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?


Mick Foley — Hardcore legend, author, comedian, prophet?

On Sunday night, the New York Times best seller tweeted an amusing parody picture. It lampooned the "If Cena wins, we riot" crowd signs often see on TV. This version, however, depicted John Cena with the more realistic caption "If Cena wins, we complain online".

Well, as prophesied by Holy Foley, here I am.

Cena winning at MITB was, in a word, disappointing. There were seven competitors in the match—a mix of veteran and relative newcomers to the main event singles scene. Given the emphasis WWE has placed on NXT graduates, there was much speculation one of the younger stars were in for a chance. It was one of those rare moments where the outcome was not entirely predictable due to the volume of competitors. Had it been one on one, or even half the amount, Cena would likely have been many people's prediction.

This is Cena's 15th title reign. This puts him 2 titles away from being better than Ric Flair  (in the record book sense only I should add). The man did not need to have this. He is the most over star there is for children. All it has done is create further irritation from his haters.

I thought Cena was well-placed in the role he found himself in during the Wyatt feud. He wasn't in the championship picture, but still high-profile and helping elevate the careers of young rising stars. That was one of the most enjoyable feuds I had seen him in for years. But now, it seems any idea of this being his job description have evaporated. For he, once again, finds himself on top of the mountain—or ladder if you will.

What also disappoints me is Cena's role in building the main event MITB story lines. Let us be honest, it was quite minimal. The lion share of the ground work making these main events hotly anticipated belonged to The Game, Rollins, Reigns, Ambrose and Orton. Hell, Daniel Bryan played a bigger role by forfeiting the titles in the first place.

While I am still confident Triple H will be turning this into an exciting story somewhere along the way, as far as an ending to the MITB event goes, it doesn't make Cenas win any less boring.



Wow, wow, and wow again.

While MITB might have ended on a sour note for me, Monday Night Raw more than made up for it.

Let me briefly take you back to the Summer of 1999. Chris Jericho had just arrived in the WWE. He proclaimed he was here to save Raw—that he going to save everyone from the tedious boredom. While many misunderstood his good intent initially, he quickly grew to fulfill this promise. He became one of the most entertaining performers of the past decade. Flash forward 15 years, and it seems he is no less capable of repeating history.

In mere minutes of his return, he managed  to exchange trash talk with The Miz, deliver a Codebreaker, and promptly get himself desecrated by The Wyatt Family. Clearly, he is their new target, but why? I can not wait to see how this feud develops.

I am not a fan of Cena, but as I mentioned, there is no denying the Wyatt/Cena feud had good moments. The mind games and scare tactics kept it fresh and fun to watch. I think the creepy Wyatts are a perfect choice for a rivalry with Y2J.

Above all the massive potential this has, it was all kept so quiet. There were no hints, no cryptic coded Titantron. Nothing on Y2J's podcast indicated a return was imminent. WWE has done a great job in keeping this one a secret, and it made everything all the more surprising and exciting.

This alone would have been more than enough to make Monday Night Raw, but WWE were not done there. For the show also saw the greatly received return of A.J Lee.

The newly wed Mrs. Brooks triumphantly took back the WWE Divas title from Paige, closing the book on what has been, quite frankly, a rather lackluster reign. Maybe it was poor booking, maybe it was a lack of storylines or maybe Paige just was not quite ready for the main scene. It was off to a promising start, but it paled against AJ Lee's run. I think the WWE Universe were more than ready to see her back in action.

Welcome back Jericho. Welcome back AJ. Now, it is time to do what you do best, lets light it up.



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!