Hidden Highlights 05.19.08: Issue #142

Posted by JP Prag on 05.19.2008

Brother Ray throws a fan’s hat, Mr. Kennedy gets The Rock’s treatment, Armando Estrada gives Mike Knox his props, The Rock n’ Rave infection show up in film, CM Punk stars in Back to the Future IV, and more!

Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag

Issue #142

Hello everyone who spent more time on an airplane in the last week than in your actual home, 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: In all honesty, I don't even have time to work out a nice intro. The work/life balance was way off as the regular job invaded my Sabbath, a cardinal sin in my book. I mean, Saturday should be about me praying to my lord and savior: Tivo. Actually, the more I think about it, I actually do a lot of work on Friday/Saturday for this site. Boy my other job as a writer takes a lot of time! That's why I turn to help, and in this case I reached out to this week's guest co-host. He's all over the music zone with news, Fact or Fiction, and The Mosh Pit—this is Dan Haggerty! Dan?

Dan: Hey there JP! Glad to be back, and testify my man! You're spot on about the time that we can pour into this wonderful land we call 411. It's a labor of love though, and it shows with what a great place the site is. Commercial over, I'm just glad to be here and contributing on some wrestling. It's a nice break from the news in the music zone – Perhaps we could get you over there and shed some positive energy and the Amy Winehouses and DMXs of the world.

JP: My tastes nowadays more fit into the Rose Falcons and Darkbusers (if they hadn't broken up again) of the world. Sure, they may seem like the opposite ends of the spectrum (if you even know who they are), but that's just how I work. Now let's get on with the Hidden Highlights!



Sunday, May 11, 2008 by Sat

JP: Just when I was ready to give up and say, "Oh well, at least I didn't spend much time on the banner", 411mania's own Sat sent in some Hidden Highlights for the TNA PPV!

Sat: Hey JP. Here are some Hidden Highlights that I found for Sacrifice.

(3) Knuckle down, playa:

Before the BG James/Awesome Kong versus AJ Styles/Super Eric match, BG James goes over to Awesome Kong and he tries to give her a fist pump and Kong ignores it. It makes sense since she only hangs around Saed and nobody else. Plus, since she is advertised as a monster, it makes sense for her not to know about the fist pump.

(2) Far flung:

During the Team 3D versus Rhino/Cage match, I saw Brother Ray taking a fan's hat at ringside and throwing it further into the crowd. This did not seem like it was on the script and this was just Brother Ray trying to get the fans to hate them even more.

(1) Cleaning up here, boss:

Before the AJ Styles/Super Eric versus LAX match, AJ Styles was checking the ropes to see if they were slippery. This came on the heels of the previous match where he managed to "slip" on the ropes while executing a move.

Dan: You got to love AJ man. The mark of a great man is his ability to completely play of script and make anything look like it's part of the show.



Monday, May 12, 2008 by JP

JP: I agree with Dunn's RAWtopsy… the scene in the Shining where the guy in a dog suit is inexplicably performing oral sex on the guy in a business suit is the scariest in the movie. Everything else can kind of be explained or understood, but that scene has left me baffled all my life. And if Little Professor Dunn can't figure it out, I'm sure as heck not going to. What? Oh right! RAW had a built to Judgment Day (although that always makes me think of Terminator, so I'm not sure its such a great branding decision).

(3) Respect… no, not the song:

Rowdy Roddy Piper came out to sit in on commentary and by his mere presence cost Santino "I like to drink and drive with developmental talent but still be a Hidden Highlights machine" Marella and Carlito the World Tag Team Championship. As Piper was making his way to the ringside area, I noticed he gave Lillian a little nod of acknowledgement. And do you know what Lillian did? She curtseyed right back at him! I thought that was a great touch of respect and general humbleness from Lillian to a true legend like Piper.

(2) He's no Rock, but…:

Production and camera angles have a big affect on how we view wrestlers and how they are treated. The Great Khali looks like more of a giant because he is always done in a up-shot. The Rock looks like a god because the camera swings around him. This week, I noticed that the Rock's show was being used for someone else. And that someone else was Miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiissssssssssssssttttttttttteeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr Kennedy… Kennedy. As Kennedy came out for his on-ramp promo before his match, the camera swung around him from side to side and moved along with his voice. The face turn for Kennedy is in full gear and even production is doing the little things to make it happen.

