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 world was on tender hooks when it appeared that Rusev Day was heading for a split. Why would you ruin one of the most entertaining acts you had going? Even if management cared not for the creative merits, you could surely appreciate the commercial success of the merchandise sales.

Rusev Day made the ever-entertaining Bulgarian better than ever before, and the act completely revitalized Aiden English. Rumors have been around for a while that WWE were not happy Rusev Day were getting over (that was not in the script!) but it flew in the face of logic that anyone with a sense of business would demand their demise.

Furthermore, it did not even make sense as a story. Lana hinted that Aiden was the reason Rusev had been losing lately, but nothing had been put in motion to support this theory. Maybe she was just jealous of their bromance?

However, it seems that we might just be out of the woods on this one. Far from being on a losing streak, the previous week saw Aiden help Rusev in defeating Daniel Bryan to quality for the Money in the Bank ladder match, and Lana appears to have done no more whispering to Rusev about Aiden. If anything, this past week on SmackDown Live saw the trio behave more like a fully fledged faction.

Sure, it is poor storytelling if they have dropped the idea after just one week, but this is one time where I am sure many of us really could not care less!



Remember when Stephanie McMahon told Ronda Rousey that she would have to earn her way in WWE? Well, one match in, and she has already been granted a title shot.

While we were told that Ronda would not get the Brock Lesnar treatment and be a full-time member of the roster, the fact of the matter is she still is a special attraction. It is a select few that transcend the wrestling bubble into mainstream entertainment and pop culture, and Ronda Rousey is one of them (only in reverse order). So, why rush her into the title picture with such a paper thin story? The match was not even made on Raw itself!

Arguably, Money in the Bank is an unofficial plus one to the traditional Big Four, but surely a Ronda title match could have waited till SummerSlam? What of the idea that she would headline WrestleMania 35 with Charlotte Flair?

Ronda is going to be an amazing champion, but I do feel that we could play the journey out longer.

For given that Ronda is unlikely to lose her second ever match, I would say that there is a good chance that she will win the title. Unless, of course, shenanigans result in a disqualification.

Because those go down so 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!