The reason for WWE changing the name of one of its shows has now been made clear.
The company certainly isn’t afraid to make some changes. WWE has rebranded its developmental system, NXT, and has even made major changes to its main shows Raw and SmackDown.
In the case of this change, WWE felt it was necessary to avoid confusion.
Name Change Explained
WWE made the decision to change the name of its SmackDown post-show. The show was called “Talking Smack” but has since been changed to the “SmackDown LowDown.”
Dave Meltzer of Wrestling Observer Newsletter is reporting that the name change was made due to WWE’s new A&E show being named, “WWE Smack Talk.” The series premiere of WWE Smack Talk will air on July 10.
The A&E show will feature Booker T, Peter Rosenberg, and Jackie Redmond. They’ll be recapping episodes of Biography: WWE Legends and WWE Rivals.
WWE had trademarked “SmackDown LowDown” earlier this year. Many assumed that it was for a recap show or segment.
As expected, Talking Smack is returning to WWE’s streaming service, WWE Network.
On Friday afternoon, WWE confirmed that the series is returning. The SmackDown review show will air each Saturday morning on the WWE Network. Just like Raw Talk, it will also be available on the free version of the WWE Network.
Obviously, with Renee Young departing from the company, she will not be reuniting with Daniel Bryan as the hosts. Instead, the new hosts for Talking Smack are Kayla Braxton and Xavier Woods.
WWE touted the first episode by writing, “Join hosts Kayla Braxton and Xavier Woods as they welcome your favorite Superstars and react to what promises to be an exciting episode of Friday Night SmackDown as it makes its debut inside the WWE ThunderDome just two days before SummerSlam.”
The former WWE Tag Team Champion is still out of in-ring action with an injury.
WWE is slated to film the first episode of the revival after tonight’s episode of Friday Night SmackDown from the WWE ThunderDome at the Amway Center in Orlando, FL.
It’s been reported that the reason Talking Smack is airing on Saturdays is to ensure that SmackDown can air in all markets first.
WWE revived Raw Talk earlier this year and now latest reports suggest that the company is planning to bring back its SmackDown counterpart, Talking Smack very soon as well.
According to reports from PWinsider, WWE officials are considering to bring back the SmackDown aftershow and it could return to WWE programming as soon as later this month.
This is not the first time we are hearing about the possible revival of Talking Smack as there had been talks of the show being brought back in June when the company launched the free tier of the WWE Network.
While WWE only brought back the Raw aftershow at the time, the report reveals that the talks of bringing back Talking Smack go as far back as January this year and the officials have not pulled the trigger on it yet.
Both Talking Smack and Raw Talk were originally introduced when WWE brought back the Brand Extension in 2016 and separated the rosters for Raw and SmackDown.
Out of the two shows, the SmackDown aftershow made more headlines due to its unscripted nature. It allowed the stars to show more personality and the Network exclusive had many iconic moments.
The SmackDown episode after SummerSlam will be an ideal time to bring back the show and it would be interesting to see if the company makes the announcement for the same anytime soon.
Update: WWE has now confirmed the return of Raw Talk with the official announcement of a free tier for the WWE Network.
Original: Raw Talk and Talking Smack, the featured talk shows that followed Raw and SmackDown after the return of brand split in 2016 might be coming back to WWE Network, as soon as this week.
The Raw aftershow is currently listed on WWE Network schedule for a premiere at 11 PM EST following this week’s episode of the Monday night show.
While there is no preview available for the show as of yet, and it could change over the course of the day, the program is currently listed on the Network schedule publically.
In addition to this, WWE Network News is reporting that they had heard a few months back that both Raw Talk and Talking Smack were likely returning to the streaming service.
The shows were planned for the free tier of WWE Network after its redesign. This was prior to the pandemic creating delays for many major plans.
Both Talking Smack and Raw Talk premiered after the company re-introduced the brand split and once again created distinct rosters for both Raw and SmackDown in 2016.
The shows became famous for their unscripted nature and fans started liking the programs because it allowed the stars to show some more personality outside of regular WWE programming and gave screen time to the underutilized talents.
The return of these shows has not been confirmed officially but the possibility is enticing and we will have to keep an eye on how the story develops throughout the day.
