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?



I was a bit disappointed when The Miz and Daniel Bryan's feud came to an end at Hell in a Cell. It felt like that there was more far more to do with them given their storied history. Thankfully, WWE would seem to agree, as this past week on SmackDown Live saw the pair collide once again after being appointed the co-captains of the SmackDown Survivor Series team.

I loved the show's long plot thread of them scouting, recruiting and bickering over the choices. In lesser hands, such a premise could easily have been an over scripted phony setup, but their chemistry made every single section fun to watch. An especially funny moment came when they actually agreed on something and then got super awkward about it.

However, it was not all fun and games, as a despondent Daniel Bryan ended the night by attacking Samoa Joe after the loss of his own pick for the final spot.

Just reacting in the heat of the moment? Or could we be seeing a heel Daniel Bryan? I find that hard to fathom in a world where The Miz is also a heel, but an intriguing development to watch out for nonetheless.



Poorly executed and in poor taste. That is the shortest and simplest way that I can sum up Ruby Riott breaking Jim Neidhart's sunglasses this past week on Monday Night Raw.

Firstly, this was the one and only time that we had seen Natalya carrying them. We had not been given time to associate the importance of them.

Of course, those who knew of Neidhart will have already gotten the significance, but I imagine that this could have gone over the head of many new or younger fans. It was a big deal when Kurt Angle had his gold medals stolen because he had always worn them and never shut up about it. You cannot shoehorn in an important item just like this and expect everyone to understand.

If they had to do it, could she not have at least been carrying them for a few weeks before they did this?

In addition, what was the ending of this match? It just stopped with no obvious winner. Was Natalya counted out? The crowd certainly thought so, but the referee did not seem to agree. Could the Riott Squad not have at least got a sneaky roll up out of it?

Lastly, I am sure that it must have been agreed by all parties, and no doubt those closest to Jim would know better about he would feel, but this still felt a little too disrespectful for my liking.


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!