TALKING POINTS FROM TALKING SMACK 3/7: Bryan expands pool of women for WM33 shot at Bliss’s belt, Miz once again shines in this format

Talking Smack has quickly become must see TV. That is very high praise for a network special that promotes sitting down and talking about wrestling on a wrestling network. It’s smooth, easy viewing that appeals to those who want to know more about what really goes on without ever damaging the overall characters. Every episode gives us a few interesting things that it is definitely with knowing.

I’m Tom Colohue and this is Talking Points From Talking Smack.

Follow Tom Colohue on Facebook and @Colohue for updates.

Talking Points From Talking Smack

1. Renee Young bleeds blue

I tweeted during the Fast Lane pre-show that Renee Young has better be Smackdown exclusive and, as it turns out, she isn’t. When called upon, she will also present Raw Talk, which is Talking Smack for the other brand. Given the success of Talking Smack, it’s a wonder that Raw Talk isn’t a regular thing but, alas, it is not.

Raw Talk failed on a few counts, but likely the biggest problem was that the wrestlers on it seemed unaware of what they were getting themselves into. Bayley, in particular, had a very different story on Raw than she had had on Raw Talk the night before. Roman Reigns performed as his heel variant when lining up against Undertaker, but was all face beforehand.

The one consistent positive? Renee Young. She might just be a cog in the machine that is WWE, but she is of immense value and integral to the development of a lot of WWE’s current Smackdown roster. She was at pains to remind Daniel Bryan here that she bleeds blue and, for the sake of the blue brand, that had better be true.

2. The escape artist might not escape this one

Alexa Bliss avoiding answering questions from Daniel Bryan with ridiculous ease. She wore her “angry at you” face but not her “angry at you” heel face. The injury to Naomi has forced WWE to play their Bliss vs. James hand much more quickly than they were likely to, given how smoothly they wrapped up the James vs. Lynch storyline.

Bliss is, of course, an expert escape artist. I’m hoping rather desperately that this turns into the ladder match show opener and that she retains, but Daniel Bryan had a wondrous misstep here. He corrected himself from saying available Smackdown women to saying available women on the roster.

Eva Marie? Emma? Asuka? All those cards just came into play. That title could go to pretty much anyone.

3. The Battle Royal is big business again

Nothing much has ever been important in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Cesaro is about as high on the card as he is when he won it. Big Show won it just kind of because. When Corbin won, they made it a major talking point and, after several months trapped in an endless feud with Dolph Ziggler, he has really made the most of it.

This year, people are declaring themselves for it in the same way that they declared themselves for the Royal Rumble. A lot of major players do not currently have a match. Strowman, Zayn, Joe, Harper, and so on. Those are just some of those who could get a win in it. Apollo Crews? No. Mojo Rawley? No. It’s important that they can still use it to get over, though. Make something big out of the match and you make something big out of the winner. Give people something important to fight for and you make the chase important. Keep it up.

4. Relationships as talking points again

Miz and Maryse have been an relationship that has been out there since the day after WrestleMania. Cena and Nikki Bella are a major factor right now in competing against them. In addition, Renee Young has made no effort to hide the fact that she is in a relationship with Dean Ambrose.

Is this to mock Paige and Del Rio? No. It can’t be else The Miz and Maryse wouldn’t have been so open about it at the time. That said, it does signal a change in philosophy from the days when the only relationship that could be discussed was that of the McMahon-Helmsley Regime.

Is Renee due an angle? Who knows. I expected Ambrose & Young against Miz & Maryse more than I expected Cena & Bella there, but, given how important Renee Young is, maybe teaching her to wrestle just isn’t in the plans.

5. Are you afraid of The Miz?

Everything went very quiet when The Miz and Maryse walked onto the set of Talking Smack. Why? Because he speaks absolute truth and it must be utterly terrifying to the two presenters.

Talking Smack and The Miz might just be the best pairing in wrestling history. The guy can walk a tightrope of kayfabe that is more engaging than the majority of wrestling storylines ever. Given a microphone, he tore John Cena apart, including a little tidbit on why everybody kicks out of the Attitude Adjustment.

The Miz doesn’t need a presenter. He doesn’t need his wife. Give him a microphone and a 12 hour live TV show and I will be watching it. When Daniel Bryan shushed Renee Young, those are the moments that make this real. Renee Young interrupted a few times to try to pull The Miz back from the brink of accidental self-destruction.

And that’s why everyone in the company is scared of The Miz. If he falls off that tightrope even the slightest he could literally destroy things. Characters, storylines, shows. Careers? If I was in that dressing room I’d be terrified every time he grabs a microphone.

NOW CHECK OUT THIS PREVIOUS REPORT: TALKING POINTS FROM TALKING SMACK 2/21: Bryan addresses battle royal decision, Usos get real, Styles and his Man Bun, plus Lynch, Renee