Last week it was reported that Talking Smack would no longer be airing after SmackDown Live on a weekly basis, coming as a bit of a shock to WWE fans given that it was the ninth most watched program on the WWE Network. Sports Illustrated reported that the program was cancelled due to Vince McMahon not being pleased with the program because it didn’t serve the company’s best interests, however, the Wrestling Observer Newsletter strongly denies those reports.
WON suggests that if that were the case then McMahon would cancel the program altogether rather than continue to air it following pay-per-views (PPVs). The report also claims that McMahon doesn’t even watch Talking Smack, but instead receives a report on the show every Wednesday. McMahon was angered by one segment in particular, however, involving The New Day appearing on the May 23, 2017 episode after Kofi Kingston was cleared to return from injury.
The appearance served as The New Day’s return to Tuesday nights, something Vince felt should have been done first on SmackDown Live.
The cancellation of Talking Smack represents everything that is wrong with WWE’s product right now. Talking Smack was a weekly show hosted by Renee Young and SmackDown GM Daniel Bryan. It was essentially WWE’s version of a post-game show but with a twist. The show sometimes would feature an attack or altercation between WWE Superstars. I thought the show was much more effective when it aired immediately following SmackDown. Unfortunately, it was bumped back an hour and 205 Live is now aired directly after SmackDown. It has now been reported that Vince McMahon is unhappy with the product and doesn’t believe it is in the company’s best interest to continue to produce it on a weekly basis. Apparently, McMahon also wants to phase out Talking Smack completely in the near future.
I really enjoyed Talking Smack. I thought it was the only place, other than podcasts not affiliated with WWE, where Superstars could be themselves. They could say things off the top of their heads, instead of relying on a script that 40,000 writers created for them. They could speak naturally and avoid the awkward pause we see so much on WWE television when a Superstar tries to remember their lines. They could actually speak words they use in real life, instead of desperately trying to make their way through a corny written promo carefully sculpted by folks that have bored the WWE Universe to tears for years now.
Take a look at a Superstar like Baron Corbin. He clearly possesses talent and looks like a badass. There is absolutely no reason that he shouldn’t be a star in WWE and should have the ability to bring in money just based on his look alone. Corbin is also a good performer in the ring and his End of Days finisher is just awesome. His only issue right now on the main roster is promos. He speaks like a robot and half the time he is rocking back and forth while cutting a promo. He doesn’t look comfortable with the scripted words he is given. However, when you watched Corbin on Talking Smack he came off way better than he does on SmackDown every week. WWE is obviously banking on Corbin being a star as he is currently holding the Money in the Bank briefcase. I could be wrong, but I don’t think having Corbin utter phrases like “sayonara Nakamura” like he did on this past week’s SmackDown, is going to help him all that much in the future.
If you convince a friend that hasn’t watched wrestling for some time to check out the current product, one of the first things they will notice is the poor promos. Obviously the PG rating limits what Superstars can say, but it shouldn’t prevent them from being entertaining. It is hard to be entertaining when you are performing a promo that is not in your own words and is something you do not believe in. Every week I see Superstars just trying to get through a promo. I don’t see intensity or passion for the material, I just see employees trying not to screw up what their bosses have given to them. The Miz is now hosting fake award shows and beating up random people in bear costumes. I’ll take The Miz flipping out on Talking Smack over that any day of the week.
Sports Illustrated’s Justin Barrasso is reporting that Talking Smack was cancelled because Vince McMahon felt that the unscripted style of the show wasn’t best for the company’s interest. The report noted that Vince McMahon was unhappy for the show and decided to stop airing it on a weekly basis.
McMahon has been less present at WWE events as of late. However, he attended the TV tapings this week and made the decision on Tuesday night to cancel Talking Smack as a weekly show.
Even though McMahon cancelled Talking Smack on Tuesday night, hosts of the show Daniel Bryan and Renee Young had no idea that was the case until they saw fans sending them messages on Twitter.
Really disappointed about #TalkingSmack. We tried to make that show great. Guess I'll go back to welcoming my guest at this time.
WWE has issued the following statement on the future of the show:
“We continuously review WWE Network’s programming line-up based on a variety of factors, including viewership and subscriber research. Talking Smack and Raw Talk will air following pay-per-view events, and Tuesday will continue to feature 205 Live.”
