Talking Smack was pretty much must-watch television when it first launched during the summer of 2016. The arrival of the show effectively coincided with the latest iteration of WWE's split roster and was a key part of what made SmackDown quickly become the company's top brand at the time, at least in the eyes of quite a few fans. An era during which SmackDown was very much built around the house that AJ Styles built. However, once the wrestling was done, Talking Smack could begin, bringing a different type of entertainment and a new way to build angles along with it.
The Miz And Daniel Bryan
The first people that spring to mind when you think of that era of Talking Smack are probably Renee Young and Daniel Bryan. The two had a terrific rapport and were clearly given free reign, to an extent, when hosting the show. It was that free rein that led to not only one of Talking Smack's most iconic moments but one of the most memorable moments from the last decade in WWE. The Miz going off on Bryan. A promo that will be replayed for years to come, and one that blurred the lines between what's real and what isn't in wrestling which is often when the business is at its best.
RELATED: Paul Heyman + Talking Smack = Best Show On WWE TV
Talking Smack sort of went on hiatus after a little under a year on the air. It remained as a post-PPV show but wasn't brought back as a regular Network series until the end of 2020. Despite being back for well over a year, you'd be forgiven for not knowing Talking Smack is once again a thing. It might have the same name, but it certainly isn't the same show. Young and Bryan are no longer under the WWE umbrella, so they obviously can't be its co-hosts anymore, but even Paul Heyman isn't used on the show anymore which is a real shame.
The Importance Of Paul Heyman
There was a period where Heyman managed to revive some of the magic that once resided on Talking Smack via his back and forth with Kayla Braxton. Superstars like Big E and Kevin Owens owe Heyman a lot. Both were examples of wrestlers arguably languishing in the mid-card until they were given a mic on Talking Smack and Heyman to play off of. Both reached higher heights after that. Without the talk show in that form, they may have never hit or returned to that next level, and they're not the only ones.
Talking Smack still exists, but there's no one on the show who can elevate its guests to the next level. The biggest problem with that is WWE needs a platform like the old Talking Smack more than ever. Vince McMahon is obsessed with creating new young stars in-house. Talking Smack in its previous form was the perfect place for those new stars to grab a mic and just talk. No script, no rules (to an extent), and no live audience or millions watching at home to forever remember if you make a mistake or say something stupid. People like Bron Breakker, Cora Jade, and Grayson Waller could really make a name for themselves and hone a very important part of their craft if Talking Smack returned to its roots.
Instead, WWE is calling people up from NXT and often has no idea what to do with them. Perhaps they're realizing they're not ready. They might look good, but when the cameras are on and the fans are in their seats, something doesn't click. Heyman is only one man, and he can only do so much imparting wisdom backstage. There's also only so much a Superstar with no other experience can learn in a Performance Center classroom. Revamp Talking Smack, give new stars a chance to show us who they really are, and most important of all, give us all a reason to tune in.