(1) The pot calling the kettle African American:

We were treated to two returns this past week. One was John Cena, who was eventually screwed over in the main event. The other was Jeff Hardy, who defeated Umaga by pinfall with very little shenanigans. But before the match got underway, William Regal came out to interrupt Hardy's speech and say that Hardy needs to pay a price for his demons and mistakes. I cannot be alone in this in thinking it was quite ironic to have William Regal, a man who the WWE helped through substance abuse issues, give a statement about how someone needs to be punished for this type of behavior. Regal even looked quite uncomfortable giving the line, but to his credit he never flinched and said it with complete and utter conviction.

Dan: Most-Get-Image-Of-Dog-Man-Oral-Sex-Out-Of-Head.

*Fails*

Damn you. Damn you to hell!

And I totally missed the connection with Regal and his issues as he "Punished" Hardy. Damn, that really makes that scene have so much more depth. Talk about a powerful shoot statement being made – I hope someone at TNA took notes on how to do that.



Tuesday, May 13, 2008 by JP

JP: What a shocking night of ECW! The Miz got a clean win over CM Punk and Morrison defeated the ECW Champion Kane. It looks like the creative and management teams are ready to get behind some different people and really give them a push. Although according to WWE logic, I guess this means Kane and Punk will be winning the titles on Sunday. Unless there is some miscommunication that leads to a feud between those two. Well, either way, something is going to happen!

(3) Just slide in there:

Mike Adamle got to call his first Divas match which say Kelly Kelly, Cherry, and Michelle McCool take on Victoria, Layla El, and Natalya Neidhart. During the match, Michelle managed to make it over to the corner while in Victoria's clutches and tag Cherry in. Cherry, then, did not just enter the ring, but she laid down on her back and came into the ring under the bottom rope so she could attempt a sunset flip on Victoria. That was quite a unique way to get into the ring and attempt a move, so I thought it worth highlighting.

(2) That's nice:

This one was a little obvious but I really liked the execution. After Mike Knox defeated Colin Delaney, Armando Estrada started making his way to the ring, explaining a few things to Colin en route. As he was passing Mike Knox, he didn't just ignore him and keep going, but took a second to pause in the middle of his sentence, say "nice job", and then go back to his rant. I thought that was a very nice thing for the General Manager to do and showed a good awareness of everything happening around him.

(1) It's building:

During the main event, John Morrison got that aforementioned victory over Kane. Earlier in the match, though, Morrison was working on Kane's knee, trying to chop him down to side. It was then that Mike Adamle brought up how Chavo Guerrero had been working on the knee for a number of weeks, and we may not be aware of the cumulative damage Kane has. I thought that was an excellent touch by Adamle and showed great continuity. It also brought realism to the product and talked about the types of injuries they pretend don't exist in the squared circle.

Dan: I bow to your abilities to deliver on the positive attitude man. You just made Adamle look good and like a proper announcer. That man has been taking a lot of heat (not that it isn't justified) and you went into the face of that to point out how he helped sell that match. This truly is the home of the positive, and shows our man Mike might be growing slowly into his roll.

And who's with me – It's time for Morrison to "Break On Through" and get a major push!

JP: I am! I am!



Thursday, May 15, 2008 by Dan Haggerty

Dan: I have to admit I really enjoyed TNA tonight for one reason – There was some great promo work – And not necessarily by those who usually do the talking. I literally left wanted to see Rhino and Devon in a story together after the great promos they cut on each others teams. That's what is great about wrestling sometimes – The little things that just hit you.

(3) Black Machismo Sets Up The Question:

This was such a little thing, but I really dug how when Lethal got on his knees to "pop" the question on So-Cal Val he took her hand and in one fluid motion removed her glove. He did this of course so he could put the ring on it, put it was such a fluid and graceful move you hardly noticed it, plus tied into the announcer commenting on the ongoing courtship it really worked. I'd almost describe it as a romantic gesture.

(2) The Rock N' Rave really are rock stars:

When Johnny comes down to the ring, he has been brining that camera again. O big thing there. But when he set it up, the camera man showed the camera on its stand and how it was shooting the ring. And who was in the ring getting set up to do their show? The Rock N' Rave Infection of course! This was a really cool touch to build their characters as rock stars. Now, can someone please just get them some real f***ing guitars and not those toy controllers. The image would then be complete. Well, that and Christi needs to have a Diva moment and walk off of stage on their version of Slash – But that is a different story…

(1) Devon knows royalty when he sees it:

One of the great promos tonight was Brother Devon's cut on Cage and Rhino about respect. In that promo he sold himself and his brother as the be-all end-all of tag teams and Booker T. for his "noble" history. This was not only a great nod to King Booker from his recent WWE run, but also just sold Booker's entire wrestling history and championships. And if that wasn't enough he tied it in with 3D's storied history and built them all up as "royalty" in the business. This promo was great in that it sold all the heels history and made you want to see the main event.

