Hidden Highlights 08.27.07: Issue #104 (Part 1 of 2)
Posted by JP Prag on 08.27.2007
It’s the special 2 year end anniversary of Hidden Highlights featuring camermen on RAW playing a joke on the IWC, CM Punk telling Mr. McMahon the third X of Straight Edge, Eric Young coming out of hiding, Michael Cole talking about “The Daltons”, and Linda Hogan not getting a chance to stretch. All that, plus the newest member of the Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame (hint: this person is a Canadian) and guest co-host John Meehan!
Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag
Issue #104 (Part 1 of 2)
Hello everyone celebrating the second year of this very article, and welcome back to 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: Whew, can you believe it? I thought getting to Issue #100 was a rush, but this certainly takes the cake. Two years? Just because of that, I'm retconning the party I had at my place on Saturday and saying it was in celebration of this. It's all good baby!
You've probably noticed the new banner, once again courtesy of reader Dan Hamilton. The only thing left from me is "Exit… Stage Left". It's all for the better anyway since I have no graphic design skills. That is, unlike our guest this week: John Meehan. Oh, where to begin with Meehan? Well, he is your Saturday morning does of positivity with the Meethinks Saturday Spectacular new report, and he used to write Meethinks: the article. He is also known for claiming to have the most positive article in the IWC, but as we all know Hidden Highlights won that debate. Still, he's a good dude to have on board, and I'm glad to have him on Team Positivity. Meehan?
Meehan: Eat my ass, JP. We all know the voting came up in favor of "none of the above."
JP: Actually, that was just the minority majority. 35% hardly counts as a win. That means 65% cares, and of those who cared, Hidden Highlights won with a landslide. Now, I know you've ducked me on this question before, so I'll ask it again. That poll closed on January 19, 2006. It is August 27, 2007. When are you going to take out the line "writer of the most positive article in the IWC" from your 411 profile?
Meehan: Let's be honest here, JP… nobody reads those pages. Kinda' like Bayani's column, really.
JP: Whatever! Well, I'd love to continue the silly banter with you, but we have a really packed schedule. Plus, I know you are leaving for vacation (you'll actually be on vacation when this is posted), so we need to get on with the Hidden Highlights!
Monday, August 20, 2007 by Meehan
Meehan: Yeah, you know what, I think I want to use my own banners.
JP: That's really rude to Dan who has been working hard on all sorts of banners for me, but go ahead…
Meehan: Thanks to the wonders of TiVo, I was able to catch Monday's RAW in its entirety time and again *DESPITE* the fact that when it originally aired, I was totally watching my likewise-TiVo'ed copy of High School Musical 2. Hey, I live with my girlfriend, people. It's called "compromise." (Must... fight... urge... to make series of gratuitous HSM2 references and thus admit to the fact that I thoroughly enjoyed it...) Oh right, RAW! Let's get to it....
(3) Keep your eyes on Snitsky:
Sure, we've all seen the pre-taped "their pain is my pleasure" Snitsky vignettes for months, now, but this week marked Snitsky's first ever "live" promo on WWE television. For that reason, I should probably say that this "Hidden Highlight" has been a long time coming (as the signs of it have been there for months!) but I'd always just assumed that the WWE production team taped (and re-taped) the guy's promos until they felt that they'd nailed every last detail in conveying just how menacing this Snitsky guy can be. But this week's RAW confirmed it for Mee: go back and watch Snitsky's interaction with Vince McMahon backstage just prior to the main event; just about thirty seconds worth of dialogue between himself and the Chairman and THE MAN NEVER BLINKS! NOT EVEN ONCE! Did you catch it?! Now head back to the pre-taped Snitsky vignettes we've been seeing on WWE television since July, and whaddayaknow -- every time Snitsky cuts a promo (be it taped or live), the dude simply refuses to blink. What an awesome attention to detail, and one that totally hammers home just how "profoundly disturbed" this monster of a man really is.
