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 name of the show may have been Payback, but the most recent pay-per-view really was The Kevin Owens Show.

Not only did he have a show-stealer of a match with longtime rival Sami Zayn, he was also responsible for some of the funniest laugh out loud moments in recent WWE history.

Standout moments included declaring himself "the guy" (a thinly disguised jab at Roman Reigns, surely?) his pedantic bullying of Bryan Saxton, the constant insults to Michael Cole, calling The Miz by his first name, and best of all, swapping Saxton's comfy chair for a cold steel one.

Individually, these things might not seem like much, but string them all together, and you can see just how intelligent Kevin Owens is when it comes to character psychology.

In addition, his recent declaration to go back into the Intercontinental Championship hunt only makes me respect him more. In a similar fashion to how John Cena won me over when he became the United States champion, the fact that he does not consider the midcard belt below him can only bring more credibility to the title.

The only downside about Owens is that he is so good as a heel, I cannot actually dislike him! Does this make him a "bad" heel, or, in fact, one of the best of our era?



While not perfect (who or what is?) I enjoyed WWE Payback.

However, none of the shine takes away the bitter start that saw poor Enzo Amore getting a serious concussion less than 4 minutes into the tag team tournament final.

What a blow—both figuratively and literally—to the talented New Jersey native.

Just a few weeks ago, I was writing about how I saw him and Colin Cassady becoming this generation's New Age Outlaws. Instead of speculating when they might win the tag belts, I am now having to speculate when he will return to in-ring action.

We have heard that he is moving around and talking, but as WWE takes concussions far more seriously post-Benoit, we are not likely to see Enzo compete anytime too soon.

Enzo and Cass are so popular that I do not see this derailing a push or their momentum, but this is a sore and sorry start for such a talented entertaining man.

In the unlikely chance Enzo ever reads this (especially since he just writes books, not reads 'em),Enzo, I hope that you are doin' well.


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!