Hidden Highlights 05.05.08: Issue #140

Posted by JP Prag on 05.05.2008

¿Qué está en este edición de Hidden Highlights en el Cinco de Mayo? Tenemos Natalya Neidhart knuckling down a little too hard with Victoria, Trevor Murdoch getting his shoulder up for an extra second, Donald Trump getting a plug, Earl Hebner dancing along to Curry Man, Foley talking about Batista’s friends, and more!

Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag

Issue #140

Hello everyone who got addicted to playing Lemmings after hearing a passing reference to the game and decided it would be worth picking up again, 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: How is it that I can have so much time and then mess it up? Yikes! Well anyway, I'm on a non-travel week again, which would make you think I took care of things ahead of time. And I did for a while. And then, as the intro mentioned: Lemmings! My greatest enemy!

Aside from that, to address some comments last week, yes, I do remember Steven Regal being a Lord (and then having his title taken away), a simple slip of the finger I suppose. And hey, I'm not responsible for what the guest co-host write (well, I guess sort of I am) and if he wants to mention something that has been around for months that is his prerogative. I was fine with it. Just like I would be if this week's guest co-host wanted to do something similar. You've seen him in these pages before as a regular contributor to the Write-ins Section. Now he has a chance to shine. Originally hailing from Australia, now residing in Virginia, this is Nick Noel! Nick?

Nick: G'day JP, it's a dead-set pleasure to be here! I can understand your problems with time … I spent the weekend partying in Boston and New Hampshire and planned to sleep on the bus on the way home, although that plan went well out of the window when a group of 20-somethings decided to have a party 5 seats away from me. By the time I managed to get home I had been up for over 24 hours and a full day's work ahead of me. Where does the time go? Totally off subject though, I have to agree with you that the mini golf in Herndon, VA is AWESOME. Anyone who gets the chance, check it out.

JP: My love of mini-golf pays off again! Now, if it would stop raining here in New England where you were partying, I might be able to get some in. For now, we can get on with the Hidden Highlights!



Sunday, April 27, 2008 by the Readers via JP

JP: Did you think because I was physically at the last few PPVs that I would be at this one, too? I mean, Baltimore is quite a tempting destination and all, but I do have other things to do with my life! That's why I like you guys to cover the PPVs. Ah well…, we only got one and it came from Ragnarok 69

(1) Knuckle down… not that down!:

During the Divas 12 Woman Tag Match, around 2-3 minutes in after Natalya hits Cherry on the apron (A highlight on it's own considering their brief history), Natayla went to tag Victoria and does so by both divas punching each other's fists. Victoria then shook her own hand as if it was in pain following the tag! Brilliant.

That Victoria - Goddess in disguise.

JP: Victoria is way too good for where she is. I know they want her making the new divas better, but she has so much to give in a real capacity in the Women's division!

Nick: I may not share Mathew Sforcina's undying love for Victoria, but as a fellow Australian I can certainly identify. Looks and talent, she's top notch lady.



Monday, April 28, 2008 by JP

JP: I watched Sopranos for a few years in the middle, and need to watch the whole thing end-to-end. Of course, I already do know what the ending of the series is since no media outlet could shut up about it. Somehow, I don't think William Regal doing the same to RAW will have a similar result. Although actually, a client of mine who is a wrestling fan called me up and asked me what happened at the end of the show. So maybe it did accomplish something. What that thing is, I have yet to decide. But if it means more William Regal screen time, I'm all for it!

(3) It's like WrestleMania weekend all over again:

Early in the night, JBL was making his grand entrance to the ring when something caught my eye. In the audience, someone has a sign that said, "WWE vs. TNA". Now normally that is pretty cute, but it is hardly Hidden Highlights worthy. But then you have to remember who JBL was going to face. When he got to the ring, none other than Robbie McAllister was waiting for him, looking like he was already defeated. Of course, you remember Robbie getting caught in the crowd during the iMPACT taping, so I thought it was a really funny coincidence that a WWE vs. TNA sign would appear right when someone was about to get mauled for having appeared on TNA. Interesting piece of cosmic coincidence.

