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?


I am going to have to go with the run-in battle that erupted following the DQ finish for the Roman Reigns vs. Batista match on Monday Night Raw. 3MB, Damien Sandow, Rybaxel and Alberto Del Rio were among the faces (or should that be heels?) of The Authority's cavalry, hell bent on delivering a beat down to The Hounds of Justice.

While having The Shield battling outnumbered is by no means new, the sheer magnitude of the situation is a promising occurrence for wrestling fans. First, it makes The Shield look strong. They overcame the odds and dominated. They are already hugely over and this little moment only served to strengthen them. Secondly, this event came from the cultivation of a very slow burning long story line spin off, something that we have not seen a great deal of for quite some time.The raging battle and feud has an episodic story arc drama feel to it. A reason to tune in every week to see what happens next.

Months ago, The Shield worked with The Authority, and they were the ones doing the beatings and the bidding of The Game and his wife. While the focus of this period was about stopping Bryan's rise to the top, this particular storyline has branched from that larger arc. Slowly but surely, The Shield turned into the ultimate anti-authority, and as this moment has shown, they are damn well running wild with it.

I also feel this moment was great for having the same lower-midcard heels repeatedly working in conjunction with The Authority. It adds to the illustration of The Authority's menacing reach, it helped to drill home just how big a machine The Shield is up against.

I, for one, cannot wait to see what happens next.




But with the good must come the bad. This week's Cheap Heat moment comes about with the hinted confirmation of CM Punk's retirement. Natalie Slater, a former girlfriend of Punk, has written an article entitled "My friend is famous and it sucks" for The Chicago RedEye Website. In the article, she refers to her friend "the recently retired seven-time World Champion" and how he cannot get any peace from fans.

She writes about his frustration with people who will not leave him alone, citing one such example with him coming home to find candy being shoved through his door by a young fan and his mother. Supposedly, even his dumpster is not safe from prying eyes.

Though Punk is not mentioned by name, many took to Twitter to call her out and accuse of making it up, a cynical attempt to cash in on her friend's fame. She responded rather dryly with an image of a huge pile of cash with the caption "BRB my huge pile of @redeyechicago money fell over and I have to go re-stack it all". She followed this up with another tweet stating she would not have published it without his permission.

While I am not going to take this as fact until the Straight Edge Superstar says it himself, it still does not bode well. CM Punk is one of my favorite wrestlers, as being a straight edge lifestyle follower myself, I have always been able to relate to him. It saddens me if this truly is the end, not just because I want to see him wrestle again. If he wants to retire, I do respect that. But if true, it saddens me that he is not getting the peace he deserves and he has left with a bitter taste for the fans of an industry he once loved.


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!