Renee Young started off the show by welcoming the viewers to another episode of Talking Smack with SmackDown LIVE Commissioner Shane McMahon. Shane joked about how Renee always opened the show. The two got down to business right away discussing Baron Corbin’s actions as he took out both Shinsuke Nakamura and Sami Zayn. Shane told Renee that Corbin was getting close to the main event spot.
#1 Mojo Rawley
One-half of the Hype Bros, Mojo Rawley, joined the panel and thanked Shane for giving him the opportunity to go up against WWE Champion Jinder Mahal. Mojo expressed his disappointment at not being able to get the job done earlier in the evening. He mentioned that he would refocus, and get back to the drawing board to plan out his strategy going forward. He put Jinder over by saying that The Maharajah was a changed man who had become more aggressive since winning the top prize in the WWE.
Mojo said that he almost needed the loss to shake things up. He stated that he would not doubt his abilities, but he would put in more effort in the gym and study the tapes to see what went wrong. Shane was impressed by Mojo’s attitude and shook hands with him. Mojo made it clear that he was disappointed with his efforts and that he would be hard on himself for squandering the opportunity that Shane gave him. With that, Mojo left the set while Shane and Renee were impressed with his mentality and lauded him for owning up to his mistakes.
Renee and Shane then switched focus to the tag team division of the blue brand. Renee mentioned that the SmackDown tag team division was going in hot with the New Day and Usos’ feud. Renee also brought up Shane’s latest escaped on Steve Austin’s podcast. Shane said that the podcast felt like a trip down memory lane.
Also read: Best and Worst of WWE SmackDown Live: June 06, 2017
#2 Lana
The Ravishing Russian then joined the show and conveyed how excited she was at the opportunity of facing Naomi at Money in the Bank for the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Lana issued a stern warning to Naomi a stern warning and said that she was confident of prising the title away from the incumbent champion. Renee asked Lana about her preparations going into a match with a talented athlete such as Naomi. Lana put Naomi over as one of the most athletic individuals in the WWE but stated that she had been training with the best coaches.
Renee also quizzed Lana on whether she would use some devious tactics to strip Naomi of her championship. Shane insinuated that Lana did not deserve the title shot. He pointed out that he sanctioned the match just because Naomi had asked for it. Lana retaliated viciously, calling Shane naive. She revealed that she had come from a small, pathetic town in Russia and made it in the WWE despite the naysayers telling her otherwise.
Lana claimed that she would be the most ravishing Women’s Champion of all time and take SmackDown LIVE to new heights. She beamed with excitement as she told Renee and Shane to watch her ascent and left the panel.
As Lana left, Shane and Renee wondered if the winner of the first ever Women’s Money in The Bank match would have to face Lana for the championship. They talked about the Fashion Police for a while and their hilarious Fashion Files segment with the New Day. Renee brought to attention the outfit that Tyler Breeze was wearing and asked Shane if he knew what it was called. Young then went on to say that it was a male romper and asked Shane if he had ever tried one on.
#3 AJ Styles
AJ Styles marched onto the set and asked the duo what they were talking about. Renee awkwardly told Styles about the romper conversation and Styles informed Shane that if he ever sported one of those, then they would be back to square one. Renee asked Styles how it felt to pick up the win against Ziggler. Styles responded saying that he was pleased with how the match shaped out.
The Phenomenal One focused on the Money in the Bank Match and talked about how he had to climb the ladder in the fastest possible way to reach the briefcase. Styles expressed his disapproval with Corbin’s cheap shot tactics. He brushed of Corbin as a legitimate threat as long as he was aware of his surroundings. Styles continued to elaborate on how the match dangerous was. Shane agreed with him and said that things could get desperate when the briefcase was at stake.
Renee asked Styles what it felt like to be hit with a ladder and AJ replied saying that it sucked. Styles mentioned that he was worried about Ziggler because the Show Off had already won the Money in the Bank match in the past. Renee posed another question to AJ about cashing in the contract if he won. Styles told her that it depended on how he felt after the match. He reiterated the fact that the cash-in was all about timing.
Styles asked if they actually had anything to drink in their coffee mugs and then left the set. Renee gave a shout out to the sponsors of the show and closed out the proceedings for yet another week of SmackDown LIVE.
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