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?


There was a lot of excellent wrestling taking place on last week's Raw leading up to Extreme Rules. However, it was the Stephanie and Shane McMahon backstage segment that has really piqued my interest about the weeks to come.

It may have been tiny—almost insignificant even—but despite seemingly being on the same page, there was a look on Stephanie McMahon's face when Shane was not looking that simply reminded us why she should never be trusted. A silent, subtle, sneer that emphasized Stephanie's true colors. What is she up to? How long can the alliance last? (Invasion reference, yay!) And how long before the cracks start to show?

I know that the McMahon dramas are not to everyone's taste, but I enjoy the never-ending circle of coups and cooperation that they embody. Where will the latest one lead? I am looking forward to finding out.



As all wrestling fans will be aware, WWE had a bit of a spring clean of the roster this past week.

They mostly got rid of acts who had served their purpose, or those who had already indicated that they wanted to go, but why on earth did they get rid of Damien Sandow?

Sandow was the definition of a man who could make Caesar Salad with chicken shi*. Much like Heath Slater, he did not complain, he just got on with it and did the best he could with what he was given. The mimic gimmick was probably not supposed to go anywhere, but he still managed to turn it into pure (tag) gold when he became The Miz's stunt double.

Mizdow should have won the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 31 after betraying The Miz, and then gone onto a proper pay-per-view feud with him. Instead, WWE had him betray The Miz, lose the battle royal, and then lose the rights to the gimmick in a throwaway match on SmackDown!

Time and time again, WWE have dropped the ball with Sandow, from having him be the first true Money in the Bank cash-in failure, dropping his popular intellectual savior gimmick, the all too short-lived Rhodes Scholars team, the aforementioned Mizdow gimmick, and finally, the failure to give him anything past the Meta Powers tag team (hardly his fault it had to end!)

I still think that it is a major oversight that Damien did not get to be part of The Social Outcasts. He would have been an obvious fit for the group, and it would have given him some much deserved screen time. Ok, he did not deserve to be a jobber, but at the end of the day, all of those guys are still employed, for now.

Maybe Damien will pull a "Luke Gallows" and go elsewhere until WWE realizes just what they have lost, but until that fateful day, we, the masses, shall await our intellectual savior.


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!