Hidden Highlights 01.22.07: Issue #73

Michael Bauer: Thanks JT. As soon as I saw that JP was going to be gone, I knew there was no way you could handle this on your o-

JT: Woah, woah, woah. Are you suggesting what I think you are? You have how many columns posted on this site? 6 over a month and a half? Let me remind you of the time I was busting out four columns a wee-

Csonka: Play nice kids, we don’t need a history lesson.

JT: Where the hell did you come from?

Csonka: I’m everywhere.

JP: True story. He’s with me right now.

JT: Wow… no wonder The Ghost is jealous. Anyway, just kidding Michael. You stepped it up big time in the Year End Awards (thank you) and you cover ECW. How can I not appreciate that?

Michael Bauer: What the hell is going on? I didn’t type any of this!?

JT: You were warned! Now give us the goods man!

(3) Nothing major, but…:

A good case in continutity for the Kelly/CM Punk deal. Honestly, it wasn’t anything hidden, but it was something quite unexpected and that counts in my book. I expected Kelly to come back, nothing major would happen and nobody would remember it. Instead, we got one great Striker promo and a long opener between Mr. Straight-Edge and the former NYC teacher. There really wasn’t much else hidden this week, other than the two things below.

(2) The Alpha Male Arrives:

OK, I won’t go into how much was wrong about this, but there was the music, the new name, no hype at all, etc… and the match itself was exactly what it needed to be. So what made this a hidden highlight? Cassidy Riley. The Alpha Male coming off the ropes and connecting with the PPPOOOUUNNCCEE (… period), with all the shocking commentary from Styles and Tazz, would have meant nothing without Cassidy Riley. I mean, the guy literally flew in the air and sold that move like The Alpha Male was a freaking 40 ton semi truck, not a human. If he didn’t do that, The Alpha Male’s debut would have been complete shit. Instead, everything else was, but we still know that he is here.

(1) The psychology of a Triple Threat match:

Now I know that you are all wondering what the hell I am talking about. Pretty much, we got the whole build up like we get every week for the main event and we get our generic deal about the champion not having to be pinned to lose the title. Yes, we all know that there is no championship advantage. But Tazz and Styles, mostly Tazz, went the extra step as to explain exactly what Lashley needed to do to keep the title. Granted, it was mainly focus on RVD and keep Test on the outside, but the fact that Tazz went into that type of detail was intriguing. It’s something you normally don’t get out of a triple threat match and I think it added just that little something that most people don’t think of.

JT: Yeah if there is one thing EVERYONE can agree on, it’s that Cassidy Riley sold that Pounce like it was on clearance. Also folks, be sure to keep reading as Striker gets some more love later on in the Reader Write In! Thanks Mike.

Rizz: Thanks. This week, Kennedy hates Teddy Long, Joey Mercury hates Matt Hardy, MVP hates guys in dresses, Chavo Guerrero hates Chris Benoit, Deuce and Domino hate anything after the 60s, Kane hates guys lying to impress women, and Undertaker hates people taking his title shots. Other then that, Smackdown was full of love and flowers and all that other stuff…well not really…but it was full of hidden highlights!

(3) Protecting the face:

Joey Mercury was finally getting his revenge against Matt Hardy, but it was a little too soon, as his face was still sensitive, and Joey was afraid to get hit there again. I love the philosophy of this match through-out, but the pinnacle came when Matt actually got a shot in on Joey and popped him in his face. Now most would notice that Joey felt it more then normal, and had to roll out of the ring to recover. But, if you looked behind him as he
rolled out, Matt Hardy is shaking his hand, showing that those things aren’t soft, and actually hurt when hit.

(2) MVP + Fire = Bad!:

Yes, I am making my Hidden Highlights debut, and I am giving love to MVP…because of this, I doubt I will ever be invited back, but I am going to do it anyways. It is not a hidden highlight that they are still selling the burnt back, I mean the bandage is clear as day, but what you usually don’t see is the wrestler actually selling it completely. As MVP made his
overdramatic entrance, he flinched as his pyro went off, looking back at the flames and remembering what had happened to him. Then while in the match, he sold the injury all over the place. Not something you would expect from a mid-carder, but he impressed me. What can I say, I like it when people actually do their jobs correctly, you really don’t see it as much lately.

