Hidden Highlights 04.23.07: Issue #86

Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and James “JT” Thomlison

Issue #86

Intro

Hello everyone wondering who can’t wait to break in their new mattress, and welcome back to Hidden Highlights!!

There are very few positive things on the Internet. It’s more about everyone’s negative view of what everyone else is trying to do.
— Eric Bischoff, Controversy Creates Ca$h

Hidden Highlight (n) – a small, hardly noticeable point that makes a big, positive difference. This could be anything from a wrestler putting extra emphasis into his moves to make it believable to a person in the background reacting while not the focus to the cameraman shaking the picture to create an effect. There are just so many unsung heroes of wrestling that it is impossible to cover them all.

Every week we take the top 3 Hidden Highlights from the biggest shows on television (RAW, ECW of SciFi, iMPACT, SmackDown!, and a PPV or television special if there is one). Plus we turn to you, the readers, to let us know all the Hidden Highlights you saw this, last, or any week in history. On top of all that, we explore the other issues that prove why this is the most positive article in the IWC.

And who is this mysterious we, you ask?

Why none other than JP Prag and James “JT” Thomlison, of course!

We bring you Hidden Highlights with one goal in mind: to appreciate all those little things that make a huge difference. JT?

JT: Oh, am I ever tipsy! It’s almost 3 a.m. on Saturday, and while I’d usually be done already, I didn’t get to it. And SECONDLY, while I’d usually blow it off until tomorrow, I have a serious obligation, which means I have to do it tonight; therefore, let the fun begin!

JP: You’re doing the column drunk? What a surprise.

JT: Hey, I am not drunk. I just feel good. Really, really good. And as Larry will tell you, it’s good F’N times man. I have to go do the friend thing tomorrow and therefore am enjoying tonight.

JP: Larry?

Larry: No dude, it’s indeed good times. Or at least… it’s funny to us.

JP: So glad that a fourth of both of you could join us… ok, this thing needs to get rolling already. Never mind the fact that you DIDN’T do it Saturday night and got this to me at 9 p.m. last night!

JT: I know, it’s fun isn’t it?

JP: Yeah, really funny when I have to be up at 4am. Let’s get on with the Hidden Highlights!

Hidden Highlights for TNA Presents Lockdown: Sunday, April 15, 2007 by JP

JP: And once again you readers have made me sad. Actually, this was a really strange week for readers with a lot of SmackDown! and Classics and not much RAW, ECW or iMPACT. Well, I can only judge this PPV on reading recaps, so JT, any thoughts?

JT: I have to say, I’m actually kind of digging Double J as a face. Don’t get me wrong, I certainly wasn’t on the “let’s hang him” bandwagon, but I think him coming back as a face is a refreshing way of merging him back onto television. His break was designed to give US a break from him, and had he come back ranting and raving about how he was the King of the Mountain and he wants his title back and yadda yadda, it would have throw the relief that the break gave us right out the window.

Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Monday, April 16, 2007 by JP

JP: While TNA was busy conquering the city of St. Louis, the WWE took all of its brands to Europe. Kicking things off was RAW is PLANTS and a pretty huge upset (that we’ll get back to in a second). My question is this: since Santino Marella is just a member of the audience, doesn’t that mean he’s a free agent? Can’t he now decide he can take the Intercontinental Title to any brand, or no brand, if he so chooses? That’s right, Santino Marella is going to end the brand extension with his tomfoolery! Watch it, it’s going to happen.

(3) Plant or no plant, you aren’t coming in:

Like I said, we have returned to Santino Marella. When Mr. McMahon fist invited our then unnamed fan into the ring, security was standing right there. As a matter of fact, security actually stopped Marella from walking over the barricade even when Mr. McMahon invited him in! I really enjoyed this little moment with the security. If it was a real reaction from security because they weren’t in on it, then they were doing a good job. If security was in on it, then he was doing an even better job because the security guard was still pretending to do his job (and do it well) even when he didn’t have to. Sometimes, the placement of security offices gives away what’s to come (think fights in the crowd), so I like to see security doing just that: being security.