(2) Cameramen hate John Cena:
This one is a bit of an inside-joke-of-a-Highlight for all those "smart" fans and Cena-haters out there. During the opening promo, Vince admonished the crowd for reveling his pain. He said: "You enjoy the misfortune of others... what's the matter with you?!?" Without hesitation, the camera panned to a wide shot of the live audience, which also just so happened to focus on three fans proudly holding up a sign that read: "John!" "Cena!" "Is the champ!"
Seeing as how the good Doctor of Thuganomics has been such a perpetual source of so much grief for many a "smart" fan over the past two years, I thought it was oddly appropriate (and wonderfully ironic) that the second after Vinny Mac noted how the bulk of his audience revels in "the misfortune of others," WWE's production team would immediately cut to a shot reminding fans that yes, in fact, John Cena was *still* the champ. A wonderfully subliminal (inadvertent?) thumb to the nose by WWE's camera crew.
(1) Santino's one hit wonder:
Week after week, Santino Marella continues to deliver the goods in order to cement his heel turn. Three weeks ago, he exclaimed "Holy pasta fagioli!" before high-tailing it away from Umaga. Two weeks back, he brought his A-game to "The Dating Game" when he remarked quite matter-of-factly, "I'm inna lot of-a pain" upon being introduced. Last week, he was brilliant in calling out Ron Simmons for his "Sesame Street"-like rhyming shtick. And this week? Santino played his full-blown-delusional-asshole role to perfection yet again. Here's three quick Highlights in case you missed 'em:
1) [to William Regal, regarding Maria's date with Ron Simmons] "I amma not jealous! (Puffs out chest and stares defiantly into space) Jealousy izza for the weak."
2) [to Maria, after the waiter commented on his "huge genitals"] "Some-a people notice these things..."
3) [to Jillian, barely entering earshot of Maria and Ron] "I wasn't-a scared to fight Umaga. I mean, he was-a BEEEG, but-a you know..."
Couple those three zingers with Santino's brilliant delivery of such lines as "time for plan B!," I'm gonna go get a cappucino!," and -- of course -- his all-too-ironic condemnation of William Regal's "reedeeekulus acc-a-sent," and Santino Marella is far and away the Hidden Highlights star of this week's RAW.
JP: I about hit the floor when Santino called William Regal's accent ridiculous. Santino as a heel is the best thing going. And it is really a slow burn that is totally in line with his character. Whoever has helped Santino with this turn and storyline deserves major kudos because everything is being done right with that guy.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007 by Meehan
Meehan Ahem…
JP: Fine!
Meehan: ECW on Sci Fi has been a breeding ground for all sorts of Hidden Highlights in recent weeks, so I was quite thrilled at the opportunity to cover the show in hopes to catch a few of my own. Sadly, John Morrison didn't go for his patented corkscrew moonsault, which denied Mee the chance to be one of the first IWC'ers to point out that yes, he does indeed preface the move first by standing on the second turnbuckle and singing the words "Mr. Mojo Rising!" (a famous lyric by The Doors, and an acronym for "Jim Morrison") -- but hey, I'll take what I can get. Here's the Highlights from this week's ECW!
(3) A familiar shade of extreme:
It's no secret that the Hidden Highlights crew goes gaga over "little things" like subtle attention to color, costuming, set design and wardrobe -- so this "color-coded" Highlight is for them. As y'all know, Vince McMahon made a rare cameo appearance on ECW television this week (for even though he's a former ECW Champion, he's usually a RAW mainstay), and it seemed clear that the Chairman was pretty happy to be back on ECW television, so much so that he wanted to dress for the occasion. Didja catch the color of Vinny Mac's tie? On Monday's RAW, Vince Sported the usual black... but on Tuesday? The Chairman showed up in LAVENDER (which, for us hetero-fans out there, is actually a shade of PURPLE). Now then, we all know that RAW is the "red" brand, and that Smackdown is the "blue" -- but what about ECW? Well, a quick glance at the color palette for the *original* ECW logo reveals that Heyman's prototype "tribe of extreme" seemed pretty darn fond of a certain blue+red pigment. Heck, look at Tommy Dreamer's "Original" T-shirt: Purple is the official color of ECW.
Even though many a fan will tell you that WWE has all but raped and buried the legacy of the original ECW, I've gotta' say that it was pretty cool to see Vince paying tribute to the promotion's roots.
