highlights, but to engage you, the viewers, and make you the best audience in the world.

JP: A little lighter than normal, but after a double stuffed issue and a seemingly low rated week (still waiting for the final RAW number), that's understandable. So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…

We'll start off this week with Justinas making a minor correction:

Actually the first time TNA (or Borash to be exact) mentioned "Motor City Machine Guns" was at Victory Road. Is that a Hidden Highlight just because no one else noticed it? And not Murder, but Motor, so I always thought why everyone here in 411mania says Murder. Well at least you guys are now aware of that.

JP: Well, when I mentioned it on iMPACT I thought it was a Hidden Highlight, so I'll give you the credit for it. Works for me! Moving us into last week's SmackDown! is semi-regular Eric Quattro:

I have a highlight from Smackdown this past week (July 27). It was from Khali's celebration. When Khali was talking about being a great champion and all that other stuff, one of the people in the ring clapped. That was the highlight, because they were all supposed to be Indian, so they should have understood Khali speaking his native tongue, which one did.

JP: I'm glad someone understood him! I'm waiting for someone to send in real translations like they did for Umaga. I know quite a few Indians and none of them speak like Khali. I'm convinced he's not saying words. Speaking of people not using words, we have a classic with Pat Challis. Instead of just fixing Pat's spelling, grammar, and context, I'm going to leave all my block editing in:

[I] was watching wrestling [sic WrestleMania] 20 where the [U]ndertaker makes his return against the man who 'buried' him alive, [K]ane. [F]irstly[,] the pop [P]aul [B]earer got when he said "oooooooh yes" was immense and he hadn't even come down the aisle yet[--]but that's not the highlight [(]although it does involve him[)]. [H]e [(Paul Bearer)] slowly walked down to the ring keeping his eyes on [K]ane every step of the way. [T]hen his facial expression took on a [W]illiam [R]egal awesomeness. [H]e looked at [K]ane with a look of utter disgrace and distain and shouted[,] "[Y]ou're no son of mine" twice before turning his back on [K]ane and changing his facial expression in to a smug S.O.B. style look as the undertaker came down the aisle as if to say "[K]ane you're about to get your ass kicked" [run on, participle phrase not reflexive to context]. [N]ot sure if that counts or if you'll use it but there you go. [T]hat[']s my highlight because it immediately took me back to when [K]ane first appeared with [P]aul [B]earer to attack [the U]ndertaker for the first ever time before being revealed as [the U]ndertakers brother with just that one comment by [B]earer. [N]ow THAT'S continuity.

JP: And that took me ten minutes to edit so I could understand it! I'll give you a pass this week because it was good once I cut through it, but your British and I except better English from you than from me. Still in the past is Chris Wingert, even though he found it in the present. Ummm… Chris will explain:

This HH was actually from the July 23rd episode of RAW, but I noticed during the video replay from the July 30th RAW. After Cena's match against Umaga/Redneck Wrecking Crew, Randy slid into the ring and stood there waiting for Cena to turn around and deliver the RKO. The HH is the ref (Mike Chioda?). The ref turned around about a second before Cena did, saw Randy and did a little shake, like he was startled to see Randy there. Good job of selling the unexpected appearance of Randy.

JP: The refs have been on fire for a while now. Referee Jimmy Cordaras over on SmackDown! was great this week being really aggressive and yelling at everyone in such a shoot-style manner. Please continue.

Also, since the scuttlebutt has it that Jeff Hardy was sent home from the promotion sometime before Monday's show, another HH-ish thing I saw was in the opening video recap at the start of RAW, seems to relate to that. First, they showed Hardy's botch in his match against Kennedy, when he went for the Whisper in the Wind move and then just fell on his head. Then the second part, was when they were showing the highlights of the main event of Umaga/Redneck Wrecking Crew vs Cena/Michelle, any mention or video of Hardy coming in and chasing Umaga out of the match was absent. This is not a good sign for the future of the Rainbow Headed Warrior's employment in the WWE.

JP: From all accounts he's been suspended for 30 days. Considering he was fired before, Jeff Hardy seems to get chance after chance. So instead of investing in someone completely vested in wrestling (like say Matt Hardy), they keep going for another guy. Ah well! Neeraj Angal may want to cover that guy:

I watched only Smackdown this week and noticed a few things:

- No one wanted any part of the Great Khali - everyone ganged up to take out Mark Henry, but no one wanted to get near Khali, much less try and gang up on him. This was a nice and subtle way of putting over the monster.

