Hidden Highlights 05.21.07: Issue #90

Hidden Highlights
By JP Prag and James “JT” Thomlison

Issue #90

Intro

Hello everyone asking why the pools at the hotels aren’t open yet, 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: What a week! First I went and watched the Pistons play game 5 (by the way, let me just suggest if you are going to go to an NBA Playoff game, spend the extra dough and get yourself the nice, pricey seat that with have you within the first 45 rows on the lower level. The amount of gorgeous women that sit in, roam, and wander the – as MVP would say – “BALLIN!”, seats is ridiculous), and then was told I had the entire weekend off! Karma is on my side this week! Enough about me though, I’d rather draw your attention to fellow 411 writer George Sirios. George did… well, his job… by giving credit to an actress playing a character in a movie he was discussing in last week’s column, and it turns out her father hosts a radio show on WTBQ! So, George will be sitting down with Aaron Braunstein and discussing what I can only assume is the column and the movie among other things. You can go Here at 6 p.m. Wednesday night and click on the “Listen Live” link on the right.

JP: I can’t believe you didn’t write me any lines to break up that large crazy string of thoughts. Oh well, more laziness for me! I’m with the Hidden Highlights!

Hidden Highlights for TNA Presents Sacrifice: Sunday, May 13, 2007 by The Readers

JP: Our entire section is coming from one person: Ross Sims. Ross, take it away…

Ross Sims: As far as Hidden Highlights go, I thought that the entire Sacrifice PPV event was filled with them.

(3) Working it:

The refs were really on the ball, checking shoulders, and defending themselves.

(2) NWA in Continuity:

During the PPV I happened to have made my way to NWAwrestling.com and watched the video announcing that the NWA stripped Cage and 3D of the titles. I noticed that they almost stressed the fact that they were defending the NWA titles, a couple of times.

(1) Me am smarted:

And Tomko, saying about Steiner, this guy thinks that Germany bombed Pearl Harbor. Hilarious. I thought that the show was a definite thumbs up. Have a nice one.

JP: Oh, I’ll come back to the NWA one later. And as for Steiner and Tomko calling him out… classic.

JT: You know, the knock at Steiner was probably less about his intelligence and more about his occasional tendency to not be able to put exactly what he wants to say together in a coherent, sensible sentence. Either way, good times.

Hidden Highlights for WWE RAW: Monday, May 14, 2007 by JP

JP: (1) Take one superpowered babyface. (2) Take an unstoppable giant monster with a limited shelf life. (3) Have the two set to compete on PPV. (4) Have said monster dominate said babyface in every encounter leading up to the big bash. (5) Give the monster a mouthpiece with more charisma than the monster.

Result?

WrestleMania II: Hulk Hogan vs. King Kong Bundy

(3) Is that a dig back?:

Last week I took some time to rip on the Jerry Lawler a bit for comments he said on women’s wrestling five years ago. The Hidden Highlight was how easy it is for him to lie for the sake of character and television, which made me question where else he was lying/manipulating ::cough::Memphis::cough::. Of course, this is the man who kept up the Andy Kauffman ruse for the better part of 20 years, so we know how much kayfabe he is capable of.

Anyway, this week Melina made her entrance down to the announce table and JR started to ask the King how excited he was to see Melina. Actually, his exact words were, “I know this going to be one of the highlights of the night for you.” Was the choice of that particular word a dig back at yours truly, or just merely a coincidence? We all know JR has a lot more time on his hands since he moved back to OK, and that he post a blog everyday now where he inevitably talks about some internet writer without naming them. Could it be that I got my turn at bat?

Decide for yourself.

(2) Get in here:

Later in the evening, the newly re-evil-ized Carlito took on everyone’s favorite porn star Val Venis. Late into the matchup, Carlito and Val continued to fight outside the ring. The referee—now with shoot fight rules engaged—began to count the two out (very loudly I might add). Carlito then brought Val close to the ring and argued with the referee, seemingly breaking up the count. But on no, that was not to be! Despite spending a good few moments talking to Carlito, the referee picked up his count right where he left off! I can’t put over how refreshing it is to have competent referees and to have them enforce the rules and their authority. This is what should have happened after the “referee strike” a few years back, but I’m so happy just to see it now.

(1) Quick fix:

In a different match earlier in the evening, Jeff Hardy managed to score a pinfall victory over Trevor Murdoch. Late in their match, Jeff Hardy went for a whisper-in-the-wind off of the top rope. It was very obvious that Murdoch was too close and that Jeff was going to go sailing past him. If Murdoch sold the move, it would have been one of those “groan this is so unreal” moments. Instead, Jeff Hardy did something both physically amazing and smart. While in midair and upside down, Hardy saw that he was going to fly right over Murdoch. Instead of just letting it happen, he instead reached out his hands and caught Murdoch in a reverse neckbreaker! Definite kudos go to Hardy for this simply astounding feat.