As reported yesterday, WWE are changing the scheduling of Talking Smack. The show’s weekly slot has been removed and the popular talk show will now air after Smackdown Pay Per Views on WWE Network.
This news puzzled many, including the show’s host Renee Young. Renee took to Twitter to confirm that she was not told of the change and she is seemingly not too pleased about it:
Are you a fan of Talking Smack? Do you watch weekly? Why do you think the show has fallen down the Network rankings recently? Let us know in the comments
Baron Corbin Attacks Sami Zayn During Talking Smack
The more things change, the more they stay the same for Sami Zayn. Sami joined the SmackDown roster after WWE’s Superstar Shake-Up. Zayn had a rough go of it on RAW and people really wanted him to join the SmackDown roster. Since joining SmackDown, Zayn has lost a #1 contenders match for the US Title and lost a #1 contenders match for the WWE Championship. Now, Zayn is back to getting his ass kicked by Superstars that are much bigger than him.
Zayn spent a long time on RAW getting destroyed by Braun Strowman. He played the role of Kalisto in this past week’s Dumpster Match on RAW. Instead of Kurt Angle asking Kalisto if he was sure that he wanted to fight Strowman, it was at the time RAW GM Mick Foley begging Zayn not to enter a match with Braun. Zayn wound up asking for a trade to SmackDown and Foley shot it down.
Now, Zayn is finally on SmackDown and it appears he is going to enter a feud with Baron Corbin. WWE is very high on Corbin and folks like Jim Ross believe he is a future main-eventer. Zayn may have switched brands, but his role on the show looks like it has remained the same. Last night on Talking Smack, Baron Corbin attacked Sami Zayn. It was retaliation for Zayn hitting a Helluva Kick on Corbin earlier in the night. Corbin beat the hell out of Zayn and also launched a referee across the room.
Breezango Celebrate Becoming #1 Contenders To SmackDown Tag Team Championships
Breezango competed in a Beat The Clock Challenge last night on SmackDown to determine the #1 contenders to the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. Breezango defeated The Ascension in the quickest amount of time and will now face The Usos at WWE Backlash for the titles. WWE has uploaded a new video of Breezango celebrating their victory.
AJ Styles attacked Smackdown Commissioner Shane McMahon last night on Smackdown and slammed his head through a car window. Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan then “fired” AJ Styles shortly after that. Smackdown went off the air with Shane McMahon stating that Styles now has an opponent for Wrestlemania 33. Today, the WWE has removed Styles from their active roster on their website and placed him in the Alumni roster. Styles clearly isn’t actually fired but it appears that Smackdown will be continuing with the storyline that Styles is off the Smackdown roster, even after Shane McMahon challenged him to a match last night.
Carmella and Mickie James were on Talking Smack last night and were interrupted by Natalya and Becky Lynch. Natalya declared herself the leader of the Women’s division on Smackdown and nobody bought it. Alexa Bliss then showed up and blamed Daniel Bryan for causing all of this chaos. Daniel Bryan announced last week that Alexa Bliss will be defending her Smackdown Women’s Championship against “every available woman on the Smackdown roster” at Wrestlemania 33.
Last night on Talking Smack, The Miz was once again a guest. The Miz spent most of his time ranting about John Cena, but also took a couple of shots at Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan. The Miz and Daniel Bryan have had a bizarre feud since the brand split. The Miz has incorporated a lot of Daniel Bryan’s offense into his own move set. The Miz often does the “yes!” chant to mock Daniel Bryan. The Miz infamously went off on Daniel Bryan during an episode of Talking Smack and it caused Daniel Bryan to storm off the set.
Last night, The Miz mocked Daniel Bryan for not being able to wrestle anymore. Daniel Bryan said that he could still wrestle but the WWE will not allow him to. Bryan also said that he may wrestle again in a year and a half. Bryan’s WWE contract is rumored to be up sometime in 2018. If Daniel Bryan doesn’t get cleared by the WWE medical staff by then, he may find somewhere else to go where he would be allowed to perform in the ring. Daniel Bryan has stated in numerous interviews that he wants to wrestle again. Bryan has also said that things may change now that he is starting a family with Brie Bella. Time will tell if we ever see Daniel Bryan wrestle again and if it will be inside a WWE ring.