(2) Not the best entrance:

If you’ve read this article long enough, you know I’m a big fan of Johnny Nitro and always have enjoyed his and Melina’s over the top entrance. This week, Nitro came out for his match with Eugene and the red carpet was unfurled. Suddenly, the carpet stopped only a third of the way down the ramp and the production team raced to get it rolling again! Unfortunately, they were too slow for this intrepid reporter’s eyes. This was actually the very first time I’ve seen the red carpet get stuck, so this is more like a retro-active kudos for all the times the stunt went off flawlessly. That said, looks like this one gets the words in the article.

(1) Ok, I’ll let you cheer me:

Our main event saw the reunited RKO going heads-to-head with WWE Champion John Cena. Unfortunately for Cena, the crowd was not on his side, not even when he was being beaten down 2-on-1. Early the match, Randy Orton (before trashing his hotel room) didn’t seem to quite understand the chants in the arena and continued to tell the crowd to shut up. Edge, though, tagged in and used the crowd to his advantage. Instead of ignoring the crowd or trying to get them to turn, he simply went with the flow and even gave the sign for more cheers to come his way (a sign he normally does for boos). This reminded me in a small way of Rock vs. Hogan, where the two were smart enough to switch their roles during the match in order go with the crowd. Edge here did the same thing, and showed a true veteran moment that just goes to show how good he is in that ring.

JT: …hehehe I like how you said “before trashing his hotel room”. He’s only been given 627 chances and – despite our positiveness around here – have to be able to chuckle at a complete (think Foreman’s father from That 70’s Show here) DUMBASS. Anyone want to take bets on who’s NOT winning the title at Backlash? Anyone?

Hidden Highlights for ECW on SciFi: Tuesday, April 17, 2007 by JT

JT: Hints of dissention in the ranks of the New Breed to start the show, Nunzio takes a big boot from Snitsky in front of the hometown crowd, Sandman and Dreamer get a much needed victory over Thorne and Cor Von, Lashley and Santino Marella are around to celebrate (in style, apparently), and Punk cost his teammate Elijah Burke in a contest with Rob Van Damn!

(3) Stop it! Stop the fight right now!:

Well, it seems we’ve given Elijah Burke a lot of love around here lately, so this week, I plan to …………………………………………………………………… give him some more love! Now, I’m sure it’s not the first time that he’s done this, but it is the first time that I recognized it and made the connection. When he made it to the ring for his match against RVD, did anyone else notice what he laid over the top turnbuckle in one of the corners? White towel! Granted, he has no ‘corner men’ there to ‘throw in the towel’ if the action starts to take a serious turn in RVD’s favor and Elijah is subjected to a ‘life threatening pounding’, but it is again one of the little things Burke does to incorporate his past as an amateur boxer. Nothing sells a “boxer” gimmick like “boxer” habits.

(2) April Fools!:

This one is actually a co-Hidden Highlight between CM Punk and Elijah Burke. As we all saw, the New Breed all came to the ring to welcome their newest member, CM Punk, to the group. Punk came down and shook the hands of Striker, Thorne, and Cor Von. Then, as he got to Burke, they both paused and gave each other a small smirk as if to say “man, we had them all fooled didn’t we?”. It’s classic heel stuff when it’s revealed that something has been a sham since day one, and this look between the two sent a message that made it seem like CM Punk was on board from the very beginning, and was just picking his spot (in this case, last week’s episode) to make his intentions clear.

(1) Kudos to the ENTIRE Dubya…Dubya…E:

This week, I’m going to have to give some praise to everyone involved with the production, setup, and general presentation of the Italy shows. There were so many things they did to incorporate Italy that really had to be a big sign to the fans that they were just as important as us silly American fans. From having the Italian car on the ramp (I believe it was either a Ferrari or possibly an Alfa Romeo), to having the MASSIVE flags hanging, to having a red, green, and white light pattern through the arena; even their video packages had a barely seeable, transparent Italian flag waiving in the background. The wrestling and booking was great as well, having solid matches, a Little Guido appearance, and even having a hometown hero walk away with the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Overall the entire WWE team just went above and beyond to give it an Italiano feel, and it showed with the crowd and across the television.