(2) Ian MacKaye would be proud:
Here's a quick, crash-course in straightedge 101: Even though many people had been living by the various incarnations of "clean-living" principles for centuries, the so-called "Straightedge" movement was actually not officially named until the early 1980's. Some twenty-plus years ago in Washington D.C., a hardcore punk band called Minor Threat wrote a song titled "Straight Edge," and another titled "Out of Step," in which their frontman Ian MacKaye famously sang the words "Don't smoke/Don't drink/Don't fuck." And from there, the "revolution" was born.
Shortly thereafter, the straightedge kids adopted the black "X" as the symbol of their clean-living lifestyle (a symbol that was initially borrowed from the DC-nightclubs and bars, who would mark a big black "X" on the hands of those under 21 who were not to be served alcohol), and Minor Threat began sporting a triple X symbol (itself a parody of the flag of their native Washington D.C., which has three stars). Anyhow, since the band sported the three "X"es in a row, and since their biggest hit featured three matter-of-fact "don'ts" in a row -- the three "X"es traditionally came to stand with one X for each of the "don'ts."
So what does this have to do with professional wrestling, you ask?
Pretty simple, really. On Tuesday's ECW broadcast, Vince McMahon dismissed the chance that Straightedge Superstar C.M. Punk might possibly be his illegitimate son, laughing at the notion by saying that Punk "doesn't drink, doesn't smoke... you know, all that other stuff." With the first two "don'ts" named in sequence, this left Punker with a door wide open to complete the trio by rattling off his third black X -- namely, his adherence to the "don't fuck" credo as outlined in Minor Threat's anthem. True to his straightedge mantra, Punk affirmed his lifestyle trifecta while simultaneously zinging the Chairman by adding his third "X" to the mix, burning the boss with the remark that began "There's one other thing I don't do, Vince. I don't have dirty, unprotected sex...."
Brilliant work by all parties involved, a wickedly "insider" Hidden Highlight, and a major mark-out moment for a straightedge dork like yours truly.
(1) Elijah shows some love:
Elijah Burke is rapidly becoming one of ECW's most reliable and consistent performers, and this week he even managed to wrangle a watch-able affair out of "Captain Caveman" himself, Balls Mahoney, who isn't exactly known for his technical marvels and athletic ability. Anyhow, the Hidden Highlight of this showdown came when Burke decided (in true heelish fashion) to take a shortcut by taking a bite out of Balls' bicep while the ref wasn't looking. To Burke's dismay, the official quickly caught sight of his little shortcut, and proceeded to separate the two superstars and give The Silver-Tongued Pugilist an earful. Without missing a beat, Elijah immediately whipped into full-on heelish apology mode, first swearing to the ref with a look that said "dude, my teeth got stuck!" and then (after it became clear that the ref wasn't buying it) changing tactics and trying to convince the official that he was simply trying to give Mahoney a kiss on the arm -- a claim Burke attempted to reiterate by making an innocent little "blowing a kiss" motion so as to reassure the official that his efforts were all in good fun and sportsmanship.
It didn't work, of course, but what an awesome display of on-the-spot thinking on Elijah's part to really demonstrate just how "silver-tongued" and quick-witted his character can be whenever trouble rears its ugly head.
JP: I am so glad that is your number one because I was going to give you 50 lashes with a wet noodle if I did not see that one in there. Elijah Burke is pure Hidden Highlights gold, and that one line where he said "I was just giving him a little kiss" absolutely made the entire ECW show for me. Chris Jacobs thought so, too:
While working on the arm of Mahoney he started to bite the arm, and the ref of course broke the hold and got into Elijah's face. He then responded with, "What, I gave him a kiss," and did the kiss the hand, blow it at Mahoney gesture while trying to convince the ref he wasn't Biting, but kissing the arm. I found that hilarious that he thought on his feet to say that to cover up the cheating, and that he didn't just say it, but yell it out so you could clearly hear his cover up story.
