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?


What a joyous occasion to have Rusev added to the WrestleMania 34 United States title picture this past week on SmackDown Live. Firstly, this was very much needed to make the match feel WrestleMania worthy. The idea of a triple threat match felt somewhat lackluster given we had already had it a few weeks earlier.

Is Rusev in with a chance of winning the belt again? Possibly, but the real takeaway from this is that someone, somewhere, has acknowledged that he has far more worth than being in the Battle Royal, and maybe they have realized that it is time to get behind this whole little Rusev Day thing?

Sure, they have supported it with a line of Rusev Day merchandise, but they sure as heck did not reward him or Aiden English with match victories, or momentum. It almost felt like they were getting punished for getting over when they were not supposed to. Yet, despite this de-push, the audience still loves them.

Also, did you know that WrestleMania 34 just happens to also fall on Rusev Day? I like those odds!



I am a little confused over WWE's handling of Woken Matt Hardy going forward. For instance, this past week on Raw saw Michael Cole continue to apologize to viewers for the event. Sure, one might argue that his disgust is part of a story, but we must also remember that a lot of Michael Cole's lines are reflective of what Vince McMahon does actually think.

One would also think that after the, largely well received, Ultimate Deletion, WWE might have had something bigger in mind for Matt Hardy at WrestleMania, but we have now learnt that he is to merely be one of many in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. I guess that there are spots to fill and not quite enough time to promote a program now, but it does make me a question whether there is a divided opinion of his character among the bosses.

I am hoping that I am wrong about this entirely, and that he is merely spinning his wheels until Bray Wyatt resurfaces and the next chapter of the war can begin, because it would be a great shame to have them go cold on this just after he got the go-ahead to truly bring his creation to life.


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!