JP I was thinking about that, too. Guess comparatively Mark Henry has a much small range of motion. Khali could still chop most of those guys from a sitting position!

- There was some very sleek camera work going on - when they wanted to focus on an individual battle/feud, the cameramen/editors zoomed in on those competitors to emphasize that 'battle within the war,' so to say. Examples are the Khali/Henry showdown, Hardy/MVP exchanges, and Kane/Batista at the end. Also, Finlay's brief disappearance was well-handled - as in you actually DIDN'T have an idea as to where he went or from whence he came once he returned.

JP It confused Cole and JBL for quite some time since they had to watch the monitors, too!

- Props to the ref (couldn't ID him, sadly, he was most off-camera... help, JP?) who removed the shillelagh from the ring when Finlay was eliminated and Kane/Batista was going on exactly where the weapon lay. Great work to ensure a fair fight, even within the chaos of a battle royal.

JP: It's a little out my mind now, so I'm not sure. Of course, there was the Royal Rumble that turned into a whole hardcore match, so it's not unheard of!

- My last HH is Matt Hardy's selling continuity. After taking the Kawada Kick from MVP and the boot from Khali that eliminated him, Matt Hardy sold his neck injury THE ENTIRE TIME he was on television for the Dykstra match. The fact that he built the match around it is just a bonus.

JP: See, what did I tell you? Matt Hardy love! That's the guy who needs a solid chance… and a heel turn. Heel Matt Hardy was gold! We'll move over now to Trevor Alexander who covered just about every show this week:

1. King Booker had on a new robe and I believe a new crown. Not really hidden but a nice touch.

JP: I certainly liked it, but King Booker is my favorite wrestler.

2. Umaga has some new ink. It looks like he has two new tattoos on his heck (one on each side). You can see the one on the right side of his neck clear as day after he pins Satino after the Spike and they go to a close-up of Umaga after the pin. They have some pretty neat handwriting in Samoa.

JP: Do you know who really has new ink? Shannon Moore! That guy has some serious tattoo-age.

3. Coach had a painting up in his room along with the standard WWE magazine. It's a nice touch and makes it seem that the coach has personalized his "office" while he is the temp GM.

JP: I hope Mr. McMahon doesn't fire him tonight!

4. It's been this way for a couple of weeks but I can't recall it ever being mentioned, has anyone noticed no more Cryme Tyme in the Raw opening since the draft. I mean even Foley is in the opening and he isn't even a permanent fixture on Raw. It seems Cryme Tyme was sent back to OVW because they just won the OVW tag team belts a few days ago I believe. As hard as creative tries to force feed new talent and get the fans to fall in love with them immediately and if they don't they get buried (Highlanders, Santino, etc) and when they get a team that the crowd seemed to get behind almost immediately what do they do... send them back to OVW. Do you think this is because they realize they have a good thing on their hands and they want to get them polished before bringing them back full time (I mean didn't they become number one contenders to the tag titles back at a PPV in 2006/early 2007 and never got a shot because Cena and HBK had the belts) or are they just idiots as usual.

JP: Well, they got their shot at a house show, and in the battle royal. Here's my personal feeling on the WWE right now: they are becoming everything they said they didn't like about WCW in 1998. Every week they are trying to pop the ratings and it is creating disaster. Hotshot angles and quick pops do not lead to long term sustainability. I think they need to have a long term plan and stick to it, not jump at everything that goes wrong. That's how the nWo succeeded and that's how the Attitude Era succeeded. Right now, they are too quick to jump the gun when something isn't a success in just a week.

5. Anyone notice Cody Rhodes looks like an anorexic Miz.

JP: Nope. I think he looks like a skinny Dusty crossed with David Flair (the whole flushed face thing).

6. Cody used his brother Dustin's finisher the bulldog in the match (probably the best version of the bulldog I've seen since Dustin's). I wonder how much that has to be because of Davari since he is the Nunzio of RAW and can take almost any move better than anyone on the roster.

JP: Davari is so underutilized it isn't even funny, and it's going to suck when he's cut because he could own the cruiserweight division on SmackDown! or the undercard on ECW.

