3/28 WWE Talking Smack Review: Styles ready to embarrass Shane, Corbin threatens Ambrose, Naomi talks about hometown reception

WWE TALKING SMACK REVIEW
MARCH 28, 2017
AIRED LIVE ON WWE NETWORK
BY CRAIG ELBE, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR

Renee Young and Daniel Bryan were at the Talking Smack desk, this being the last before WrestleMania. On behalf of WWE, Bryan extended his deepest condolences to Jim Ross and his family for the loss of Jim’s wife Jan. He shared his and everybody’s high opinion of her and Renee echoed the sentiments.
5 days away from WrestleMania, Bryan said things are tenuous at best. Not being a wrestler that has just his performance to ponder is challenging. Ultimately, putting together the best SmackDown matches together for WrestleMania as his greatest priority, providing people with “THE ULTIMATE THRILL RIDE!”

Excited for how close we are to WrestleMania, Renee welcomed the A.J. Styles to the show.

First Guest: A.J. Styles

A.J. confidently sat down, beaming of how he will embarrass Shane McMahon at WrestleMania. Bryan wondered why no ROH style handshake to Shane after the contract signing. A.J. blamed Bryan’s bad timing. Bryan knew it was awkward and not favored by anybody in retrospect but wanted to have a peaceful ending.

A.J. restated his advantage over Shane that their traditional match is not going to give Shane the opportunity to use what he’s relied upon in the past. Still though, A.J. knows he’s a winner and will find a way to win no matter what.

Bryan provided Shane’s background of MMA training and asked about Shane having a puncher’s chance. A.J. said his versatility will overcome whatever fighting or wrestling Shane tries to employ. Bryan goaded further, asking A.J. if he has a point to prove. A.J. said Shane doesn’t belong in the ring with him, that he should be in the main event of WrestleMania and will use what he will do to Shane as proof.
A.J. reminded Bryan he STILL hasn’t gotten his one on one rematch for the WWE Championship. He had Bryan write it down to remember it.

Renee said she will have her eyes glued to that match and thanked A.J. for being on the show.
Renee wondered if Shane is being underestimated by A.J. Bryan said it can happen as A.J. may be overconfident and Shane has always brought out the best in every opponent he’s faced, making this an intriguing matchup to see how close or far that gap really is between Shane and A.J.
Bryan wondered how Renee’s hair grew so quick in a week’s time and why she’d put fake hair in her head. She said she wanted to change it up a bit and is happy with her choice.

Renee said she felt the stress and tension during the Miz TV segment with everything John Cena and Nikki Bella said to Miz and Maryse. Bryan said it’s hard to stay objective, but he wasn’t bothered by being spoofed by Miz in the Total Bellas skits. He said Miz is good at verbally sparring with people, especially not-cleared-to-get-physical Bryan. When Cena invited Miz’s fists after laying into Miz and Maryse as hard as he did, Miz cowardly walked away. This made Bryan curious as he wouldn’t wait for an invitation to stand up for his wife if it were him, even if it was Brock Lesnar.

Renee reiterated her past statements of how intense the situation is between the four of them, especially being friends with Nikki and Maryse.

Renee pivoted and happily welcomed Naomi back to the show.

Second Guest: Naomi

Renee called for the video of when Naomi relinquished her SmackDown Women’s title last month.
Naomi said she got mad all over again watching that footage but is grateful she was taken care of and allowed to rehabilitate her injury.

Naomi said she sat home and angrily watched Alexa Bliss talk down about her as she saw everything else pass her by. Now, she’s happy to get back to kicking butt starting tonight. She thanked Bryan for putting her in the multi women match for the SmackDown Women’s title at WrestleMania.

Renee asked Naomi about being able to compete at WrestleMania. Naomi said she will be in front of her friends and family in her hometown of Orlando and, despite the multi woman aspect, she can’t come up short. She put over the Women’s roster as being the best of the best but plans on winning back what she didn’t lose. Renee said she’s pulling for her even though she should be unbiased, and exchanged air hi-fives. Bryan tried to be cool and attempt his own air hi-five but didn’t have enough stank for Naomi’s standards. Renee gave a plug to the match and thanked Naomi for being on the show.

Bryan said Naomi will be tough to beat by how she looked tonight by her lack of hesitation that is usually there after knee injuries.

Bryan then celebrated that the Big Hog James Ellsworth, at his and Carmella’s first WrestleMania, could be the wild card for Carmella to win. It’s also Alexa Bliss’s first WrestleMania but it’s Mickie James’s first WrestleMania in a long time and that means a lot for her going into the match.

Renee changed the subject to the Dean Ambrose vs Baron Corbin WrestleMania grudge match for Ambrose’s Intercontinental Title. She said tensions have gotten so high they can’t be in the same room and threw to an interview from earlier today with Ambrose and Corbin in separate locations. The interview was barely conducted by Tom Phillips.

Interview with Baron Corbin and Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose

After their earpieces were settled in place, Phillips asked his first generic question. Corbin cut him off, saying nobody is paying to see him and that he is the one people want to hear from. Ambrose apologized to Phillips, that Corbin was being a cranky wolf and didn’t mean it. Corbin said Ambrose is trying to be a funny guy but he’s not laughing. Ambrose wasn’t laughing under the weight of a forklift or being entertaining. He just cares about making Ambrose suffer, that seeing people suffer makes him happy and will see Ambrose suffering again.

Eyes rolled and unimpressed, Ambrose said he only fears tarantula hawks and Lyme disease. He isn’t afraid of an overgrown bully stealing lunch money and will give him both a life and wrestling lesson at WrestleMania. Ambrose said he will slap him in the face, gouge his eyeball, kick him in the ass and beat him with Dirty Deeds and take his lunch money. Corbin can bring a truck full of forklifts or the cannon that was used against King Kong but he will keep getting up and hitting back harder.

Corbin threatened running Ambrose over with a truck, and will put him back down. He recalled the damage he did to Ambrose at Elimination Chamber and pinning him with a forklift and will finish the job at WrestleMania by taking his Intercontinental Title.

Ambrose was still not impressed and told Corbin he is boring. They continued their playground verbal jabs by telling each other to shut up several times. Corbin raised the stakes and told Ambrose to make him shut up and called him a little man. Ambrose got up, found a remote control and turned off Corbin’s screen.
Even though the interview was from earlier today, Corbin stormed to the Talking Smack desk like the interview was happening live, or maybe it’s just me being a stickler. Corbin was upset at the disrespect that Ambrose showed but there isn’t a remote control that can stop him at WrestleMania. Corbin said he will hurt the joking Ambrose and take his Intercontinental Title and he won’t be laughing.

Corbin said he’s the 1 percent of people that can have a brand built around, that his pedigree of being an NFL player makes him special. After WrestleMania, Ambrose will be left to working for the dollar bills stapled to his head and a hot dog while 12 rednecks cheer along in a parking lot. He said he’s the future of this business and he can put SmackDown on his back. He threw the microphone on the desk and left the show.
Bryan found it interesting Corbin said he’s the future and not the present, as he feels Ambrose is very much the present but we will see this Sunday at WrestleMania.

Renee gave one more plug to WrestleMania and Bryan yelled again with sarcasm of it being “THE ULTIMATE THRILL RIDE!!!” as the show came to the end.

NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S REPORT: 3/21 WWE Talking Smack Review: Cena reacts to Total Bella spoof, Ambrose warns Corbin, Shane is Crazy, Usos as champs