Ever since the weekly editions of WWE Talking Smack were abruptly cancelled, many wrestling fans have been questioning why the surprising move was made. Jerry Lawler tried to clear things up and give his own theory as to the cancellation on his podcast this week.
There are very few people out there who have the kind of insight into Vince McMahon that Jerry Lawler does. Having known McMahon for nearly 40 years and worked with him for 25 years, Lawler has seen just about every side of the boss.
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One internet rumor suggested that McMahon had been upset by the show several times, including seeing the New Day appear on it before their debut on SmackDown Live. This always seemed like a dubious claim, given virtually everything that happens in the company has to be approved by Vince. Lawler seemed to confirm that on his podcast.
“I’m sure the guests on Talking Smack, all of that is probably run by Vince before the show goes on. Because I know the fact that I was going to be on Talking Smack was run by Vince before I was allowed to be on there,” Lawler said.
The weekly editions of Talking Smack often received rave reviews from wrestling fans, especially because they sometimes contained what seemed to be shoot comments from performers on the air. One of the most notorious comments made included Daniel Bryan alluding to the fact that WWE wouldn’t clear him to wrestle but he might when his WWE contract expires.
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As far as why the weekly show was dropped (it will continue solely as a post-PPV feature on the WWE Network), Lawler explained, “It might have been logistics. When you’re talking these guys have been there all day long, and the crew has been there two days. And to ask them to stay an extra hour or two when everything else is being broke down and when all the other superstars have left getting back to their hotel or going on to the next city; it’s tough. It is hard. I’m sure there were some complaints from people not too happy about staying to do that. As opposed to the one after the pay-per-view; that’s easy.”
Clearly the performers themselves had no problem doing the show, this comment would pertain more to the production team. Daniel Bryan and Renee Young were both very outspoken about their disappointment in the weekly show being cancelled. They even produced their own show after SmackDown this week, called Smacking Talk, and streamed it online.
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NEW YORK CITY – DECEMBER 19: "Toil and Trouble" – Elsbeth is thrown into the world of television after the showrunner of a long-running police procedural is brutally murdered in his office, and although it appears to be the act of a disgruntled fan, she begins to suspect the show's longtime star Regina Coburn (Laurie Metcalf) who yearns for artistic fulfillment. Meanwhile, Judge Crawford (Michael Emerson) continues to be a thorn in Elsbeth's side, on the CBS original series ELSBETH, Thursday, Dec. 19 (10:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network, and streaming on Paramount+ (live and on demand for Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the episode airs). Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Carra Patterson as Kaya Blanke. (Photo by Michael Parmelee/CBS via Getty Images)