7. The line from the King "It will bring a smile to the Dream, that is if the Dream can smile". Brilliant, playing up the concussion angle to the fullest.

JP: The King had a lot of good references that night. My favorite was about Unforgiven being in Memphis and it being a real hot ticket. Unlike the last event in Memphis that he pulled out of, or the events he's been in since!

8. Did you notice Lashley blew the smoke from his pyro like Goldberg used too. He also did the one finger point like Goldberg used to before the jackhammer when he suplexed Kennedy.

Ogre: Don't you dare call him "Black-berg" you racist cracker.

9. I noticed when J.R. was going down King Bookers list of championships I noticed two things. #1 he didn't mention his T.V. Championship reigns. #2 He combined his WCW and WWE tag title victories but not his world championships (5 time WCW champion and 1 time World Champion). But I was 100% happy to hear J.R. call Booker (along with King) "Two of the most honored champions in the history of this business" giving Booker some well deserved props on his career.

JP: I was sad about no mention to the TV-title reigns either because they are what established him as a singles wrestler. Of course, that was with Chris Benoit, so you can understand why.

10. Well you can scratch 90% of bullet point number 4..yo yo yo it's Cryme Tyme. (I'm typing this as I watch Raw).

JP: Oh that explains so much! Dude, go back and correct your spelling and grammar before sending, nonetheless making sure what you send is actually a Hidden Highlight!

11. When SGT. Slaughter came to the ring I noticed that he had the legends/hall of fame "W" beside his name but Jerry Lawler didn't when he came to the ring for his match with King Booker.

JP: That is odd. Guess Jerry doesn't like to admit he's as old as he is.

12. Randy has stopped doing the pose at the top of the stage and just does it in the ring now (not sure how long he stopped doing the ramp pose).

JP: Fairly recently, I suppose.

13. They continue to mention RVD when running down Orton's concussion hit-list. The only reason I find it strange because isn't RVD officially out of the WWE. I mean I know he left on good terms (I don't recall seeing the standard "We wish him the best/he's been fired post on WWE.com) but usually once you leave the company they don't mention you anymore. Do you think it's to "bring down" RVD in the mind of the fans if he jumps ship to TNA or more just to pad Randy's list?

JP: No, I think it's because the WWE honestly believes that they will get RVD back. RVD asked for one thing during his contract negotiation: 3 months off. The WWE wouldn't give it to him in the contract, so he took the time himself! I could see him coming back for a lighter schedule, too, but as we know the WWE promises but never delivers. And if you enforce a limited date clause in your contract (see: Goldberg), they resent you for it. Basically, overtime is expected. And you wonder why their injury list is so long! They have a serious culture problem in that company.

14. They finally gave a name to Cena's flipping neck breaker "The Boston Blockbuster"

JP: More wrestlers need to tell JR to call their moves by the names they give them. JR is getting more senile by the day. Now, you have some ECW, too?

1. For the 1st time in a long time Big Dady V doesn't have the contacts in.

JP: His eyes looked REALLY dark to me!

2. The Boogeyman didn't have his explosion when he beat himself with his clock.

JP: That one actually took me by surprise, too. I wasn't sure why his pyro didn't go off. It could have just been an error in the truck, in which case kudos go to Boogeyman for just keeping going.

3. Kelly Kelly was the only member of Extreme Expose that wasn't smiling after the Miz won. She looked like she was angry (or constipated) either way nice little moment on her part towards the jealously angle.

JP: There's an angle going on there? Who knew?

4. I noticed that SummerSlam is sponsored by a game called Stuntman, since the guys from Jackass were originally supposed to be on the PPV and are pretty much glorified stuntmen I found it to be a nice tie in...well if the match with Umaga actually happened.

JP: WWE = product placement.

5. Before the match began while Tommy and Punk where in the ring waiting for Burke and they were both doing their pre-match bouncing around in one spot… at the same time... it was an funny site indeed but Tommy looked over and noticed it and stopped immediately. Good call on Dreamers part.

JP: Hmmmm… the antithesis of Jordan's "respect" one above!

6. Screw up by the WWE video/audio department. After Burke hit Punk in the back with a flying fore arm while he was seated you could CLEARLY hear Punk say as clear and calmly as can be "Wow that hurt". And after a quick pin Burke pulls Punk away from the camera and covers his mouth hold.