AJ Styles lost his chance to face Bray Wyatt for the WWE Championship last night on Smackdown. Styles had already defeated Luke Harper last week to ensure his spot in the main event at Wrestlemania. However, Randy Orton announced that he does want to fight Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania. This all lead to a match last night on Smackdown between Orton and Styles. Orton wound up winning the match and Styles wound up losing his mind. Styles went after Shane McMahon backstage and the two had to be separated. There have been rumors for weeks that Styles will be facing Shane McMahon at Wrestlemania.
Last night on Talking Smack, The Miz went on another rant about John Cena. The Miz stated John Cena stole his personality from every white kid with an identity crisis in the 1990s. The Miz also accused Cena of stealing the Attitude Adjustment from Tommy Dreamer. The Miz then said that Cena even stole his girlfriend from Dolph Ziggler. The Miz went on to claim that Cena is jealous of the talent that The Miz possesses. You can check out a clip of the promo in the video below.
The first guest on this week’s Talking Smack was Mickie James. Renee Young said that it was very intimidating to be in the ring with Mickie James tonight. Mickie thanked Renee and said that it was nice to hear that someone remembered her contributions to the WWE. Mickie said that the women’s revolution started well before any of the current female wrestlers in the WWE.
Mickie said that the new women’s revolution made her feel like everyone had forgotten what she had done in the past and it disgusted her. Mickie also said that she sees a lot of herself in Alexa Bliss. Mickie went on to say that she never wanted to leave the WWE and the one thing that she always wanted was to come back. Shane asked the truck to roll the footage of Alexa and Mickie attacking Becky from earlier tonight. Mickie also hinted at the fact that eventually she will be going after Alexa’s Smackdown Women’s Championship. Nikki Bella, Naomi and Becky Lynch will face Alexa Bliss, Natalya and Mickie James at the Royal Rumble.
Mojo Rawley was the next guest on Talking Smack. Mojo talked about winning the Battle Royal tonight to qualify for the Royal Rumble. Shane complimented Mojo on eliminating five people during that match. Mojo commented on the fact that this is his first Royal Rumble match and that he will bringing the mojo to the match. Mojo stated that he hasn’t seen his father for over a year because he is out of the country on business. However, his father sent him a screenshot of Mojo winning the Battle Royal and that meant a lot to him. Shane wished Mojo the best of luck in the Royal Rumble match this Sunday.
AJ Styles was the final guest on this week’s Talking Smack. Styles was very defensive during the interview and said that he could not stop thinking about what John Cena said to him during Smackdown. They rolled footage of Cena insulting Styles earlier in the evening and AJ watched the clip with a pissed off look on his face. Shane asked Styles if he was afraid of John Cena after tonight’s verbal beatdown. Styles said that John Cena was a great actor and that was what he was doing tonight.
Styles claimed that Cena is scared because he knows he cannot defeat him. AJ said that Cena couldn’t have made it in the indies because he cannot hang with guys like him. Styles said that he knows everything about in performing in the ring and can do every style. Styles went on to say that Cena wouldn’t last two seconds in an independent ring. AJ once again claimed that Cena doesn’t deserve the WWE Championship match at the Royal Rumble. Styles also claimed that he felt like Smackdown was against him. Shane said that Stephanie McMahon was the one that created the poster. Styles said that the poster basically said that John Cena is important and that AJ Styles is not. Talking Smack ended with AJ Styles saying that he is going to walk out of the Royal Rumble as the WWE Champion.
Jerry Lawler joined Renee Young and Shane McMahon to start off the show. Lawler said he believed that his heart was knocked off rhythm by the elbows from Ziggler on the night he suffered cardiac arrest. Lawler claimed that he called Ziggler a loser out of emotion but still said that Ziggler’s new approach won’t do him any good and he will most likely continue to lose matches. Shane McMahon apologized on behalf of Smackdown for Ziggler’s actions. Lawler appreciated the apology but stated that it would feel a lot better if Ziggler was the one apologizing. Renee Young announced that Lawler will be calling the Royal Rumble match alongside Corey Graves and Michael Cole. Lawler will also be a part of the Kickoff Show on the Royal Rumble with Renee Young and Booker T. Lawler plugged his Memphis restaurant before leaving the set.
