10 Worst Sacrifices In WWE

6. Talking Smack 1.0 Is Binned

Hulk Hogan Yokozuna
WWE.com

Aside from wishy washy notes about ratings (and when considering that NXT used to draw lower numbers than Table For 3, this was clearly never the be all/end all when it came to Network programming decisions), there was never much else given as reasoning for Talking Smack's abrupt cancellation in 2017.

And SmackDown instantly missed it.

The 2016 golden age for the brand was punctuated by an awesome post-show that brought the unscripted best out in roster members long before the "this company is systemically inept and I have nowhere else to vent" promos polluted the Twittersphere on a near-weekly basis.

Renee Young is perhaps the best host WWE has ever had, and the giggly and mischievous Daniel Bryan had a knack for bringing out something new in the guests, or popping the whole room with his bullsh*t if the entertainment dried up.

As with any corporate monolith, WWE is at its best when it doesn't feel like WWE - this felt closer to a polished podcast than B-Show shoulder programming.

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Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation nearly 8 years. He primarily produces written, audio and video content on WWE and AEW, but also provides knowledge and insights on all aspects of the wrestling industry thanks to a passion for it dating back over 35 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz" Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast and its accompanying YouTube channel, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 62,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times, GRAPPL, GCP, Poisonrana and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, Philadelphia, London and Cardiff. Michael's background in media stretches beyond wrestling coverage, with a degree in Journalism from the University Of Sunderland (2:1) and a series of published articles in sports, music and culture magazines The Crack, A Love Supreme and Pilot. When not offering his voice up for daily wrestling podcasts, he can be found losing it singing far too loud watching his favourite bands play live. Follow him on X/Twitter - @MichaelHamflett