Smark Out Moment

Welcome to another edition of Cheap Pop and Cheap Heat from Smark Out Moment! Each week, we break down the world of professional wrestling and examine two of the polar opposite ends of the spectrum: one thing that was by far the worst thing (Cheap Heat) and the best thing (Cheap Pop) to happen over the past 7 days in sports entertainment. So, what went down this week that we loved and hated about the business?


When AJ Styles was paired with Chris Jericho, many were quick to stamp their feet and scream that AJ was being buried, misplaced, and deserved far more than the tag team division.

However, things can change quickly in WWE, and one should always approach such thoughts with a degree of caution, rather than outright assumption.

Case in point, nobody was surprised when Roman Reigns won at WrestleMania earlier this month, but the same cannot be said of AJ Styles being the number one contender to his championship.

That is not to say his ability is not worthy of such a place, but more Vince McMahon's general attitude towards smaller guys, and those that are not home-grown within the WWE universe.

Ok, nobody is really expecting AJ Styles to take the title off Roman Reigns come Payback, but at the very least, it does mean that we can look forward to at least a couple more entertaining promo exchanges and battles.

Plus, having him clash with Styles (see what I did there!) means WWE may have to continue down the far more entertaining heel (ish) Roman Reigns route, for there is no chance in hell he could ever be the babyface against The Phenomenal One.



Have we seen too many NXT stars transfer to the main WWE roster too soon?

For starters, WrestleMania gave us the official official transition for Sami Zayn. Then, the post-WrestleMania Raw and SmackDowns saw the debut of Enzo, Big Cass, Apollo Crews, and The Vaudevillians.

After WrestleMania has obviously become the official graduation time for many NXT stars, but is this approach damaging? How much of a chance do the comical Vaudevillians have of getting over when we have just seen the explosive Enzo and Cass? Apollo Crews's performance has been outstanding thus far, but will WWE Creative be able to give him the attention and time he deserves?

Sadly, probably not, especially when one considers that The Balor Club might be coming soon.

It is great to have them here, but I hope WWE brought them up for the right reasons, and not just because it is now a tradition.


So there you have it, my two choices for the week. What do YOU think are the Cheap Pop and Cheap Heat this week in professional wrestling? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!