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?



Is Roman Reigns vs. Bobby Lashley the biggest story going in Brock Lesnar's absence? Well, I feel that WWE are trying to make us think so, but I am not sure the audience would agree.

Roman Reigns might be the guy, but I think that more are interested in the goings on of the intercontinental title scene with Seth Rollins, Dolph Ziggler, and Drew McIntyre.

But why is this all so much better than what WWE wants to be the biggest deal? Well, it all begins with Seth Rollins phenomenal run as the intercontinental champion.

While not the longest, it was memorable, and I would go as far as to say that only he and The Miz have truly made the title mean something this past decade. It is hard to not get invested when Seth Rollins is in the ring, and I feel that he is the real guy in fan's eyes.

Now, throw this combustible engine against one of the most explosive sellers in the business, and his brick house of a bodyguard, and it is not hard to see the appeal.

The matches have been intense, hard-hitting, fast-paced and all involve three people who fans really care about.

By comparison, Lashley vs. Roman is realistically only ever going on to tick two of those four boxes. So, of course, this midcard story is going to be preferred.

You can bet their Iron Man match won't go on last on the card, but equally, it would be safe to bet that it should.



I try to avoid writing about the same topic two weeks in a row where possible, but if a segment is so bad it sometimes becomes inevitable. I am, of course, talking about the latest installment of the Bayley and Sasha Banks counseling session.

This was dull and dire last week, but at least we had the charismatic Dr. Shelby chairing the sessions. However, for some inexplicable reason, WWE saw fit to not include the good doctor this time around, and instead had him filled in for by a blank slate of a woman devoid of any personality.

What followed was literally just them having a fake counseling session! Why? Nobody cares enough about this split from them to be attempting any level of seriousness here. The problem lies in the fact that Sasha Banks never really seemed like she needed Bayley, or was that great a friend to her. Maybe they truly are besties backstage, but their friendship was not amazingly portrayed on screen.

The buddy stories that resonate tend to be those of a far more intense or wacky nature. I cite Team Hell No or Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens as some recent examples. Heck, some people may not like Roman Reigns, but they do like his friendship with his Shield Brothers. It means something to them.

I am not saying that the earlier attempt was a masterclass in comedy by any stretch of the imagination, but at least they halfheartedly tried. I am guessing (hoping) that the actor playing Dr. Shelby was otherwise engaged, because something is seriously wrong with the writing team if they thought that this new duller approach was everything the angle needed.

Talk it out or hug it out? No contest.


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!