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?



AJ Styles is the new WWE Champion! Not only that, but for the first time ever the WWE Championship exchanged hands oversea, and for the first time on SmackDown since 2003!

Aside from meaning SmackDown Live has a new champion, this means that we will now get AJ Styles vs. Brock Lesnar at Survivor Series. Now, I had previously written that I did not mind the idea of Mahal vs. Lesnar, but neither was I excited or expecting anything groundbreaking. It was a match that was happening, and that is about all I had to say about it.

Not exactly the reaction one expects going into a Brock Lesnar match.

This is a far better choice for Survivor Series, and absolutely what AJ Styles deserves (though, in reality, getting to face a big monster is a terrible prize, but as is the word of pro wrestling).

Does this loss to Styles mean WWE are finally admitting that the Jinder experiment didn't work quite as planned? Or is a switch to be expected when WWE does return to India? I hope not, as AJ deserves a very long run, but at the very least we are going to get a far more tantalizing Survivor Series than what we were expecting just two weeks ago.



Lots of great matches and events have happened this past week in wrestling, but one of the more baffling occurrences would be the sending home of Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens from the UK tour.

Apparently, the call to send the pair home came directly from Vince McMahon following reports that pair have become difficult to work with and somewhat belligerent backstage. Given that they are now two of main heels on SmackDown Live, is this life imitating art, or art imitating life?

The straw that broke the camel's back is said to have come on last Tuesday's show, when Zayn and Owens refused to follow the script and stick around to be beaten up by The New Day, but instead choosing to roll out of the ring and, ironically, escape further punishment.

People do not get sent home from overseas tours without a very good reason, but I hope that whatever has gone down here is not going to be reflected in how they going to be booked in the immediate future. You have an act here that is too good to waste, and it would be a massive shame if WWE kills the angle long before it reaches the apex. Surely, that would be a case of cutting off the nose to spite the face.


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!