Hidden Highlights 12.10.07: Issue #119

Posted by JP Prag on 12.10.2007

Raven remembers that James Mitchell scalped him, Shawn Michaels plants himself in the middle of the ring, Warcraft and William Shatner merge with ECW, Jim Cornette’s office gets a makeover, the Miz sacrifices himself for the team, and more! All with guest co-host Stephen Randle!

Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag

Issue #119

Hello everyone whose car insurance was cancelled because of a speeding ticket you got two and half years ago, even though you declared it when you signed up, 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: What a week! There are a few things I can't really go into just yet, but it has been very emotionally draining and also emotionally filling. With so much going on, I had to trust much of this article to a man who has turned on more people than Shawn Michaels (and has just as many major match loses), tells lies bigger than Hulk Hogan, and steals more people's gimmicks than Stevie Richards. I am talking about the purveyor of Monday morning news reports in The Wrestling News Experience, the former co-editor of the Wrestling Zone, and a guy WHO DID NOT WIN THE RIGHT TO CALL HIS ARTICLE THE MOST POSITIVE ARTICLE IN THE IWC: Stephen Randle. Randle?

Randle: Geez, I get a better introduction for my guest speaker gig at the yearly convention of women who only like me as a friend. It didn't have to be like this, JP. We could have been buddies. Friends. Compadres. Writers united in our overwhelming disdain for JT. But seeing as I am the fan-voted most positive writer on 411, I guess it's up to me to extend the olive branch. It is the Christmas season, after all, so we should at least pretend to get along.

JP: And there you go, offering Christmas to a Jew. Are you sure you're not in co-hoots with JT?

Randle: Hey, do I look like Larry to you?

JP: No, I can actually stare directly at your face.

Larry: Ah, the last person I get to fire this year!

JP: Not before we get on with the Hidden Highlights!



Sunday, December 2, 2007 by the Readers via JP

JP: Folks, I have a very special treat for you. He makes more comeback appearances than Mick Foley, but that doesn't make it any less special. You saw him Sunday Night recapping Turning Point and doing Instant Access. He is my former co-writer… JT~! JT?

JT: I was entirely too swamped doing live coverage AND Instant Access at the same time; there simply was not way for me to look for HH's as well (and I did not record, I simply watched). Sorry brother I sadly did not even think of HH as I was frantically updating the other two!

JP: Ummmm… wow, thanks JT. Well then, luckily for you we have our my faithful readers to pick up your slack… again. And I'm giving them all to Hugh Glen. Hugh?

Hugh Glen: I get to be a character in the article? All right! Well, just a couple quick ones coming off the PPV Sunday…

(3) Well, he's no nWo Nick Patrick…:

First up some women's action. A couple of my friends were disappointed with what we all feel was a weak DQ in the Kim/Kong match but I disagree. TNA wants to keep running the feud so they set up a little continuity earlier in the night in the form of referee Andrew Thomas. He called both women's matches that night (two women's matches on one PPV?!!?) and in the first was spanked and wedgied and generally made to look silly. So he strolls out for the title match later determined that he won't be pushed around and made a fool of by no woman. He then shows more backbone than anyone but Gail by standing up to Kong, DQs her well before wrestling logic usually says he should, and gets added into an impressive body count. A single 5-count and a pie face gets a DQ in a title match when typically interference, multiple 5-counts, and a couple ref bumps don't earn one. Good not just from a booking viewpoint but also kayfabe.

Silly extras always standing up for themselves at the wrong time, against the wrong person...

(2) The enemy of my enemy:

Next up a couple from the thumbtack match: People seem baffled that Raven would help Abyss based on their history but Abyss IS feuding with (for lack of a better term) the Sons of Mitchell. And if there's one person Raven would hate more than Abyss it would be his former handler who scalped Raven in a most unpleasant way.

(1) The history of burning mist:

Then in the match itself, Don freakin' bad shirt West made me grin from ear to ear. Don West! Who knew? Anyway, when Rellik spit the mist at Abyss you can hear Mr. West very loudly exclaim "It's.. it's burning!" which as any Muta fan knows is precisely the effect of red (as opposed to green) mist. I'm impressed that Tenay seemed clueless yet Don West called this somewhat obscure information.

