Hidden Highlights 01.07.08: Issue #123

Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag

Issue #123

Hello everyone who is on a plane, train, automobile, or telephone today, 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: Being the King of Positivity, it’s important to stay smiling and optimistic when things are going wrong. Not to get into too much detail, but I’ve spent most of my vacation in the hospital looking after someone and it has drained me pretty good. So I may not be the most chipper this issue, but that’s why I get to depend on people like this week’s guest co-host. You’ve seen him in these pages before already telling you the way he C it, but that won’t stop me from welcoming him back. Give it up for Chris Lansdell. Chris?

Chris: Greetings humanity! Thanks for having me back JP, I had a blast last time and apparently I couldn’t have done too bad of a job. Did you get that little ghost problem taken care of from last time?

JP: Sometimes those ghosts call you at 4:30am on a Thursday after sleeping six hours in three days, so I’d have to say the answer to that is no.

Ghost of JT: And I’d do it again, too!

JP: You would? You mean you will!

Ghost of JT: True, true. Did you get me e-ma—

Chris: Hey Ghost, I’m the guest co-host this week. If anyone is going to have a witty dialogue, it’s going to be me.

Ghost of JT: Oh, newbie, you wanna make something of it!

JP: Ok, ok, enough of you two! Let’s get on with the Hidden Highlights!

Monday, December 31, 2007 by JP

JP: As the final hours of 2007 were dwindling away, the WWE was live taped with the last show of the year. And strangely, despite knowing their audience would be limited, the WWE put on a more than decent showing that included a catch-as-catch can style match between Mr. Kennedy and HBK that had the right man go over CLEAN, a phenomenally hilariously long sequence where JBL had fireworks bonanza (thanks Jay, well worth the wait), Jeff Hardy actually looking like a contender (see my comments in the “Money and Investing” section in The Hamilton Ave Journal), and William Regal in the ring! Ok, so maybe that last one wasn’t so interesting (I’m “watching” it right now as I’m typing this), but I mark for anything Regal does.

Oh, and for the lady with the “JP” sign in the front row, I appreciate the love but there is one sign I prefer:

(3) Same old pain:

In the aforementioned catch-as-catch can match-up between Mr. Kennedy and HBK, Shawn Michaels went for a very smart move right from the opening bell. As they hooked up, Michaels got Kennedy in a left hand vice grip. This move makes so much perfect sense since Kennedy got his left hand injured in their last match and Michaels knew that it was a sore spot. The announcers were talking about the injury, but neglected to mention how HBK was taking advantage of it. Luckily, I now have!

(2) That’s a win, for sure:

After the same match had concluded, Mr. Kennedy began to work his way up the ramp, much to his own delight and amazement. The production crew went to a recap of the match, but when they came back you could read Kennedy’s mouth as he was finishing saying “…-eat you!” Or rather “I beat you!” I liked that Kennedy was still talking on his way out and saying it plain and simple. He is as good as he thinks he is.

(1) Taking that last shot:

Now, this is similar to many we have pointed out in the past, but I love to highlight it (pun intended) every time it happens. During the JBL/Y2J pull apart brawl, all of the refs and some officials came down to separate the two. As Jericho and JBL were finally pulled away from each other indefinitely, JBL took one last kick attempt, even though he was being dragged away. See, that is what I am always talking about when keeping it real. Sure, JBL knew at that point in the script that they were not going to fight anymore, but he still took one last kick because that’s what a normal pissed off person would do. Nice work JBL.

Chris: JBL, a Hidden Highlight GOD, makes his return against Jericho, who I believe is in the HH HoF… how can it fail? I guess they had some money left over in the pyro budget and blew it all on the last show of the year…

Tuesday, January 1, 2008 by JP

JP: In the real first show of 2008, the land of Extreme Smacking had not just one, but two jobber matches! Not bad, not bad at all. What are Tommy Dreamer, Balls Mahoney, Kevin Thorn, Nunzio, Elijah Burke, and Stevie Richards doing anyway?

