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?



Last month, I wrote about my interest in seeing a New Day singles title run done under freebird rules. However, if such a thing could ever happen, I figured that it would be done with the United States or Intercontinental titles. The idea of it being the WWE Championship let alone won by an individual seemed incredibly unlikely.

At least back then.

Following his surprise replacement of Mustafa Ali in the Elimination Chamber, Kofi Kingston put on a display of a lifetime in a SmackDown Live gauntlet match that cemented exactly why he is every bit deserving of the main event scene. The fact that he lasted over an hour was surprising—not so much for the fact that he could, but more because many did not think that WWE would ever pull the trigger for a main event push.

Will his time come on Sunday? Extremely unlikely, but I choose to believe that is not for nothing that WWE gave him this spotlight. Could this be the start of something big somewhere down the line?

Aside from The Miz, there is nobody of his WWE veteran status that would deserve that more right now.



There is one glaring oversight that WWE has neglected to mention amidst all this pearl clutching over the Becky Lynch and Ronda Rousey WrestleMania match. Namely, that there is technically a chance that Ronda Rousey will not even be going to WrestleMania as the champion. You would be forgiven for not being aware, but Ronda is set to defend the title against Ruby Riott at Elimination Chamber. This match, announced on social media, had almost zero impact on either go home show save a passing mention in a Charlotte Flair promo.

Of course, I know that the chance of Riott actually winning are almost non-existent, but that she is not even being positioned as a potential cog in the works is quite insulting for the Riott Squad's head honcho. This also may also come back to bite WWE, as whoever comes out of WrestleMania with the title will need a strong opponent to follow-up on, and that absolutely could be Ruby Riott.

That is, of course, if WWE's slapdash actions do not dull this oft overlooked gem of a woman.


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!