JT: You know what I found odd? After Lashley had pinned Coach, Umaga and Shane proceeded to give him a pretty good beating, thus eliminating the “no contact unless provoked” rule… for Shane and Umaga! Vince never touched him and therefore had not provoked Lashley, so why did he run? As I said, it is a complete lack of booking and continuity because it has been pointed out before in situations like this that the rule applies specifically and individually per wrestler (although the condition is usually applied to a one on one matchup as opposed to a “group” of people, so I could be completely wrong and you can all feel free to call me an idiot over it) and so some may knock it. That being said, I found it quite funny that Vince was running for his life for no reason at all when he could have merely done nothing, let Lashley hit him, and actually fire him. Maybe Vince isn’t REALLY on his game after all!

Hidden Highlights for ECW on SciFi: Tuesday, May 15, 2007 by JT

JT: Vince gets plenty of shit-talking in, Rob Van Dam gets a victory over Snitsky – if you can call it that, CM Punk defies the rib injury odds to get a win over Stevie Richards, Burke is doing what he can to direct the New Breed traffic, Nunzio doesn’t stand a chance against Kevin Thorn, the Extreme Expose is here… that’s all I’ve got (although in fairness, since they’ve started, they’ve certainly gotten more coordinated in their routines), and Striker gets himself in even more trouble by tagging himself in and then losing to Bobby Lashley! Also, am I way off, or does Ariel have some unusually large ears?

(3) Is the ref showing favoritism?:

While completely dominating his match with Nunzio, Kevin Thorn managed to get him on his knees and hanging over/by the second rope. He then reached over the top rope and began to deliver blows to the chest of Nunzio. Does the ref begin the count because of the ropes? Nope, he actually interjects himself between the two to pull Thorn off of him. I was just thinking, “why!?”. Does he feel that Nunzio is at such a disadvantage he HAS to physically get Thorn off of him? It just struck me as a little humorous that the ref would put himself into physical harm’s way rather than give Thorn the extra four seconds (of the five count) to dish out punishment to the little guy clearly undersized little guy.

(2) The body is quicker than the eye:

So apparently after a few offenses moves by Rob Van Dam, Snitsky decided that he had had enough, and it was time to just snap yet again. He went and got a chair, circled the ring, and just gave a SICK head shot to RVD on the outside, getting himself disqualified… or so I thought. He did get himself disqualified, but that head shot I talked about was very misleading to the eye. When they showed the replay, something just looked a little off, so I backed it up and watched it in slow motion, and sure enough it wasn’t a head shot at all! In a showing of AMAZING timing between these men, a split second before the chair connected, Rob Van Damn managed to quickly lower his head just enough so that the brunt of the shot was actually taken by his upper back/shoulder blade part of his body! I’d have to assume that they discussed this before the match because with Snitsky’s character being so brutal, you really would want it to appear to be a straight on head shot, while at the same time keeping RVD completely safe somehow. So just a good plan and GREAT execution on both guys to make this the sickest looking yet safest “headshot” possible.

(1) Now THAT is incapacitating your opponent:

During the match between Stevie Richards and CM Punk, Richards had Punk on the ground and began to attempt to rip off the tape that Punk had around his injured ribs (thank you Marcus Cor Von). As he was doing so, Punk continuously hammered on his arm and back, trying to prevent him from succeeding. As we saw though, Richards did succeed, and as soon as he did, he delivered a few punches to the ribs. Now, the SECOND that his first punch landed, Punk IMMEDIATELY went limp and his arms dropped. No hitting, no fighting, no nothing. To me, this was the PERFECT sell of a rib injury. Look, anyone from age 8 to 80 will tell you that if you have a fractured, cracked, or even bruised rib, that shit is no fun at all. It’s painful to breathe let alone move. Much like the aforementioned chair shot, I thought that the timing on Punk’s part (and his lack of action) was just beautifully executed.

JP: People often complain about RVD working stiff or unsafe, but he is always willing to take it as much as dish it out. The difference is RVD knows how to make something that looks brutal a little safer. If you look at his track record, RVD has only had 2 major injuries that kept him out for significant periods of time. Compare that to someone like Batista who has had three major injuries in the past two years. Grounding yourself does not mean safer, kids! It’s a matter of training your body correctly (including stretching before and after matches. I cannot stress how important stretching is!), eating smart, not ingesting outside elements, and knowing your own limits.