(1) So who is going to win the main event?:

At first I wasn’t sure if I was right on this or not…but was able to look again and find out I was right. Right before the Undertaker/Kennedy match to decide whether or not Undertaker would be added to the World Title match. They previewed the Royal Rumble card, with the main match being, of course, the Royal Rumble match. And who do you think was missing from the participants? Undertaker. The guys in the back had enough sense to show that they weren’t sure what match Undertaker was going to be in and
took him out of the picture, since he was no longer confirmed for the match. I like this, because it keeps the result of their main event in doubt. Very well done all around.

JT: I love that last one, man. Giving love to boys in the back is always something we try to not forget around here, and that is a PRIME example of why. One thing to keep in mind is that wrestling shows are one of the few on television PERIOD that do not run credits, so it’s important to remember that there are a bunch of people you never see putting it all together. Good stuff Randy, thanks.

This week JT gets to pick our Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights of the week.

JT: Before we start, reader Shane M. emailed us with the info that apparently Kendrick regularly wears pink kneepads. I’ve never noticed, but he might be spot on. I cannot confirm or deny either way, so just wanted to pass along the email to you guys the readers. So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…

First up, just want to say thank you to Nick G.. That was a very interesting and informative email you sent us, and I will make sure JP addresses it next week as that was pertaining to his baby. Just didn’t want you to think we were ignoring you. He is out of the country and I’ll make sure he responds once he gets back (the 1/22 issue). With that in mind, starting us off on RAW is Nathyn G.. Nathyn gets right to the point:

I thought it was a nice touch to have the referee explain the rules to Donald Trump and Rosie, since they are not wrestlers nor probably WWE programming watchers.

JT: There ya go. Not much to add; just further proof we often overlook the little things the ref do to make the show run smoothly. Before we continue with last week’s RAW, Benjalyn D. wants to take us back two weeks:

When Jeff Hardy goes up for the Swanton on Kenny Dykstra during the IC title match, Kenny cups his hands over his crotch before Jeff comes down on him, which both sells Flair’s low blow and keeps his hands out of the way so they don’t get smashed

JT: I actually noticed this too and agree that it serves an excellent double purpose. I remember wondering if people thought he was just trying to cover up way too early for the Swanton, but in fact it was just a really good sell of the Flair shot. Now maybe one of these days I’ll sell Dykstra as his last name! Matt J. gets in by default, because, well, we like playing favorites! (just kidding, you all know myself and JP are to two most impartial people on the planet!):

It’s the little things that get pointed out in this column that can turn a mediocre or bad segment/match/interview into something worth watching. I caught one last week during the Cryme Tyme/Texas Rangers match. After JTG took off the turnbuckle pad, he made it a point to hover over the top of the metal hook so that the ref couldn’t see that he had exposed it. I thought that was cool.

JT: Well, of course it’s cool. It’s Cryme Tyme! Alright, let me stop. Truth is I saw this as well and he did indeed to everything he could up to the last minute to ensure the ref saw nothing and they could still use the corner. I’d have put in your other one Matt, but we have touched on the green paint/Eugene thing several times in the past. Good time know it’s still being noticed though. Speaking of Cryme Tyme, Kradation caught one from them as well (man, they have really gotten themselves all over this column lately!):

In the Cryme Tyme Vs Murcoch/Cade match, Shad was in the ring being double teamed while JTG was by the ropes being forced back into his own corner by the referee.

Brilliant stuff… and its really cool that a lot of the new blood that’s come on tv this past year like cryme tyme, kenny dyke…… kennedy etc… are pulling off old school segments in the ring but with less of the ‘im ok with this happening’ approach.

JT: Well how’s that for a positive outlook! I couldn’t agree more. It will be a while before these guys are at the top, but you can really see a lot of the younger guys coming into their own and if handled correctly over the next couple of years, some of these guys could be huge stars that take this company into the future. As for your highlight, glorious. Not only does he actually try and REASON with the ref, but he throws in the little touch to explain to his partner that it wasn’t that he didn’t help him, he couldn’t help him because of the ref. Good stuff all around on that one. Brett S. has a quick one regarding, well, you’ll see:

Although this will make me sound totally gay (not that there’s anything wrong with that) in the mixed tag match Jeff Hardy & Maria both had their fingernails painted black.