(3) Self proclaim this:

In the second jobber-inclusive match of the night, Shelton Benjamin took on a very in-shape James Curtis. As the match got underway, Joey Styles continued to call Shelton Benjamin the “Self proclaimed gold standard” in the WWE, much to Tazz’s chagrin. Anyway, I’m very amused that Shelton Benjamin is once again “Self proclaimed” since he was in the “Self proclaimed World’s Greatest Tag Team”.

(2) Now that’s a team:

During the opening tag match, John Morrison, the Miz, and Layla El teamed up to take on Jimmy Yang Wang, Shannon Moore, and Kelly Kelly. As the participants were making their way to the ring, I noticed that the Miz and Layla El came down together instead of separate entrances. Of course, this makes a lot of sense to me as the Miz still owns Layla’s management contract (as well as Kelly Kelly’s), so of course they are on the same team, even though he and Morrison are the WWE Tag Team Champions.

(1) Meh, I’m done with you:

After a while, the aforementioned match came to an end when Yang pinned the Miz. As soon as the bell rang, in the lower left hand corner of the screen you could see Kelly Kelly landing punches on Layla El on the outside. But, when Kelly heard the match was over, she literally just shoved Layla to the side and got in the ring to celebrate. I liked that little extra shove as Kelly moved away. Looks like Kelly has been paying attention to the little things Layla has been doing to her over the past month and knows how to return them in kind.

Chris: Wow, that Kelly squared. Last time I was here, I found a Hidden Highlight of her and Layla, and behold, she returns!

Thursday, January 3, 2008 by Chris Lansdell

Chris: TNA has been getting more and more watchable over the past few weeks. That said, with 4 gauntlets and not a whole lot else on tap for tonight, I did NOT have high expectations. It turned into a good show, with a good finish to all the gauntlet matches, and the right person going over each time.

(3) Get me a mirror!

In the post-match shenanigans after the tag team gauntlet, when the X-Division guys made the save, Petey Williams comes out with his Feast or Fired case in hand, which is awesome continuity in and of itself. It gets better as Petey went to take a swing, caught sight of the Maple Leaf muscle, and stopped to admire himself. Narcissist reincarnate!

(2) Let’s reference the competition again!

In the backstage interview with Booker T and Sharmell, Booker starts talking about Robert Roode mistreating ladies, and how that’s up to him. He then goes on to say “I treat my lady like a QUEEN”. Of course you do, you’re the King of the World, and she’s Queen Sharmell! All hail cross-company continuity!

(1) Indecision all over!

The scenes in AJ’s gramma’s house were full of hidden highlights. I’m sure everyone picked up on the two photos on AJ’s door, but that was only the start. Every time JB would start talking to someone new (Go Grazin’ Goats! Sorry…), AJ would peek out through the blinds. And right at the end, when making his decision, he says he’s going with “Cangle”! Brilliant.

JP: My favorite part is where he comes out of the room and goes, “Guys, we’re Baptists [in reference to the Priest]. Come on!!” Now that was a classic moment. Of course, you must have noticed that Grandma was missing the whole night.

Friday, January 4, 2008 by Chris Lansdell

Chris: An entire episode of Smackdown! dedicated to beating the clock, and not one Boogeyman reference? I am shocked and appalled. Mildly. This week we find out that Funaki is still employed, Edge is devious, and faces always get the last laugh. And the highlights, they were hidden!

(3) Keeping you guessing

In the opening match of the Beat the Clock challenge, Finlay is waiting for his opponent, when MVP’s music hits. Notably missing this week was his bouncy castle entrance set. Why? Well, it would have given Finlay a chance to mentally prepare a minute or two sooner, and told the crowd who the surprise was. A small, seemingly insignificant way to sell that even the ring crew didn’t know who was coming.

