Talking Smack has champions galore this week!

Talking Smack is very big and covered in gold as the WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions AND WWE Intercontinental Champion make guest appearances!

Kayla Braxton welcomes us back to the show!

Five weeks from WrestleMania but just over a week away from Fastlane, and after what we saw on Friday Night SmackDown, it WILL BE Big E VS Apollo Crews one more time for the WWE Intercontinental Championship! Big E will be a guest later on but we also learned that another guest in Nia Jax will challenge Sasha Banks for her SmackDown Women’s Championship next week! And for something Paul Heyman has vested interested in, the contract was signed for the Universal Championship at Fastlane, Roman Reigns VS Daniel Bryan. But to add a new twist, Edge VS Jey Uso will determine a special guest enforcer to that match to make sure things are fair and square.

Well thanks for your irrelevant opinion, Kayla. Heyman isn’t sure where to begin. Sami Zayn will be here today, tonight, this afternoon, all weekend, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, all the way to next Friday, “bitching and moaning” about this supposed conspiracy against him. The real conspiracy is against Roman! How many challengers can their be to the title during WrestleMania season? Daniel Bryan, WWE’s most unambitious man now suddenly wants, needs, desires being the WWE Universal Champion and wants to take it off Roman.

“And then there’s Edge. And you think this man, with a surgically repaired neck, would learn not to piss off your Tribal Chief, because that’s what Edge has done. And it’s not healthy for Edge. I want you to think about this. Edge, your best friend in this world knew he was going to become Roman Reigns’ target just to get in your head, and what did he do? He ran away before Roman Reigns could target him.” How many of Edge’s Christians need to convert before Edge realizes it isn’t smart to piss of Roman Reigns? Edge has pissed off Roman Reigns.

And now Edge wants to be an enforcer and get involved with Roman’s match at Fastlane? Why? Because he knows it’s easier against Bryan than Roman, who is untouchable, unbeatable, the Reigns-ing, Defending, Undisputed, Uncontroverted Universal Heavyweight Champion and THE main event of WrestleMania?

Heyman says here’s Kayla to offer her opinion, but then he keeps going. Everyone has an opinion but only one matters to the WWE and it isn’t even the Chairman or his children. There’s one man whose opinion matters. He is the Head of the Table, and that table is the WWE, your champion, THE main event, THE Tribal Chief, the end all, be all, Roman… Reigns…! Kayla asks Heyman if he feels better now. Anyway, if we’re going to talk conspiracies, here’s THE conspiracy theorist and the man who claims he is the rightful Intercontinental Champion…!

Sami Zayn joins Talking Smack!

The documentary crew is of course with him, too. Sami tells Heyman he was in a really good mood to talk to him today and then as he’s walking on, Heyman says that the conspiracy isn’t against Sami but against Roman. Heyman did say that, right? Yes or no? So then, Heyman, Sami wants to make sure they’re talking about the same Roman Reigns. The man who is the the undefeated Tribal Chief, the man whose moniker is Head of the Table, the man who has main evented how man PPV’s?! Heyman knows the numbers and yet a conspiracy against ROMAN!? Him and not Sami?! Careful with the glass table!

How does Heyman answer that, huh!? Heyman says there can be multiple conspiracies. Does Sami not watch cable news? Kayla tries to point out Heyman did say something, but Sami says he’s “losing it.” Heyman tries to get Kayla to do something but Sami says the reason he was in such a good mood is because his documentary IS coming out. Sami has to be careful because WWE has planted a mole, “a dirty rat,” once in his crew. Sami took care of him. Everyone shut up, please. Heyman says Sami said please so he was being nice. Sami wants to address something Heyman said on Talking Smack a few weeks ago.

Heyman came out here, and maybe he didn’t mean to do it, but he looked right into the cameras and said, “Sami Zayn is right.” THERE IS A CONSPIRACY! Sami knows because Heyman said when he was acting director of Monday Night Raw, he was conspiring against Sami all the time! Heyman said that! Kayla says this is Heyman’s receipt. Sami says he won’t hit Heyman. He thought about it, but he’s here to thank Heyman. Because it proves Sami right! Even if Heyman didn’t mean to, Sami admits he reached a dark place. Maybe everyone was right! Sami hears people saying things like “crackpot” and “weirdo.” Sami is human, that stuff gets to him.