JP: I just want Punk to reveal his reasons for joining the New Breed is because he’s straight Edge and could not hang around with a drunk (Sandman), pothead (RVD and Sabu), and a urine drinker (Dreamer). Makes perfect sense to me, though I like this usurping the New Breed to make it over in his own image angle. We shall see where it goes!

Hidden Highlights for TNA iMPACT: Thursday, April 19, 2007 by JP

JP: After Lockdown, TNA returned to their Orlando home with their main man in tow: Jeff Jarrett. Now that Jarrett is back as a face, I wonder a few things (I’ve been doing a lot of wondering lately). Will he return that “tape of unknown content” to Jackie Gayda (Haas)? Will he reveal what Jackie was trying to reveal about the Controversy in Canada? And how come whenever Jarrett is a face AJ Styles is a heel? And how come Christopher Daniels does the same turns as AJ Styles just two months later?

(3) Selfishly Gold:

Christian and his team were out back with Jeremy Borash bashing Abyss and making plans for the evening. Christian decided that he and Abyss would be going after the Tag Team Championship because he could pull some strings to get a shot (I wonder who he knows on the Championship Committee? That thing is still around, right?). It was at that moment that Christian said to Abyss, “If I don’t leave iMPACT with three belts around my waist…” then Abyss would be in trouble. But I loved that Christian said three belts, as he wanted both tag belts for himself and wouldn’t even consider letting Abyss carry one around. That was a great moment of absolute conceit by the NWA Champion Christian Cage.

Props to reader Ryan R. for picking up on the same thing.

(2) My disappearing act:

Shortly after that, Christopher Daniels, AJ Styles, Rhino, and Samoa Joe met in a random four way match. After dumping the other participants and ref, Daniels found his bat and WAILED on Rhino in one of the best baseball bat shots I have ever seen. After the shot, Daniels threw the bat to the outskirts of the ring, but the bat bounced back and landed inside. Seeing an international object would generally give the ref something to worry about, but when they went to the wide shot the bat was gone!!! Who took the bat from the ring to give Daniels the cheating victory? Another mystery in this issue!

(1) Nah, I wouldn’t like that:

Finally, we got to the main event with Christian Cage and Abyss challenging new NWA Tag Team Champions Team 3D for the titles. As happens very often, Mike Tenay started doing a shill in the middle of the match and talked about Sting vs. Angle for next week (thanks for giving away a dream match for no reason… I’m quite sure this one will have a ton of schmoozes so it won’t be the “real” match that will happen down the line). Konnan was doing gold color commentary on the mic and was quick to respond to Tenay’s shill. Tenay said Sting vs. Angle is a match that everyone would want to see, to which Konnan responded, “I don’t want to see it. Now, if those two want to team up and face LAX, that would be a match people would want to see.”

This was absolutely just fantastic remarks by Konnan. In one sentence he was able to no sell Mike Tenay, put over LAX, and make another match for the future. More often than not when someone is on color they begrudgingly agree to matches not involving them, but not Konnan. He brought it right back to his team and what is important to him and LAX. Kudos to Konnan for proving why he is a legend that is often overlooked in the modern era.

JT: I tell you what I’d like to see… Christian Cage going for the gold! Why not. Team up, go get the belts, but some more history over your shoulder. That being said, LAX vs. Sting/Angle would be awesome.

And oh yeah, Christy Hemme and Traci Brooks are hot. That’s just an FYI from me to you.

Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, April 20, 2007 by JT

JT: Big Dave gets a win over (and beat down courtesy of) Fit Finlay (and co.), Michelle McCool manages to finally shut Jillian Hall up, Benoit and the Hardy’s get the fan favorite win over MVP and The Cruisers (like that? My new name for them), the Hooliganz’s reign as tag champs has ended, Kane beats up on England’s finest, and Taker wins his first solo match since WrestleMania!