Baron Corbin joined the show and was asked if his career suffered a setback with the loss to John Cena last week. Corbin said that there was no setback and that he played in the NFL for a few years and you don’t win every game. Corbin called Cena’s victory lucky and stated that Cena was fighting for the last few moments of his career. Corbin claimed that he didn’t bring his A game to that match and said that he still plans on winning the Royal Rumble match and headlining Wrestlemania. Corbin said that he is not worried about Goldberg and Lesnar because they will be too wrapped up in their own feud to win the rumble. Corbin also said that The Undertaker has dug 29 holes for 29 souls and that was great because the world needs ditch diggers. Shane stated that he loves the confidence Corbin shows and wished him luck in the Royal Rumble match. Corbin claimed that he doesn’t care what the fans think because they paid to see him and their money is in his pocket. Corbin said that he will win the Royal Rumble match, win the WWE Championship before Wrestlemania and have a match with himself at Wrestlemania. Shane said that Corbin shouldn’t disrespect the fans. Corbin said that their respect doesn’t fill his pockets and he doesn’t care what they think.
Bray Wyatt was the final guest on Talking Smack. Wyatt said that he dismissed Orton and Harper for the night. Renee asked why Bray put Orton and Harper in a match against each other next week. Wyatt said that they needed to fight things out before the Royal Rumble match so that the group can be completely focuses on winning the rumble. Wyatt said that Baron Corbin doesn’t know what it takes to win the Royal Rumble match but he does because he has been a part of several of them. Bray Wyatt said that he is going to win the Royal Rumble match and walked off the set.
Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss were the first guests on this week’s Talking Smack. Becky wanted to know who La Luchadora was but Alexa claimed that she had no idea who was under the mask. Shane McMahon gave Becky and Alexa some advice on wrestling in a steel cage match. Becky claimed that she is the best female sports entertainer in the WWE and stated that Alexa Bliss had no chance against her next week. Alexa Bliss said that she had already defeated Lynch at TLC in a Tables Match. Becky blamed the loss on an eye gauge from Alexa and Bliss laughed off the comment. Bliss said that Lynch had a week to come up with an excuse for when she loses the steel cage match next Tuesday on Smackdown.
Mojo Rawley was the next guest on Talking Smack. Rawley said that the injury to Zack Ryder was heartbreaking. Rawley stated that Ryder told him that he had a big chance to make a singles run because Ryder will be out with injury for awhile. Rawley talked about the calf injury he suffered playing with the Arizona Cardinals and said that his calf completely tore off and rolled up his leg. Mojo said that the WWE oppurtunity came out of left field and he initially thought the voicemail from the WWE inviting him to a tryout was a prank call. Shane McMahon asked what will be different now that Ryder was gone? Mojo said that he was going to be himself and stop jumping and dancing around all the time. He said that it worked when he was a part of the Hype Bros but it is not who he really is. Mojo gave Renee Young his colorful hat and Shane McMahon decided to put it on and wear it for the rest of the show. Rawley came off as very genuine in this interview and it is something you should definitely check out.
Ziggler was the final guest on Talking Smack. Shane McMahon asked if the Mojo hat offended Ziggler and Dolph said yes. Shane took the hat off and continued the interview. Shane called Ziggler a phenomenal performer but stated that Ziggler has a huge target on his back because of his actions. Ziggler welcomed the target his on his back and said that something has been missing for the past several years. Ziggler said that he needs to be better for the Smackdown brand and for the company. Ziggler said that swinging that chair and hitting Crews and Kalisto almost felt as good when he won the World Heavyweight Championship. Ziggler once again stated that he wasn’t afraid of Apollo Crews and Kalisto. Dolph also announced that he was entering the Royal Rumble match.
Daniel Bryan announced that The Miz and Maryse will be fined $5,000 for Maryse slapping Renee Young earlier on Smackdown.
