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?



There has been a fair few rap related segments in WWE over the years, but I expect that it is going to be quite some time until one tops what The New Day and The Usos pulled off on SmackDown Live.

The general consensus going into the rap battle was that it sounded a bit cringe, but that The New Day and The Usos were talented enough to make it work. Reportedly, neither team knew what the other was going to say (which would explain the now edited out Xavier Woods/Paige quip) making the work that they put in all the more impressive. The speed, fluidity, lyrics, and delivery were all on point from both sides. A far more enjoyable section that most anticipated. Unquestionably, this feud has legs, and it deserves to go on a long trek with them.

Also worthy of note was the inclusion of Wale as the battle's host. Unlike many celebrities, Wale is actually a big fan of wrestling, and it clearly showed. He knew his role, turned up in an nWo shirt, and at no point did he try and upstage either side. It was a very commendable appearance further accented by a very funny interview segment with Titus O'Neil. I have to confess that I had never actually heard of the man before, but he was a textbook example of how a celebrity appearance should be handled.



Sigh. This feels like the umpteenth time that I have raised this topic, but the fact WWE has done nothing to remedy it means that I must bring it up yet again.

The past few weeks of Monday Night Raw has made it clear that Seth Rollins is Bray Wyatt's latest target, but what is not clear is why. I do not mean that this is being played as a mystery angle with a big secret at its root, but simply that Bray's ramblings offer no real insight about why he wants to pick a fight with Seth.

It is a remarkable phenomenon when you think about it. Bray is a popular semi-main event guy that can deliver a promo better than 95 percent of the roster, but 95 percent of what he says does not translate to a logical story. Keywords that are often thrown up involve him being a God, saving people, or that this is his world (which in WWE land, is apparently not a big a deal as owning a yard) but linking these to his targets is chaotic and erratic at the best of times. One may argue that this chaos is a microcosm of Bray himself, but it rarely works for me getting invested in a feud.

I don't care about his feud with Seth, because I have not been given a reason to. But his feud with Randy Orton? Maybe it limped out towards the end, but they gave that proper building blocks and a story to make me care. Bray got a new best friend in Randy, and Luke Harper got upset about it. Silly? Yes! But relatable to many people's childhood.

Let us hope that there is better booked story line is somewhere on the horizon for him soon.


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!