When the brand split first happened in 2016, one of the things that differentiated SmackDown from Raw was the unscripted and highly entertaining talk show that followed every episode of the blue brand.
Hosted by Renee Young and Daniel Bryan, Talking Smack became a mainstay of the WWE Universe and helped us experience our favourite superstars as we have never seen them. This was a vehicle for gimmick development, where characters showed a side to them that was lost inside the ring at times. For superstars such as The Miz, Alexa Bliss, Baron Corbin and even Jinder Mahal, this show was an outlet that allowed them to shine.
Also read: 5 Reasons SmackDown Live has struggled since the Superstar Shakeup
WWE pulled the plug on the show, suggesting that not enough people were watching it. Sports Illustrated published an article which suggested that Vince McMahon was unhappy with the show and that it 'did not serve the company’s best interests' with its unscripted format. We are inclined to believe the latter, as there were certain instances during the show where we gasped with regard to just how far the superstars pushed the envelope with certain shocking references. Here are the top 5 shocking incidents that we remember.
#5 Dolph Ziggler is headed to Japan?
English was never Shinsuke Nakamura’s strong suit, so having him on Talking Smack was probably never the best idea. Things then took a turn for the worse when Nakamura disclosed the fact that his opponent from Money in the Bank, Dolph Ziggler, was headed to Japan.
Nakamura was describing every one of his opponents from the Money in the Bank Ladder match when he let it slip that The Showoff was on his way to the land of the Rising Sun soon. Renee Young reacted with as much shock as we did and described it as ‘Breaking News’. Imagine how much Ziggler winced in the back. On the brighter side, how cool would Dolph Ziggler vs. Omega be?
#4 Brock Lesnar, a lazy part time wrestler!
While the Nakamura segment we detailed in the last segment happened recently, around the time of Money in the Bank, this particular segment happened a long time ago, soon after the brand split. At the time, Brock Lesnar from Raw was pitted against Randy Orton from SmackDown Live at Summerslam. Daniel Bryan made a Talking Smack career out of taking potshots at Raw, and this time was no different.
Close on the heels of Dean Ambrose calling Brock Lesnar lazy on the Stone Cold podcast, Daniel Bryan echoed his sentiments. Speaking about Randy Orton wrestling Alberto Del Rio right before he took on Brock Lesnar, Bryan said – ‘Brock Lesnar only wrestles a few times a year, so he probably cannot handle this’. This wasn't the final time he took a potshot at Raw, and each time was hilarious.
#3 Kevin Owens does not get censored in time
Anyone familiar with Kevin Owens’ work in the indies knows that he has a foul mouth when he is cutting promos. While we’d heard non-PG allusions to ‘Big Hogs’ and ‘fists’ on Talking Smack from Daniel Bryan, most of them were double entendres.
On the other hand, Kevin Owens, unashamed and unabashed just let a non-PG word rip during a very recent edition of the now defunct show. Check out the clip above to figure out what we’re talking about in this slide. Unfortunately, the word that WWE beeped out was ‘whale’s’ and not the word that followed after.
#2 AJ Styles believes the earth is flat
Most of the videos we've linked you to in the previous slides would make Vince McMahon's blood boil. This one, not so much. However, it was shocking for hardcore fans, who believed that AJ Styles could do no wrong, to see that Daniel Bryan had exposed him as someone who possibly believed that the earth is flat.
Styles justified his opinion by saying he did not believe everything that was out there. Some measure of retribution was gained from the fact that Styles let it slip that he thought Daniel Bryan has two flat feet.
#1 An Academy Award winning performance
The Miz has always been around but was just another character in the roster before this segment happened. He got in Daniel Bryan’s face and spewed venom after Bryan called him a coward and said that he wrestles the soft-style that one associates with WWE.
Miz retaliated and said that that's the reason he’s never been injured in all the time that he's been on the roster. This segment was shocking in its intensity, showcasing an innate fire that is missing in the era of scripted promos. Miz accused Bryan of disappointing his fans and not getting in the ring because an injury has kept him away from doing what he loves.
This was the segment that made the show and launched The Miz to the top of the food chain, almost simultaneously. Considering that The Miz has been the show's most vocal supporter, openly praising Renee Young and Talking Smack on Twitter soon after its cancellation, it seems only fitting to end with this video. Goodbye Talking Smack. You will be missed.
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