(2) All he needed was ACME roller skates

Throughout the Kenny/Victoria – Chuck/Michelle match, Kenny Dysktra was running up and down the apron trying to get a cheap shot in on Michelle McCool. You hardly ever see this in tag team matches except when it works, so to see Kenny try it a couple of times before succeeding was rather refreshing.

(1) I know my job!

Also in the Palumbo/McCool – Victoria/Dysktra match, Kenny has a cover on Palumbo but Charles “Little Naitch” Robinson was not counting. Kenny yelled at him, and Charles says, loud enough for the mic to pick up “Shoulders are not down… still not down… ONE! TWO! Shoulders weren’t down Kenny” This just tickled me for some reason, and knowing how much we all love ref interactions, I had to include it.

JP: I think I made mention of someone else taking a swipe and missing last week. I bet Kenny read the article and decided to try it himself. Besides, he’s with Victoria who is Hidden Highlights masters, so it must be rubbing off!

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: Back to a much more normal batch with our very abnormal readers. So, *GENERAL WARNING*:: some parts of the following Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights may be edited for grammar, spelling, and English translation…

We’ll kick it off a bit in the past with Keith:

I have two HH’s for you.

The first is from ECW 12/18 (I was away on a business trip and only recently was able to watch it). During the match, when MVP was making extra efforts in his holds and pin covers, Tazz commented on them, and said something to the effect of “most people don’t notice those little things, but they make a huge difference in getting the win.” My first thought: “When did Tazz start writing for HH?”

JP: I actually alluded to that in the week it happened, but you are absolutely right. Tazz has made several overtures to the Hidden Highlights motif, and we reciprocate in kind. Tazz is a pure example of someone who points out Hidden Highlights on a regular basis and in-and-out of the ring does them. One day, he’ll join Chris Jericho and Trish Stratus in the Hidden Highlights Hall of Fame (get on it, JT!).

The second is an amusing one that won’t be mentioned officially, but I found it noteworthy. Recently, a friend sent me a notice that MVP was going to make a fan meet-and-greet at a Baltimore record store. In the text below the notice, it mentioned that he was a replacement for another WWE superstar… Matt Hardy! Even when Matt’s on the shelf, MVP just has to show him up!

JP: Oh my goodness, that is hilarious! I cannot even comment on how good that is, so I’ll just move on to JS Trudel:

I figured I’m gonna pay attention this week and send in a bunch…

More Kennedy heel goodness: During his entrance for his match against HBK, Kennedy readies himself for his “I’m gonna reach up and grab my microphone” pose, which admittedly always gets a few chuckles out of some people… but then he stops himself with a Nahhh and a dismissive wave of the hand. It’s a classic, but it always works.

JP: Yeah, I thought mostly because he did not want to “treat” the audience to his awesome mic work. Kind of like when Petey Williams was with Team Canada and used to stand on a guy’s crotch in the corner and say “OOooooooh Canada!”. The iMPACT Zone started chanting along to it, so then he stared to say it and then did the exact same “Nahhh!” thing. It’s a smart thing for a true heel to do.

Shawn Michaels forgets how to wrestle “Perfectly”: Back at In Your House: Mind Games, HBK executed a kneebreaker on Mankind, a move popularized by Mr. Perfect (who himself pointed this out at the commentary table). He went to do the same move on Kennedy, only he didn’t have the proper positioning and took a few seconds to replace himself.

JP: He also had similar issues with Crippler Crossface, which I feel is not a move a face should use anymore. Now if Kennedy did it… in Canada… that would be heat!

Chris: I would have thought doing it in Atlanta would be worse. To Cody Rhodes.

Feeling Shawn’s pain: Michaels’ selling of the back was to be commended. It reminded me of Wrestlemania 14, when he was actually in agonizing pain during the match, which was clear as day when you saw his face.

JP: In reality, he should have never wrestled that night and really gutted it out for month after he needed surgery. I still can’t believe that he came back from retirement.