Hidden Highlights for TNA iMPACT: Thursday, May 17, 2007 by JP

JP: I guess you could call this the first day of the TNA era in TNA. I had actually watched Cornette present the titles on TNA Today web programming, but it’s totally different seeing them on TV and around people’s waists. I’m going to miss the NWA titles… a lot. I really thought this was the last chance to resurrect the NWA name and have it mean something again. Now because the NWA is so keen on controlling the belts and pleasing all of its tiny members, the belt will get one last run as it fades into obscurity once and for all. I know I’m usually much more of an optimist, or at least keep my mind open to all possibilities, but this doesn’t hurt TNA and only hurts the NWA. Now they have no television (save for MavTV in about 20 homes), no income sharing with TNA (the biggest member), and no way to promote other events or use the TNA name to their advantage. The only way I can see a turnaround is if the NWA can work out some type of deal with ROH or resign itself to forget the American market. The NWA title could flourish in Japan, but they don’t really need it either. So NWA, I’ll miss you again, but my loyalty is now to TNA, just like it went to WCW when they split from you nearly 20 years ago.

(3) Picture in a frame:

As you know, I always enjoy checking out backgrounds and items that are added to sets and scenes. One of my favorite places to look around is Jim Cornette’s office because they are always adding new things there. This week, we saw the office at the end of the show with a few notable items. There were a lot more toys on the shelf than last time, Cornette got a new phone, and he now owns a calculator. Those were all fine and dandy, but there was only one item that was Hidden Highlight worthy! To the viewer perspective left, there was a new silver picture frame on Cornette’s desk. The funny part? The frame was turned around so that the picture side was facing the audience and the picture was… NOTHING! There was no picture in there at all, just the instructions for how to put a picture in the frame! That’s even better than the fake family you sometimes see in those things. Oh TNA props department, five points for trying!

(2) Keeping it kayfabe:

Earlier in the evening, Alex Shelley and TNA X-Division Champion Chris Sabin teamed up to take on Jerry Lynn and New Japan visiting star Tiger Mask IV. This was one of those moments when it is really great to have Mike Tenay around because he took the time to explain the entire history of Tiger Mask and why he’s a big deal in Japan. But I noticed something in particular that he did. Although he named the original Tiger Mask by his true name, he never called Tiger Mask IV by his true name, actually referring to him as “this man”. Although Tenay definitely knows what his name is, I like that he kept up the kayfabe of Japan, even though it would not have meant anything in the States or TNA. Tenay showed great respect in that moment and it reminded me what is so good about him.

(1) A little love to history:

It used to be when a wrestler passed away, a move he made famous or executed well was named after him. Take for instance Louie Spicolli. Hardy famous in any way, when he passed away Tommy Dreamer renamed his Death Valley Driver after Spicolli since Spicolli used it as his finisher. It didn’t matter that Dreamer was in ECW and Spicolli was in WCW, it was just respect. In our days of copyright laws and retcons, this tradition is almost never acknowledged. So I was quite surprised to catch one during a Sacrifice replay moment (yes, this could have been in the section above, sue me!). As they were showing clips from the Jeff Jarrett/Robert Roode match, I distinctly heard Don West say, “He hit him with the Perfect-plex!” Instead of saying fisherman-buster or even more generic fisherman-suplex, Don West actually called it the Perfect-plex! This showed a great amount of respect for the passed away wrestler, and also showed Don’s growing knowledge of history. Nice work West!

JT: I can’t wait to see this episode. I am really interested in seeing the TNA Championship belt. I have seen a picture, and also the 3 X 3 inch video on tnawrestling.com, but I still can’t tell exactly what that bad boy looks like!

Hidden Highlights for WWE SmackDown!: Friday, May 18, 2007 by JT

JT: We kick things off with MVP getting a win over Hardy, he’s confident going into his match at Judgment Day, Jimmy Yang Wang pins Chavo while D & D deal with the Hooliganz, Mark Henry sneezes to victory over Funaki, Benoit also gets a win (albeit by DQ) heading into Sunday, Ozzy is here to jam, Miz… is Miz, Vicki Guerrero re-arrives on the scene, and Edge is ready for battle with Big Dave! For the record, I refuse to give the Boogeyman a HH three out of four weeks or whatever it is, but I will say that I noticed when Regal went to bounce of the ropes to head towards Kane, Boogeyman – who was close to the nearest corner – took a very small swipe at Regal’s leg which missed. You can feel free to give him your own dap for that for reasons I’m sure you recognize, but I am taking a stand damnit, positivity or not.

(3) Uh… preparedness anyone?:

So not sure how “entertaining” it was, but could anyone else not notice all the odd little changes in the six-man tag match? No car for Deuce & Domino (probably the arena)? Deuce simply sits Cherry on the ring? Paul London wearing the handkerchief mask instead of the usual matching one with Kendrick? Don’t know if this match was thrown together last minute, and maybe the E (and London) wasn’t prepared for this match to be on the card; just seemed odd to me that everything was out of the norm.

JP: Sorry to interject, but did you notice that there was a ramp there on SmackDown!? That could explain the no car thing. Plus Cherry literally had to roll down the ramp and be caught by Deuce and Domino (thus answering the question of do those skates roll).