(2) Those pesky refs:

Later in the night, two teams that have had issues over the past couple of months faced off as Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch fought Paul London and Brian Kendrick. In the end, Brian Kendrick scored the pinfall win over Murdoch, but not without a little something in between. You see, as Kendrick went for the cover, he got a one count and then Murdoch's should ever so slightly lifted up. It may have been an accident, but that does not matter. The referee caught the shoulder and stopped the count. Kendrick then pushed Murdoch's shoulder back down to the mat and scored a full 1-2-3. Nice work all around by refs and wrestlers to make the pinfall a legitimate one.

(1) International Supertars………….a:

As you may have remembered, RAW emanated from New Jersey, the state famous for… well… being New York's waste dump. And smelling like it. Hey, I used to live in Philadelphia and had to deal with the smell coming over the bay! Well, another star is normally listed as hailing from Patterson, New Jersey, and that man is Santino Marella. This night, they only announced him from Italy, which makes me wonder if it was just so he wouldn't get any face heat (he told the crowd how much he hated New Jersey) or if it is part of the "International Superstars" tag team. And now, with Santino's arrest, I wonder if we'll ever find out?

Nick: Due to my sleep-deprivation I missed all of RAW this week except for about 5 minutes at 9.30pm when I woke up to get a drink of water. So count me out of this conversation, unless you want to hear about the bars we got kicked out of in Boston on Friday night or the ridiculously painful backache I woke up with on Tuesday. For two days straight I could barely walk. But enough of that, on with Hidden Highlights!



Tuesday, April 29, 2008 by Nick Noel

Nick: This ECW Hidden Highlights is brought to you by the fine folk who make Oxycodone. Good lord that stuff works miracles. Mike Adamle and "the Tazz" welcome us, and I'm not even going to touch on the idiocy of the statement that "Kane is in the unfamiliar role of being the underdog" … what show has Tazz been watching?

(3) Adamle Makes A Second Hidden Highlights Appearance:

As Tommy Dreamer came out with Colin Delaney for his match with Mike Knox, Mike Adamle stated "Tommy Dreamer the ECW original, along his side the youngster trying to learn everything he can from him" … very much an apt analogy of the Tazz/Adamle coupling no? And people have been ragging on him for his announcing!

(2) Atlantic City … You're Fired!:

During the obligatory return from commercial cityscape sweep that the WWE production crew is so fond of using, for tonight's venue of Atlantic City, one whole segment of it was devoted to a single enterprise, and that one enterprise may be something that Atlantic City is well known for (at least to me). I am of course talking about Trump Casino, owned by none other than a major attraction from last year's Wrestlemania, Donald Trump himself. Although with Lashley gone and Vince perfectly coiffed once more, WWE may be removing this from their collective memories, it was still decent of them to give a plug to the man that helped Wrestlemania 23 gain such widespread media attention.

(1) Smackdown Your ECW Wrestlers:

On the advert for Smackdown and the 3 title matches coming up this week, the techies went well out of their way to show what brand Miz and Morrison are actually part of, even though they'll be competing on Smackdown. From shots of them posing with the titles in an ECW ring, to the views of the new HD set with a big ECW behind the champs, at least SOME people remember the brand extension.

JP: I was actually… well, not impressed… but happy that Adamle could make jokes about himself this week. That takes a lot to get beat up on international television, and I thought he took it in stride. I'm mildly interested to the follow-up to his "walk-off", but not enough that I'm thinking about it every second. And since you haven't been to Atlantic City, you should know that Trump has more than one casino there, and each is more cheesy than the last. But that's what I love about them! That, and the money.

Nick: In that case, I'll definitely have to get up there sometime. Cheesy casinos and money? Sounds like a recipe for fun. Or debauchery.



Thursday, May 1, 2008 by Nick Noel

Nick: And now to TNA iMPACT! I've swapped the Oxycodone for Cyclobenzaprine muscle relaxants. Hopefully the combination of drugs will not only help my back but help me understand the rules for the Deuce's Wild Tournament. I know it didn't help me understand Scott Steiner any better.

(3) Continuity? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Continuity!:

Two words: wardrobe changes. I have never seen so many changes in one show. I know this is a big positive column, but this is one thing that really irks me. After their in-ring segment with Jim Cornette, Angelina Love changed her top to come out to wrestle, and ODB and Gail Kim completely changed their outfits. Directly after the Steiner interview, Rhaka Kahn found time to do her elaborate eye makeup. I thought that the whole Britney Spears Battle Royal derived from the fact that the ladies didn't have enough room in their locker?