Mr. McMahon uses his own ringtone. Nuff said.

JP: I was going to point this one out, but as a product placement Hidden Highlights. You can now buy WWE songs as ringtones, so I’m sure Vince was just reminding everyone subtly (the way I like it) that they can pick it up at the AT&T store. Thanks to Sean O’brien for pointing out the same.

Leave it to the WWE production team to make a highlights video of the Iraq tour using songs that contain the lyrics “Now that we’re here, so far away…” (regarding the time the troops spend away from home) or “let’s make the best of tonight…” (regarding the one time-off they get to have whenever WWE makes the annual trip to entertain them). Good job on their part.

JP: I believe the name of the song is “So far away”, so it was no coincidence.

Umaga continues to “evolve”: First, he learned he could compete in matches without having Armando by his side. Then, he learned he could get along with people for tag team matches. And now, he’s learned to accessorize, sporting his spiffy new red elbowpads. Who knew Highspots delivered to the Isle Of Samoa?

JP: Why not? It’s a US Territory. Interestingly enough, I was watching a special on Samoa a few months ago where they talked about their status within the US, and most of the people (at least the politicians) seem happy to be part of the US and do not consider their territory as conquered or occupied.

The cameraman exceeds his mandate: This was probably unintentional (and simply meant to get a better shot). Following the JBL/Jericho brawl and the officials separating them, the cameraman got between the two and got a great shot of JBL’s cut in the process. He also added an extra bit of help to the officials, acting as an obstacle between the wrestlers.

JP: Wasn’t that the one that got knocked down, too? Man that guy took a beating!

Awesome bit of selling by Melina. Normally wrestlers will attempt to “struggle” out of a potentially dangerous move, but not our favorite screamer. She had just taken Mickie James’ Tornado DDT, and a minute or so later she put up no fight whatsoever, as she was nothing but lifeless easy pickings for Beth Phoenix’ Fisherwoman Buster.

JP: Did you see how Beth Phoenix had to hold her in the Fisherwoman Buster? She actually held Melina on the knee so that the leg would stay straight; that is how dead Melina was!

I shall stop there. When I saw HHH and Ric Flair’s “heart to heart”, I felt like telling them to kiss already.

JP: Well ok then, I can move on to Hidden Highlights Reader Write-in Finalist Nikolai Nygard:

Happy New Year! RAW celebrates in style and I found Hidden Highlight’s for Carlito! (Seeing as he is a favorite after all) As Carlito came out along with Santino and Maria he did several things to be Cool.

1. While Santino was catching the Blown Kiss from Maria, Carlito was staring at it in the background with a Regalesque look that pretty much said. “Whoa, what the hell is this?”

JP: I thought Carlito wondered what the hell he was doing there (kayfabe, not contract extension wise).

2. In the ring before the bell rang, whenever Maria wasn’t looking at him, Carlito was staring at her legs, and even uttered some excuse when she caught him.

JP: Ha! I noticed in their tag match a couple of weeks back that Carlito kept trying to stare up her dress. Guess who won’t have to come March.

Chris: Can you pre-order Playboys? I’ll have 150.

3. Carlito plays up his womanizing side when he escorts Maria out of the ring as the bell rings. While she is trying to come off the apron, Carlito just grabs her and lifts her down.

OK that’s it. Yay Carlito! Yay Hidden Highlights.

JP: You certainly do know how to butter me up with all this Carlito goodness. Can Dan do that too?:

During the Santino/Hardy match, Carlito was checking out Maria pretty much the entire time. He even snuck a peek up her dress when she climbed up on the apron. That’s cool.