JT: It wasn’t a double taping… why was there a ramp? That’s even weirder!

(2) To appreciate the little, don’t forget the big:

I have actually set aside a Hidden Highlight for this one time before (ironically for a match between the same two men), and I am going to do it again as a little reminder. My Hidden Highlights props are going to go to the entire Benoit vs. Finlay match. Yes, the entire match. Nothing specific, nothing in particular, no small move, no nothing. The entire match. If you can watch a match by these two and not be at the very least mildly inspired that there is indeed some good in professional wrestling, then maybe you should just stop watching. Was it their best encounter, not at all (not even by far actually), but it was still a fine match. We as “inside” fans tend so often to watch wrestling with the non-kayfabe stuff, the politics, and the bullshit that goes on outside of the ring. In a small way, HH is a bit of guilty of distraction as well, as we ask for everyone to constantly have their eyes wandering looking for the little things, noticing the things you usually wouldn’t. The thing to remember is that how much you focus on all of the little stuff going on, you have to be able to open those eyes up wide and just enjoy what you see in front of you. So I say this, I ask this favor; the next time you have a couple of guys the likes of Finlay and Benoit in the ring, don’t look for Hidden Highlights. Simply forget everything else you know about the professional world of wrestling, forget that you’re looking for that little niche’ or nitpick to hang on to, and just sit back and embrace some of the great entertainment that some of the talented guys on the roster can provide.

(1) Mark Henry – Safety Inspector!:

Well, this week I’m going to give Mark Henry some love! During his match with Funaki, Funaki (to the puzzlement of everyone I think) went up to the top rope and then attempted a Cross Bodyslam on the big man. Naturally, he caught him. He then lifted him up and drove him down with the Worlds Strongest Slam . What you may not have noticed though, is that as Funaki was about halfway down (around Henry’s chest level), Henry actually hesitated for literally a fraction of a second, managing to slow him down a bit before slamming him home. Not much to say about that; just think that a lot of times big men don’t get credit for being safe, and he wanted to make sure Funaki’s velocity had slowed while still being able to make it look impressive. Kudos to Henry – a man who knows a thing or two about injury – to make sure he didn’t cause one.

JP: With your second one there, I think back to the RAW you and I were at in Dayton, OH. Those two battle royals in a row just made us mark out like no tomorrow and get caught up in the match. There is nothing like being totally lost in a match and just enjoying what you’ve got.

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: REMEMBER ALL, THERE WAS A PAY-PER-VIEW YESTERDAY, AND WE COULD REALLY USE YOUR HIDDEN HIGHLIGHTS FROM JUDGMENT DAY!!! Wait, it’s almost like I copied JT’s words from last week. Anyway, *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 RC who wrote in twice to cancel himself out, but then ended with a thought:

Dunno if this is one too, but Mr Kennedy’s briefcase now had the rated R logo on it, just one day after edge won it.

JP: Yes, I was quite impressed that the briefcase got painted up (or a new one made) in less than a day. I wonder, though, if they just took Edge’s old case out of storage. I know RVD painted up his, but I can’t seem to recall if Edge had his painted at all. Anyone remember?

JT: Yes, I remember. It wasn’t. They made a big deal about RVD getting it painted by the same guy (supposedly) who he has airbrush his tights. Edge carried the black one the whole year.

JP: …like I’m trust you. What about you, Chris Page:

I’m fourfold.

JP: Hmmmm… interesting… do go on…

First one I’ve got relates to one I pointed out a few weeks ago, when I noted that Armando Estrada had been barking orders out in English to Umaga. Following on from that was one from Backlash that just occurred to me, when Shane McMahon tells Vince backstage that he “just talked to Umaga” and notes how Umaga is down with their plan. Which means either Umaga can indeed converse in English or Shane secretly speaks Samoan (or whatever).

But it doesn’t end there. Over the course of the two McMahon-Umaga handicap matches we’ve had, they’ve been doing more of the same (with some gesturing thrown in for good measure) but the real highlight for me comes from how Umaga has advanced during this time. Against Lashley at Backlash, Umaga was taking orders and having to be told what to do when it came to sticking with a game plan. But against Rob Van Dam this week on ECW, it was like Umaga had evolved and was actually learning what he had to do. Every time he hit a big move on Van Dam, he was going over and making the tag on his own accord without needing to be told what to do. You could almost hear him saying “OK, this must be the bit where I slap the hand of the old dude in the do-rag”. And Vince only ever demanded the tag at the end when he was at his most anxious to get in after the splash/spike and he KNEW he’d get a successful pin this time.

JP: I like how you paced this out step-by-step, and it definitely convinced me. I was a bit perplexed when Shane said he has just talked to Umaga, but you laid it out in an order and way that makes sense overall. All right, you’ve earned the right to continue.