(3) I will END YOU!:

During the main event, the ref really reminded me of the fact that professional wrestling – while attempting to *appear* as a legitimate sport (kayfabe) – really is a different world altogether. Kennedy had Taker in the corner and was assaulting him, and the ref gave him a four count before he broke. A moment later, Kennedy again had Taker in the corner, and again the ref got to four before he broke it. This time, however, when he did, the ref walked up to him and you could see for a second that he was mouthing something and pointing to the back, as if to say “I’m going to end this and throw you out of here if you don’t shape up”. This is so rarely seen in other sports. In the NFL, they throw a flag; in the NBA, they call a foul; in the NHL, they issue a power play. After all, why would they give a warning? It isn’t like most ref’s have the ability to simply stop a game mid way through. There is a big difference between individual and team sports. In wrestling though, the ref has ultimate power, and therefore it makes sense they’d issue a ‘warning’ before actually pulling the plug on something. There are only three sports I can think of that issue ‘warnings’. The first would be soccer, where I suppose a “yellow card” can be considered a warning (even though it is penalized and is a team sport); but the other two – mixed martial arts, and boxing – surprisingly also occur in the squared circle. Guess the refs just have more power in that environment!

(2) Is that your leg? Or are you happy to see me?:

During the tag match between The Hardys / Benoit vs. Helms / Chavo / MVP, Matt Hardy went for and executed a flying elbow (albeit stand up). He then put Helms into a headlock and appeared to be going for the Twist Of Fate. Helms countered this and then straddled himself over Matt Hardy’s chest. He then proceeded to lay seven shots on him before the ref broke it up. Now, the ref broke it up because these shots were direct closed fist shots to the face… at least, six of them were. After Helms there the first two, he actually threw his arm behind his leg and threw in a rib shot to Matt before proceeding to give him the final four to his face! (Keep in mind that this all happened very quickly and may have been missed, which is why I’m pointing it out. It isn’t like he took his sweet time with it.) It may not have been the most effective punch, but I liked this because it wasn’t a stale “seven shots to the face” deal. He actually made sure that he took a shot at his ribs (which in kayfabe land is uber-effective) whilst in the midst of this rampage on his head.

(1) Congrats to the SD crew/roster/lineup/booker/ WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT:

Man, it just seems like this week’s issue if filled with a ton of non-hidden stuff on my end! But to me, there are certain things that should not be overlooked, and if that means I bend the “hidden” range a little well hey, after 85 issues I’ve earned it have I not? Besides, I didn’t hear anyone else congratulate them so I might as well. Congratulations to SmackDown! on it’s 400th episode. From the onset of the brand extension, SmackDown! has been dubbed (and at times, booked) as the “B” show compared to RAW. It isn’t live, it doesn’t have the star power, it has dealt with contract/channel issues, and is essentially RAW’s red headed step-child. Well, tell that to them. Over the course of the last fifteen months – in the eyes of many – it has been the better, more entertaining show. And while the other shows were also good in the build for WrestleMania, it appears that SD will continue its reign at the top. Look, I love Shawn Michaels, I think Edge is great, Cena entertains the shit out of me, and I have no problems with watching guys like Jeff Hardy, Umaga, and TWGTT; SD, however, appears to be trumping all that. They threw a bunch of guys they didn’t think could carry it (such as Booker, Benoit, Kennedy, Finlay, and Dave to name a few) AND took away one of the brightest *potential* stars in Lashley, and those guys continue to go out there and put on some damn fine television. I can still remember their 100th episode, and now I have the joy of congratulating them on their 400th. That goes to all – wrestlers, announcers, bookers, production crew, ring crew, EVERYONE who has played their part in not only keeping the show alive but helping it excel. Congratulations SmackDown on your 400th Birthday. Here’s to 400 more.

…………………………oh yeah, having JBL doesn’t hurt!