JP: Classic. Also of note, ECW got yet ANOTHER new theme song. Yeash, pick something already! I'd also like to give some props to CM Punk for his interactions with the Boogeyman. First, he backed away from Boogey and kept his hands in the air when Boogey came to the ring so that Boogey knew he was not a threat. Then, before the bell rand, you could see Punk explaining tag team rules to Boogey and showing him how to slap a hand. And all throughout the match, as Tazz pointed out, Punk was tag Boogey and then run away so that Boogey would not go after him. Just one of those brilliant sequences of Hidden Highlights that comes together into something so much beyond just that (more on that later).
Thursday, August 23, 2007 by JP
JP: Moving over to iMPACT, the show tried to get back on track this week as… you know, there has just been an overload of TNA hate on this site this week. I mean, even someone in on the positivity as Jordan Linkous has spent two weeks bashing the product. At this point, I don't think TNA could give away a 5-star match on free TV with a perfect build. People have just got into that snowball frame of mind where every little drop of something wrong means total disaster. Did I like everything on the show? No, of course not! Do I think Dutch Mantel and Vince Russo should be removed from their positions? Yes, although I think they can add something in different or more limited roles. Should Jarrett not have the book? Yes, he would be better running the administrative end and cutting deals, being a person who understands the business and can translate it into things money people understand. Is TNA screwing the pooch at everything they do? Not in a million years, and here are three Hidden Highlights that show what they did right.
(3) Back to the Future:
The opening contest saw Robert Roode and Ms. Brooks defend the honor of Roode Incorporated against Gail Kim and the man still being announced as Kaz. Now, if you've been watching for the past few weeks, Kaz(arian) has slowly been breaking away from all things Serotonin. First, a few weeks ago he started wearing trunks that said "Kazarian" on the back. Then, last week, his video changed so that it says "Kazarian" at the beginning, too. This week? A sign in the audience said during his match popped up that read, "Kazarian is the Future". This, of course, harkens back to his first run with TNA when he was Frankie "The Future" Kazarian. I've enjoyed how they have slowly been reasserting Kazarian's old persona, and this was just another reminder that it has been coming up a little bit at a time. Next week, maybe David Penzer will announce him as Kazarian as well. Watch for it!
(2) No longer undisclosed:
Speaking of David Penzer, I caught an interesting one from him this week involving "Showtime" Eric Young. For a long while, Showtime was announced from "an undisclosed location" because he was paranoid about being fired. But after his long drawn out feud with Robert Roode, he has gained considerable confidence and no longer feels his job is threatened. That is why this week Penzer announced his location from "[inaudible muffle], USA". Ok, so I didn't actually catch where in the USA Eric Young is from, but I'll be listening closely next week to wrap up the thoughts on that one!
(1) Clothes can't protect you now:
The main event saw the Steiner Bros. take on (here it comes) TNA World Tag Team Champion, TNA X-Division Champion, IWGP World Heavyweight Champion, TNA World Heavyweight Champion, and the only Olympic Gold Medalist in professional wresting history, Kurt Angle. During this match, Scott Steiner was busting out a lot of his amateur moves (I still think an Angle vs. Steiner one-on-one match would be fantastic), but also a lot of old school NWA-style. Twice during the match, Steiner began to lay in chops on Kurt Angle's chest. But did you catch what he did before he hit those chops? Steiner pulled down Angle's singlet so that he could hit skin-on-skin, thus making the hits a lot more painful. Excellent work by Scottie in showing how the details can make the match.
Meehan: Good catches all around, JP. But then again, I'm writing this prior to actually having watched the show… so my compliments might just be a little premature.
Friday, August 24, 2007 by JP
JP: Uuuuuhhhh… isn't Paul Bearer the father of Kane? I quote, from Wikipedia:
On May 19, 1998, Kane was revealed to be the result of a furtive union between The Undertaker's mother and Paul Bearer, an employee at the funeral home in Death Valley owned by The Undertaker's parents.
Really, how could Coach and McMahon not know this? I mean, it was MAY NINETEENTH! Kane doesn't like that day because it was the day the Undertaker intentionally set their house on fire because Kane was weak and he wanted to protect him, though it ended up killing their parents (who, for some reason, had their charred remains flown from Texas to Long Island to be buried). Although some sources think that day was really November 7th and that Kane was just confused or had been brainwashed by Snitsky. It wasn't his fault!