All in all I think Turning Point got a much worse rap than it really deserved, especially with that outfit Tracy Brooks was almost wearing.. yow!

JP: I keep telling people to not underestimate Don West. He's become a student of the game and has truly impressed me with his passion and knowledge. I'm not sure why people don't like him on the mic, I rather enjoy his style. And I thought the same thing about Raven and Mitchell because I couldn't quite figure out why Raven would work with Mitchell on anything considering their history. That scalping was quite gross, especially when Raven got his revenge.

Randle: I don't hate Don West, at least he seems to have a real interest in what he's talking about, and isn't afraid to show emotion, as opposed to certain colour commentators that just make dry, semi-witty observations about things. I just wish once in a while he and Tenay would be quiet while people are cutting a promo. That Samoa Joe shoot would play much better if they hadn't kept interjecting during every pause with stuff like "He's very intense, Mike".



Monday, December 3, 2007 by Stephen Randle

Randle: I tell you, JP, you have some rabid fans. They sent in so many Hidden Highlights for this week's Raw that I nearly didn't have anything to put here. Nothing much else to say here, except I am incredibly pumped for Raw's 15th anniversary show. Granted, I was pumped for Raw's 10th anniversary show, but I'm sure they learned from that mistake. On a related note, damn, I'm old.

(3) JR's not senile yet:

Okay, so over the last couple of weeks, I'm sure I'm not the only one who's noted that JR has been calling Jeff Hardy's Whisper in the Wind corkscrew press incorrectly as the Twist of Fate. This week, however, JR specifically made mention of the Whisper in the Wind, and added "I do know that move". I suspect Good Ol' JR's blog has been taking some heat for his mistake the last couple weeks, and you know he just can't resist firing back at us. Hey, at least it's a WWE talent interacting with us. We don't ask for much, really. A secondary kudos to the Raw commentary team, as Jerry Lawler earns Line of the Night honors for saying "I can't think of a way to describe Snitsky, so I'll just throw up". Yes, he's just that ugly.

(2) Hey yo, Kennedy, that's your cue:

When Shawn set up for Sweet Chin Music on Randy Orton during their match, he did a strange thing. That is, instead of his usual spot in the corner of the ring, Shawn set up right in the middle of the ring ropes, with his back to the entrance way. Why would HBK move out of his normal element? Why, the better to prevent Kennedy's interference, my dear. You see, Shawn had to know that Kennedy would probably try to get a sneak attack in after Shawn interrupted his promo earlier in the show. After all, some things in wrestling are inevitable. So Shawn positioned himself in the one spot where he would be able to attack Kennedy before he came into the ring. Provided Kennedy ran in from the entrance ramp, of course.

(1) Because they need hair care money:

Admit it, there's no way you'd have predicted the return of the APA last Monday night. That's what made it great. What made it even better was the little touch that Bradshaw did to completely revert to his old Acolyte persona: he dyed his hair black. Granted, it wasn't a very good job, probably a last-minute thing, but if you look, it's definitely not the same blonde colour he sports on Smackdown. The best part is, if you watched Smackdown this past week, his hair is back to its natural colour again, as if APA Bradshaw never existed. Okay, Smackdown was taped prior to Raw due to the overseas tour, which explains it, but still, a nice little bit of TV magic.

JP: When the two came out together, it made no sense to me from a continuity perspective since JBL is rich and had turned on Ron Simmons way back when. But when he got on the mic and explained that it took money, a lot of money, and then cut one of the best heel promos of the year, I had to just give in and say it worked perfectly.



Tuesday, December 4, 2007 by Stephen Randle

Randle: Man, it's been a while since I watched a full episode of ECW. Mostly because ECW airs at midnight on Fridays in Canada, the same time as the replay of Smackdown, and since I'm usually at work for the first airing, you see how it goes. However, this week you were in luck, I had Friday off and managed to catch both Smackdown and ECW, which will become important shortly. I just want to mention, before we get underway, that Kevin Thorn is one entrance music change away from being a heavyweight jobber. I mean, they took away his valet, his gimmick, his pointy teeth…what has he got left?

