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:
ROCKING THE UNIVERSE
This one is a given really, but the POP of the week could only possibly go to the surprise appearance on Monday Night Raw by Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson.
In a move that WWE is to be congratulated on, The Rock's appearance was a genuine surprise. They did their very best to keep this quiet. The only warning the world got was a tweet sent five seconds before his entrance by The Great One himself.
The atmosphere when The Rock's music erupted and interrupted Lana and Rusev's weekly tirade of hate against the west could only be described as electric. Let's face it, he was the last person we thought would be next in line to deliver some blows on behalf of the US of A.
When it came to the microphone exchanges, it was obvious The Rock has lost no beat in his step. His star power and acting skills are constantly sought after in Hollywood and it is not hard to see why. For five glorious minutes, we got a captivating put-down that firmly put the acid-tongued Lana in her place. But when no agreement could be reached through a war of words, the only solution was to see who could lay the smack down fastest. Unsurprisingly, Rusev quickly got his candy ass handed to him via some quick-paced right hands.
It is a shame we did not get a Rock Bottom, or a People's Elbow, but hey, let's take it for what it was: a brilliant little treat that nobody saw coming.
This is not the start of a Rusev/Rock feud—just something that happened because Raw and The Rock happened to be at the right place at the right time.
Thank you WWE. Thank you Dwayne Johnson.
CHEAP HEAT OF THE WEEK:
DIRE QUALITY
A little harsh? Perhaps. But sometimes this is how I would describe the endings to main events of Raw.
Why? The clue is in the title initials — D.Q.
I did not hate anything in particular about the world of wrestling this week, but there is something that has bugged me for a few months and now feels the right time to air my grievance.
On Monday Night Raw, Cena took on The Authority in a 3-on-1 handicap tag match. The match quality itself was good, Ambrose's hot dog-cart assault was genius, but it is what was sandwiched in-between that disappoints me — a D.Q finish.
Too often, main events and many midcard events end via a DQ victory. When used sparingly, they are good, illustrative points in a storyline. They show that The Authority doesn't always care about winning; they sometimes just want to hurt their opponents or save their stablemates back.
As long as a match has been good, it should not matter too much if it does end in D.Q, but it is the excessive use that I find a little disappointing. I would prefer it if The Authority were a little sneakier about screwing their opponents. Instead of just throwing a match away by a jackal-like group attack, they could be distracting the ref, placing a foot on the rope or a doing a secretive leg pull here and there. Basically, doing things that create heel heat, but actually allow them to pick up a victory.
Dirty or clean, I just want to see some more pinfall or submission victories on an "A" show main event. I do not think that is too much to ask of a wrestling entertainment program, do you?
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: