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?


I equate finding pop material in SmackDown to that of appreciating the simple things in life. In its present state, you are unlikely to witness anything like what was in the early millennium or the "SmackDown Six Era." But there has been a recent rash of good things that separate it from just being the B-minus show.

The recent Chris Jericho vs. AJ Styles rematch clash was an excellent example of this. Rather than just be a straight follow up no-story rematch from Raw, WWE (likely thanks to the influence of Y2J) actually inserted a simple and logical story behind this. Too many feuds happen with no rhyme or reason, but this was not one of them.

We know that Chris respects AJ Styles, and we know that Chris Jericho wants to test AJ Styles, but he doesn't like AJ Styles. It's a simple, but effective story telling that will (maybe) reach it's conclusion at Fastlane.

Least that is something to look forward to on the card then!


Bonus Pop: Fatal-Five Way Intercontinental Match.

3 Simple reasons this rocked.

1.) We had no idea we would be getting it. (unlike the hyped Braun vs. Big Show)
2.) A title change on Raw is always exciting, and again, unexpected.
3.) Kevin Owens won! (I really like Dean Ambrose, but if he had to lose it, then KO was the right choice.)


Monday Night Raw saw Big E take on Mark Henry with an ending that some are calling the worst in WWE History. While I would not go quite that far, it is fair to say that it was less than stellar.

The ending saw Big E hoist Mark Henry up on his shoulders, ready for his Big Ending finisher, only for Henry to slip from Big E's grip, and slowly slide down to the canvas.

Big E seemed confused by what had just taken place, but then went for the pin anyway, ultimately scoring a victory without delivering any sort of final offense.

As far as botches go, it was hard to ignore. Mark Henry looked like he fell asleep on Big E's shoulders and the normally quick witted Langston looked like a deer (or should that be unicorn) caught in headlights.

Now, WWE superstars only get one take once they are out there, and to berate them for every misstep and hiccup would be ignorant and unkind (chances are they are doing a better job than we can!)

Nevertheless, there is no denying that something about this one stood out as a noticeable stinker.


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!