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.

Triple H
WWE

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?

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael is a writer, editor, podcaster and presenter for WhatCulture Wrestling, and has been with the organisation over 7 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 30 years. As one third of "The Dadley Boyz", Michael has contributed to the huge rise in popularity of the WhatCulture Wrestling Podcast, earning it top spot in the UK's wrestling podcast charts with well over 50,000,000 total downloads. He has been featured as a wrestling analyst for the Tampa Bay Times and Sports Guys Talking Wrestling, and has covered milestone events in New York, Dallas, Las Vegas, 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