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?



Was that it for Matt Hardy on WWE television? His recent tweet of GOODBYE would suggest so. Though, I am mindful that it would not be the first time that he has used social media to signify exits that did not take place.

However, regardless of his future, his interaction with Randy Orton on Raw was a good one, and opens a lot of potential for build towards the inevitable Orton/Edge WrestleMania match.

It might have been the stuff cheap pops are made from, hence the inclusion here, but referencing the epic tag battles of yesteryear and the affair that Edge had with Lita was always going to go down well with older fans. It is a simple, but effective. After all, how smart do we feel when you know what they are talking about, and the six year olds do not?

Just me? Ok.

Furthermore, this begs the questions of who else could emerge to confront Randy? D-Von Dudley would be an easy one, with him being on hand as a producer anyway, and, if the timelines work, is this not a great way to have Jeff Hardy return? Bubba Ray would probably do a one-off if asked, and, as long as no physicality was involved, Christian showing up must surely be a given.

Imagine, Randy is about to do the con-chair-to to Christian, but he gets saved in the nick of time by a spear from an incensed Edge!

From out of nowhere, obviously.



Who is it in WWE management that has it in for people with first and last names?

Yet another victim was claimed this past week in the form of Buddy Murphy, or, Murphy, as he is now known. Why? Was it that hard to say? Did it not fit on a t-shirt? Was Buddy too friendly for his heel persona? If the latter, I would argue that it is actually a nice contradiction to have him act contrary to what his name implies.

Regardless, it does seem a pointless exercise, and not one that I think sounds better. For instance, take ring entrances or winner announcements, there is far more for the announcer to play with when there are multiple syllables. Edge by itself can sound good, especially when elongated, but it became far better when The Rated-R Superrrrrrrrrstttaaaaar was added.

Still, it could have been worse.  They could have gone the Chad Gable route and changed it to Aussie B or some such ilk.

Plus, at least his stable mates, the former Authors of Pain, will be able to sympathise with his recent loss.


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!