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?
CHEAP POP OF THE WEEK:
VINE-PER
Two words — THAT RKO!
The Authority's Randy Orton faced off against Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler on Monday Night Raw.
The match itself was an enjoyable one, fast paced, fluid and high on technical maneuvers. It was one of the best matches Orton has had in some time, and that is not a knock at his wrestling ability, he has that in abundance, but I do feel he has been in somewhat of a lull as a result of repetitive booking.
But brilliant match aside, what we are really here to talk about is, quite simply, a very special five second segment of the match, where Orton effortlessly threw Ziggler up into the air, by means of a powerbomb styled move, and then proceeded to leap up and meet him on the way down with a skull-crushing heart-stopping almighty RKO.
The crowd reaction was instant and vocally appreciative, but even more remarkable, this single move sparked a net craze overnight with Gifs, Memes, and Vine Videos; all dedicated to Orton's insane inability of pulling an RKO out of nowhere.
From falling skateboarders, clumsy members of the public, stumbling football players; no one is safe from Randy Orton being super imposed to imply he is behind their downfall.
It is rare for a singular manevour within a 3 hour program to be this appreciated, but appreciated it was.
More please.
CHEAP HEAT OF THE WEEK:
NETWORK ISSUES
The past week has not been a positive time for the WWE Network and British wrestling fans alike.
The United Kingdom was all set for a roll out at the beginning of the month, but Oct 1st came and went without build up, fanfare or even Hulk Hogan in sight Brother!.
It was not until one week later WWE announced there had been a delay, and that an update would be provided on 1st November.
With the disappointingly low subscriber figure numbers, this seems an odd move on WWE's part to drag their heels on getting this out to the UK. I would say the UK is second only to the United States in quantity of WWE fans, and one that would give significantly more eyeballs to the Network, something that the WWE desperately need to prove this gamble has been a financially viable one.
Of course, none of this may be the WWE's fault, there is every chance it is simply technical issues out of the WWE's hands, but whether it is their fault or not, the delay is certainly not best for business.
This past year has seen a lot of cuts in WWE, some understandable like Hawkins and Tatsue, but others like Drew MacIntyre were questionable. Just this past week WWE announced the termination of ring announcer Justin Roberts, a decision I consider to be a very bad move. Roberts was very well liked backstage and has been a committed employee since 2002.
It is sad to think that this hardworking talented man, who once described his role as "everything he ever wanted to be", will never again be announcing when it's time for another CHYEMPEEYANSHIP match, and who now will tell us the Royal Rumble rules? Never mind the fact we know them, it was a tradition dammit.
Due to his length of time with the company, was Roberts too expensive to keep on? This is a crying shame; if he has fallen foul of a money cutting exercise that stemmed from lost finances over the Network.
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!
0 comments: