5 Ups And 1 Down From Last Night's WWE Talking Smack (Jan 24)

3. Up - Mojo Rising

Mickie James Talking Smack
WWE

Though not as strong as the breakout character reinvention two weeks ago, Mojo Rawley had another polished week on Talking Smack to follow up the successful Smackdown Live Battle Royal victory that earned him a spot in the Royal Rumble match.

He spoke candidly of what a dream it was for him to even enter the thirty-man war, let alone possibly win it and head to Wrestlemania.

The tweak to Mojo's personality has been such a welcome change to the obnoxious 'Hype' gimmick he's peddled for several years, and his revelation that his Father had taken a screenshot of Rawley's victory celebration with the 'Royal Rumble ' graphic was a touching and relatable moment to add depth to his own Rumble tale on Sunday.

Of course, it's virtually impossible that Mojo will actually win, but as with Baron Corbin, it's vitally important that outsiders are given the ammunition to seem believable winners in order to protect the sanctity of the Royal Rumble, and Talking Smack has done a commendable job of fleshing out motivation for most of its chasing pack.

Contributor
Contributor

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