CHEAP POP OF THE WEEK:
WAR OF THE WORLD EATER
Last week saw the return of Jimmy Uso to in-ring action—a welcome change from his exiled existence behind the announcer's desk (though I must admit, I have grown accustomed to his commentary.)
Sure, he was used as a sacrificial lamb in the escalating war between The Wyatt Family and Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose, but it was good to see he can elicit a decent pop, even without his twin brother.
However, the main focus of my Pop this week is actually on this war. Time and time again, Bray Wyatt has frequented my Heat column, and for me to be enjoying his work again is a positive thing. I've always loved the concept and character of Bray, but his departure from The Wyatt Family never did serve to elevate him to greater heights, and he sadly became known for forgettable feuds and puzzling gibberish. Minus his cult leader status, the character never worked as well for me.
There was something oddly more fearful about the man when he only ordered the beat downs, rather than be sole perpetrator of them.
But since he patched things up with Luke Harper and brought Braun Strowman into the fold, I feel Bray's stock has greatly risen. There is ample opportunity for him once he has finally finished with Roman Reigns.
Perhaps he will take the battle into The Cosmic Wasteland, or maybe he will go after a championship (he has yet to hold a title in WWE), or even go on another recruitment phase. Maybe we'll see an NXT diva take the mantle of the missing matriarch of The Wyatt Family, Sister Abigail. That could prove to be a unique opportunity indeed.
I shall be following the buzzards closely from here on in.
CHEAP HEAT OF THE WEEK:
BITTER BOOKING?
Nikki Bella is now the longest reigning WWE Divas Champion.
I do not dislike Nikki as a champion, nor do I think she is a bad worker. Over the past two years, her skills have improved considerably, and I enjoy watching her wrestle. I even felt a sense of injustice when I thought she had lost her title due to a misjudged bit of "twin magic."
However, this being said, I cannot help but feel the political motives behind this angle.
Nikki Bella being the longest reigning Divas Champion means there is no reason to mention AJ Lee again. AJ is, of course, CM Punk's wife, who was famously fired in early 2014. He has spoken out critically of WWE ever since this came to light in an explosive podcast with Colt Cobana.
There are obvious issues still at large between Triple H/Vince McMahon and CM Punk, and it wouldn't surprise me if this was a direct snub to AJ for simply being married to Punk. There is also the fact AJ Lee very publicly humiliated Stephanie McMahon on Twitter a few months before she left, calling out her lamenting advocates for female rights, but failing to give divas equal pay or screen time to men. These two combined could be reason enough to erase AJ Lee's standing in the record books.
Records are made to be broken, and this was bound to happen at some point, but it is how much publicity they have given to the record breaking that makes me feel that there is more to this than meets the eye. Dean Ambrose is one of the longest reigning WWE United States Champions, but there was not the same fanfare about that. And since the unification of the tag titles in 2010, who are the longest reigning champions? Without looking it up, I could not tell you.
So, why do it over the Diva's title?
If this is, as I suspect, some snipe at AJ, then the following picture is an accurate representation of my feelings on this matter.
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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