There are those who will know the expression while others will be rightfully puzzled:
Cheap Heat
A quick jump over to my fave work tool “Urban Dictionary”(I keep getting older while my clients will always speak the junior high and high school lingo of the time) tells us that the term stems from the ever so awesome world of pro wrestling, so it’s got to be good!
Let’s break it down: “Heat” in wrestling refers to the ability of a “bad guy” or “heel” to get a negative reaction from a crowd. A reaction of this sort can involve a wrestler’s actions or words toward an opponent. This can be done purely within the interaction of the wrestlers (masters of this would be Jake Roberts, Randy Savage and Roddy Piper for us old schoolers, and Steve Austin, The Rock and Chris Jericho more recently), which gets the heel a huge reaction from the crowd without necessarily even involving them, almost like the heel is turning up the volume at will without the crowd appreciating the control they are under! It’s a thing of beauty when done well.
So what then makes heat “Cheap”? Best comparable would be humour. George Carlin’s “Seven Words You Can’t Say on Television” routine wasn’t funny because of the quote-unquote “vulgarity” of it. Rather, it was the smartness of, and context within, the topic was discussed. Absent that, getting up on a stage and letting those seven words fly? Will get you a reaction, but only because you’re pushing for one using low-hanging fruit. Cheap Heat, similarly, is getting the crowd reaction by going after the crowd in whatever way will fire them up, oftentimes having nothing to do with the matter at hand. Main target for this: their hometown. By proxy? The hometown sports team!
Enter master of the mic CM Punk! This guy is a veteran regarded as amongst the best of the best, particularly when it comes to cutting promos. This guy does not need cheap heat, nor has he made a habit of doing so. That’s what made what happened last Wednesday so incredible. While cutting a typical segment, this guys hockey fandom couldn’t help but take over his attack. This became as much a “crap on the Islanders” promo as it did his opponent, and the man who can generate heat masterfully grabbed onto the low hanging fruit gleefully. Embraced it. And genuinely had a great time!
Positive vibes to you all. Please put some care into you and yours this beautiful day and look out for one another where possible! Our impact on others with even the smallest of actions, is far greater than we tend to realize. My best your way…
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