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?


How hot is the Intercontinental Championship scene? Recent attempts to re-establish it as the solid workhorse belt have been mostly stops and start attempts, but now feels like a golden era in the title's 37-year history.

The Fatal 4-Way at Extreme Rules was my favorite match of the card. Everything about it worked. The technical wrestling was fluid, the simple story and sub-stories made sense, and every one of those men came out looking a winner.

While I was a little bummed out that Zack Ryder lost his title one day after WrestleMania 32, I love The Miz as the weasely cocky Houdini champion that just gets out by the skin of his teeth.

Another great aspect of the match was how any one of these men looked like they could have walked away as the champion, and not one of them looked like they were there to bump up the numbers.

Calling it now for a Match of The Year candidate.


BONUS POP:

Seth Rollins Returns. How could I not mention this? The architect's surprise appearance made for a very nice ending to Extreme Rules. We now have a story raring to go straight out of the box.
One time friends, still bitter rivals, and a champion who never lost his title vying to get it back. Roll on Money in the Bank.


This past week saw the requested release of Cody Rhodes.

That is not WWE saying that he was no longer welcome there, but Cody saying that there was no point. He saw the writing on the wall (or in the stars) that WWE would never see him as main event material.

Has there ever been a greater misuse of talent than this present era? Even more tragic is Cody's confessions on Twitter about the Stardust character. For the longest time, stories circulated that this was his character, his choice, and that he wanted to remain as Stardust.

However, it turns out that WWE told him to paint himself up like his brother, that WWE insisted he kept the character despite his begging, and that Triple H told him that WWE is a play, and not everyone gets the biggest role.

A fair point. However, not one that should have applied to Cody.

There was never a stigma of Cody just being Dusty's Rhodes kid. Sure, Dusty probably knew the right people to get him in, but nobody ever looked at Cody as someone sitting on Daddy's coattails. He was his own man, and would have got there on his own merit. Every gimmick he was given, much like Damien Sandow, he made work better than they ever probably expected him too.

Sadly, this was still never enough for them.

I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for Cody in the ring, as a person, and for walking away. He knew his worth, he what he was capable of, and he gave WWE every chance to keep him on.

Shame on you letting this one get away WWE. Really. Shame on you.

#ThankYouCody


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!