JT: Not much to add here, although the image of Maria and Hardy sitting in the back doing their nails together is quite humorous to me. Jay P. gets us started with some ECW love:

I hope you discuss the debut of Marquis Cor Von, formerly Monty Brown of TNA, on ECW’s January 16th episode in your next column. Although it wasn’t such a “hidden” highlight, I thought Marquis/Monty did a fantastic job of improvising once the crowd started interrupting his promo with those annoying “What?” chants. Most wrestler’s would have paused and leveled a baleful glance at the audience, further enflaming the crowd, but Monty completely disarmed the crowd by throwing them a goofy, dismissive look while pantomiming their “What?” chant. It was a small thing, but the crowd’s reaction was immediate and palpable. They laughed and promptly shut up, because they wanted to hear what the guy had to say. I thought it was a great touch that will go a long way toward making Marquis a marquee player in the WWE.

JT: Well Jay as you saw, ECW wasn’t my call this week, but I still wanted you to get your thoughts into the column so here you are! The general consensus is that his debut went very well, certainly better than many of us (myself included) expected. The way he handled the “What!” chants was perfect. He immediately drew the attention towards himself, and like you said had the entire crowd waiting to hear him talk. It appears that MCV might do just fine in the E after all. Matt C. has a MOUTHFUL for us regarding the Punk/Striker match:

1. Kelly Kelly started off being overly happy going to very unhappy when Striker started berating her to very happy again when CM Punk made his way out. Though she obviously wasn’t brought in to wrestle she has done a good job of being emotive in the way of character since she was first shown off to the crowd. This continued here after her absence as she knew how to react correctly to the situations given to her. (Which is far better than some other Diva’s recently, i.e. Maria)

4. The Finish – I know this will be in your HH for the week but the play off the finish was the best I’ve seen of all those involved in the match. You had the official whose back was turned to Kelly so he wasn’t distracted and could call the match normally (otherwise he would have been distracted as well allowing Striker to pick up the win as he would have missed the pin), Punk, who only knew that he won with a back slide therefore went off to celebrate with the crowd instead of Kelly (important for two reasons, first he wrestled the match because he was scheduled to not because Striker was berating Kelly and he celebrates victories with the crowd, and second he didn’t see what Kelly did this time so there was no reason for him to acknowledge it), and Striker, who clearly through his expression and body language in the ring was not upset that he lost the match as much as he was upset with himself for allowing Kelly to get into his head to distract him.

JT: Wow. Well, I mean you did a fine job of explaining yourself here so not sure there’s much I could add to that. I will also commend you for keeping your eyes REALLY open allowing you to find all of this in ONE match. See people, HH really are all over the place. Continuing with the same match (and also regarding the finish) is – and I assure you it is in fact his real name – Remington Steele:

Long time reader, first time giving you guys a hidden highlight. This one comes from ECW On Sci-Fi on Jan. 16. During the finish of the Stryker/Punk match, did anyone notice the face that Stryker made? If you didn’t, you would have missed it, but he made the most disgusted look on his face when he saw Kelly Kelly’s tits. Now Now, before you go off and call Stryker gay, let’s look at the promo he did before the match started. He was disgusted with the way Kelly Kelly went about with herself. So the face that he made really was a good way of playing off that promo. I think Matt Stryker deserves a little pat on the back for that one.

JT: You know, a lot of people find him supremely dull. And while I will admit that he doesn’t necessary bring a consisten spark to what he does, it certainly isn’t for a lack of trying. From attire to how he talks to his mannerisms (to his faces as you mentioned) he is always trying to add in that little detail to help sell himself.

Kahz B. caught a couple, the first being from ECW:

The next one was from ECW last week. In the opening match, CM Punk v Holly, listen to the 3-man booth. You guys mentioned before why Brad was there, and how he may be there to replace Tazz. During the first match, those two just went off. Styles got in, like, 5 or 6 comments, Tazz and Brad were just dominating, each trying to analyze the match and prove that they were the better color guy. Seriously, one would get on a point, and the other would try to add something even more analytical and insightful, I was laughing out loud throughout the whole match. Tazz’s leaving may be his choice, but I’m sure he still wants everyone to know that he’s the best color guy, and Brad has something to prove as well.