JP: Despite your abject laziness at not doing your job at all this week, I’ll let it slide for the props. Four hundred episodes is an insane amount for any show, and I’m glad to see SmackDown! doing so well. Now I wonder on the 500th episode if they’ll have everyone act like Cryme Tyme? I mean, it totally worked for us!

Reader Write-in Hidden Highlights

Hidden Highlights aren’t just for us to find and tell you about, but for you to spot and share with us. Don’t just sit there and stare, but be a more active, attentive, and engaged viewer. Appreciate all the hard work that goes into making the wrestling we have the privilege to watch and then let us know what you caught this and every week.

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

JP: Ok, I’ve gotten over my disappointment… 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 off this week with some older SmackDown and a younger Ted Lach:

I was watching Smackdown the other night, and during the Benoit/MVP match, I noticed something about Benoit’s tights. He had the purple tights on with the “Rabid Wolverine” scratches on them… but on the outsides of his legs, there was a yellow circle. Inside the yellow circle, was a silhouette of a man with his arms outstretched to the sides. When I saw this, the first thing I thought was “Holy! Benoit has merged his tights with Chris Jericho’s!”

I dunno if it was an intentional nod from Benoit to Jericho, or just pure coincidence. Either way, it made me pine for days gone by when Jericho was still performing in that ring.

JP: I have no idea… maybe the tights designer was missing Jericho that week, too? Or maybe Benoit lost his luggage like Sabu and had to borrow someone else’s clothes who happened to have bought a pair of Jericho tights on eBay? You never know… but maybe Chris Jacobs does:

A hidden highlight from a show that me and my friends put on at local gyms. I still wrestle with them just to kind of help out, they do it for charity events and just for fun, and I help show them some stuff so it turns out safe and fun. This Highlight comes from a newbie that I was helping by Jobbing as one of my masked joke characters. He hit a Thez Press and with some stiff punches knocked my mask crooked, the next spot he was supposed to run right for a lionsault, well I could not see to brace it and it would be coming fast, this guy is pretty quick. Anyway, he did the punches, stopped, and then came back with the eye gouge where they grab the side of your head and use the thumb in the eye, but as he did that he moved the mask back so I could actually see out of it, then ran and hit a perfect lionsault that I was able to brace for and go on to have a pretty descent debut match for him.

JP: Thanks for the inside the ring Hidden Highlight! We don’t often get ones from the wrestlers themselves, so this was truly a unique perspective (and a good one at that). Paul Dennett is so jealous of your contribution that he came up with a few of his own:

My first HH comes from last weeks Smackdown when London and Kendrick faced off against Deuce and Domino. I know they’re not the most refined team ever, but even they can add some value to a match. After a couple of minutes of action in which K&L outclassed them, D&D were looking for an opening. Just off camera you could see the beginnings of one of the greasers (sorry, dont know which is which) coming into the ring. As the ref goes over to admonish him, the other D slyly grabs Kendricks hair and drags him toward the corner where he immediately gains the advantage. The highlight for me was how subtly, and quickly this was executed by D&D. The ref only turned round for a second, but the timing was dead on and the ref didn’t see the hair pull, it really emphasized their understanding as a team.

JP: So what you are saying is that D&D are ready for the titles and have some Hidden Highlight skills? I’m with you there. Continue!

The second highlight comes from this years Royal Rumble. During the Hardy’s entrance for their tag match with MNM, Jeff Hardy does his usual posing and then flashes his hand symbols. Usually this is the ‘gun’ sign on both hands, but this time he held up the V1 symbol of his brother with one hand, emphasising how together they are as a team. But it gets better, later in the night when he comes out for the Rumble match he again flashes his hand symbols, this time both are the ‘gun’ signifying how the Rumble is every man for himself, unlike his earlier match.

JP: Yeah, we talked about them doing the combined hand sign before, but I definitely missed the “I’m alone now” hand sign. Good catch! Anything else?