JP: Well, I guess the answer is a resounding “Yes!”. What else do you have, Peter Rybak:

I’m sure other people have emailed you this, but I just watched the Hardy/Marrella match from the 12/31 edition of RAW & happened to notice that when Carlito was following behind Santino & Maria he was checking out Maria’s derriere. Also after Hardy ran to the back to tend to his brother, Maria climbed up on the apron on her knees & in a little bit of business behind her Carlito was bending down behind her to look up her skirt. I think it’s a good bit of business because it just makes it seem like the only reason Carlito hooked up with Marrella was to get closer to Maria. Not sure if it’s a Hidden Highlight, but I thought it was an excellent touch to the storyline.

JP: See above, because I like it. Let’s move on to another topic, though, with Jesse Stallings (and Jesse is way too androgynous of a name, like Jamie or Kris):

On RAW, after Mr. Kennedy defeated Shawn Michaels, JR mentioned that Shawn Michaels holds more major WWE title reigns than any one else he could think of…

I thought this was a nice touch to honor HBK but to not forget their past.

JP: He also said, “four major title reigns”, not including all of HBK’s Intercontinental, European, and Tag Team reigns, of which there are plenty! Jumping to ECW is Josh Huff:

Just a quick one from ECW this week. When Striker and Big Daddy V were on their way to the ring for some easy pickings, Striker was as usual giving instructions to his star pupil. He motioned with his hands to ‘break him in half’… standard fare for monster heel managers… but then followed it up by rubbing his fingers together, which I read as ‘and then crush him into dust’. Good job by everyone’s favorite teacher to throw in the extra little touch.

JP: He is my teacher! That brings us right into iMPACT with Josh Lankton:

Directly following Team 3D’s attack on Sabin/Shelley after the Tag Gauntlet, the X-Division hit the ring to make the save. This is when I noticed Petey Williams carrying the metal briefcase. He raised it above his head to swing it but stopped and admired his own flexed bicep! This fit his new personality so well and I thought it was an awesome way for Petey to further develop his new character even if it was barely noticeable. Keep up the great work on the column!

Chris: Good to see that your eagle-eyed readers are seeing the same things I’m seeing.

JP: One day I will need to retire; I’m just training my readers well. With a bit more TNA is Bill Bumgamer:

First iMPACT! of the year and I spot a Highlight already. Anyway, during the final segment, when AJ Styles was trying to decide which team he wanted to go with (either the Christian Coalition or the Angle Alliance), he was waffling back and forth between the two. Right before he not-quite-screamed in frustration, he said, “No; wait – I’ll go with Cangle”. It was very subtle and I almost missed it; I had to rewind the tape to make sure of what I’d heard, but it’s there. Great way for AJ to sell the character’s confusion and further proof of why he’s one of the best in the business when it comes to promos and mic work.

JP: Wow, it’s like the total Chris-redux down here in this section. We’ll wrap it up this week with whole bunch of Nicholas Noel, who I sympathize with spending much of the past week in the hospital as well:

RAW

It’s The Hardyz Man! – So man, it was heaps good man, to see the Hardyz interact backstage man. But it really shows the way they’ve grown into their different singles roles. Jeff the tattooed “Rainbow Haired Warrior” and Matt the humourous yet straight-laced, take no bulls**t wrestler.

JP: And in real-life, Matt is the super-passionate one that never gets a break and Jeff is the slacker who gets chance after chance. Crazy!

Mr. McMahon, Call On Line 1 – Although one Mr. Larry Csonka mentioned this in the R’s (stealing HH’s thunder I might add), how awesome was it that Mr. McMahon had the RAW theme as his ringtone?

JP: See mine and Sean O’Brien’s advertising thoughts above.

Hamstring Bustin’ Kid – As HBK had Kennedy in an overhead hammer-lock style thingy (as an announcer I’m a font of wrestling knowledge don’tchaknow), he was powering him down and just to help Kennedy get to his knees a little faster he aimed a quick kick to the back of Kennedy’s thigh. Luckily he didn’t try it on Triple H. But what’s a blown quad between friends?

JP: When they zoomed in and showed that knot on his leg I was seriously worried for Kennedy!

