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?
CHEAP POP OF THE WEEK:
MEMORIALS TO REMEMBER
Should WWE have done a ten-bell salute to mark the passing of Jon Huber? I can see the argument for it, and that point is something some have used to slate WWE this past week, but many, myself included, felt the show long references were a nice touch, and, arguably, a little more personal if they had solely done that.
WWE and its superstars acknowledged and paid tribute to him through verbiage, moves, commentary, and discussing him on Raw talk. Meanwhile, AEW did the official memorial, which makes sense, as he was part of AEW before his passing.
Jon was clearly loved by many of his colleagues from all sides, and allowing them to express their grief and love in this form was the right move. Both companies put on great tributes, but just handled in different ways.
Let's leave negativity behind and mourn and pay respects to Jon Huber.
His passing is tragic, as were the tributes, but only because they served to remind us what a beloved man he was, and how sorely he shall be missed.
CHEAP HEAT OF THE WEEK:
THROWING OUT THE RULE BOOK
SmackDown presented us with what might seem a minor gripe at first glance, but one that does undermine a very principal point in the history of WWE story telling. Namely, the age-old rule that, should someone who is not part of the part match put their hands on a scheduled competitor, that match will end in disqualification.
There are literally thousands of examples of this, but, for whatever reason, SmackDown decided to ignore it when Carmella and Bayley faced Sasha Banks and Bianca Belair in tag action.
For it was in that match that Carmella's butler, Reginald, pulled her free from a submission in full view of the referee, but without any real consequence. No disqualification was called for, and Reginald was not even sent to back as some more lenient referees are inclined to do.
Reginald helping all the time is great, and makes for a nice addition to Carmella's act, but let us not tear up the rule book to accommodate it.
Not when WWE are so fond of ending so many matches for the very same thing....
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!
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