diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top.go b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top.go
index 451e5bab7d4..63ca2bcc9dc 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top.go
@@ -52,9 +52,8 @@ func NewCmdTop(f cmdutil.Factory, out, errOut io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 	}
 
 	// create subcommands
-	topPod, _ := NewCmdTopPod(f, nil, out)
 	cmd.AddCommand(NewCmdTopNode(f, nil, out))
-	cmd.AddCommand(topPod)
+	cmd.AddCommand(NewCmdTopPod(f, nil, out))
 
 	return cmd
 }
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top_pod.go b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top_pod.go
index 007dc1484b0..75f7906dfe9 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top_pod.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top_pod.go
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ var (
 		kubectl top pod -l name=myLabel`))
 )
 
-func NewCmdTopPod(f cmdutil.Factory, options *TopPodOptions, out io.Writer) (*cobra.Command, *TopPodOptions) {
+func NewCmdTopPod(f cmdutil.Factory, options *TopPodOptions, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 	if options == nil {
 		options = &TopPodOptions{}
 	}
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ func NewCmdTopPod(f cmdutil.Factory, options *TopPodOptions, out io.Writer) (*co
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&options.PrintContainers, "containers", false, "If present, print usage of containers within a pod.")
 	cmd.Flags().BoolVar(&options.AllNamespaces, "all-namespaces", false, "If present, list the requested object(s) across all namespaces. Namespace in current context is ignored even if specified with --namespace.")
 	options.HeapsterOptions.Bind(cmd.Flags())
-	return cmd, options
+	return cmd
 }
 
 func (o *TopPodOptions) Complete(f cmdutil.Factory, cmd *cobra.Command, args []string, out io.Writer) error {
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top_pod_test.go b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top_pod_test.go
index e23371ae595..5edb9d52ddc 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top_pod_test.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/top_pod_test.go
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ func TestTopPod(t *testing.T) {
 		tf.ClientConfig = defaultClientConfig()
 		buf := bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{})
 
-		cmd, _ := NewCmdTopPod(f, nil, buf)
+		cmd := NewCmdTopPod(f, nil, buf)
 		for name, value := range testCase.flags {
 			cmd.Flags().Set(name, value)
 		}
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ func TestTopPodWithMetricsServer(t *testing.T) {
 	testCases := []struct {
 		name            string
 		namespace       string
-		flags           map[string]string
+		options         *TopPodOptions
 		args            []string
 		expectedPath    string
 		expectedQuery   string
@@ -236,7 +236,7 @@ func TestTopPodWithMetricsServer(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		{
 			name:            "all namespaces",
-			flags:           map[string]string{"all-namespaces": "true"},
+			options:         &TopPodOptions{AllNamespaces: true},
 			expectedPath:    topMetricsAPIPathPrefix + "/pods",
 			namespaces:      []string{testNS, "secondtestns", "thirdtestns"},
 			listsNamespaces: true,
@@ -254,14 +254,14 @@ func TestTopPodWithMetricsServer(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			name:          "pod with label selector",
-			flags:         map[string]string{"selector": "key=value"},
+			options:       &TopPodOptions{Selector: "key=value"},
 			expectedPath:  topMetricsAPIPathPrefix + "/namespaces/" + testNS + "/pods",
 			expectedQuery: "labelSelector=" + url.QueryEscape("key=value"),
 			namespaces:    []string{testNS, testNS},
 		},
 		{
 			name:         "pod with container metrics",
-			flags:        map[string]string{"containers": "true"},
+			options:      &TopPodOptions{PrintContainers: true},
 			args:         []string{"pod1"},
 			expectedPath: topMetricsAPIPathPrefix + "/namespaces/" + testNS + "/pods/pod1",
 			namespaces:   []string{testNS},
@@ -326,9 +326,12 @@ func TestTopPodWithMetricsServer(t *testing.T) {
 			tf.ClientConfig = defaultClientConfig()
 			buf := bytes.NewBuffer([]byte{})
 
-			cmd, cmdOptions := NewCmdTopPod(f, nil, buf)
-			for name, value := range testCase.flags {
-				cmd.Flags().Set(name, value)
+			cmd := NewCmdTopPod(f, nil, buf)
+			var cmdOptions *TopPodOptions
+			if testCase.options != nil {
+				cmdOptions = testCase.options
+			} else {
+				cmdOptions = &TopPodOptions{}
 			}
 
 			// TODO in the long run, we want to test most of our commands like this. Wire the options struct with specific mocks
@@ -532,7 +535,7 @@ func TestTopPodCustomDefaults(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 			DiscoveryClient: &fakeDiscovery{},
 		}
-		cmd, _ := NewCmdTopPod(f, opts, buf)
+		cmd := NewCmdTopPod(f, opts, buf)
 		for name, value := range testCase.flags {
 			cmd.Flags().Set(name, value)
 		}