Finally, just a quick mention about Vinnie Jones, obviously starring in The Condemned with Steve Austin. I just remembered a UK PPV called Capital Carnage in which Vinnie Jones was supposed to be an enforcer in the main event featuring Austin versus Kane, Mankind and the Undertaker. He was ejected at the start of the match by Gerald Briscoe, but needless to say returned at the end to help Austin celebrate with a few beers. Who’d have thought in 1998 they’d be co-headlining a major movie 9 years later?

JP: And I can’t believe you only have one British spelled word in there! That made my day. Also, “major” is not what I would use for the Condemned, but it is an interesting coincidence. Maybe that’s how he got in the movie in the first place. Isn’t Nathan Jones in this movie, too? Anyway, J.S. Trudel will get us back on track:

Okay, just two…

John Cena = Gentleman. In the interview with Maria, notice how he briefly took off his hat in the presence of a lady.

JP: I thought he took off his hat since it was a “US Military” hat and he was getting booed pretty heavily. Just have to tell you, US soldiers aren’t very popular in Europe right now, and Cena definitely tries to represent the troops.

A while back the E reintroduced the tag ropes, and more often than not we could see them hanging in the corners. I noticed this during the Cade/Hardy match, since the match was one on one (thus the ropes aren’t necessary), the tag ropes were coiled around the metal turnbuckle! Nice little find for a detail freak like myself.

JP: They do have to go somewhere! Sticking with out theme of multiple write-ins and British people, we have Chris Page and his thoughts:

Couple of hidden highlights from Raw last night, but first some out of date ones because I know how much you LOVE these. Would have sent them earlier but I had food poisoning…

JP: Food poisoning sucks, I know! Go on…

Going back to the Umaga/Estrada vs Lashley handicap match a couple of weeks ago, two points of note. First off, did you notice at all within minutes of the match starting how badly Estrada was sweating? The guy was barely doing anything, yet he was perspiring like a pig on heat. So much so that he removed his shirt shortly afterwards. Underlining maybe that he was incredibly nervous about even being in the ring with Lashley or that he is just another wimpy manager like we’ve seen over the years who can’t do anything vaguely athletic without collapsing.

JP: The funny part is that, much like Daivari, Estrada is a trained professional wrestler with more in-ring skill than his man.

Also during that match, Estrada was barking orders to Umaga as he always does, no big deal. Only this time he was doing so in plain English. Now the Umaga character is supposed to be completely uncultured, right? Estrada usually speaks to him in a foreign tongue – probably just one of those spur of the moment things, but perhaps we can take it as a sign that Umaga is slowly becoming somewhat Americanised so that at least he understands some basic English.

JP: I like your theory for what was most likely a slip up. Hidden Highlights: denial at its best!

As far as this weeks show goes, just a couple to note. First off is one either everyone will get or nobody will. Flair and Carlito were making their entrance along with Torrie. As they all made their way onto the apron, the ref went over to hold the ropes open… for Flair. Now I know if I was the ref, the gentlemanly thing to do would be to hold the ropes open for the lady but Flair being a legend has earned so much respect that people will answer his whim and call first. Or perhaps the ref bats for the other side, I dunno.

JP: No, no, this goes way back to the Horsemen days. Flair always makes refs hold open the ropes for him. Normally, he signals them to do this, but for the past few weeks refs have been doing it unabated (maybe in response to the Horsemen DVD?). As for Torrie, I’ve noticed that Carlito doesn’t even hold open the ropes for her. That just says to me (and the subconscious of most viewers) is that she is just eye candy that nobody really cares about. Well, maybe you do, as we’ll see in a bit…

On the subject of entrances, there was Melina too. Before the fashion show segment, Johnny Nitro was in action and he got the usual paparazzi (paparazzi being an Italian word, by the way, if you want another slightly more obscure non-highlight). Melina followed in the next segment but now there was no paparazzi, not even a red carpet (perhaps they’d used all their film on Nitro). So when they cut away from Melina, what’s the first thing they show? A whole bunch of fans all taking pictures.

JP: Hahaha, I think I wasn’t paying enough attention to that fashion show to miss that one!

