Hidden Highlights 06.09.08: Issue #145

Posted by JP Prag on 06.09.2008

Jeff Hardy repeats what Shawn Michaels did at One Night Stand, Santino plays it up in his entrance video, CM Punk gives Tommy Dreamer a little respect, Jay Lethal’s bachelor party goes back to TNA’s PPV era, Mick Foley proves he listens to Italians, and more!

Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag

Issue #145

Hello everyone in need of an actual night at home doing some of the following: sleeping, watching TV, playing video games… 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 case you haven't notice my updated profile, I have added state/territory #39: Tennessee! Things I am looking forward to in Tennessee: seeing Rose Falcon perform live, visiting my pen pal of nearly 15 years Rachel Anne, seeing some of the spots where great music was created and recorded, eating hush puppies. Things I am not looking forward to: heat and humidity, staying in a cheap hotel because the client super cares about expenses, cancelled flights that get me home after midnight (like last week), and people who want to take me to Bible study. What's a liberal Jew from the New England supposed to do?

But at least I'm from the lower 48. Out guest co-host this week not only comes from outside that area, but even worse: a foreign country! That's right… he's Canadian. You've seen him in these pages before, but if that isn't enough you always catch him in WWE PPV Roundtable Previews and the Monday morning news report known as The Wrestling News Experience. My peeps, give it up for the King of Ontario: Stephen Randle! Randle?

Randle: Thank you, JP. I can't help but notice I'm getting a much warmer welcome than the last time I guest-hosted the Hidden Highlights. Not that I mind, my enemies list here at 411 is already too long, and Larry forced all my old friends into retirement. Or running the Music Zone, which is like retirement, except you still have to work. So, it's good to see that some people here still respect me.

JP: Well, now that you've reminded me, I will once again make note that Hidden Highlights is the Most Positive Article in the IWC as voted on by the readers, that I am the King of Positivity, and that you winning the Great Positivity Debate III: The Sequel Nobody Asked For proves nothing! Now let's get on with the Hidden Highlights!



Sunday, June 1, 2008 by the Readers via JP

JP: I have to admit; by the time I started writing this issue I had forgotten that One Night Stand happened. So much has been going on that I've lost almost all semblance of time. I mean, during that weekend alone I had a lady friend tell me that if she divorces her husband that I'd be the first person she's want to be with, an acquaintance encouraging me to grab his girlfriend's breast (under the clothes), logging 400 miles on my car, and taking two boat trips in 4 hours. So One Night Stand kind of got lost in my mind, despite the positive reviews I heard.

Randle: See, not all wrestling fans are hideous chuds. Some of us are at least good enough to get rebound sex and/or boob, and really, what more do you need?

(2) History repeats… on a truck!:

The One Night Stand (or perhaps many night stands) I would have preferred to have would have been with Mina, especially because she was nice enough to write in for the PPV.

I felt that it was fascinating that the semi Jeff Hardy used as his springboard for the insane Swanton at One Night Stand had a picture of Shawn Michaels. In December of 2002, HBK dropped the Picture Perfect Elbow into the "black heart" (so says J.R.) of Triple H off of an eighteen wheeler. Whether it was intended or not, the presence of a pixilated Shawn Michaels as Hardy climbed the semi and then took a crazy leap was great homage to the man who preceded Hardy in insane dives for the entertainment of the fans and the advancement of storyline. I thought it was worth checking with you to see if you consider it worthy of a Hidden Highlight.

(1) That's just cold… I mean hot:

Next up, Chris Jacobs did not let a broken e-mail account stop him from making this observation. Take from it wat you will:

My HH comes from the Hardy vs. Umaga at the PPV. I doubt this was intentional, but I want to point out the HH of Hardy not knowing how to work a fire extinguisher brings back un-fond memories of his house burning down not to long ago. I know he wasn't home, and I found the HH amusing, not the home situation.

Randle: Irony is so ironic, sometimes.

Bender: That's not irony, it's just mean!

Randle: Irregardless!



Monday, June 2, 2008 by Stephen Randle

Randle: I'd be more impressed with this whole "Million Dollar Mania" thing if, you know, Canadians were eligible. I guess we can't really represent Americana, but if pro wrestling represents Americana, you guys have some serious impulse control problems.

(3) Just in case:

This one is more directed a couple weeks down the road, so I can earn a reputation as a wrestling prognostication genius. Okay, I already have that, but then I'll have two. Anyway, Ted Dibiase Jr. needs a partner to challenge Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly for their tag titles. Roddy Piper has been hanging around Cody Rhodes a lot. WWE.com is reporting that Roddy Piper has a new protégé that will debut soon. And remember, this is Roddy Piper we're talking about. He'd turn on his own mother if the mood struck him. Anyway, the long and the short of it is, when it happens and Roddy turns on Rhodes and Holly, they can't say the early warning signs weren't already there. What am I talking about? Why, Piper's wardrobe change, of course. That's right, this week, for the first time since his return, Piper chose to dress entirely in black. Probably not by coincidence, Piper "accidentally" cost Rhodes and Holly their match. Thank God we've developed easy color-coding for alignment over the years. Remember, black=evil. If Piper starts growing in his beard, Rhodes and Holly had better start watching their back.

