WWE announced a dramatic change to Talking Smack, the beloved post-show that ran after Smackdown Live. Yet it isn’t going away forever. Apparently, it will only be aired after Pay-Per-Views.
And this comes as a shock to us and the rest of the WWE fan base. Because Talking Smack was by far the most original show on the WWE Network. They had something for everyone and really added to the storylines. I am upset it is going away.
**UPDATE**
Talking Smack was live after Battleground, but the lineup was different!
Yes, of course. I'll be on the pre show panel at #BATTLEGROUND this Sunday and on #TalkingSmack afterwards. All on the @WWENetwork https://t.co/DBmLJm2Cox
— Jerry Lawler (@JerryLawler) July 18, 2017
Young confirmed that she would still be the host as well.
We're both going to be hosting it. https://t.co/Xfrz19EpU6
— Renee Paquette (@ReneePaquette) July 18, 2017
King has been on Talking Smack before. But Talking Smack is at its best when it Renee Young and Daniel Bryan. Though, in my opinion, King will be better than other occasional co-hosts JBL and Shane McMahon.
Smackdown GM Daniel Bryan announced that Talking Smack would be coming back after the July 25th Smackdown but on TOUT. No word yet on if Bryan is serious about this. WWE used to push Tout use heavily before abandoning it in 2014.
Tonight, after #SmackDownLive, @ReneeYoungWWE and I will host the very first ROGUE edition of #SmackingTalk, exclusively on TOUT!!!! pic.twitter.com/c7qvhwQz0N
— Bryan Danielson (@bryandanielson) July 25, 2017
A lot of people (myself included) thought this was a joke. But it turned out to be real! Here’s the first episode of Smacking Talk!
Here it is, the very first episode of #SmackingTalk exclusively on TOUT ft. @ReneeYoungWWE & @WWEGable. VERY big news breaking on this show! pic.twitter.com/fJiqyThWy9
— Bryan Danielson (@bryandanielson) July 26, 2017
WWE talent and fans mourned the loss
Really disappointed about #TalkingSmack. We tried to make that show great. Guess I'll go back to welcoming my guest at this time.
— Renee Paquette (@ReneePaquette) July 14, 2017
https://twitter.com/HEELZiggler/status/885972284812304385
https://twitter.com/mikethemiz/status/886038610905923586
Due to the sudden news, fans started a petition on change.org to get the show back. As a result, over 8,500 fans signed the petition.
https://twitter.com/Uptomyknees/status/885973624363941888
How Renee Young and Daniel Bryan Found Out
WWE made the announcement on their website. But they didn’t even let the hosts know. Consequently, here’s how Renee Young and Daniel Bryan found out.
Hmmmm that's one way to get news. https://t.co/sNIYUZfD7N
— Renee Paquette (@ReneePaquette) July 14, 2017
I come online to support #SamiForSyria and find this out. I'm the GM!!! Nobody tells me anything!!! https://t.co/Dup7nBKvss
— Bryan Danielson (@bryandanielson) July 14, 2017
While WWE is known for making quick decisions, it is bizarre that they wouldn’t let the hosts of the show know. Personally, my biggest fear is that this might lead Young and Bryan to leave the WWE.
Groundbreaking
Talking Smack was unique among all of WWE’s programming. WWE is well-known for being heavily scripted. Yet, talking Smack had an improvised feel. This allowed for some buzz-worthy and unique moments. Probably most notably the Miz “shooting” on Daniel Bryan.
However, they still found time to put some good “pro wrestling” style action on the show.
Will you miss Talking Smack? Share your thoughts.