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?



I think that it would be fair to say that WWE's response to AEW's first big show was somewhat underwhelming. Mostly, because there was no response. Well, save a literal mention by Sami Zayn, the rest of the show was largely an average affair. However, there was still some fun moments, and perhaps none more deserving of praise than Brock Lesnar. Has he always been this funny? This sudden character change complete with dancing is hilarious.

This is a man who has been on record saying that he thinks wrestling is stupid, and often looked like he did not want to be there, but he now looks like he is having the time of his life with his new persona. Him not knowing that he had a year to cash in was also a great touch, and adds to the narrative previously set up about him not watching the show. Why would he know how it worked?

Ok, maybe he should know better given that Seth Rollins used it on him ten months after he had won the briefcase, but let us just assume that Brock probably did not watch that show either.

I hope that he does hold the brief case for a little while longer. Partly because Kofi Kingston and Seth Rollins do deserve longer reigns, but also just so that we can have more time with Boombox Brock.



What even is the brand split at this point? It has been all of a month since I last wrote about this wild card business, and, as suspected, it has gotten progressively worse. Previously, SmackDown Live and Raw each had a distinctive feel, but now they feel like almost the same show, particularly with storylines bleeding over from the Monday to the Tuesday. Of course, this would not have been a problem pre-brand split, but it is now making the overall product feel largely disjointed, and causing certain talents to rarely be seen.

I no longer have much concept of who is on what brand any more, and it feels like we are right back in the dark days of the Raw Supershow. Between the 24/7 title and the ever-expanding number of wildcards allowed, there feels like very little reason to still keep up the illusion of this split. Have they even thought about how this works with Survivor Series? I sincerely hope that they do not try and push a Raw vs. SmackDown Live agenda on us again this year.

Even before the wildcard I felt that the glue of the split was lessening, but now it feels like it is hanging on by all but a thread. Do it properly, or not at all. This halfway house approach is doing wonders for precisely nobody.


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!