(2) The oft-forgotten art of entrance videos:

I can't be 100% certain, because they don't often focus long enough on the big screen, but it seems to me that both Santino Marella and JBL debuted new entrance videos this week. While JBL's is unimpressive and reminds me of some sort of cheap screensaver (it's not even animated!), Santino's was memorable really for one specific inclusion:



Okay, it wasn't that exact one, but I think my point is made. If only I were entirely sure what it was.

(1) Wait, wait, wait… say again?:

Okay, I know I wasn't entirely paying attention to the Million Dollar promo once Vince told me that I couldn't win, but before that, I'm pretty sure I heard Vince say, while he was presenting the money, that he'd, and I quote "never seen a million dollars before". Yes, Vince McMahon, billionaire tyrant, has never seen a million dollars in cash. I suppose that's probably true in this age where most money exists only electronically (and doesn't that scare me some days), but as someone who grew up with the image of Scrooge McDuck swimming in his vault, it amused me greatly. Also, a million dollars in cash, while impressive, really doesn't make as big a stack of bills as I'd hoped. Maybe if it were in fives or tens.

JP: Ah yes, I remember when the Highlanders were turning heel their kilts became black as well. As for Scrooge McDuck, I can't believe some people more went for his lucky dime. That's just crazy!



Tuesday, June 3, 2008 by Stephen Randle

Randle: Okay, I'll say it, Adamle's improving. Of course, he forgot how to pronounce "lasts" at one point, but really, that's no worse than JR on an average week. Something else that's improving is the overall ECW product, which I actually think revolves around its combination of basically filling ¾ of the show with long wrestling matches, writing storylines that essentially begin and end during the episode, and also the shorter length of the program requiring a tighter overall show. That's right, TNA, an hour-long show can still be quality.

(3) Office redecoration week:

So, for the second show in a row, a General Manager's office got redecorated (albeit without the help of Cryme Tyme), which I think should be a warning sign for Vicki Guerrero that she could be next. I just think it's amazing that William Regal got fired for turning out the lights a couple times and failing to draw ratings for his actions (in storyline terms), Estrada got fired for, presumably, continuing to abuse Colin Delaney, but Vicki Guerrero is engaged to the World Champion in a clear conflict of interest, has screwed over at least a dozen wrestlers since she took power, caused her second in command to quit after using him as a servant for months, and has even been disciplined by the board of directors, but hasn't had any real signs that she'll be fired. Maybe Vince really isn't paying attention to Smackdown.

(2) Respect:

Even though Tommy Dreamer's career winning percentage is somewhere around the sports teams of Philadelphia (hey, they set the loss record, don't blame me), that doesn't mean he still doesn't have the respect of the other wrestlers. For example, before the Fatal Fourway, they cut away from the recap of Dreamer getting destroyed and pinned by Show at One Night Stand to show Punk and Dreamer in the ring, with Punk seemingly checking on the status of Dreamer after that match, and Dreamer waving him off with an "I'm fine" gesture. Then, after the match, the first thing Punk did after pinning Chavo was check on the condition of Dreamer again, with an audible "You all right?" Nice to see some concern for the senior ECW Superstar, who takes a lot of punishment on a weekly basis.

(1) How fast is Kofi?:

Well, I'll tell you how fast he is. When Shelton tossed Sydal to the outside, Kofi removed his headset and stood up. Then Shelton went back to Sydal, so Kofi sat down again and put his headset back on, prepared to resume commentary. Suddenly, Shelton powerbombed Sydal at Kofi, who responded by very quickly removing his headset and then catching Sydal. Not many people would be fast enough or take the time to pull off the headset before getting hit by a flying wrestler, but Kofi is no ordinary guy.

JP: I think I absolutely decided that Adamle was the best after watching him on the Dirt Sheet with the Miz and John Morrison. Of course, Funaki asking, "Why am I even here?" during the séance was truly the best! As for Armando Estrada, he was fired for costing too much money. He signed himself a wrestler's contract in addition to his GM role. Vickie hasn't cost the WWE any money by screwing over everyone in favor of Edge, so the Chairman of the Board and the CEO are quite fine with her. Besides, getting Teddy Long in place is a good way to end the ECW/SmackDown talent exchange as Teddy will not want to deal with Vickie in favor of RAW GM… ummmmm… errrrrr… Val Venis!