Also on the ECW show, I don’t know if I got this one right, BUT when The Sandman was making his entrance, they cut to a sign in the crowd reading “Hey Sandman I need a beer”. No big deal there, except I could have sworn it was being held by what looked like a twelve year old girl. Must be a Pittsburgh thing…

JP: Bwa hahahahaha! I’ve spent A LOT of time in Pittsburgh and let me just say… it’s a very Pittsburgh thing. Good wings at the Red Star Tavern, by the way. I think they still have 25-cent wing night on Tuesday. Maybe I need to go back to Pittsburgh…

Matt Hardy on Smackdown was selling a knee injury for what must be at least the third week running (though he never seems to have any problems on Raw…) and is becoming a theme for him. Anyway, at one point, MVP shot him into the ropes and hit a move before going for the pin. I was going to point out the way he hooked the leg to put more pressure on the knee, but Michael Cole caught that one first. But at the same time, when Hardy was thrown into the ropes, instead of running as he usually would, he sort of clomped along like someone would if they were running with a leg injury. Nice touch.

JP: That it is, nothing to add there!

On a final note, during the Edge/Kennedy encounter on Raw, when Edge jumped Kennedy on the ramp, the briefcase went flying down the side of the ramp. Two minutes later when Edge had won, it had already been quickly retrieved and ready to be handed over to Edge, all done off camera. Not necessarily a big hidden highlight but another sign of what a smooth operation is run by the WWE.

JP: Props to the production crew! One day I’m going to give them rolling credits at the end of this column! Our next one is from… errr… Chris Page, who just can’t seem to shut up this week:

Just a few.

JP: You and I have very different definitions of “a few”.

Starting with that bastion which houses most hidden highlights… Sunday Night Heat. Val Venis was fighting some guy and during the match began selling a knee injury. Venis ends up with the victory, and the first thing he does upon winning, just at the bottom of the picture is remove the kneepad on the injured leg. Naturally it would have served its purpose in lessening the damage during the match but once it was over, he takes it off to stop any constriction around the knee and he even rubbed the injury a bit to get the blood flowing. All done without the knowledge that we could see all this. I guess these are those veteran qualities then.

JP: I think the real Hidden Highlight is that Val Venis won a match! I’ve seen him lose against jobbers on HEAT!

On Raw meanwhilst, Lawler managed to cover up nicely during the Michaels/Edge segment when they were on dueling mics. Edge is getting angry and accepting Shawn Michaels’ challenge to a match, only at this point Shawn hadn’t actually made a challenge yet. Lawler twists it around to make it sound like Edge is making the challenge and then says that he saw Michaels mouthing “you got it” (I certainly didn’t see him say it on camera unless I’m going blind).

JP: No, I think I caught him say it. I thought they only thing that was missing from the segment was Edge going, “Ok, Shawn, I’m not going to play these verbal games; I know where this is going so we might as well go there.”

Speaking of Lawler, I also had to appreciate the little heelishness he still possesses. Asides from his insistence on still hating the original ECW from time to time despite being a face now (continuity!), for the last weeks he’s been calling the Candice/Melina feud right down the middle. Stick Melina next to him in the booth – a heel who is right there in conversation with him (and she’s an attractive girl to boot), and Lawler goes into instant suck-up mode. I never really thought about it before, but when I consider it, he does it every time anyone goes on guest commentary.

JP: I also enjoy when heels shake his hand and refuse to acknowledge JR.

On ECW, a couple of things to note. First during the Thorn/Nunzio match, specifically after Thorn had hit the Dark Kiss for the win. Kudos to Thorn for the way in which he covered, dragging Nunzio slightly as one of his feet was just slightly below the ropes, to ensure the pin would automatically be counted. But more-so to the ref. Plenty of talk has gone on about the way they have been checking the shoulders before making the count but this was the first time I’ve noticed a ref do it relatively seamlessly. Before the refs would stop, check the shoulders, stop again and then make the count. This time – one flowing motion that wastes no time at all. Suggests they might be getting used to it.

JP: Practice makes perfect.

Also worth noting the Bobby Lashley video package they had during the show (not the ones capping his feud, the one where they show clips of him hitting big moves and end with his name on the screen). Noting untoward there, several wrestlers have them. Lashleys was interesting in that they only showed him hitting moves on two different guys – Hardcore Holly for whom they don’t need to worry about making look like a million dollars right now since they haven’t mentioned him in weeks anyway since his injury. The other? Rob Van Dam, who they may as well start the inevitable burying of now. “Who cares if the package makes Van Dam look a little weak, he’s going anyway” is the mindset.

JP: Sorry, I’m getting tired.

