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?


The proverbial fur and feathers were flying on Monday Night Raw when Roman Reigns, Chris Jericho, Brock Lesnar, and The Wyatt Family collided.

Now, seeing something new or unpredictable in wrestling is a rarity, but this brawl provided us with exactly that. Not for one second did I think that Bray Wyatt would actually get the better of Brock Lesnar. I was just waiting for The Beast to get in a counter attack and send the swamp dwellers scurrying back to the shadows, but it never came.

Herein lies the beauty of the moment. Of course, logic should favor the four-on-one advantage, but because Brock Lesnar has the status of a mythical beast, we did not actually think he could be taken out in this fashion. So, top marks to WWE for allowing The Wyatts to do this.

But beyond just being a good moment on Raw, it signifies that Bray Wyatt is once again seen as main event material. Does he have a chance at the Rumble? Why else end the final Raw before the Rumble this way if that wasn't the case?

Rumble winner or not, not many can lay claim to being a beast slayer, and that in itself is worth its weight in title gold.



One day—that is how long Kalisto held the WWE United States Championship for—just one day (or three if we are going by the official broadcast date for SmackDown). It was such a surprise when he won on Raw, but it was no less than he deserved.

With Sin Cara out, there was a danger of Kalisto drifting around the lower midcard with no rhyme or reason, but WWE did the right thing by pushing him into the United States title picture.

WWE then did the wrong thing by taking him out of it so soon. Alberto Del Rio has been a terribly boring United States champion. There has been nothing of significant note about it during his reign whatsoever, and the title was rapidly losing the shine John Cena had restored to it.

For one brief moment, Kalisto looked set to restore the prestige and fun the title has come to represent. His post-victory speech included references to past proud title holders like Eddie Guerrero—the first time he has been mentioned on WWE TV in two years. To me, this indicated we could expect a long title reign.

I sincerely hope that the decision for him to lose is part of a carefully crafted plot; one that will result in a victorious second reign for Kalisto. Otherwise, this is easily an early contender for the oddest booking decision of 2016.


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!