JT: An excellent point. We’ve talked about it before, and ANYONE in this business will tell you that competition is ALWAYS a good thing. It’s no different here. The fact those two are essentially fighting for a job (although Taz may walk) is bringing out the best in both of them, and I say we all just sit back and enjoy! KB continued with:

from SD, remember at the end of the Hardy/Finlay match, when Mercury came in and beat down Matt? Well you know how the agents and various backstage people came out to keep him from his head broke by the chair? Look again, the FIRST guy out (and when they show the replay and give you a ramp view, he really is the first down the entrance ramp, I believe) is Michael Hayes! Remember his history with the Hardys, you gotta think he still sees a lot in them, and would want to keep a kid like Matt from getting such a serious injury.

JT: You know, just because Cook is taking a short leave from Ask411, doesn’t mean he can’t drop in and help out his boy JT. Steve?

Cook: For those who may not have been around way back when, allow me to explain the Hayes/Hardy connection. Back in April/May of 99, Michael Hayes wrestled a few times with the Hardyz against the Brood. He then became their manager, and led them to Tag Team gold! The trip was short lived though; as a result of them losing their tag titles to the Acolytes, they dropped Hayes as their manager and joined Gangrel in the NEW Brood.

JT: He’s still got it kids, and EXCELLENT memory there KB. Also love to first time write-in Travis B. for catching that, but his was later in the week and I already had Kahz’s plugged in!!! I’d throw in the whole love for continuity, but JP isn’t here so really it’s wasted. Ah well, at least we know…

…oh alright, I’ll get Travis in the column somehow!:

Also from last week’s Raw, if I saw correctly Jeff Hardy threw up three fingers. It made me think of two things, either a nod to his brother or to remind people this is his (I might be wrong though) third Intercontinental Title Reign.

JT: Either way works for me. If I had to guess it would have something to do with his brother, but you just never can tell. Point is you noticed it! Hitting us up for last week’s Smackdown (1/12) is Benj D.. Benj, it was a really good catch regarding Hardy using extra weight to pin Mercury, but I think even you would admit it was too short to include. Good catch, brother. Next up is John M., who caught some tomfoolery on the part of Kennedy:

I’ve got what I think you would consider a HH from the just aired Smackdown. At the end of a very good Benoit-Kennedy match, Benoit is distracted by Chavo and Kennedy takes advantage to roll him up, grab the tights and get the win. The HH is in when Kennedy grabbed the tights. From the replay, it appears that Kennedy legitimately rolled up Benoit to start. It was only after the referee came around to other side of the ring to count the fall that Kennedy grabbed the tights out of the ref’s sight for the win. To paraphrase JBL, “Cheating isn’t cheating if you don’t get caught”.

JT: I like this. Benoit is a tough opponent, and it’s clear Kennedy is willing to do anything to beat him. First, he uses the Chavo distraction to his advantage, then smartly waits until the ref is out of position to see him grab the tights. That’s certainly more of a highlight than the ref just “magically not seeing it”.

On a personal note, I totally agree with JBL that Smackdown is the #1 WWE show right now.

JT: Team Hidden Highlights fully supports and endorses this position. That is all. Long time reader Manu B. checks back in with some sound strategy advice from Finlay:

Normally in a beat the clock match, you dont want to work on an opponents body part, which the commentators pointed out. sure, its a good strategy for a normal match, but this aint no normal match. but after the little bastard distracted the ref, and finlay hit hardy with the…..stick, finlay went to work on that leg, trying to further injure it to a point where matt would submit before time ran out.

brilliant!

JT: Okay, be honest. When you read ‘brilliant’, did anyone else immediately picture the Guiness guys in their head? No? …liars. I agree with you on this Manu. When attempting to beat a clock, applying an effective submission maneuver is a far better tactic than attempting to simply wear out your opponent in time. Manu also sent this regarding last week’s issue:

” The pink kneepads would lead you to think that Kendrick does indeed have something going on with Ashley, and on the other hand, the first thing Kendrick did when they won was brush off Ashley to go check on London.”

Didnt kendrick first run towards ashley (maybe not TO her, but definitely towards her) before turning around and going to paul london? I remember seeing it (this morning, no less) and thinking “ha! taylor was standing over london and the first thing kendrick did after getting the pin was run away!” which happened to be in the direction she was standing. not saying it meant anything, cause it wasnt overtly give-me-a-hug-we-won-ashley-love-me, nor was it very taylors-scary-hide-me.

JT: No you’re absolutely right Manu. I noticed that too, and what he did was basically run over to her, give her the quick “areyouokay?”-superfast-touch-to-her-arms, and then turned around and headed towards London to check on him. Dissention in the ranks! Shame really because those two (as a team) are one of the things making Smackdown so good right now.

As we finish off, a few notes. First to Stephen B., Adam W., and Manu, thanks for the comments on the Maven/Royal Rumble situation. I have dropped the issue, but if JP wants to respond to your thoughts next week, I’m sure he will.

To ST3, who wrote:

I believe that the guy with the Diva Drool bucket is/was a plant. I’ve seen him regularly on Raw, and even a house show down here in Tyler, TX. He always has really creative signs.

JT: I have this new policy about DVD’ing everything, so I can’t go check, but I do remember it mentioned last week and chances are it’s just like you said, “Sign Guy”, although he’s not really a plant. He has been getting himself all over television for years, and the E even did an article about him in a magazine once. Most don’t have a clue who he is and there have been hundreds of stories trying to explain it; but basically the most credible one (and as he’s known to 90% of the non-kayfabe wrestling community) is that he’s just a rich white dude who loves wrestling and therefore spends all his time following the E around. He’s like the guy who still thinks it’s real, only has a fat pile of cash and knows better.

JP’s conscience: Why’s he gotta be a white boy?

JT: I don’t know. I just was inclined to type it that way. What does it matter? And why did you spell it ‘gotta’?

JP’s conscience: uh… I’m not really sure either. I too was just kind of inclined to say it that way.

JT: Weird…

Finally, to all those who showed us love in the emails (we print the HH’s, usually not the love), we really do appreciate it and glad that you guys enjoy what we do. Trust me, we will “keep up the good work” so you guys can keep “lovin’ the column”.

Do you have a Hidden Highlight from this or any week in history that you would like to share? Please e-mail JP..erT…er…us at [email protected] 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… we just like to know!

JT: Well, I figured since our good friend Cook was going on hiatus, he’d at least read us! So in that fashion, there was no way I couldn’t continue with the:

Hidden Highlights for Hogan Know’s Best: Sunday, January 14, 2007

(3) Drink Anyone?:

I’m sorry, but did anyone notice that now that they are in a different environment, the drinking habits have changed? Brooke had a normal 20oz. Hogan had a Corona. Later in the show, Linda had a beer (I believe a bottle of Michelob Light). Point is, no more Red Bull! In fact, there was only one appearance by the Hogan drink (I THINK it was anyway). Like I said though, Red Bull is apparently gone, and the Hogan’s are attempting to adapt to the new environment.

(2) Figures:

So Hogan went and got himself a sub from Subway. Sure, it was a bit difficult, because everyone on the planet speaks Spanish and he doesn’t, but he did manage to point and “word” his way through it. As he sat down, frustrated that the language barrier was becoming an issue, he noticed a woman leaving and said, “Asta Luego”. The woman turns to him and says “bye”. How funny is that!? He even did the double-take like “eh?”. Just found it funny that his one attempt at Spanish was met with an American greeting. He too found it shocking.

(1) Don’t be a hypocrite!:

At the end of the episode, the entire Hogan family was attempting to have an entire evening/cooking/dinner thing where they would all speak in Spanish. They were all really doing their best, and then Brooke said like two words in English and Linda says:

“Brooke, speak Spanish! If you don’t, it will ruin my night“.

I just found this FABULOUSLY ironic that the one comment designed to stress using Spanish was made in English. It could just be me; my mother is German, and I speak it, so anytime she wants strictly German to be spoken, she tells me so IN GERMAN. Again, might be me, but I thought it was funny.

Ghost of Chanukah Past: 73rd issues? That was just weak…

JT: It’s been a long week thank you! It’s almost the end of January, aren’t you due somewhere? I think so, and that destination is called “next year”. Good riddance, sir!

Thank you for joining us for THE 73rd ISSUE of Hidden Highlights! Be sure to drop us a line and let us know what you think and all the other Hidden Highlights we missed. Plus, we want to hear your Reader Write-ins for all the moments you see this and every week.

We’ll catch you next time in the reader approved most positive article in all of the IWC, and most definitely the most positive article on Mondays: Hidden Highlights! Until then…