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?



In terms of lineage, the Raw tag belts have the far grander and richer history than the blue brand's counterparts. However, could you really tell given how the respective divisions are booked?

Whereas Raw treats the duel champions as an undercard filler, SmackDown Live has continued to make it feel like an important part of the show.

For instance, this past week's episode kicked off with the very funny coronation ceremony for The New Day with King Booker. Not essential for the development of any story, but the fact that they felt winning five titles warranted the inclusion of a legend like Booker T speaks volumes about how they view the title’s worth.

We also got a very fun triple threat tag tournament match with The Bar, The Good Brothers, and a returning Primo and Epico. Interestingly, despite spending the best part of last year in a holiday salesman rep gimmick, SmackDown Live does not appear to be presenting the Colons as jokes at all.

Sure, they probably rank the lowest on the tag totem pole, but unlike many Raw teams, they felt like credible contenders that could have got the victory.

Could the disparity between brands be because Stephanie and Vince McMahon are more interested in what is happening on Raw and just let SmackDown get on with it?

Or is it because Road Dogg, the head writer, has a soft spot for the division because of his New Age Outlaws days? Well, let us hope it continues whatever the reason might be!

I love the tag division, and I am very happy that at least one of the brands is giving it due care and respect.



What is a billionaire to do when your prized project of the past four years may never be accepted as the world's greatest face?

Simple! Make everyone around them a heel regardless of their organic reaction so that your pick becomes the good guy by proxy.

Braun Strowman is one of the company's biggest faces, both figuratively and literally, and even the daftest concepts can become gold when placed in his oversized hands. His tag title reign with Nicholas, a ten-year-old boy, was one of the most outlandish ideas in years, but it will forever be held in some meta jokey reverence by many. It is testament to the popularity of Braun that he was able to do that.

Braun was masterfully and slowly built to get where he is today, and people might have forgotten that it was not that long ago that his early post-Wyatt Family days were spent battering local competitors to very little reaction. In a rare show of restraint, WWE did not rush him to the top and, instead, gave him the chance to learn and slowly gain the respect of the audience to become the beloved figure that he is today.

So, why in the world are WWE going against the tide and seemingly trying to place Braun as the heel figure against The Shield? I do not actually mind Roman Reigns at all, but I do feel bad that some wrestlers are built up for the sole purpose of being sacrificed for his cause.

Also, will it even work? Have WWE learned nothing over the past four years with Roman? You can try as you might, but you cannot manipulate the audience who to like or dislike.


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!