Umaga’s Tailor Has A Sense Of Humour – The big, red Samoan face on Umaga’s tights has a sparkly silver grill. The two-year old girl I take care of would love one, although slightly less Samoan and slightly more Polly Pocket. Hahaha, now I want a Umaga Polly Pocket.

JP: Just don’t let Cook anywhere near that girl… I don’t trust him…

ECW

Layla Remembers – As I recall the whole deal with Extreme Expose is they were dancers. While Kelly Kelly has seemed to forgotten all about that part of her character, Layla still remembers to bust a move or two during her entrance.

JP: Kelly was also an exhibitionist, but she doesn’t seem to be trying to take off her clothes anymore, either.

Tazz Makes Me Laugh – With the things he says. “You don’t have to explain the word ‘gold standard’ to me Joey”. Also he must have been watching some old tapes, as everything tonight was “picture perfect” from Jimmy Wang Yang’s moonsault to Shelton Benjamin’s Exploder suplex.

JP: For the second week in a row Tazz said, “He hits the exploder suplex… or t-bone suplex, whatever you want to call it”, going between the IWC name for the move and the WWE no-name.

TNA

Shark Boy Is Injured! – I heard about the neck brace and bandages … but tonight I saw he also has the classic cartoon Bandaid “X” on his head fin! (Just in case, a Bandaid is like a sticking plaster or whatever you Americans call the things you stick on cuts)

JP: Well, “Band-Aid” is a specific brand name of adhesive strips…

The Knockouts Take It Seriously – As opposed to usual, both Jackie Moore and ODB came down for their gauntlet match without any drinking (although ODB still bought her hipflask). It definitely helps to show that they consider this particular match is a serious affair.

Chris: I also loved how, after her victory, ODB went to take a drink as per usual, but there was nothing in the flask. Why? Because she dropped it in her entrance!

SD!

Finlay Brings The (Extra) Hurt – While Finlay was working the left arm of MVP, right at the start when the referee was check on MVP he quickly grabbed MVP’s fingers and WRENCHED them backwards, but let go as soon as the ref looked up again.

Chris: Finlay is always doing this stuff, and I always love it. I missed it this week though.

JP: And that, my friends, is the William Regal Award for the week (and the first time we’ve had one in a while). I wonder when Regal will win his own reward again?

Mixed Up Metaphors – I noticed this on EVERY SHOW THIS WEEK … when did the phrase “like a house on fire” become morphed into “like a house OF fire”? It makes zero sense, but as I said, it’s been used on RAW, ECW, TNA, and SD.

JP: It’s just like people who say “irregardless”. Without without regard? Oh, so you mean with regard! The English language is forever tainted.

Matt Striker, Your Referee – Unlike most special referees, Matt Striker actually went the whole hog tonight and got a full-on referee shirt with WWE logos and all. Nice little extra bit by Striker, as with calling the match straight down the middle until the ending, it added a bit of authenticity and you could forget he was even there.

JP: I thought he would have at least faked the shoulder injury to stop the count, that’s my favorite excuse.

That about wraps us up this week! Not to get out of here too quick, but I’m need of a break!

JP the Editors Note: The following statement was written before the intro was written

Chris: Wow, we got through the whole issue without a single appearance from JT~!’s ghost. Fabulous.

JP: Poor Chris won’t even know until the article is posted how wrong he was!

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 [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… readers just like to know!

JP: Once again, thanks to Chris Lansdell for filling in and keeping the positivity rolling. Gosh knows I needed it this week!

Chris: Thanks again for having me JP, having to watch the shows from this angle really adds a new depth of enjoyment. I’m off to do my own column, which can be seen today, RIGHT HERE, on 411wrestling.com!!!

JP: Sounds like a plan. As you are reading this I am either on a train to Stamford, a car to White Plains, a car to Laguardia, a plane to Charlotte, NC, or a car to Greenville, SC… and that’s just Monday! I need a nap.

While I’m trying to catch a wink, 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 123rd 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!