(3) An old school classic:
Speaking of the year 1998, let me jump in the way back machine for this one:
That's right, it's Chavo Guerrero and Pepe! To take you back then, Chavo was forced to be Eddie's slave for a while and it drove him completely insane. Because of that, he started talking to a hobby horse named Pepe, and Eddie eventually had to just push Chavo away. Chavo continued to talk to the horse for almost a year until Norman Smiley kidnapped Pepe and threw him a wood chipper (Smiley was heel at the time, if you can believe that!).
Anyway, history lesson aside, this week Chavo Guerrero came out talking to a Rey Mysterio mask that was on a head attached to a stick. I was immediately taken back to the memories listed above, and just had to point it out here. Good ‘ol insane Chavo.
(2) Wait, they get a last name?:
Also this week, Jesse and Festus got to tell the world how much they loved BBQ. After the clip, Michael Cole was talking about… I'm not sure what… but in his diatribe he call Jesse and Festus "The Daltons"! Now I'm 99% certain that in WWE continuity they have never been called "The Daltons" (except back in May when they appeared in one segment as hillbillies in a different gimmick all together). The only time they were "The Daltons" was in OVW. Interesting little slip by Cole there.
(1) Non-regulation:
During the basketball challenge between MVP and Matt Hardy, MVP was taking some practice shots to show the crowd how good he was. Unfortunately, MVP missed his first shot. Not stopping for a second, MVP then went into a tirade about how this was not a regulation NBA court and didn't even have wood floors. That, though, was not the Hidden Highlight. At that exact moment when he was complaining about the floors, a cockroach could be seen walking right across the floor in front of him! The timing could not have been more perfect to show how this was not a "regulation" floor and that MVP might have a point about it not being the best place to play a game.
Meehan: By the time Smackdown! aired on the east coast, I was already nestled all snug in my bed and dreaming of Disney World… so I guess I'll just haveta' take your word on those there, JP. Priorities, you know.
Sunday, August 19, 2007 by JP
JP: Linda decided that she wanted to get in shape for the Summer, but that Hulk was not the person to help her do it (even though he is the one who got Brooke in shape for her music video two seasons ago). Speaking of continuity, this one was definitely out of order. This looks to have been recorded earlier in the tapings while the episode that aired yesterday (you'll get that next week) was taped much later. These jumps in timeframes really throw me off! At least Nick is doing the Chris Jericho thing and having a different hair cut/facial hair configuration on every episode.
(3) Those things are heavy:
Not so Hidden, but who the heck gets on a scale wearing high heels? Linda decided that the first time she was going to weigh herself (182) that she would do it with her heels on. The next time she did so (168) she had her shoes off. So, do we think the shoes were adding a lot of weight?
(2) I'm going to be tight tomorrow:
When Linda's gay, European, dickhead trainer who doesn't watch TV came over to meet her and do some test, I noticed something odd. Right after he got there, he wanted to see what she was capable of. The first thing he had her do was pushups on a table (how odd, but not what I'm talking about). Of course, the strange thing is is that was the FIRST thing she did. Notice something he forgot to have her do? That's right: STRETCH! What type of trainer would not have you stretch first? That guy sucked!
(1) Old School:
You know I like to comment on Hogan's t-shirts; and yes, I did notice him wearing two different Bubba shirts this week. But the shirt that really caught my eye was the one he was wearing when he met the trainer for the first time: an Andre the Giant t-shirt with the old school picture from when Andrea was skinny! Yeah, it was completely random and I have no idea where he got the shirt or why he got the shirt, but it was totally cool to see.
Meehan: We're STILL Highlighting Hogan Knows Best? In that case, I *totally* want to add another section to show some love to the Hidden Highlights of High School Musical 2. That's right, I said it.
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: Despite the general net-gativity going around right now…
Meehan: HEY! That's my word!
JP: … You folks have certainly found some of the most positive things going on. So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…
We'll kick it off in the past and more from RAW that Cook missed via Pedro Rodriguez:
The opening of RAW was a hidden highlight extravaganza. Here's some I was able to catch:
- When Vince was coming to the ring, notice Mr. Kennedy. During the whole time, Kennedy was clapping him. And to make it even greater, he was the only one. It's nice to see Kennedy live up to being an arse-kisser to Vince.
