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 a world where I have to think twice about who the current Intercontinental champion is, I am happy to see that the United States title is getting due care and attention. Firstly, I am glad that Rey Mysterio won it, but I am equally glad that it is Samoa Joe who is champion once more.

Even if I felt that it was slightly out of character for Rey to relinquish the title for an injury, and not because of a dubious finish, I am still prepared to overlook this because I am enjoying everything else about. Both men feel like that they truly care about the championship, and having such veterans vying for it only helps to enhance its standing.

Rey's Raw promo was well delivered and, even if it was, did not feel overly scripted. However, the subsequent interruption by Joe was the stand out moment for the entire segment. After some smug smirking, he went on to explain that his premature interruption was because he had heard the word champion, and thus assumed that this had to be his que to come out. It was a small thing, but one that defines Joe's personality well. Well, that and beating down an already injured man afterwards.

It is often said that the title does not make the man, but that the man makes the title, and I could not agree more in the case of Samoa Joe.

Long may this new reign continue.



I feel that the law of diminishing returns is in full effect with this Shane McMahon malarkey now, and I am not sure that it is going to end any time soon. His feud with The Miz worked because it was not the focal point of the show, and that it built slowly over a long time. However, this one with Roman Reigns feels a little too self-indulgent. For instance, can you remember when you last saw the Raw tag champions compete? What about Buddy Murphy? Was he not supposed to be starting on the blue brand?

Well, maybe we could have seen them had Shane O'Mac not been hogging screen time across both brands.

The rich daddy's boy throwing his weight around absolutely worked when he was in his late 20s, and feuding with the likes of X-Pac, but does it still work? Again, when done in limited amounts, I feel that it has its place. After all, Shane jumping off high things is always fun! But following on from my previous column bemoaning the wildcard, this overexposure is coming at a cost to others.


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!