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?



Great news this week with the announcement that Chyna will take her place in the WWE Hall of Fame as part of D-Generation X's group induction.

The company line was that it would happen, but when was a different matter entirely. The situation was made complicated due to not only her adult film dalliance, but what also happened between her, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon.

Before her death, there was also concerns over whether could she be trusted to give a respectable Hall of Fame speech. Sadly, this is not something that will be an issue any further.

This is absolutely the right thing to happen, as all too often she is absent from conversations about the women's revolution in wrestling. Sure, she only actually competed in the women's division during the twilight of her WWE career, but her impact is undeniable.

It was a really big deal when she went up against men, and being the first women to hold a men's title and enter a Royal Rumble would pave the way for the likes of Beth Phoenix and Nia Jax to do the same decades later.

Of course, it is a big shame that she did not get to enjoy the honor while she was still on this earth, but let us not be classic wrestling fans and pick fault when we get given what we are asked for. She is going in and, according to Triple H, a solo induction will also follow. No less than she deserves.



With EC3's character now strongly established and over with fans, the most obvious step was to bring in even more NXT guys so as to repeat the magical formula all over again.

No, I jest. I do not know what WWE was going for with the recent influx of NXT talent on the main roaster, and I am not convinced that they are either.

Though, there is speculation that these are not real call ups, but merely preview showcases. Great, but did we really have that few main roster stories to advance or start this week?

This also raises the question over what is the best method for an NXT debut? The airing of video packages weeks in advance did nothing to further the cause of the previous lot, but this announcement on the night approach was hardly too much better. So, what does work?

I would argue that Kevin Owens holds the best main roster transfer to date. Firstly, it was way more special as the focus was not shared alongside a bunch of others. Secondly, we did not need to know a huge deal about his character beforehand because he made it abundantly clear by his actions. Alright, not everyone can work with John Cena, but give them a good story to work with from the off, and that will trump any video package or pre-debut match that they can muster.

Give them nothing? Through no fault of their own, they might just amount to nothing.


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!