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?


Sunday's Royal Rumble was an excellent event. The end of the Royal Rumble was real edge of the seat nail-biting stuff, not to discount what else took place during the event. In fact, I would be hard pressed to pick the greatest POP for the week based on it, but the fact I have so much material to choose from is a very positive sign.

Instead, here are a few of my greatest POP's for the night.

Triple H wins the Rumble.

Ok, for those that follow this column, you will know that I am a Triple H fanboy. I am probably one of the few people that always want The Authority to win. Always. This was a great call, in my opinion—albeit not the most unpredictable outcome. This is likely setting up a Triple H vs. Roman Reigns match at WrestleMania, which if anything like the Rumble encounter, I shall await with anticipation.

AJ Styles Debuts.

Quick confession here—the staff at Smark Out Moment and Mega Powers Radio had our own draw for the Rumble. The number you drew was your entrant in the Royal Rumble. I drew the number 3, hence, AJ Styles was my representative. But regardless of this; I still would have been cheering him on anyway. Well done to WWE for signing, and well done to AJ Styles for a bloody good showing.

Sami Zayn Returns.

It's Sami Zayn! Need I go on?

R Truth's Bad

Ok, you got me WWE. I didn't see R-Truth pulling off his "my bad" joke in the midst of a Rumble.
Nicely done.

The Final Two

Having the final two as Dean Ambrose and Triple H was great! One would have expected that it would have been Roman Reigns and Triple H, but avoiding this obvious setup made for a much more dynamic ending.

Overall? One of the best Royal Rumbles in years.




In contrast to my vast pop selection, I really do not have too many gripes this week, but one thing that bothered me was how protected Roman Reigns was in the Royal Rumble.

WWE cannot afford to lose any more superstars to injury, but having Roman Reigns taken out for half of the Rumble was an obvious ploy to keep him rested for the final stages.

Had they done this and had him won, I think we might have had some backlash ala Royal Rumble 2015, but thankfully, WWE was smart enough to not go down that road. Nevertheless, if the game plan has always been to make Roman Reigns look strong, this really was a strange way to go.


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!