JP: I absolutely caught that and thought it was hilarious beyond belief. Of course Kennedy would be standing right there and clapping, to boot. You could not ask for more from the man!
- When the camera panned to Kane for a split second, you can notice that his ribs were taped up. It's great that they played off his attack from Friday onto RAW.
JP: We saw plenty more of that later in the evening and on SNME. Either way, I do think it's good to sell an injury for a while.
- Armando was in the crowd of people. Somewhat of a foreshadowing of his new ECW role.
JP: Gotta say, I must have missed him, but I was amused that all the Divas walked off when the battle royal began. If Victoria were still on RAW, you know she'd go in there!
- After the announcement that one of the wrestlers/divas was his child, I noticed that Burke had did the fist to someone (possibly Eugene) over the thought of him being the son.
JP: Burke gets a lot of love in these pages for a reason. I hope that guy can find a way to click with the crowd and not disappear forever. By the way, when is Marcus Cor Von coming back? I know he was having some family issues, but it's been a while!
- Also, Nunzio is noticeably talking to anyone listening to him that he's Vince's son.
JP: I was amused by him on ECW trying to tell Tommy Dreamer the same thing. Looks like he was trying to keep it up!
Now, time for a fun fact! On a later segment, Vince was talking to Coach about when he was sexually active and Vince replied 12. Well, this is a very important number in Vince's life because that was how old he was when he met his biological father, Vince Sr. I find this an interesting number chosen because it was when Vince met his dad, yet now, he's looking for his son/daughter/Boogeyman.
JP: Interesting connection there. I keep forgetting that Vince didn't know his dad for a long time. I also forget that he has a brother who is totally outside the industry.
I also found two hidden highlights in the crowd. Sadly, no HH signs.
-Here's one that I've highlighted. (Sorry if the quality sucks, but I got them from the internet somewhere):
I just find that as a very good camera angle.
-This one is interesting because it was on the TV for a good couple of seconds:
JP: I actually saw both of those signs quite prominently throughout the night and got a good chuckle. Much like old schooler RC giving me what I asked for:
It's been a long time since I read this column but I did it yesterday and thought I'd help you out with the difference between the two finger salute and the peace sign.
This is what the two finger salute looks like:
And this is what the peace sign looks like (mind you, this was the first pic I found on google, thus having to post a link to Miley Curys):
What did you notice on the sign? Looks like free publicity.
JP: I think I understand like 15% better now. Thanks dude! Sticking to the old school is Aaron Hubbard in what will most likely be either a loved or hated Hidden Highlight:
Don't know if you'll want to acknowledge this given the circumstances, but my brother and I were watching the Ladder Match DVD, and we got around to the awesome match between Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit. My brother caught something, and we actually re-winded it and watched it in slow-mo to make sure. There's a spot where Benoit is heading to the ladder, and Jericho comes up behind him. Benoit catches him and gives him an Irish Whip into the ring post. The hidden highlight is that, for half a second after Benoit grabs Jericho's arm, he goes for the Crippler Crossface! Whether it was actually instinct for Christopher or the man selling his character, we thought this was gold, because he was always ready to pull that out whenever the opportunity arrived, but it wouldn't be advantageous to use a submission move on the floor in a Ladder Match.
Interestingly enough, Y2J was also gold here, as when he was flung into the post, he hit it with his shoulder and not his head. The story was that he was carrying an arm injury into that match and I thought it was a nice nod to continuity by the hidden highlight king.
JP: There's a reason Chris Jericho is in the Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame, and wait until you see what other Canadian we add to that group later in the column. And yes, I agree, you have to look at Benoit's work impartially because the guy was gold in the ring. That took place, what, six or seven years ago? He was a totally different person back then, and I can appreciate in the moment what he did. But we'll lighten this up a notch with a real weird non-wrestling Hidden Highlight (remember, Hidden Highlights are everywhere) courtesy of Paul Quinn:
I've been meaning to send this to you guys for a long time. Anyway, on the Superman Returns DVD special features disk, there's a documentary on how the film was made. During this documentary you can clearly see Christian and Gregory Helms (wearing a WrestleMania 21 T-shirt) sitting next to the writer. I've included a picture for your viewing pleasure. I know this isn't a recent thing but I thought you guys might like to see it.