JP: Only a guy from the Music Zone would want the Rock n' Rave Infection to have real guitars! Just like 90% of the people who play Guitar Hero: they could not play a guitar if their life depended on it.



Friday, May 16, 2008 by Dan Haggerty

Dan: Funny note on participating for this column. I noticed more little things that could be built for future match's or nods to past matches then anything else – Including the build to Judgment Day. And this was the go-away show! Being positive certainly changes how you watch the show. It's like CSI for the IWC.

(3) Mick knows his music:

This is a real small thing, but as a music lover I'm really digging how Mick Foley works song passages into his commentary. Last week he pulled out three Springfield songs, and this week he worked in another Bruce song as well. Great continuity! From there, he went on with to more as well, including a play off of Mambo #5 for Michelle McCool. Being on commentary is all about personality, and this goes a long way to do that. Plus you notice how Cole is already calling him out on it – Those two are gelling fast and it's great to see.

(2) CM Punk sells a beating he hasn't taken yet:

Smackdown! and ECW was recorded in my hometown of Grand Rapids this week, and one thing really caught my attention regarding the taping schedule for those two shows. ECW aired after the Smackdown! recordings that night – This is something we're obviously all familiar with. But here's the thing, on TV CM Punk got beat down after the main even on Tuesday's ECW then on Friday Smackdown! came out to face Palumbo. Like any good wrestler he was selling the injuries from the beat down. But in reality, at the original show CM Punk came out for the Palumbo match selling those injuries when he wasn't even going to have until later that night. Way to go and know the script and plan ahead by taking the tapings into account!

(1) Did we just have a mat based match with Divas?:

I have to admit, I was more than a little surprised to not only see such a mat based wrestling match by Michelle and Layla, let alone see Layla sell the submissions like a champ. But Mick Foley again provides the awesome by selling Michelle's growing wrestling abilities with a very subtle comment by calling out Michelle and Natalya as the Diva's to watch. Nice way to give both Divas a rub off of this match. No doubt in my mind this was also subtle foreshadowing of a Michelle-Natalya feud to come. Over all, just great commentary that sold the importance of what could be seen as a throwaway match.

JP: Never underestimate Layla in anything she does. She has shown me that she gets the little things and has what it takes to figure out the wrestling. Of course, the WWE's roster of women has nowhere near the depth of TNA, but there are things they can do with what they've got.




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: I did these a little (lot) early, so I'll get to the rest of you next week. 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 this week with Tim Scmidt and his severe lack of capitalization:

On Raw when the Regal sucks chants started, the camera goes to a guy holding a Regal sucks sign while we hear the chant.

JP: I swear some of these signs have been plants since their placements have been so good. A number of signs have been right in sight during promos in the ring. It's a little conspicuous I think!

Also on Raw during the Trevor singing, I noticed Trish was wearing a white t-shirt that had Statusphere Yoga written on it. As we know, she opened a yoga studio in Canada recently.

JP: Well since RAW was in Toronto, I figured that she was there to do a little promotion. But we all you where you were staring to catch that one!

Dan: Like you weren't staring!

Like YOU weren't staring!

Dan: Hell, I was so busy starring I didn't even notice Simmons show up. Damn!

JP: You also didn't notice I've also got Roni Vismanen here:

During the 'Tista/Morrison match, Foley had mostly put Morrison over as due to his high-impact innovative offense and whatnot. At one point, Morrison did that swell breakdance-leg-drop move of his. As he did, Foley said something in the lines of: "A little throwback to Morrison's old offense, which I don't particularly care for. I think he needs..."

...Unfortunately Foley was cut off by Cole's ever-so-necessary announcement for the immense possibility of the leg drop earning the three count, but... There's the slight chance that Foley would've plotted to refer to the old angle back in Raw during 2006 (I think? Perhaps early 2007...)! I mean, he was goofing around there when Morrison was still Nitro and used that leg drop -move far more frequently. And in that particular angle, Foley was fired by Melina whom was still associated with Nitro. So, chances are it could've been continuation, had Foley finished. Naturally seeing Morrison pull that specific move off could remind Foley of some bitter memories he may have of the man! I mean, that leg-drop does get sort of an "OOMPH!"-reaction as far as I can hear, so why would Foley be berating it?

But then again, chances are I'm just hoping for way too much here.

JP: No, I think you are right on the money. Foley is a smark and believes in continuity, so he would definitely try to be continuing that story here. And to answer your other question, yes, I only reprint Hidden Highlights that are e-mailed in. Once they are in the comments section they are already out there for the world to see! We're all about original entertainment in here.