Baron Corbin was the first guest on the show. It was announced that Corbin will face John Cena next week. Corbin claimed that Smackdown beat Raw in the ratings last week because he was in the main event. Corbin said that he is looking past John Cena and focusing on the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania. Daniel Bryan didn’t think it was wise to look past John Cena. Corbin said that there is no way a part time wrestler can beat him. After Corbin left, Daniel Bryan praised Corbin’s confidence and said that he didn’t disagree with Corbin that he had a major part in the ratings for Smackdown. Bryan also said that Baron Corbin looked dominant last week in the main event of Smackdown and he wouldn’t be surprised if Corbin won the Royal Rumble match.
Daniel Bryan discussed part time wrestlers and said that Ambrose has wrestled the most matches this year. Bryan said that Ambrose has been main eventing almost every WWE live event and he understands why wrestlers may be angry with part timers that show up and take the best matches at Wrestlemania. Carmella and James Ellsworth then joined Talking Smack. Renee Young questioned that their relationship was legitimate. Ellsworth tried to apologize to Daniel Bryan about interfering in Carmella’s match earlier in the night but Carmella stopped him. Daniel Bryan thought it was absurd that Ellsworth interfered in a women’s match. Renee asked what do Carmella and Ellsworth do for fun? Carmella said that Ellsworth is really great at holding the bags when they go shopping. Carmella was also wearing the James Ellsworth shirt and at one point called him “Jimmy”. Renee Young continued to question the relationship between Carmella and Ellsworth after they left. Daniel Bryan then said that Ellsworth might be bringing something to the table that we don’t know about. Bryan then added that Ellsworth might be bigger than we think he is.
The Miz then stormed the set and angrily stared at both Renee Young and Daniel Bryan. The Miz chastised Daniel Bryan for allowing Renee Young to get involved. The Miz also complained that the referee should have disqualified him because Maryse slapped Dean Ambrose. The Miz also ranted that Dean Ambrose didn’t deserve the match in the first place. Daniel Bryan claimed that The Miz only thinks that Superstars don’t deserve matches because he knows that they are better than him and he cannot defeat them. The Miz then completely lost his mind and went on a crazy rant. His face was completely red and he started slamming on the table. The Miz claimed that he was the best wrestler in the WWE. Talking Smack ended with The Miz whipping his microphone across the set while shouting that he was sick of this company and everyone plotting against him. The Miz then stormed off and the show abruptly ended.
John Cena joined Renee Young and JBL as the first guest on Talking Smack. Cena complimented the current roster of the WWE and stated that they haven’t had this much talent in 15 years. JBL stated that he agreed with Michael Cole that John Cena was the greatest WWE Superstar of all time. JBL stated that Cena used to bash The Rock for being a part time wrestler. JBL asked Cena if he was now a part time performer and Cena didn’t really answer the question. Cena instead stated that he was wrong to say those things about The Rock because he is now the highest paid actor in Hollywood and has transcended the wrestling business.
Cena once again stated that he is not leaving the wrestling business and he is sick of the rumors floating around that he is. AJ Styles then showed up and interrupted. Styles stated that Cena tried to big league him tonight by shaking his hand. Styles claimed that he already defeated Cena when he was at his best at Summerslam. Cena stated that he was still recovering from a shoulder injury and that wasn’t his best shot. Styles laughed off the comment and said that Cena was just making excuses.
Styles stated that he is going to do what he does best and that is “beat up John Cena”. Cena went on to claim that Styles’ WWE Championship reign will be coming to an end at the Royal Rumble next month. Styles made fun of Cena’s hat and walked off the set. Cena stated that he feels like the other Superstars have a lack of respect for him now because he is filming movies and exploring other projects. Cena also claimed that he is stronger than he has ever been and that he is fed up with the new era and people claiming that he is done. Cena said that 2016 was not a good year for him and that he has something to prove in 2017. The segment ended with Cena laughing at the fact that Styles believed that he had already taken Cena’s best shot.
American Alpha joined the show to discuss becoming the Smackdown Tag Team Champions tonight on Smackdown. JBL commented on how many people American Alpha came out during a commercial break and hugged. American Alpha apparently gave out a bunch of tickets to family and friends for tonight’s show. Jason Jordan stated that their victory tonight over the Wyatts helps solidify them as a team and when it is all said and done, American Alpha wants to be considered one of the best teams of all time. Chad Gable claimed they won the match tonight because he and Jordan are tag team specialists and the Wyatts are not. JBL compared American Alpha to the Steiner Brothers. JBL also stated that Gable’s catchphrase “ready, willing and Gable” was stupid and told him to stop saying it. JBL apparently hates all catchphrases and wants American Alpha to act like badasses. Gable wound up saying that he would stop using the phrase at the end of the segment.