P.S. If you or any of the readers know what the hell they're doing on the set of Superman Returns, please let me know!
JP: I have no idea! Meehan?
Meehan: My best guess is that Helms is a superhero nut, so maybe the ‘E thought it'd be a nice little promotional tie-in to have him visit the set. But that's a total shot in the dark, and I could be way off.
JP: Well, I guess that means we turn back to you folks! Or Cook, since he Ask 411 Wrestling…
Cook: Not touching that one with a ten foot pole that Larry uses on wifey.
JP: Hmmm… you heard the man. We'll stick to the unconventional ones with an unconventional name… CL Smooth:
Hidden Highlights for RoH Good Times, Great Memories, 04/28/07 (yeah I know, but the DVD was late)
Roderick Strong vs Jack Evans: Partway through the match, Strong is hurting Evans on the outside, starts to get back in the ring, then looks at the ref and says "Oh, no count out huh?" Perfect! He would naturally be used to fighting under FIP rules, as the FIP champ, when there is a 20 count on the outside. Continuity FTW!
JP: That is way too much indy information to follow, but cool nonetheless.
Briscoes - Murder City Machine Guns: Shelley has a submission on one of the Briscoes (I forget which, sorry!), and tells the ref "Ask him!" Nothing HH there. The next part is a double, back-to-back, responding HH!
Sinclair (the ref): "I just asked him! He said no!"
Shelley: Ask him again!
Sinclair (asking): He said no again.
JP: Now that is just gold! I love real interaction, as you know.
Later in the same match, Mark goes up top and hits a HUGE shooting star press. He then gives a little fist pump before settling for the cover. Why is this good? Well a few shows back, Mark tried an SSP to the outside, under-rotated and bumped about 50 times worse than Brock Lesnar at WM19. More continuity!
JP: Brock almost killed himself! That sounds horrible!
RoH in general is a gold mine for Hidden Highlights. Davey Richards, Hagadorn and Pearce, Delirious (in his match vs Cabana on the Cabana Farewell tour, he put Colt in a full nelson and babbled something about putting on the Masterlock. I marked.)... all amazing. I would love to see one of their DVDs reviewed for HH's by a pro.
JP: Unfortunately, I'm not sure how I even have time to watch the shows I do! I actually usually watch all of the shows (6.5 hours) by getting up early on Saturday morning. Not the best schedule, but I'm trying to get better. Speaking of which, we can now move on to this week's RAW with James LeBrun:
The first one comes ala my man John Cena. Ok to get to the point after John smacked Vince and Vince announced that Cena would be fighting the undefeated Snitsky. The hidden highlight comes where the attitude of Cena changes dramatically. You could literally read Cena's lips saying Snitsky as if he was worried. Point being all of that toughness just went away.
JP: I still can't believe they have the gall to call Snitsky undefeated. Kane, Chris Benoit, Matt Hardy, The Big Show, and many more defeated Snitsky back in 2005. Heck, John Cena already beat Snitsky in a Lumberjack match on June 18, 2005 on RAW. I'm begging someone to higher a continuity checker!
Ok, Hidden highlight number two. When William Regal announced that their would be a diva battle royal before the diva tag match; the hidden highlight comes when the divas just begin to toss each other out of the ring eluding to the fact that its every diva for herself hinting to the upcoming diva battle royal.
JP: Not super hidden, but it was the point of the segment. I mean, it had to have a point, right?
Another one came via Lillian Garcia. I just thought that it was cool that when she announced Shelton Benjamin as one half of the World's Greatest Tagteam she started it by calling them the Self Proclaimed WGTT.
