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?



Admittedly, I was rather uneasy at the start of the Jeff Hardy drunken story, especially after I heard him vow to never get arrested again on the After The Bell podcast. However, despite these reservations, I can only presume someone with Jeff's clout could have declined doing this if he were not comfortable. Who knows, maybe doing this is actually helpful to him? A question only he can answer, obviously.

Nevertheless, his feud with Sheamus is all the more interesting for it, and it is for this reason that I am giving it some just dues. While the implied throwing of pee in the face is not to my taste, nor, going off his reaction, is it Sheamus', but one cannot take away that it does make you sit up and take notice.

WWE can sometimes be a bit lazy when it comes to constructing stories that do not revolve around titles, but here is one that does actually have a bit of real life depth, gets people talking, and does make me a lot more invested in their match at Backlash.



This past week brought that news that the NXT rookies, that are fulfilling a very important role as the crowd extras, are, despite what the name entails, not actually getting any extra cash for their troubles.

While waiting around and long days are not exactly alien to wrestlers, this is a bit different. Despite the precautions, they are still risking infection being there. Do they not deserve some danger money for that?

Furthermore, deemed so unimportant, they were told to bring their own packed lunch, and that they were not to enter catering either. Ok, fair enough, that part does make some sense for COVID-19 safety, but little else about it seems fair. Not having a crowd caused a dip in WWE's ratings, and a tanking in atmosphere. You would think that they would be a little more grateful to those working hard to plug it, no?

WWE's reputation as an employer has not been great as of late, and things like this are not exactly helping change anyone's mind.


Extra Heat: Paul Byeman.

I am not enthusiastic for the news that Paul Heyman will no longer be in charge of Raw's creative direction. One of the points of the brand split was to give each show a very distinctive feel, and, as history has proven, Bruce Pritchard is not one to argue with what Vince wants...

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!