Dean Ambrose joined the set and stated the he discovered that he looked really good in collared shirts. JBL made fun of Ambrose’s previous attire. Ambrose said that he would “slap the piss out of JBL” if JBL continued to insult him. JBL asked Ambrose if he thought it was inappropriate that Renee Young slapped The Miz last week. Ambrose said that it wasn’t inappropriate and The Miz deserved it. Renee Young asked Dean Ambrose to sit down and he did for a minute or two and then stood back up. Ambrose claimed that he would rather wrestle Bray Wyatt than be locked in a room with an angry women. Ambrose also claimed that his grandmother sent the dog after him once because he stole a popsicle out of the freezer. Talking Smack ended with Ambrose stating that he will knock The Miz’s teeth out of his mouth in their Intercontinental Championship match. Ambrose also stated that The Miz is quietly putting together a Hall of Fame career but that Ambrose is going to “maim” him next week on Smackdown.
Rhyno was dressed as Santa Claus last night for the entire episode of Talking Smack. He creepily hit on Renee Young the entire show and it was glorious.
Natalya was also a guest on Talking Smack and she continued to take shots at Nikki Bella. Natalya stated that she is wrestling royalty and Nikki Bella was handed everything because she was pretty. Daniel Bryan took exception to this given the fact that he is married to Brie Bella. Natalya claimed that the Bella twins were not in her class because she is a member of the Hart family.
Becky Lynch appeared on Talking Smack and she was still dressed as La Luchadore. Becky stated that she was ashamed that the Women’s division was represented by Alexa Bliss on Smackdown. Rhyno Claus started acting naughty again and rubbed a chocolate chip cookie on his chest in an effort to impress Becky Lynch.
Baron Corbin went on Talking Smack and claimed that he was the biggest threat in the Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship next week on Smackdown. Corbin went on to say that Styles would pay for the four chair shots he gave to Corbin last night on Smackdown. Corbin didn’t seem to worried about Dolph Ziggler or AJ Styles. Corbin was also frustrated that Daniel Bryan made a match to determine the #1 contender to the WWE Championship while Corbin was away accepting his award for Most Metal Athlete of 2016.
It would be shocking if Baron Corbin won the WWE Championship next week but there is no denying that he will be in the main event picture in 2017. Corbin has been on Talking Smack several times and he has done well every time he has appeared on the show. On Smackdown, Corbin’s promos sometimes feel forced. I’m not sure if it is because the promos are scripted or if Corbin simply tries too hard during Smackdown. Either way, Corbin has the potential to be great once he puts everything together. He is well on his way to becoming WWE Champion and one of the biggest stars on Smackdown.
Last night on Talking Smack, Rhyno walked out on Heath Slater. Rhyno blamed the loss on Smackdown to Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton on Slater. Rhyno stated that he was the only one competing in the match and Slater let him down. Slater and Rhyno lost the Tag Team Championships to Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt at WWE TLC on Sunday. Heath Slater responded to Rhyno’s accusations that Slater was holding them back by pointing at that Rhyno was the one who got pinned on Sunday. Rhyno didn’t seem to take that well and stormed off the set.
It appears that this is the beginning of the end for the tag team of Heath Slater and Rhyno. It was an unexpected run, given the fact that Heath Slater wasn’t drafted to either Monday Night Raw or Smackdown during the brand split. The two going their separate ways makes sense given the fact that they lost the titles and all of their momentum with the WWE Universe. It will be interesting to see where things go from here, especially for Heath Slater. Heath has become a bit of a crowd favorite and he earned the crowd’s praise by constantly battling for a roster spot when he wasn’t drafted. As for Rhyno, I’m not sure what the future holds for him. I don’t believe the initial plans were for Rhyno and Slater to form a tag team in the first place. It was lightning in a bottle and the team was destined to be short-lived.