And finally one that EVERYONE will get, but it’s brilliant anyway. When the New Breed were entering for the main event and they stopped to pose in front of the entrance, Burke was quick to thrust a hand out to stop Matt Striker as if to hold him back a little from the limelight that he was more than happy to share with Cor Von. Still in the bad books clearly. Damn Burke has been bringing the awesome lately.

That said, when they walked down to the ring, Striker did actually make his way to the front which I was ready to translate as a show of defiance or hint at an end-of-match face turn until he began singing Strikers praises once on the mic. While on the subject, has Striker always had those tights with the letters on them? Never noticed them before.

JP: I think I’ve seen them once, but he’s been wearing pink tights most of the time.

And a final pre-emptive hidden highlight. Naturally they had no time to remove Sabu from the opening credits this week, who wants to bet he’ll be gone come next? Ariel too now, I guess, although she didn’t have quite a noticeable spot on the reel as Sabu did.

JP: Well keep a look out because I rarely watch the opening credits… or video packages for that matter.

JT: Uh, gotta stop both of you there. Actually, most of Sabu was taken out of the reel, except for one split second clip. As Meehan pointed out, the only thing they left in was Sabu taking that viscous POUNCE from Cor Von, and noted how that was done intentionally to bury him.

JP: Yes, yet again, Meehan has taken the liberty of putting a Hidden Highlight in his column instead of writing us. Shame on you Meethief! Now for something different, Matt Christensen would like to send out a dedication:

Those of us in the IWC and those of you who write the reviews of the wrestling shows at times take for granted the knowledge we have and use it without much of a care to the general population. This HH is dedicated to those fans who are more casual followers of professional wrestling.

During the MCV/Punk match two weeks ago, the ending comes when MCV hits the Pounce on Punk. Well what was hidden from us in the IWC is that it was actually the first time it was called “The Pounce” on air since his debut in ECW. We knew it was the pounce, TNA knew it was the pounce, but the casual fan just knew it as a devestating shoulder tackle that took out Sabu one night. It was nice to hear that the WWE finally decided to acknowledge the move by the same name we all knew it as already.

JP: I was sooooo glad they decided to start calling the move by a name… any name… nonetheless its real name. I hate the “what a move!” nonsense. I noticed something else during that match. Tazz started comparing Cor Von to several football players over time. The funny part? Cor Von was a football player! Hell, the man even played in a SuperBowl! It’s a shame they’ve retconned out that part of his life since I think it helps his story more than hiders it. Well, I won’t let that drag me down as Cory Van Slyke has a couple of more good ones:

1) During the rundown for the Judgment Day PPV, the faces were in a bright background, while the heels were in a fiery background

2) I wasn’t able to submit this one last week, but on the site, when advertising the IC title match for last week, the called it “Marella’s first TELEVISED title defense”

JP: Better late than never, and that second one is a fantastic call. With another double is Adam Nelson:

I have two hidden highlights for you.

From Raw. during Edge’s promo, when he was talking about facing Batista, he said something along the lines of “and yes, I’m talking to you,” which could be a reference to the Wrestlemania 21 commercial Batista was in with the “You talkin’ to me?” line.

From ECW, in the Nunzio/Thorn match, when Nunzio was making his comeback, he bounced off the ropes near Ariel a couple times. A split second after he bounced off the ropes, you could see her reaching for his leg as if she was trying to trip him, but wasn’t able to catch it in time.

JP: Maybe that’s why she was let go? I kid, I kid. I’m actually rather sad to see Ariel go as she has really grown on me. If they didn’t want her with Throne why not just move her to RAW? They need a few women over there (Jillian should go too), especially some that don’t look exactly alike. James Giles laments the same loss:

I have two HHs. During the Thorn/Punk match, if you watch Ariel in the background, every time Punk kicks Thorn in the stomach, she grabs her midsection and winces like she just took the shot herself. This plays on how close the two are.

For a while now Edge has been the R rated Superstar. There was a point in his match with HBK this week where HBK is just barely hanging onto Edge by clinging to Edge’s waistband, while using his body to push Edge into the corner. Because HBK is supposed to be very worn down, his hand is pulling Edge’s tights down. Like most people, I never really wondered what the guys wear under their tights, but assume that they have some kind of underwear on. But Edge is sporting some type of skimpy undies deal. Not g string, but in that area. More than likely a jockstrap but only R rated Edge would wrestle in a thong.

JP: Yeah… I don’t even want to think about that scene anymore, or the fact that right at that moment JR said, “HBK going downstairs”. Ah! I thought about it again!!! Damn you!!! Tremaine Ogarro comes up with some crazier thoughts:

Not sure this is a HH but during last week’s SD Kane/Taylor mat Mr. Boogey and his little friend were doing god knows what on the other side of the ring. More than once Regal, Kane, Taylor had strange “wtf” on their faces while eyeing Boogey. Post-match was funnier because while Boogey (offering some worms) Kane started distancing himself FROM Boogey and had a “What did I get myself into? He’s crazier than my ass” look on his face. If only they could have a 7 man freak battle royal between Boogey, Kane, Umaga, Thorne (he’d be the first to go), Kahli, Taker.. “Who’s king of the freaks?”.. Ah, didn’t think so.