(3) When egos compromise:

So, John Morrison and The Miz are the WWE tag team champions, and the big question is, how will these two giant egos survive as a tag team? Well, it seems that they're working quite well together, and if you want even more proof, check this out. On ECW, they had a tag match against the Major Brothers, and each got their own entrance, with Morrison coming in first, then The Miz. On Smackdown, they had a match against Jesse and Festus, and this time The Miz came out first, then Morrison. This ensured that both men got to be "first", which implies all sorts of things when you have a giant ego. Believe me, I know. That's why I demanded the Raw Hidden Highlights section. But it also implies that Miz and Morrison are working together to feed each others' egos, in the interest of team unity.

(2) Where wrestling nerds, Star Trek nerds, and Warcraft nerds can come together in harmony:

Okay, so the Major Brothers cut what is becoming their trademark "picture-in-picture" promo. During that promo, they mocked their opponents, Miz and Morrison, and asked what a shaman is. The first words that popped out of my mouth?

William Shatner.



But wait, there are more ties between wrestling and World of Warcraft than you think. First of all, I'm pretty sure that WWE Raw this past week was brought to you by the MMO giant. It was either Raw or Smackdown, sometimes the commercial promos blur together. Secondly, in the latest patch update, an NPC character was added, and he's someone who's probably very familiar to us all. His title is Master of Cooking. His name? Why, The Rokk, of course.

Yes, yes, I'm a nerd, we covered this already.

(1) He was suicidal and death-defying, if not homicidal or genocidal:

Evel Kinevel passed away last week, fortunately at a fairly old age, considering his past activities of jumping long distances on a motorcycle and occasionally missing. But since he was a man who was one of the original "sports entertainers", and also symbolic of the same "extreme" style that ECW represents, it's only fitting that the brand's champion, CM Punk, had the word "Evel" written on his left arm tape for his match against Mark Henry, in fitting tribute to him.

JP: That, or Punk thought he was insane for going into the ring against two giant men who could snap him in half. Oh, and I really don't think I'm dorky enough to understand your second one, but I tried!



Thursday, December 6, 2007 by JP

JP: I guess if we had the ten man tag match at Final Resolution that it would have meant that Kurt would not have defended his title since that match against Kaz. Well, I guess you could have big multi-man events at PPVs and defend the World Title against mid-carders on free TV, it kind of makes sense. Well, so long as you make the X-Division or Tag Titles so important that they can headline a PPV. Kind of like the TV Title in ECW. People paid to see RVD defend the TV Title while Shane Douglas could do whatever he wanted with the Heavyweight (like not defend it for four months while out with injury).

Randle: People would pay money to see RVD? Why didn't anyone tell WWE Creative about this three years ago?

(3) Here's the plan:

During the opening of iMPACT this week, all of the winners of the "Feast or Fired" match arrived at the arena in their respective vehicles (but apparently the same parking spot). The last car to arrive was xXx with Senshi, Christopher Daniels, and Elix Skipper. While Mike Tenay and Don West were talking about the PPV, you could barely make out what Christopher Daniels was saying. But if you caught it, Daniels was saying it was a plan from above that he should have gotten the briefcase and that Senshi should hand it over to him. This, of course, would play into what happened later in the night, and it was a nice bit by Daniels and Senshi to start the storyline earlier in the night while they were being talked over.

(2) Redecorating time!:

Anyone who has followed Hidden Highlights long enough knows that I pay very close attention to Jim Cornette's office, always pointing out new and exciting things. This week was a HUGE change as the entire office was different. The room was flipped around, the desk was in the corner, there was a window in the office, the bookshelves expanded and moved to the side, posters were on the wall… I'm not sure, but either that was a new location or Cornette's office had an expansion. This would make so much sense since there always so many people in there plus camera that they need more space. I like the new look and think it only helps out. And yes, that magazine is still on the wall. Random.

(1) I'm all out of courage:

Later in the evening, Gail Kim and ODB fought in a non-title affair that saw ODB pick up the victory. After the match, Awesome Kong started to make her way down to the ring and, surprisingly, ODB held her ground. At that moment, she began to drink pretty heavily from her flask and Don West commented that she was drinking some "liquid courage". At that exact moment, the camera panned back up to ODB and the scene showed her holding the flask upside down with just a few droplets coming out. It was only at that moment when ODB backed down and left the ring. This was just such a perfect confluence of timing, showing that ODB really did use the "liquid" in the flask for courage and that when it was gone, she lost her resolve. This also really helps establish what ODB's character is about.