Thursday, June 5, 2008 by JP

JP: TNA make their final push to Slammiversary with a show that featured an actual King of the Mountain match (how many title shots is Kaz going to get?). I have to say, for an overbooked stipulation match, it actually flowed pretty well. Of course, I will be in Tennessee and could possibly get to the show. I asked Jeff Small what he thought about going.

Small: Dude I can't believe you would pass up on Slammiversary! According to
a 411 commenter the Angle/Styles match will be a classic on par with HBK/Angle from WrestleMania! Plus the mountain match will be an easy way to end Joe's title reign disaster. I would totally go within six hours driving distance!

Randle: Why would you ask a guy who loves the Great Khali what you should do?

(3) That's just gross:

Our first Knockouts match of the evening saw ODB and Velvet Sky go one-on-one in a street fight. First off, kudos to both for wearing their "street" outfits. That was in the first issue of Hidden Highlights and I still like to see it to this day. But the real Hidden Highlight has to do with snuff. After ODB threw her spittle at Velvet Sky, Velvet made a hasty retreat out of the ring. That is when I caught ODB going to the corner and removing the snuff from her cheek! I don't know if it was really in there or not, but I'm assuming it wasn't and that ODB is just that good of a stickler for details.

(2) I'm having a flashback:

Throughout the night, we got to visit Jay Lethal's bachelor party. Again, a nice touch by production by not doing a "live" party (re: Angle Family Christmas) and instead going with "here are the best moments from a night long of taping". But something during all of the scenes caught my eye right away. It was there the entire time and mentioned a few, so of course I am talking about the dancing girl cages. But I am not mentioning them for the obvious reason! For those who do not remember, back during the PPV-era of TNA (when they emanated from Tennessee), they used have the girls dancing in cages throughout the entire hour-long broadcast. I think the cages at Lethal's bachelor party were the same cages! I guess they have just been sitting in storage all this time, so it is good that they finally got some use out of them.

(1) That makes me feel good inside:

Later in the evening, Lauren was out back doing more interviews while not holding a picture in front of her crater-marked face. Her last one was with X-Division champion Petey Williams, though most of the interview time went to Scott Steiner. Towards the end of the interview, Scott Steiner gave Petey a little slap on the shoulder and called him "Big Petey Pump". When he did so, for just a moment Petey broke his stoic look and cracked a small, obviously pleased with the nickname. Whether he was laughing out of the character or smiling in it, that little moment sold the entire segment for me!

Randle: I'm still not sure what they ever thought having strippers dancing in cages had to do with wrestling, but then, they ended up with a TV contract and a stable promotion, so you can't argue with results.



Friday, June 6, 2008 by JP

JP: I was so close to guessing Batista's team to a T. Funaki was the obvious choice, and I was able to get Colin Delaney with little thought. But I was wracking my brain on the third one. My first thought was Shannon Moore, but he almost has too much credibility for that team. Nunzio, though, that was a good pick. I didn't get it, so it was a nice surprise.

(3) Quick switch:

The opening of the show saw La Familia in the center of the ring celebrating Edge's victory with Champaign. As Edge got his glass in the air about to make a toast, the lights went out seeming to indicate an appearance from the Undertaker. Of course, it was a trick and the lights came on to La Familia laughing it off. But something very interesting happened while the lights were out. Before they turned off, Edge was holding a microphone and a glass. But when they came on, the glass was gone, the microphone has switched hands, and Edge had the title over his shoulders. An odd little switch while the lights were out there, for sure.

(2) Everyone a'love the Santino:

Later in the evening, we were treated to a wrestling classic featuring Santino Marella taking on Jimmy Kimmel's Cousin Sal. As Sal got some offence, Mick Foley chimed in with, "Let's not forget that Santino is a world class athlete as Rodney the Piper said." Who knew that Mick was so much of a Santino fan that he would be talking like him in pretty short order!

(1) Old School:

As mentioned above, I was quite good at guessing the partners for Batista would have for the main event. Funaki was my first pick, but it looks like no one has been paying much attention to Funaki for a while. His tights still had the old SmackDown logo with the two lines and the exclamation point. Actually, I think that was two logos ago. Someone in the sewing department needs to upgrade Funaki to 2008!

Randle: Plus, his entrance video still declares him "Smackdown #1 Announcer". I don't want them to change it, I want him to go back to doing it! I'll also give Sal props for actually looking good in the ring against Santino. It's always good to see celebrity wrestlers who look like they actually tried to learn more than an Irish whip and a roll-up before going out there.




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: Thank goodness you people have time that I don't! 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 Mike Labbe who wants to dash my hopes and dreams:

Melina's submission is called the Deathlock and it was invented by The Great Muta.... wikipedia has this on it

Muta Lock

Also known as an Inverted STF or Sickle hold this hold is named after The Great Muta, who innovated it. The wrestler first takes the opponent's legs, bends them at the knees, and crosses them, placing one ankle in the other leg's knee-pit before then turning around so that they are facing away from the opponent and places one of his feet into the triangle created by the opponent's crossed legs. The wrestler then places the opponent's free ankle under his knee-pit and bridges backwards to reach over their head and locks his/her arms around the opponent's head.

