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:
United States Championship Battle Royal
While I may not be the biggest Sheamus supporter and I would have liked to have seen others win this, there are a lot of things that I liked about this segment. First off, it is beyond logical that Triple H would abuse his power to put Dean Ambrose against insurmountable odds just out of spite. Evolution lost at Extreme Rules, so why not take the United States title away from The Shield? He can't do it by just stripping him of it, so you put him against 19 other men and let them do the job for you in a more "honest" way.
But kayfabe aside, this also made Ambrose look rather strong. He outlasted 18 of those men and only lost because a former multi-time world champion got the better of him with one impactful move. That's hardly a burial by any means whatsoever.
My personal preferences point me in the direction of Cesaro, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow or Dolph Ziggler, but I can't argue with the choice to put it on Sheamus. If WWE goes full-on with a heel turn for him, it will benefit him and put more focus on the US title than it has been given in a long while. I'm not in favor of him joining Evolution as an official member, but I've said for months now that Sheamus should have returned in January as a member of The Authority, and it looks like we're closer to that reality.
CHEAP HEAT OF THE WEEK:
Daniel Bryan, Kane and Brie Bella's Shrieking
While I understand perfectly why WWE is going this route, and I probably would do the same if I were on the creative team, that doesn't mean it was executed well. This felt very reminiscent of what we would have seen during the Attitude Era, but toned down for the PG environment to the point where it was very contrived.
Brie's a lovely girl and actually one of my favorite Divas on the roster right now, but she couldn't pull off the acting required for this kind of scene. The same basically goes for Daniel Bryan, to an extent. It was too wooden and cheesy for my liking and apparently, a lot of other fans are embarrassed about it.
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!
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