Randle: Watching and reading about such a really effectively booked serious women's division in wrestling, with characters and storylines and good wrestlers, really reminds me how much I miss Trish Stratus. Also, Gail Kim is extremely hot (well, of course, she's Canadian). I can't really call it a "Hidden" Highlight, but it bears mentioning.



Friday, December 7, 2007 by JP

JP: I think I'm getting that JT-syndrome where I really like SmackDown! so much more than anything else. Well, let's see, they have my favorite characters in the WWE with Edge and MVP (and via the brand extension John Morrison), they have finally turned on Chuck Palumbo in favor of Jamie Noble (more on that in a bit), and Teddy Long is back. Plus, they actually used a storyline to explain why ECW talent is there instead of just having them show up ::cough::RAW::cough::. All and all, SmackDown! has become a must more enjoyable experience recently.

(3) This is getting to be a habit:

Last week, Edge made reference that no one sent him a text message while he was out of the shelf. This, I felt at least, was in direct reference to how Matt Hardy caught Edge and Lita via her text messages. This week, Edge came out to interrupt Theodore Rufus Long and started to let Vickie Guerrero know that me missed her and loved her. It was at that moment when Long asked Edge why he was wasting his time, and if he wanted to send love to Vickie Guerrero why not text her. Oh, I love that burn! It never gets old!

(2) It's all for the team:

In a rematch from a couple of weeks ago, Jesse and Festus challenged the WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison and the Miz. Towards the very end of the match, Miz tagged in Morrison as Festus tagged in Jesse. Miz knew, though, that having Festus in the ring was dangerous, so he started to draw Festus' attention by calling him over and goading him on. He did not meanly distract Festus, as it was, but continued to stand his ground and lull Festus into hitting him with a clothesline. That's right, letting Festus hit him. You see, Miz had the chance to escape but instead of being selfish he was willing to sacrifice himself to pick up the win. This is in sharp contrast to the last tag champions that only wanted to one-up each other. Morrison and Miz are gelling as a team and working hard to always be winners, not just better than each other.

(1) Put a smile on my face:

Meanwhile in the back, Jamie Noble paid a visit to Michelle McCool and the two ended up making a bet; if Jamie Noble defeated Chuck Palumbo one more time, McCool would have to go on a date with him. After much gloating and funny phrases, Noble walked away and the camera returned to Michelle. Up until this point, Michelle had kept a pretty stoic face. But as Noble walked away, she slipped a couple of smiles, showing she actually really enjoyed the moment. I am looking at this as the foreshadowing of what is to come—that Michelle will find that she really does likes Noble and will turn on Palumbo. That little hint of a smile lets me know that she really is in love with the Pitbull.

Randle: I don't know how well this speaks to wrestling fans as consumers, but you just know that if they put Jamie Noble's shirt up on ShopZone, people would buy it. Extra points if they have the balls to put up the shirt with "Pulambo" mis-spelled.




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: You people started off quiet, and then you never shut up. 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 a little bit back in time (last week) with Nick Noel who thinks he's my favorite reader. Silly Nick, my favorite reader is ME!:

RAW

Hardy's ONLY Colour Co-Ordination – Noticed this a few weeks ago, but I think Jeff Hardy's day-glo belt is the same shade to his glow in the dark body paint.

JP: Now that he's read that, he'll probably start painting his hair to match, too!

Lawler Needs New Glasses – The 8-man schemozzle, "This is a big victory for those four young men" … In what world is Hacksaw Jim Duggan a "young man"? Or Bob Holly for the matter?

JP: Compared to Jerry Lawler? Some of those guys are downright whippersnappers!

Randle: Does having the mind of a child count?

Impact

Angle Alliance/Christian Coalition – Now these poor boys are fighting … but does anyone remember the WWE Angle Alliance? I believe that Edge and CHRISTIAN were members (Good old "Team ECK" … or "RECK" when Rhino debuted). Poor lads, forgetting their great old times.

JP: Well I think that's the point. Team ECK had a falling out, and it is continuing to this day in TNA!

I'm Not Cool Enough For Booker T – Because to me, the entirety of Booker T's promo was indecipherable. Total jibberish. Maybe I'm just too Australian.

JP: You are too Australian. I grew up in an area where grammatical and normalized American English was not the norm and I understand and speak it perfectly. That said, it is one of the reasons I am OBSESSED with correct grammar and spelling in write-ins today. I did manage to make it out of that town.

Randle: And I'm an English major, so I have a similar obsession. We really don't belong on the Internet, you know that?

Thank you Santino Marella – For making my little TV blow up, meaning I have to watch my wrestling on a large projection screen. Because of that, I got a full face view of Christy Hemme's camel-toe at the start of her match. Hooray!

JP: Where are you using a projector to watch TV? Do you own a basement projector?

Randle: And how did Santino make your TV blow up? I knew he was awesome, I didn't know he had weird psychokinetic powers. Maybe they're tied to his haircut.

JP: Oh, sorry, I forgot the back-story. A couple of weeks ago his TV blew up at the exact moment Santino came out. It was one of those random personal Hidden Highlights.

Eric Young Is A Man's Man – For "bleeding like a stuck pig". And remember, that alcohol thins the blood, so drinking 6 beers before copping a MASSIVE cut in the forehead made the blood just run quicker. Yay Showtime Eric Young! Realism!

JP: Do you know what also does that? Tylenol! A relatively known trick in the industry is to take a pain killer a couple of hours before a match where you are going to blade to make the blood really flow. Sounds rather counter productive to me, though. But when your blood is thin, you should eat some good old turkey, like Brian Alleva here:

Might have been line of the year - TNA Turkey Bowl, during segment #743 at Angle's dinner, Awesome Kong comes in, and in all the hub-bub, Black Machismo yells out, "I didn't know KAMALA was coming!!"

JP: Haha, yeah, I did catch that one too. Lethal is on his game right now. But am I? James Giles wants to know:

Is it possible that the comment from Vince hoping Flair doesn't die was a little nod to the time in WCW when Flair pretended to have a heart attack in the ring corner?

JP: Vince will NEVER acknowledge WCW history in a positive way. As far as he is concerned, WCW did nothing but steal from him and never did anything themselves, even though the whole "Attitude" Era was just a rip off of the edgy style of the nWo invasion mixed with a watered-down version of ECW's hardcore matches. Just saying. Like Tom White here:

I actually caught this one myself on the 11/26 Edition of Raw and I literally waited a whole week to see if you would make mention of it.

For the opening match, Jeff Hardy's entrance was pretty much the same as usual, with the turnbuckle jumping and all. There was one difference: When he turned to the crowd away from the hard camera, he threw up the usual old school Hardy's hand gesture with his right hand but with his left he through up Matt Hardy's V1 gesture. My guess as a silent shout out to Matt who's at home recuperating.

JP: He did that last time Matt was on the shelf (and he worked for the company) as well, so it's something nice to see him bring back. That said, why did you wait? You can send these guys in yourself and be a full participant! Douglas Dean got that idea because he turns us to this week's RAW:

On this week's Raw during the Ken Kennedy - HBK skit Ken Kennedy makes a comment to the Razor Ramon imposter saying, "thanks for showing up". This is a hidden highlight due to Scott Hall no-showing at the TNA PPV the night before. Though the WWE will never refer to TNA as a threat at least someone working for them is keeping an eye on what goes on there.

JP: I wrote this section before Randle wrote RAW, so I hoped he picked up on this one, too, because I certainly caught it and laughed by behind off.

Randle: Of course I caught it, I'm great. But then, everyone on the Internet already mentioned it about five hundred times, so I had to pick something else that hadn't been talked to death in the last week. Which was easy, because like I said, I'm great.

JP: See, this is my problem of watching RAW on Saturday morning. I never know what the Internet thinks until it is too late! Anyway, Rick Landis wrote me SEVEN times while RAW was on the air, so here are some select comments:

When it was announced that Mr. McMahon will announce the greatest superstar in Raw history BOOKER T was there.

Don't know what happened, but he was there.

JP: Yeah, that confused the heck out of me as well. By the way, is it just me or it obvious that Vince is going to name himself the greatest superstar in RAW history and then various guests (Stone Cold, Mick Foley, Hulk Hogan, etc…) will beat him up and hit their finishers? Yeah, I thought so.

When Michaels went to check on the time keeper (poor sap couldn't even get his name mentioned, even though he took a kick. Yea, Shawn is a safe worker, but still) a fan, obviously wantin' Shawn to get back to Orton told Shawn he's alright.

