Scrolling through your Twitter feed to see that ‘Talking Smack’ is trending wouldn’t be an unusual occurrence for a Tuesday night – the WWE Network exclusive panel-based program airs live every Tuesday after SmackDown LIVE. But seeing it trend on a Friday night was certainly intriguing. It was at this point that I discovered that WWE have officially cancelled Talking Smack as a weekly series.
While it will air once a month after SmackDown LIVE PPVs, much like RAW Talk, it will no longer be a regular presence on Tuesday nights. And that is undoubtedly a bad thing. The show had so much to offer, and added a great deal to its parent show. Thus, with that in mind, let’s take a look at why cancelling it was a big mistake.
It Was WWE’s Best Panel-Based Program
We are living in an age where everybody loves to analyze things. Whether it’s your favorite TV shows or your favorite film, the vast majority of us enjoy spending hours dissecting every little detail about what we just saw. And WWE is no different.
The company has been producing panel-based programs for decades, in which a panel of experts sit around a table and discuss the weekly happenings on Superstars, RAW, SmackDown or whatever other show was relevant at the respective time. But in today’s day and age, it’s at an all-time high. With Kickoff shows, post-shows, WWE Network exclusives and everything in between, WWE just loves bringing a panel together.
Thus, in an era overpopulated with such programs, it’s hard to stand out. But that’s exactly what Talking Smack did. I can say with ease, none of us expected it to become such a major success, especially since it revolved around SmackDown.
With Renee Young doing a great job (as always); we witnessed explosive interviews, significant character development and all-round cutting edge television. Not bad for a program that barely lasts 20 minutes at a time.
With the acclaim that SmackDown LIVE has received in the past year, it’s no surprise that fans are very angry about the cancellation of Talking Smack. Much like its parent show, the SmackDown spinoff stood out in an era overpopulated with a lot of the same.
It Undermines SmackDown LIVE
After Talking Smack’s debut, I remember wondering why RAW didn’t have a weekly follow-up panel show. Sure, RAW Talk popped up after PPVs (also hosted by Renee Young), but it didn’t have a weekly presence in our lives. It could have been to do with Young’s commitment to SmackDown, or perhaps WWE just wanted to give the newly strengthened blue brand an extra bonus. Either way, Talking Smack helped SmackDown reclaim its former glory.
Since the brand split, a lot of people have come to believe that SmackDown LIVE is WWE’s best show. With fresh storylines, new champions and non-stop action, the blue brand has soared past RAW in terms of writing, popularity and overall event quality. But it seemed like WWE still considered it to be their secondary show. Talking Smack was a chance to remedy that. It was something that allowed SmackDown LIVE to stand on its own two feet and add to its identity. Simply put, it was something that RAW didn’t have.
Taking it away is a major blow to SmackDown LIVE and just makes it seem like WWE is intent on undermining the blue brand.
It Elevated Many Of SmackDown’s Superstars
We’ve already established the fact that since the brand split, SmackDown LIVE has been thriving, and a big part of that is down to Talking Smack. The follow-up talk show single-handedly elevated a huge portion of the show’s superstars.
All you have to do is look at the talent that appeared on the show, and look at where they are now. Talent like Baron Corbin often suffered from a lack of screen time on the main show. Granted, he usually made an impact in a brief amount of time, but there were times that he didn’t get to show off exactly what he was capable of.
However, it was his appearances on Talking Smack that let him run wild with his character. Through his solid interviews on the show, Corbin consistently reminded us of how he wasn’t a superstar to be overlooked – the sheer glee with which he spoke about destroying his opponents solidified him as one of the most intimidating superstars on the show. And while that didn’t always come across on the main show, he used his platform on Talking Smack to highlight this. And now, he’s Mr. Money In The Bank.
Overlooking the tag team division is a recurring trope of modern day WWE. But Talking Smack gave the likes of American Alpha and the Usos a platform to speak every once in a while. And when the Usos turned heel, they had no issue telling us how much damage they were going to do. Allowing them to speak freely, in an unscripted fashion completely reinvigorated the characters. Before that, we rarely got a chance to hear them talk at all, and now it seems like the heel characters love to hear themselves speak. And we totally buy that because of their convincing portrayal on Talking Smack. The exact same goes for Alexa Bliss, who ended up proving herself a worthy SmackDown Women’s Champion with her epic rants, which she would later back up in the ring.
And perhaps the best one of them all: The Miz. Before his drafting to SmackDown LIVE, few people took the Miz seriously. He just seemed like a far cry from the man who once main evented WrestleMania. But when he cut that incredibly passionate promo on Talking Smack and roared at Daniel Bryan and Renee Young, nobody was laughing. They were watching in awe, completely convinced by the sheer passion in this man’s eyes as he proved he truly was one of the best talkers in the business. And from that moment on, the Miz’s popularity sky-rocketed.
Talking Smack had the potential to turn mid-carders into main eventers, and allowed the next generation of superstars to make a name for themselves with their convincing promos. SmackDown has always been considered the land of opportunity, and the addition of Talking Smack magnified that. Losing it, doesn’t just undermine the blue brand, it takes away the opportunity that many of the superstars deserved. Suddenly, the land of opportunity seems like its running out of opportunity, and that is never a good thing.
Are you sad about Talking Smack’s regular cancellation? Let us know in the comments below!