JP: I’m a big fan of facial expressions, especially from future Hidden Highlights Hall of Famer William Regal. Moving backwards in time Travis Bucklaschuk has some interesting ones:

While watching TNA’s Against all Odds 2006 PPV (ESPN Classic kicks all ass for replaying these on free TV.) when Abyss finished tearing up the wall, one of the fans actually took it upon himself to hold part of the broken panel of wood back from action. It shows that some fans regardless of who they like/dislike actually look out for the safety of the stars.

JP: Whoa whoa whoa, back the soul train up! When does ESPN Classic do this? All I ever see on that network is boxing from 1952 and poker from two years ago. When do these PPVs for free happen?

During the same match, I have to applaud TNA’s production crew for their camera work then showing the replay’s of Abyss falling through the tables. The shot from afar with the tables behind the stands and watching Abyss fall back was surreal.

JP: Now I really want to see it… jerk.

Earlier in the PPV Alex Shelley had one of the best tags I’ve seen in a long time. Instead of working (I think it was Jay Lethal) back to the corner for the tag to Petey Williams, he tried with his hand but missed. While it looked like he’d have to pull him over after all that work for a tag, he then extended his foot to which Petey slapped for the legal tag. I am now starting to see why people see Alex Shelley as a god in the ring.

JP: They certainly do chant his name a lot at the iMPACT Zone.

Then back in the year of 1997 Shawn Michaels said something that spawned a catch phrase of an Ex-WWE Champion known as John Bradshaw Layfield. Michaels was on a rant about something and went on to start to claim to being a Wrestling God, only to be cut off by Triple H (During the early days of DX, when Michaels was the WWE Champ.) After hearing that I was reminded of a reader-write in from a few weeks ago about a comment on Vince’s hair and shaving it and years later it getting shaved, and look here it happens again.

JP: Ok, so Hidden Highlight retconning is totally allowed! Closing out this week, Jay 2K Winger sent in a bunch, but I decided to focus in on his more unique ones:

I’ve lately gotten big into Ring of Honor, and I’m sure with their impending PPV debut, they’ll probably get some column time in the most positive article in the IWC. From the DVDs I’ve watched so far, I’m sure you guys will be overflowing with things to talk about.

JP: Sucking up will only help get your wish fulfilled. That said, ROH will only become a regular feature should they get a television show in my area.

The one I want to talk about is the most recent DVD I watched, “The Bitter End,” from November 4, 2006. There were a number of humorous and clever moments during the course of the show. One that comes to mind came after the finish of the Matt Sydal/KENTA match. Samoa Joe (then in a feud, of sorts, with anyone from Pro Wrestling NOAH) comes out to congratulate KENTA and says KENTA earned his respect, and then asks him to go back to NOAH and deliver a message to Morishima and Kobashi, “and it’s a message which transcends all languages.” There’s a pause, and then Joe slaps the taste out of KENTA’s mouth. That’s not the highlight. The highlight is the lone fan in the crowd, who MILLISECONDS before the slap, calls it audibly. The fans in Philadelphia are some of the smartest (also smark-iest) in the world, and that one moment more or less clinched it for me.

JP: I used to live in Philadelphia, and let me just tell you that it does not stop with the wrestling fans!

Also during the show, there was a tag match between Jay & Mark Briscoe and Davey Richards & Delirious. During the match, there were a few instances when someone came over the PA to ask the owner of a car (and they read off the license plate) to move it. After the second or third time, Delirious takes a moment after taking down one of the Briscoes to shout, “Move that car, goddammit!” Given that it was one of the few times I’ve heard Delirious say an entire sentence in understandable English, I’d call that a highlight. Maybe not hidden, but hey.

JP: I think it’s hilarious that an announcement over the PA system happened (a) during a match and (b) stayed on a post-produced PPV. That’s just too hilarious!

Well all, as you can see we accept Hidden Highlights from anywhere. So keep them coming and we’ll keep printing (a fair amount) of them.

JT: No, you’ll keep printing a fair amount of them as you clearly do them when you’re half comatose! I only the other hand will faithfully continue to print each and every letter we get for the week. It’s what I do. And did you just learn the term retcon this week? Because it was heavy in the issue.

JP: No! It’s called a theme, you jerk!

JT: ….and?

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, JP has something for That Other Section.

MORE COPYRIGHT LAWS

JT: I thought I told you nobody was interested.