Good ol' fans.

JP: Actually, JR did mention the timekeeper's name, but it took a minute before he did so. And yes, I heart me some fan interaction.

Orton must really hate Michaels (in StorylineLand). Before applyin' the rope assisted DDT, Orton applied a (very loose) guillotine choke. I love this MMA style they're doin'.

JP: Hey Randle, what do you think of these slew of compliments for Randy Orton we've had the past few weeks here in Hidden Highlights?

Randle: Given that most of them stem from channeling his (alleged, totally unproven, but probably true) natural ability to be a dick, I'm not that surprised. Besides, a guillotine choke is basically a modified reverse headlock, and nobody knows headlocks like Randy Orton.

JP: Sigh. Once again: THIS is the most positive article in the IWC. Just to prove it even more, Chris Jacobs has one that involves Snitsky:

Snitsky whips Jeff to the ropes, Hardy springs up, Snitsky catches him in mid move in the over the shoulder position. Jeff doesn't just let go, and let Snitsky slams him, Jeff holds on for dear life, something most people don't, and Snitsky does what anyone in a real fight situation would do: with the free arm he punches the hell out of Jeff's hand until he lets go, then runs and slams him. So they don't just go move to move script like, they give it a real life fight feel. Jeff holds onto the ropes to stop the beating, and Snitsky punches his arms and hand until he lets go and slams him.

JP: That's a real nice catch and probably the best one I've ever seen from you Chris. Even more so because it is from one of the IWC's most hated. Snitsky is actually Hidden Highlights magic and always works hard on the little and realistic things. We'll turn to Hidden Highlight favorite now with COLOR from Jeff Murphy:

Not really an HH, maybe a WTF? During the HBK promo in back when Mr. Kennedy showed up on the TV, I couldn't help but notice Kennedy's bright blue tongue. You're on TV, brush your teeth! Lol

Randle: I also noticed that Kennedy's tongue was blue, but it was never mentioned on-air, so I figured it wasn't relevant. Still, it is an interesting mystery.

JP: Never, ever, eat a blowpop before coming on the air, that's all I can say. Even first timer Tyler Moliterno knows that:

I found a Hidden Highlight during Raw's fake HBK partners promo. When Kennedy announced a fake, they would come down the ramp and into the ring. Besides the Scott Hall "glad you could make it' remark I noticed that the WWE was making a reference to the fact that Kennedy didn't have the pyro guys on his side because when the 2 wrestlers came out that had pyro, it was just like a bad knock off of a real pyro job. This made it seem as though Kennedy had no idea what he was doing: the first one was just bad and the second one, only 3 of the ring posted worked, and then the HBK fake only had a sparkler. I thought it was a great job of really selling it.

JP: You know, I totally did not think of it that way. I saw the three ring posts and thought it was a production issue, but you are right. It was making fun of these guys even more by giving them messed up or shoddy pyro. This perspective is awesome!

Also I'm Going to Armageddon, so if you want a "My sign is a Hidden Highlight" sign there, My seats should be on camera, so I'll do it if you'd like!

JP: Oh my gosh, Y-E-S!!! This goes for everyone: it is your duty to get these signs on TV:







You have a high standard to live up to. Just like Hidden Highlights Reader Write-in Contest Finalist Nikolai Nygard:

I got a Highlight from the iMPACT on 12/6/07. While Team 3D is just coming in to Cornette's office Brother Ray takes the tennis racket Cornette used in the WWE. Before he gets on with the tirade Brother Ray goes "Nice Racket". The Highlight is that while the mic is being turned back to Cornette he goes "I'm not in that line of work anymore" YES! I love quiet references to the past. That's all.

JP: Now if he slapped someone across the face, that would make my day. Did you read that interview with Santino Marella where he finally tells his side of the story? I never agreed with Cornette putting his hands on anyone, but to do so in front of someone's daughter… just wow. I like Cornette on TV and as a booker, but he has a long way to go as a boss. Sticking with iMPACT and Reader Write-in Contest Finalist, here is Trevor Alexander:

Kong is awesome: Did you notice that when Awesome Kong's music hit and ODB was in the ring the camera shook making it look like the entire building moved slightly. It only shook once and if you weren't paying attention you would have missed it so awesome work by TNA's production crew since they usually show Kong's music video when her theme hits...most people when they come to the ring for a post match beat down don't usually telegraph that they are on the way with their theme music but Awesome Kong just doesn't give a damn.