JP: Why was the screw up? Punk said something in the moment of the match that made sense. That's not a bad thing, that's a good thing!

7. In almost every Burke match for the past few weeks Joey always points out when a Wisdom bead flies off of his head... EVEN IF IT HAPPENED DURING THE COMMERCIAL BREAK. Like it did this week

JP: I can't wait till they start showing clips of the beads flying!

8. When Dreamer kicked out of the sunset flip he pushed his entire body backwards instead of rolling out like 99% of wrestlers do because the ref was in the way.

JP: Damn refs, causing trouble again!

9. Elijah Burke kicked the ref in the head after Dreamer hit the DDT on Punk as he was dropping the elbow the break up the three count.

Anyone else tired of seeing Elijah do the JOB with the GTS... I'm just tired of seeing him JOB period. Burke = Future of the WWE not just ECW.

JP: You, me, and Ogre agree on that one.

Ogre: Don't speak for me!

JP: But you do!

Ogre: I hate when you are right!

JP: And that's a lot. Now onto TNA:

1. Looks like Robert Rhoode is done with the coalition. During the Sting/Abyss promo everyone in the coalition was mentioned by name except Robert Rhoode

JP: He was just a temporary ally anyway. Roode is too much of a boss to do anything with a group. Except Team Canada.

2. Sting was in a red white and blue trench coat in stead of the normal black and white during his entrance.

JP: It was actually purple, but that doesn't say much.

Whew, that was quite a few from you. What are you trying to do, apply for a job or something? People who won't get a job here are up next because they still e-mailed the old address and didn't forward to the new one despite an automated message. We'll begin with John Nelson:

I noticed on the July 27 edition of SmackDown that after the match between Hardy/Flair and MVP/Masters, as Matt Hardy was about to answer back to MVP's comments, he looked to Ric Flair to say, "If it is OK with you I will answer him." This was a great show of respect by Matt Hardy towards Ric Flair. Now it would be nice if the WWE would show more respect to Flair in their booking.

JP: It would be nice if they gave Matt Hardy more of a chance and a push! Fixxer315 is next with some classic goodness:

I'm working my way through the 3 disc set of ladder matches that the WWE has released and on disc 1 there are a couple of interesting hidden highlights.

Razor v. Shawn Summerslam 95: There is a ton of HHs here, because this match did an expert job of building upon the first ladder match. Spots that were successful the first time around were not so successful the second time a round. A prime example happened early on when Razor brings in the ladder. At WM, Shawn baseball slid into the ladder, which hit Ramon in the stomach. Here, they tried that again, but Razor simply moved the ladder out of the way then decked HBK when he was outside. Another notable example of building upon the WMX match occurred when HBK tried to climb the ladder and Razor pulled his tights down. At WM, HBK kicked him off, but followed him down with an elbow. At SS, HBK kicked him off, but continued to climb.

JP: Building off of a prior match is what makes psychology great! It's very hard when people fight each other over and over to come up with something new.

3 Count v. Knoble/Kuragious v. Jung Dragons. The ending of this match saw Helms & Moore on top of an improvised scaffold (a ladder bridged between three other ladders). Everyone was eliminated and we expected them to fight amongst themselves. However, they simply grabbed the CW title shot together and one. The real HH of that match was what happened once they pulled the contract down. They both jumped off the scaffold together, so as to ensure that both of them would have the shot, just in case there were concerns that the first person who came down with the contract would be eligible.

I'll keep going through the set and if I see anything else interesting, I'll definitely be in touch :)

JP: So long as you update your address book, I'll be glad to read them! Same to you, regular Zack Rizza:

Before going into the present, I'd like to go to...two weeks ago when the two kings were at that long table and there were all of those delicious little morsules of goodies on the table. There's something that caught my eye though... Jerry's donut already had a piece missing from it. Just thought that was weird.

JP: Oh yeah, it was a bit too blatant to mention, but was one of those great little touches in that segment. My favorite was actually that the red table cloth stopped halfway through the table!

Next, Santino Marella and Maria. Did you notice when Mickie James came down the ramp and near the ring, Santino was standing behind Maria giving her a backrub?

