7 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE Backstage (Oct 15)
WWE FS1 show proves to be low on actual "backstage" news, but high on just about everything else.
Wild as it may sound, this could have been one of the most anticipated episodes of a WWE television show in the company's history. Perhaps it still was.
Few gave too much thought to the news that WWE were to be adding shoulder programming to the deal with Fox that has seen them trouser a billion dollars for SmackDown. For the longest time, the figure itself was the story, followed then by the logistical reality of the move. There were more things to think about than a sister show full of fluff pieces.
Then everything went really weird.
Upon its formal announcement, the most pleasing element of the 'Backstage' show initially was the inclusion of the vibrant Renee Young as host. Taking Young off commentary (where results had been mixed) for the switch, it also harked back to the beloved Talking Smack series she anchored years earlier. Backstage felt like it could be fun, rather than filler. Not least with an insane story doing the round about one of her potential co-hosts.
Multiple outlets spoke of an audition gone well, but no further follow-up kept the audience guessing to see if it could possibly be real. Was this catch-up magazine affair really going to mark the return of CM Punk to WWE television?