JP: The more I watch Kong, the more I think she could take on half of the male roster as well!

I thought this was Spike TV?: In the middle of the Senshi/Daniels match all of a sudden a guy from Nascar joins the commentators after the commercial break. I haven't seen TNA do this since their days on Fox Sports when they would come on at 3:00/4:00 on Fridays...WTF.

JP: Read the news and you'll know!

Are they really continuing a WWE storyline in TNA: Back in the WWE days Kurt Angle threatened Sharmell sexually when feuding with Booker T and they continued it last night with Karen and Sharmell.

JP: I actually like TNA acknowledging and giving nods to history in the WWE without outright saying, "Back in the WWE, we did this." It's kind of cool that it gives continuity and doesn't insult the fans. We'll finish it off with another regular in Eric Quattro with a last minute addition from RAW and some other thoughts:

I have a hidden highlight from Raw on the December 3rd. When Mr. McMahon was in his locker-room and William Regal came in to tell him Stephanie was coming, Regal said, "You're not answering your cell phone." Well, of course he wouldn't be, because last we saw, he had dropped it and Hornswoggle was using it to call the APA and very well might not have returned it.

JP: I really was not paying enough attention while watching RAW because that is a pretty cool one that I totally missed and makes perfect sense! That's a little too good, I'd say, for typical WWE TV!

Randle: You know, with all these people giving us Raw Hidden Highlights ahead of time, it's a wonder I managed to find three original ones for my section.

I don't know if this one is a hidden highlight or not, but the man "who shall not be named" (Copyright Cook) is being named. It started at Survivor Series when Shawn Michaels used the Crippler Crossface. Now, on WWE.com, where you can vote for the best match of all time for Raw, Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit is not only one of the choices, but currently at around 29% (when I voted), which is one of the top ones. It looks like the WWE is trying to get Benoit back into our consciousness, and with all the footage he has, even if they don't do another DVD of him, other wrestler DVDs (like Austin's and eventually Jericho's) will have footage of him, so it looks like they're trying to get him back on the fan's good side.

JP: Just like most of us, they are separating (a) Chris Benoit: the character who wrestled on TV for fifteen years away from (b) Chris Benoit: the man who killed his family and himself over one weekend. That's the only way I can look at it, too, and I'm glad they are starting to bring back (a)'s history. You are right, taking him out of history hurts too many other wrestler's history, and you have to include him to have a complete history. Let's not forget that MVP won the United States Championship from Chris Benoit, and it's hard not to mention that.

Randle: Although they really have tried not to, at least on air. My problem is that they seem to be continuing the "he never existed" line on their DVD releases, which is a huge shame, since the 15th anniversary of Raw DVD does not include the Radicalz debut, their huge 10-man match from February 2000, or the Benoit/Jericho-HHH/Austin tag title match from 2001 where Triple H tore his first quad. I know the stigma will never totally go away, but I'd hate to think how many historical moments we're missing out on just because he was a part of them.

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: Once again, kudos to my guest co-host from north of the border. Nice work this week Randle in the real most positive article in the IWC: Hidden Highlights!

Randle: See, we made it through the entire thing and I didn't even throw you through a plate glass window. It's a start. First, let me thank you, JP, for having me back. Ever since Larry took over Fact or Fiction, he's scared I'll beat him like one of JR's government mules and won't invite me to take part, so this is the only place I'm ever invited to guest host, and I look forward to it every time. Secondly, I want to remind all the readers that you can catch me each and every Monday morning in The Wrestling News Experience, right here at 411, until I quit or they find somebody better. And finally, JP, if you want a rematch that badly, you name the time and place, we'll do it all over again. Hey, does the Internet have "Sweeps" periods? We could rule our timeslot.

JP: I believe that is the month of March on our site, leading up to WrestleMania. We'll get more hits than the WrestleMania live recap! Unless I end up going, which would make my live report the top rated item.

While I'm trying to figure that one out, be sure to catch my very own Saturday morning news report The Hamilton Ave Journal: the only wrestling news report focused on the business of wrestling.

Thank you for reading the 119th 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!