JP: So you are believing Wikipedia over me! Blasphemy! Anyway, I still really like the move and am a fan of the Great Muta, so we all win here. Just like a real winner Joe from Delaware:

While watching RAW (6/2 edition) during the Jericho-JBL match, I noticed something that JR said during his play-by-play. Normally you would hear something like, "and he gets a 2 count" or "(insert wrestler name) with a 2 count"; However, during this match, after 3 consecutive elbows from JBL, JR says that JBL has EARNED a 2 count. I thought this was a nice way for JR to let us know that JBL is all about money and earnings, thus his comment about the 2 count that he just had on Y2J.

JP: That, and that scoring a pin of any length is an accomplishment. I used to like when announcers would say things like, "He's way ahead on points… if points mattered." I don't know if Alex Barcham feels the same way, but let's find out:

There was a great moment in the Mickie James/Melina vs. Beth Phoenix/Katie Lea match on the 06.02.08 edition of RAW that a lot of people probably missed. After Melina cut loose and started pounding on Beth Phoenix the action spilled out to the floor. As the ref tried to separate Melina and Beth, Mickie attempted to help him out by holding Melina back. Melina eventually broke loose, shoved Mickie to the ground and went after Beth. You could see that Mickie was clearly pissed about being shoved down by her own partner and was about to go after her when Beth absolutely destroyed Melina with a brutal lariat on the floor. After seeing this Mickie stopped and gave a smile and a shrug as if to say "I wanted to kick her ass myself, but that works too." It was a funny moment and it was a nice to see that WWE didn't just make Mickie and Melina best buddies now that they're both faces. They had an intense feud and it was good to see some continuity in that they didn't get along and Mickie wasn't too upset to see her partner get crushed by Beth Phoenix.

JP: Yeah, I could not believe when they came out as partners after all that happened! I liked the week before, too, when Jillian said in her intro that she loves Melina and that they are best friends, but that would not stop her from beating the crap out of her. That is the type of continuity that goes a long way in my book. Who is working with the ladies now, Dean Malenko? Whoever it is, kudos for the way they have been working on the details. Chris Jacobs, on the other hand, needs to ladies but his own. That, and this website:

D'Lo Brown is a hidden highlight. Not that I have seen a match lately, but he is a shining highlight, and consider him hidden because no one has seen or heard a lot of him lately. Confused on why he is a highlight, just look at the response he has here and all that was said is that he was signed to a superstar deal. Hey Vince, two days 122 people, DRAWING POWER!!! Look at the comment number most everything else gets, lol, even Hulk Hogan and Austin don't get that many responses so soon.

JP: I'm sure Ashish and Larry appreciate the hits D'lo is generating for the site.

Randle: Granted, half those comments are just people quoting lyrics from D'lo's theme song, but they all count.

JP: Wrapping us up this week, Tony Garbe found another cross-over between the WWE and TNA:

Not to sure if this qualifies but watching WWE 24/7 Great American Bash 92 they had a retro timeline with b-days in the month of June. On 6/20 Don West's name pops up. Wikipedia confirms he was born on June 20th! Thought it was funny they added Don West.

JP: That's pretty incredible! I don't know if someone at 24/7 just has a good sense of humor, wanted to see what they could slip past, wanted to get on Hidden Highlights, or if the WWE just considers themselves all things wrestling and would show it anyway. Be on the lookout for Mike Tenay or Jeff Jarrett's birthday and let us know!

Randle: Actually, Don West doesn't have a birthday, seeing as he's a robot created by the Home Shopping Channel to sell fake diamonds and limited edition coins. That's right, I'm on to 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: It was definitely a good ‘ol time having Canada's greatest export here this week. I've been meaning to tell you, Randle, my cousin is going to Queen's University in the Fall. Any advice for her (she's a dual-citizen by the way. Her father is Canadian and she was born in Toronto, living there for 9 years. So in other words, no need to clue her in to the nuances of the differences between Americans and Canadians)?

Randle: I'd say "pick a better university", but it's too late for that. Just remember, in the end, as long as you're above the minimum average, you get the exact same diploma as the guy who locks himself in his room and emerges at the end of five years with a 95 average, so make sure to fully explore all the social possibilities that university life offers, because they'll probably end up meaning more to your future happiness. I often wish someone had told me that nine years ago.

Anyway, thanks once again for the opportunity, JP, it's always a blast, and I look forward to returning.

JP: Why, aren't you presumptuous? Hmmmm… people keep thinking they are going to return. Quite peculiar, indeed.

If you want to know when I'll return, 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 145th 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!