JP: Aside from Rhaka Kahn's super change, the others made sense. They had to go from "street clothes" to "wrestling clothes" (although for some of them it is hard to tell what is what). The one I really liked was Christy Hemme's, who was wearing a "CBGB" shirt (for the defunct rock club, a nice touch) and even told Kevin Nash that she had to go change and get ready!

Nick: On second viewing, I realized the exact same thing. But did you see Angelina Love's "wardrobe malfunction"? I met ODB at the UWF show on Friday night and she was still laughing about it. Although there were many complaints from the male fans about Spike's use of the blurring option.

(2) Referee, Get Down With Your Bad Self:

During Curry Man's entrance for the opening match against the Motor City Machine Guns, when he enters the ring he passed off his cane to referee Earl Hebner. As Curry Man continues to dance, you can see Earl Hebner tapping away with Curry Man's cane in time with music. The referees of both TNA and WWE are an untapped wealth of Hidden Highlighty goodness.

(1) He's Hot, He's Spicy, I Need A Glass Of Milk:

We'll cap it off with some of the mainstays of the Hidden Highlights, the Motor City Machine Guns. During their match with Sharkboy and Curry Man, Alex Shelley had Curry Man by the arms, and he decided to heel it up slightly by reaching forward and biting him on the head. But of course, since Curry Man not only tastes great, but is also hot and spicy, Alex Shelley then proceeded to let him go so he could fan his mouth just like he'd bitten into something fiery.

JP: How in the world did I miss that one? That is totally awesome, and definitely a top tier Hidden Highlight!



Friday, May 2, 2008 by JP

JP: It was then Night of Champions over on SmackDown where every title save the ECW (there is a brand extension, no?) was on the line. Sort of. As it turned out, the World Heavyweight Title was stripped from the Undertaker because Vickie Guerrero finally remember that chokes are illegal. This will mark the fourth time in six years that the World Heavyweight Championship has been vacant. Seems a bit excessive, in my estimation. But what can you do but enjoy these Hidden Highlights?

(3) Do you have a Superman lunch box, too?:

SmackDown gained a new color commentator this week as Mick Foley joined Michael Cole at ringside. On his way to the ring at the beginning of the night, I noticed that Foley was carrying his notes with him, which is nothing unusual for a well-prepared announcer. But his notes weren't on computer printouts or a nice binder or anything. No, they were in a grade-school style rule lined spiral notebook, the kind you get 5 for $5 at CVS. Oh Mick, you really do like up to your reputation!

(2) Not mine:

Foley had another moment that impressed me later in the night (which is odd, because I'm not really a Foley fan). Foley had the pleasure of interviewing Batista and asked him about "your good friend Ric Flair". I don't know if you caught the emphasis on "your", but it was definitely there. As you might remember, Flair and Foley do not particularly care for each other, and I like that Foley got that very subtle dig in there at Flair, even thought it was rather benign.

(1) I miss football:

As much as I like baseball, football (American) is a much more fun sport to watch, especially because missing ne is like missing 20 baseball games. But Vladmir Kozlov gave me my fix for the week. Even though Michael Cole picked up on this, I really have to highlight it, too. In Kozlov's match with free agent Colin Delany, Colin was prone across the top of the ring ropes in the corner. Kozlov then, from a standing position, kicked Colin right in the stomach which sent Colin into the air. Kozlov then caught the airborne Delany and slammed him down. It was quite an impressive and fun display of athleticism, and all involved deserve some kudos.

Nick: I'm sorry, but American football is BORING. For goodness sake, cricket matches move faster than they do and they can last FIVE DAYS. The game keeps stopping every couple of minutes! Add that to the fact everyone wears helmets and what amounts to body armour, any of the three codes of football played in Australia is infinitely superior. Now, just allow me to get down off my soapbox and we're ready to continue!

JP: I hear you have a special surprise for us?

Nick I do indeed! Live from Harrisonburg, VA, it's the UWF!


Friday, May 2, 2008 by Nick Noel… LIVE!

