In case you didn’t know…

Talking Smack was a highly popular show which started in August 2016, as a WWE Network original, airing after SmackDown Live every week. It was started right after the brand split, when SmackDown got its own roster and started airing live.

Co-hosted by SmackDown Live GM Daniel Bryan and Renee Young, the show spoke about the events of the concluded SmackDown episode or a SD pay-per-view, and also included interviews with superstars from the roster.

It helped elevate the careers of many Superstars, most notably The Miz after he cut a scathing, shoot-style promo on Daniel Bryan when he appeared on the show.

Talking Smack was cancelled in July 2017 and relegated to a post-PPV show only, allegedly because Vince McMahon felt that the unscripted style of the show was not good for the company.

Some other reports indicated that the show was cancelled due to lack of viewership.

The heart of the matter

On Sam Robert’s podcast, Renee spoke about how she was very upset when Talking Smack was cancelled, and how great it was working alongside Daniel Bryan on the show.

Young went on to say that she felt her strength lay in how she reacted to the situations and some outrageous comments made on the show. She added that she liked how the ‘safety net’ was taken away from the stars who appeared on the show, allowing them to create their own spotlight.

She concluded saying that she had some new ideas she could work on, in the future, but wouldn’t say what they were, since they were ‘really smart ideas’.

What’s next?

The last episode of Talking Smack aired on December 17th 2017, as a fallout show after the Clash of Champions PPV. There is no word on when the next episode is set to air.

Author’s take

Renee is not alone in being upset when Talking Smack was cancelled, as a lot of fans, including myself, were disappointed.

The show gave creative freedom to upcoming stars like Jinder Mahal and Baron Corbin to speak their hearts out. These stars often seemed more comfortable talking on the show, than giving scripted promos on SmackDown Live.

The show being cancelled is another indicator of how WWE is sometimes out of touch with what the fans want.

Send us news tips at [email protected]

0 votes