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?



This past week brought us the second televised match for The Bludgeon Brothers on SmackDown Live, but how have they fared so far?

Of course, it is fair to say that the gimmick is cartoon-like, and to feel disappointed that Luke Harper's single push is now definitively over, but this might just be the best thing that could happen to them in the current climate.

They are now 2-0 with both matches barely making it past the two-minute mark, and the squash match does not happen unless WWE has some faith in your future. Also, if we can touch upon their gimmick? Yes, it could not be much more '80s era if they tried, but is that a bad thing? It is fun to have a team so very different from the rest of the division.

Harper and Rowan have spent the best part of five years tagging on and off with each other, yet were never used properly within the tag team division. Their challenges for the titles were few and far in between, because they were mostly helping Bray Wyatt.

Of course, not every team can and should win the titles, but there really was not much case for this pair not doing so. Their proper pursuit of the titles feels like unfinished business, and I would be very happy to see it come to pass.



 Broken Matt Hardy is here! But is it too late?

After losing to Bray Wyatt on Monday Night Raw, the fallen elder Hardy sunk to the lower turnbuckle and proceeded to repeatedly shout the delete chant whilst giving his now infamous hand gesture.

A few days later, Hardy took to YouTube to announce that he had indeed broken.

But if I could just go back to Raw when Hardy was giving off the strongest hints of his broken return. Sadly, to say the crowd went mild would be putting it gently.

How is this possible when Broken Matt Hardy was one of the hottest things in wrestling in 2016? One could argue that this was merely a tired crowd, or that it was filled with casual attendees that knew nothing of Hardy's TNA run. But is it also possible that the lengthy legal battles over the gimmick has diminished the steam that this once had?

They are now going into the Broken Universe with a depleted fuel tank, and I am not sure that WWE writers will quite grasp how to rev up the engine once more. I have faith that Matt is creative enough to reignite the enthusiasm and flame for his brainchild, but only if he is given the chance to do it his way.


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!