Dan: Even if it is completely derivative?

JP: Especially if it is derivative! But then again, we can get something truly unique like this one from McLaincorpus:

When Roddy Piper was on Carlito's Cabana, on the 5-5-08 edition of Raw, Carlito was talking to Roddy, when Roddy made a motion with his right hand up to his right ear, to show him that he had a hard time hearing what he was having to say. The hidden highlight was that this was the right ear that was "damaged" by Greg Valentine, back in 1983, that lead to the famous dog collar match at Starrcade 83 between Piper and Valentine.

JP: Wow, that is quite the circle to take, but I would not put it past Piper. I mean, Bob Orton wore a cast for years and he's part of that same generation, so I'm sure Piper would sell an ear injury for 25 years. Those old school guys LIVE the gimmick. Just like perennial super writer in Nick Noel:

RAW

Hang On… - Did you see the edges of Cryme Time's entrance video on the new HD set? They have a flashing blue and white check pattern … just like the police do. Not sure what that means exactly, but I haven't seen them steal anything recently.

JP: They stole space in my column, and that has to count for something!

ECW

Keeping The Brand Split Alive Again – Even though it's a 6-diva action, the girls came out in groups of three to the music of the ECW diva in their team (Kelly and Layla respectively), although Cherry got her own music played when she got the pin.

JP: And yet Kelly Kelly and Layla didn't even wrestle in the match!

I Have That EXACT Same Luggage! – Even though he now has both a contract AND music, Colin Delaney doesn't seem to have a sports bag to keep his wrestling stuff in, he uses just a regular big red rolling suitcase.

JP: That reminds me… I really need to buy a new rolling suitcase.

Armando Has No Time To Waste – As ECW's newest superstar, Estrada showed exactly how intense he can be in his first match, by going for a kick at Colin Delaney before he even finishes getting his vest off.

JP: Or having had the bell rung!

TNA

In Australia, We Call That A "Stubby-Holder" – That of course being James Storm's giant beer holding hand. While he doesn't need it when wrestling, or for drinking games, to appear more tough, why let your hand get cold when you don't need to?

JP: I think I must have not been looking at the TV during this moment.

Did Kaz Really Injure His Arm? – Because otherwise it was an awesome selling job. From getting help with taking his jacket off, to going for the pin with only his good arm and leaning right back over to make sure Lance Hoyt stayed down, to Sonjay Dutt not lifting his arm up when they all had their hands raised in victory. Either way, it was good work from Kaz.

JP: Kaz has all of the skills, he just needs a CONSISTENT push and direction.

Kurt Angle Is Sincere – As is shown with his hand-written apology speech. Typed apologies are just so impersonal, aren't they?

JP: I just want to point out that Angle has gotten so skinny that his shirts and suits are not hanging off of him. Kurt, time to get some tailor work done!

We'll wrap it up this week with Chris Jacobs who was live at the SmackDown/ECW tapings and sent in some spoilers and a live Hidden Highlight!

The HH to start was at the Smackdown taping, Deuce and Domino came out with Maryse who was facing Cherry. They had the leather jackets on, and if you notice little graphics of cherries on there jackets, they actually have red tape Xing out each cherry picture.

JP: That's pretty cool. I'm glad Deuce and Domino realized that if they were going to drop Cherry, they needed to do it with the little details.

For the record, I was left of the announcers, and when the TV side was on, I was two rows behind some stupid people dressed as clowns, on the right side of the screen. I was bald in a black shirt with SANDMAN across the chest, lol. I had a beer 90% of the time, the other ten percent I was in the bathroom or eating a pretzel.

JP: I haven't watched the show yet, so I haven't seen you. I'll try to watch it this week, but no promises!

Dan: Well crap, I still have it on the TiVo. I'll go back and see if I can see you man! And as for Cherry – I think we can all agree that story needed to be "popped". Yep, she needed to be "plucked" from those two. Oh boy, stop me now before I do something bad to this family column…

Who am I kidding? I'm still stuck on Trish's rack. Actually, I'd like to be stuck on Trish's rack. The things I would… Get us out of here JP!


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 again to our Rock ‘n Roll High School music coach Dan Haggerty for stopping by and causing some chaos and destruction.

Dan: Not a problem man! Always glad to be invited back to the show. As a show of appreciation, I have tickets to the death metal concert "Tyranny and Bloodshred" and you're more than invited…

JP: Errrr… that sounds… oh hey, look at the time! I have a flight to catch. Gotta run!

While I'm up in the air, 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 142nd 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!