JP: Apparently not true as we got some feedback! Regular Manu Bumb asks for a little business law clarification:

“If you don’t want to read that (or can’t figure out the garble), let me break it down for you. In 2002, WWFE filed a trademark for “RVD” and “Rob Van Dam” for use in any entertainment genre. The most telling thing was this, though:

NEITHER “RVD” NOR “ROB VAN DAM” IDENTIFIES A PARTICULAR LIVING INDIVIDUAL

So therefore Meehan was right! RVD the character and name is completely owned by the E. Additionally, anything that shows the current person playing “Rob Van Dam” has the consent of one “Robert Szatfowski”, meaning that the E has all the legal ground and Van Dam is screwed. Guess he could always change his name to “Bob Cam Mam”. That’ll work!”

But doesn’t WWE trademark everything? I remember even Christy Hemme’s name was trademarked when she worked for them, but obviously they didn’t maintain the rights to her name when she left. I think that was a case of them trademarking it for use to prevent other companies from using the same name at the same time.

I’m not saying this means RVD will retain the rights, just that he might not be screwed after-all. Guess we’ll find out soon enough.

JP: No, they don’t trademark their name because trademark implied ownership. The WWE actually registers peoples’ names for VERY SPECIFIC uses, notably promoting events, products with their features, and appearances. Those people also have to give the WWE permission to use their real names for situations like that, which is documented at the patent office. As a matter of fact, you can find one for Robert Szatfowski giving permission for the WWE to use his likeness for video games, t-shirts, action figures, etc….

This is actually why Test changed his name from “Andrew Martin” to “Andrew Test Martin”. He wanted to continue to use the name “Test” and if it was his real name than the WWE would have no legal ground to trademark it. Even if they tried, the trademark would be thrown out. Unfortunately, RVD never changed his name to RVD, nor did he ever register RVD as a trademark he owned. This is unlike Christian, who owns the trademark to “Christian Cage”. So it is not inconceivable to just call him “Christian” for short. Or look at the opposite in Tomko. The WWE owns the mark for “Tyson Tomko”, but Tomoko’s real name is “Travis Tomko”. So “Tyson” the character is owned by the WWE, but Tomko will always have “Tomko” because that is his name.

Hope that helps out, though Brad McLeod has another idea:

Just wanted to point out a little something. The “E” may have copywritten RVD and Rob Van Dam, but, the man isn’t screwed, actually.

A long long time ago, in a galaxy called WCW, Rob Van Dam debuted under the name Robbie V. (against Scotty Flamingo, no less), so that is a name that is close, and familiar to fall back on.

JP: One problem with this: RVD doesn’t own the name Robbie V. Also, the WWE owns WCW and all of its history. If it chooses, the WWE could easily say that “Robbie V” is a name that has appeared on WWE programming (through the WCW footage they own) and therefore they have the copyright.

Might I point out that there are several types of copyright, and one of them does is called an Unregistered Copyright. Take In Defense Of… for instance. I have not registered the concept of an article defending certain points in wrestling history, but it could be proven in court that it was an original concept I designed and that I have a legal right to its use. So if the WWE started printing an article on their website called “In Defense Of…”, I would have the legal right to say that they are stealing my intellectual property, even though I never registered it with the government.

Here, the WWE could do the same to RVD. They can say “Robbie V” is part of the intellectual property package that WWE bought from Time Warner and that they have the legal control over that name. And you know what? They are right. This can be proven even more as if it can be shown that a WCW employee at the time came up with the name “Robbie V” and not RVD himself, thus proving again that vis-à-vis acquisition that it belongs to the WWE.

Now, RVD’s real first name is Robert, so he could be called “Rob”. As for the rest of it? He’ll have to get creative.

JT: uh… yeah… they’ll change it to Rob Vann Damm and move on. That’s a horrible idea, but I do not feel like interjecting myself into this whole copyright conversation with the readers. Why? Because I’m just happy that Christian Cage has his name copyrighted, of course!

Exit, stage left!

JT: Just want to give a big “fuck you” to the people who moved Friday Night Lights to Friday’s at like 10 p.m. Congratulations NBC on continuing to fuck people in the ass. Have a great week my little symbiotes!

JP: I would like to give the same sentiment to the people who cancelled Veronica Mars. Yeah, Gossip Girls, Life is Wild, and CW Now are much better choices. Time Warner or Viacom, you couldn’t think of something better to like move the show to one of your cable networks? How could Veronica Mars not fit into TNT or TBS? God, I’m going to have no shows to watch in the fall outside of wrestling, cartoons, and things based on comic books (re: Heroes and its spin-off). Sarah Connors Chronicles doesn’t even premier until January (and most likely I will start to like it and it will be cancelled after 13 episodes [see: Blade – The Series]). Well, I guess it’s time to start to get a complete run of Inuyasha or something.

Thank you for joining us for THE 90th 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!