JP: I like it when Haas and Benjamin react to that and yell at an announcer saying it isn't a self-proclamation. Moving on in the RAW world is Nikolai Nygard and this:
After scouring RAW I finally found a HH that didn't seem too obvious. It's a visual thing. Kennedy switched tights to a green set that is has some different text on it than the last one I remember seeing. (I missed his Lashley match but nobodies said this anyway) Those tights are essentially his RAW tights. You see when Vince was sending off people from Smackdown! to attack DX on RAW a while back those are the tights he had. So...yeah that's it.
JP: Ah, I get what you are saying. He first wore the green tights when he went to RAW to attack DX, but didn't wear them again until after the draft. That would take a lot of research to prove, so instead I'll just believe you. Trevor Alexander is up next, although he apologized in advance for the typos. How about instead not having any?:
1. Umaga has a new between match graphic since turning face.
JP: I always love when they retool graphics and music due to a turn. Ron Killings needs some new music now that he is a heel.
2. Queen Sharmel is now sporting some over the top queen like eyebrows.
JP: So long as she doesn't grow a uni-brow.
3. After Vince ran into Val and Davari they both walked away when he started leaving; but when he ran into Kennedy he stood in the same spot as Vince left.
JP: Well Val and Davari had better placed to be! Kennedy was hitting on that production girl. Did you happen to listen to him when Vince walked up? He was telling a story about how he took Lashley out. It was freaking hilarious!
4. When the ref started counting Shelton down for the three count you could clearly see Shelton's shoulder was up after the one count but Shelton smartly forced his shoulder down to make the 3 look legit.
JP: Making your opponents look good is half the game.
5. While in the women's match did you notice Candice pinned herself with her roll up finish but no one mentioned it even though you could clearly see both of her shoulders down but not Melina's.
JP: I was just amused it was a Dusty finish with only one ref!
6. Kudos to the WWE for keeping the King off the air to sell the beating from Booker from last week. (he isn't an active member of the roster and shouldn't be able to "magically" bounce back like Cena did after an RKO on a chair)
JP: The rumors are they did this so they could have a try-out with Tazz as the color commentator with JR and move Lawler to SmackDown!. They had that chance forever ago and brought Lawler back. Just make a decision and stick with it people, don't go back just because!
7. Did you notice Cena said, "I hope you aren't my father to Vince." I guess he and the WWE forgot they already involved Cena's dad in a pretty big angle where Edge beat his ass.
JP: See: my SmackDown! comments about Kane above.
8. Anyone notice big Shad kept saying we got a seller when he was supposed to be saying buyer.
JP: Dawg, it's street. Where bad is good and up is down.
9. Tazwell equals awesome (All Hail King BookaH)
JP: I did about hit the floor laughing when King Booker said that.
10. Carlito's facial expressions were dead on during the entire Umaga segment (almost William Regal Quality)
JP: Carlito love and comparison to William Regal? SOLD! Just like I've been sold by DJ Strong:
First, during the Diva tag match, Tazz mention how you don't see women suplex one another that often, then added, in a WWE ring. I turned to my friend James and said with a laugh, "I like how he added that, it's like he sees it all the time in the Red Hook section of New York!" Not realizing I could have been speaking a potential HH!
JP: I thought it might also be because you can see stuff like that in Shimmer or GLOW or whatnot.
Then during the date segment when Santino had that waiter fella talking about his bulge, he said to Maria that some people noticed those things, and to which Maria mumbled under her breath, something along the lines of, "I'm sure you're thrilled he noticed it."
JP: Hahahhaaha! I wondered what she had said, I couldn't quite catch it there. It was one of those "Maria moments of brilliance", much like this one from Bobby Hinkle:
In the restaurant scene, after Ron Simmons had finished ordering LAMB, Maria toasted Ron. But, did you notice what she said as she toasted him? "Yassou"...this was a subtle nod to the Greek heritage of Maria's Kanellis. Who knew that a bimbo could be so cultured?
JP: I hope you were talking about the character there, kid! Let's move on to someone a little nicer, the lovely and vivacious Michelle Perez:
Me again.. first off, its not "Rowr", it's "RAAAAWR!".. and secondly, yes JP I do want to expose myself to you... who doesn't? :)
JP: ……………………………………………
Well, that's it for me this week kids! Thank you for joining us the 104th issue……… yadda yadda………… I gotta go.
