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?



History was made this past week when Mike Giacco, an employee of WWE, won the 24/7 title at WWE HQ after taking advantage of an unconscious R-Truth. How is that history? Well, it marks the first time a full-time employee has won. Oh, and before you argue that this honour belongs to Pat Patterson or Gerald Brisco, they hold legendary/consultant positions. Everyone other wrestler is, of course, an illustrious independent contractor.

So, with all the HR business cleared up, let us move on to why I liked it.

This was fun. Plain and simple. This was fun. The 24/7 title picture is very much a peaks and valleys scenario, with some segments venturing into embarrassment of being a wrestling fan territory, and others being genuinely laugh out loud funny. The skits where Mike won, and later lost, were reminiscent of some of the wackier hardcore title skits back in the attitude era. Of course, much of this can be attributed to how R-Truth conducts himself, and what quips he manages to think of on the fly, but the overall set up was an enjoyable watch for me.

I get that these scenarios are not for everyone, but I like my comedy wrestling, and this was a fine example of it.



I know that this will be an unpopular opinion, but I really do not like the new look Intercontinental Championship title belt.

Firstly, it is fairly obvious why they have done this. The classic look IC title was brought back courtesy of Cody Rhodes. Please do not tell me that, on the same week where Cody Rhodes has been  embroiled in legal battles with WWE, that this was a coincidence . WWE have a history of papering over connections to those they had bad blood with just so that they never have to mention them again.

Demolition used to be the longest reigning tag champs, but when they got involved in the infamous concussion lawsuit, that reign was soon taken over by The New Day. Popular as The New Day are, would WWE have otherwise kept the belt on them for 400+ days?

Another prime example would be when Nikki Bella went one day beyond AJ Lee as longest reigning Divas champion. Coincidence? Or a reason for them to never have to mention CM Punk's wife again.

Regardless of the petty back story behind this, I am just not a fan of the new design. I fully accept that many love it, but it is nothing like the two designs I have grown up with, and looks far more like it belongs on NXT. I find it very hard to associate with the IC lineage due to having such a radical departure.

In addition, was this really the belt that needed it now? The IC title was always one of the best looking titles on the show, and you are telling me that changing this was priority over the tag belts?

Sigh.


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!