Nick: Before I get into the Hidden Highlights, I just want to mention a few observations I made at the show. I purchased the whole super special "Ultimate Experience" and got to meet the wrestlers before the show. Let me say that Samoa Joe is really a relaxed and cool guy, ODB is short and very sweet, Sharkboy is hilarious, the MCMG are total dorks, Jerry Lawler's face looks like leather close up, and Spike (Dudley) is one of THE nicest people I've ever met. I'm also pretty sure that the guy carting the video camera around for the UWF was the same guy who played Barack Obama on RAW!

(4) My eye! I'm not supposed to get thumbs in it!

As many times as I've seen the old thumb-to-the-eye, I've never seen anyone sell it as well as Jerry Lynn. Not only did he do the usual drop to the ground thing, but his face went red and he had that one eye shut for the next few minutes. It was some great work by a man I've seen wrestle in two countries.

(3) FIVE! I HAVE FIVE!

Is just what Daffney kept yelling at the referee in her match with ODB. I know this particular Highlight has been pointed out before with other wrestlers, but Daffney was hilarious with it. A blatant choke on ODB in the corner, the ref goes to stop it, and Daffney SCREAMS "I've got five!" Then straight away it happened again. And again.

(2) It's a slobberknocker J.R.!

In one of the funniest moments I've seen in live wrestling, Jerry "The King" Lawler commentated his entire match from the ring apron. He was teaming with Spike against Charlie Dreamer and The Obsession Someone-or-Other, and the whole time King was talking. And sitting in the front row, that was a grand thing.

(1) And the Regal Award goes to…

Alex Shelley. In a tag team bout that saw the MCMG up against Team Macktion, Shelley had one of the Macks in a standing arm bar. Just to add that extra little something, he reaches over and REEFS his opponents fingers back. Then to turn it up another notch, he braces the arm and uses his second hand to pull the fingers back even further! That's why he gets this week's Regal Award.

JP: Oh, you silly guest co-hosts, always wanting to give out the William Regal Award! We do have other awards, too, you know!




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 ***VERY*** quiet week, to say the least. 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 with dweeby and a thought from last week:

Ok, the Hillary/Barack "3-minute warning" and Umaga's entrance has already been covered, but unless I'm mistaken, one of the announcers, I think it was JR, said under his breath, "I think this has gone one about 3 minutes too long" just as Umaga came out.

JP: If he did say it, I totally missed it, but that would be a perfect fit to the rest of the theme. I love allusions. Jim McDaniel also picked up a little more blatant of an allusion, but one that was interesting nonetheless:

Seems I've been a day late and a dollar short here lately, by my HH comes from RAW on 4/21. When the Obama impersonator was making his way to the ring, Jerry "The King" Lawler made a comment that Obama's ears would be a buffet for Mike Tyson! I wasn't sure I heard it right so I backed it up to hear it again! The King slipped it in almost unnoticed!

JP: I did pick that up and had quite the chuckle. Nice to see King is still with the times.

And that was it. Seriously! Everything else was just kind of commentary about last issue and talking about other stuff. This is, by far, the least amount of write-ins we've received since about Issue #6. Most of the regulars were missing, including last week's guest co-host. That is too crazy. Step up your games folks! I mean, how else am I supposed to get lazy and retire?

Nick: So I guess this is the only time I get to guest co-host just so you can use my observations for future Reader Write-Ins. Darn. Well, it was a wild ride while it lasted.


Editor's Note: A number of write-ins arrived between late Saturday night through Sunday night, missing the deadline for the draft, but will appear next week.


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: Thanks to our extra special guest co-host Nick Noel for showing that he has what it takes to be more than a reader and be full contributor. Nice work this week!

Nick: JP, I'm just glad I got through this whole thing without the ignominy of being compared to either the Crocodile Hunter or Crocodile Dundee. There is more to being Australian than that! Not much more, and it's mostly to do with alcohol, but it's there! I'll also be at the ROH show in Manassas, VA this coming Friday night! Look for more live Hidden Highlights in next week's column!

JP: I guess we will then! And you can look for another guest co-host, this one you would never be able to guess. He's never written in, he's never written for the sight, but if you read sports news in NYC you may have just heard of him. You'll see!

While you are pondering who is coming for a visit (literally), 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 140th 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!