While I’m on the subject, this probably isn’t a hidden highlight as such, but I would have assumed (perhaps incorrectly) that the WWE would have prefered Mickie James to win the contest, sometimes in the past they’ve taken, how shall we say, liberties when it comes to judging fan reactions. This time out though, she was CLEARLY third best behind Torrie and Maria, and after the Italian announcer guy seemed to deliberate with himself (and possibly his ear piece) for a moment, they went, quite rightly, with Torrie. Fair play.

JP: I don’t know; if they wanted Mickey to win, you would think they would have her wear something… not so common. Also, they didn’t tone down the competition at all. That said, you are probably right with the stalling and the back deciding what to do. It was close between Torrie and Maria, but Torrie deserved the win, no doubt.

Also not so much of a highlight, but I had to get it off my chest – Jerry Lawler kept noting how the guy at the Italian announce table looked a bit like Tazz, which he did. But he also reminded me somewhat of the Blue Meanie. Can you say ‘ECW bastard child’?

JP: No, I cannot.

Finally during the main event, the fans were reeling off some chants and J.R. noted that they were doing some soccer chants, before changing his stance and noting they actually call it ‘football’. Nice change of position there by J.R., over here in Europe we do indeed say ‘football’ or some variant depending on the country (fotball, fußball). But the ironic thing is, he wasn’t even right on that – Italy is just about the ONLY country in Europe that has its own word for it, that being ‘Calcio’. Don’t ever take foreign language lessons from that man.

JP: With the incorrect things JR says about America (even Oklahoma), fan reactions, and life in general, I wouldn’t take any lessons from him! I would take lessons from Fixxer315 who brings up things even I forgot:

Another in a line of classic Hidden Highlights, and the concept of Battlebowl ensured there would be plenty. I especially like the 91 (at Starrcade) and 93 editions, as the PPV was centered around the Lethal Lottery, with wrestlers in both lockerrooms (heel and face) watching and reacting to the random drawing. The 1993 edition was particularly awesome because Booker T (then known as Cole or Cane) had a front row seat and kept reacting to almost all of the pics. My favorite reaction was during the third matchup, when Ricky Steamboat was picked up. Booker turns to fellow heel (and jobber) Rip Rogers, and says “You can take him.” Roger’s reaction: “No I can’t”. Hilarious stuff, highlighting just how fun WCW could be at times. ALong with the Spin the Wheel and Wargames, this one one ofthe NWA/WCW concepts I wish Vince would give a try at some point (although we saw the first in the form of “Raw Roulette”).

JP: There was a lot of good about NWA/WCW, and this is another example. Man, I really miss WCW. And I wish TIVO existed during the Monday Night Wars. It would have made my life so much easier.

That wraps us this batch, except the people who said they agreed with or thanked JT for his description of Ashley’s laugh-scream. Looks like your confusing ramblings won you a few fans!

JT: This is where I harass you about heckling the readers. Sadly, there’s no time for that so let’s move on!

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!

That Other Section

This week, JT has something for That Other Section.

JT: Didn’t you blow this off last week? Didn’t I *technically* do the most recent installment of this that actually featured anything? Aren’t we pressed for time!? You know what to do!!!

JP: Ummmm… apologize to the readers for your lack of commitment to the column this week, ask their forgiveness, and pray they read us next week as opposed to abandoning us off their “must read” list?

JT: Sure, that sounds professional enough. Let’s do that. Proceed.

JP: Readers, my humble apologies for not overstuffing this issue with more content than the amount of brownies in Steve Cook’s stomach. Please read more of us next week, because in all honesty, what else are you going to read on Monday? Stephen Randle?! Oh lord, protect us from that!

Exit, stage left!

JT: Be sure to check back to the site each and every day for all the great stuff – but in this case more specifically – check back tomorrow for my dip into the Kayfabe Chronicles in which I give Shelton the big gold! Now you KNOW that’s fiction! Have a good week my little polar bears!

JP: Why in the world would they read you after you half-assed it through this column? Heck, even I’m considering skipping it!

Thank you for joining us for THE 86th 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: Hidden Highlights! Until then!