JP: Didn't, but can't say it surprised me! Santino has been doing great with his little things with Maria. I'm quite sure he wouldn't mind getting with her in real life, though CM Punk may have something to say about that. Finishing us off this week is Chris Jacobs who makes no sense:

I am watching some old tapes, and they mentioned that if Kane wins he will be the first man to win the World Heavyweight Championship… KANE ALREADY WON IT!!! He had the belt for like one day when he beat Austin in a first blood match. Not only did they get it wrong, but they hyped how he "would" be the first, and HE IS THE FIRST!

JP: All right Chris, slow down. First off: what tapes were you watching? Who said these things? What was the context? Next off, Kane defeated Austin for the WWE (then WWF) Championship for one day. I think you are thinking of the time Triple H, then World Heavyweight Champion on RAW, defeated Kane (the Intercontinental Champion) in a title unification match. Kane was not the first of anything ever, not even the first person to be set on fire in the ring. Anyway, "Nature Boy" Buddy Rogers is the first man to have held both the World Heavyweight Championship (NWA) and the WWE (WWWF) Championship. Got all that? Good. So, what was that Hidden Highlight supposed to be? Why did you write in?

Well, they can't all be winners. Sometimes I do like to share ones like this just to show how good the rest of them are! A little mean, I know, but I have high expectations, as our guest host knows.

Ogre: Man, you FINALLY let me talk? I've been trying to get a word in edgewise the whole time… you are a sneaky man, JP. A very sneaky man. But in all seriousness, this column really does like to get the top of the litter when it comes to HH's. So just try harder next time… because if you don't… we'll probably just give you a really dirty look.

JP: And without JT around, I'm a lot less forgiving of capitalization. I'm look at you, Manu. Oh, speaking of JT, before we go, I thought I'd put in these send offs to our lost brother JT.

"Your column is great, I hope it doesn't die now that JT is gone and you find a suitable replacement. Keep it up!"
— Justinas

"Good luck to JT with whatever he's doing."
— Eric Quattro

"Hiya guys and sorry to see JT go. He rules ass. He is the wrestling columnist GAWD. Ahem, sorry about that was channeling JBL there."
— Pat Challis

"Keep on keeping on with not only the most positive article in the IWC, but also one of the friendliest articles. also want to say goodbye to JT, who will always have a special place in my heart because he handled the very first reader write-in that I did a few months ago. Good luck with whatever it is you're doing, JT."
— Neeraj Angal

And luckily JT was available for a little commentary. JT?

JT: I appreciate all the compliments, I really do. As flattered as I am though, I have to say don't worry about the column kids. It is in JP's caring hands and he along with others will make sure that it carries on just fine. Neeraj, I remember that first email (who could forget Neeraj?) and still think it was a great call on the Canadian Destroyer thing, plus if I recall I got to call JP by a woman's name which is always fun! Eric and Pat thank you for the wishes of luck, I am doing well and will be doing even better soon.

I'd also like to say that I too marked for the usage of <3! Nice work Jordan! And he's not bullshitting you kids, J has been with us from the start. Read Working Title. Seriously, you did a great job JW, I enjoyed the read.

JP: Just a side note, I did not pick Ogre for week one of this experiment because his initials would be JW, although that would be a pretty good retcon to throw in here now.

Do you have a Hidden Highlight from this or any week in history that you would like to share? Please e-mail this article at [e-mail] 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… readers just like to know!




JP: Well kids, that brings us to the end of our first issue in the new life of Hidden Highlights. I have to tell you, I forgot Ogre and I were mortal enemies. But man, he did such a great job that I can only say: thanks for making this issue work!

Ogre: I think we've officially bumped our status from mortal enemies down to mild enemies. Still not getting a Holiday Card, though… although that could change if you plug me.

JP: Done deal. Be sure to check out Ogre's "Working Title" and other video game news over in the Games Zone each and every week. I'm a guy who watches G4, so you know I'm terrible with the video game stuff; but even I can understand Ogre and enjoy his stuff. And Ogre, remember that I'm Jewish and a Christmas card really doesn't work. Didn't stop JT from trying anyway!

Thank you for reading the 101st ISSUE of Hidden Highlights! Be sure to drop a line with all the other Hidden Highlights not covered this time around and everything you catch in the week to come.

Until then, you have just experienced the most positive article in all of the IWC: Hidden Highlights!