So Sami started wondering if the others were right. Maybe Sami’s just not that good. Maybe it’s just Sami. And then Heyman, “this man, this beautiful man, just idiotically blurts out” that he had a part to play. That is the smoking gun!! So thank you, Heyman. Honest to a fault! Maybe more than Abe Lincoln! And Heyman has freed Sami! The dots are all connected, and the documentary is coming out. Sami says Kayla is giving him a look, just like everyone does, like he’s a wacko! But Sami can’t wait to come back and then they’ll all say Sami was right all along. Coming soon, that’s all Sami came here to say. He thanks Heyman for revealing the truth, and that the documentary is coming out whether WWE wants it to or not!!

As Sami leaves, Kayla says she has never seen Sami wound up like that. She looks forward to it and the teaser trailer. Heyman is upset about the chairs. Heyman starts throwing Kevin Owens under the bus! When the Street Profits were hot as Raw Tag Team Champions, Heyman needed to find a great tag team to face them, and so he went to Kevin and asked if he’d team up with Sami and Kevin said that they’ve known each other since they were kids and Kevin doesn’t like Sami because Sami’s a prick! Heyman was told to bury Sami so Heyman did and that was the conspiracy. Kayla says that’s a lot to process.

Moving on, up next are the dominant WWE Women’s Tag Team Champions, and their new little friend.

Nia Jax, Shayna Baszler and Reginald join Talking Smack!

Kayla says Reggie might be the best dressed man in WWE now, he looks dapper. Reggie is a gentleman and holds Nia’s belt for her, but Shayna refuses to give hers over. Kayla senses Shayna might still be annoyed over that shopping trip they took. Oh did it look that way? Nia said it was a great time, she and Reggie had fun. But while they didn’t have time to talk on SmackDown, this budding romance has been fun to watch. How does it feel to have a new bae? Nia says this is personal stuff. This show isn’t very professional. Where are the chairs for her and Reggie? He has better clothes than Kayla will ever have. Well, ok…

Moving on to what we saw on SmackDown, Reggie inspired Nia to go after the SmackDown Women’s Championship. Nia has her opportunity against Sasha Banks, and Shayna again seems annoyed. But let’s say Nia defeats Sasha. She could go into WrestleMania as a double champion. But they’re also tag team champions so what does that mean there? Kayla, do not be mean to Shayna, she is beautiful. And WrestleMania is two nights this year, so they can definitely defend the tag titles one night, then Nia defends her SmackDown title the second night.

Heyman says that if Nia does become champion, she’ll be facing Bianca Belair, and that’s no walk in the park. It’s Bianca Belair, the single hottest newcomer to come to SmackDown in a long time. Nia agrees. Bianca was Women’s Rumble winner for a reason, but what is Heyman’s point? Nia has to focus on Bianca, so why not defend her title against Bianca and then let Shayna defend the tag titles alone? Nia agrees, Shayna is definitely capable of that. Shayna says she would “absolutely get in that ring and fight any two women that you would put in there against me, by myself.” Nia thought they were kidding. Well if Nia is gonna win the SmackDown title without her. This is for all of them! They will…

Hey, if Nia goes for the SmackDown title, what is stopping Shayna from going after the Raw title? They can halve ALL the gold, and one of the best looking men in the company. Kayla likes Nia’s idea. What does Shayna think? Shayna does start to smirk, and Heyman says she can give her answer when she’s ready. Because by then, we’ll see if Nia is the new champion. Reggie says she will be. Thank you, Reggie. The disrespect on this show! Nia storms off, Reggie follows, and Shayna eventually does, still smirking.

Heyman says if Kayla wants to get sassy with a woman who has the power of Nia and the background of Shayna, don’t expect him to defend her. Heyman sees sass when it’s just Kayla’s  professional journalism. But sass respects sass. Well Heyman is “Paul ‘Sassy’ Heyman.” But from tag champions to the WWE Intercontinental Champion!

Big E joins Talking Smack!

Big E is in a very serious mood given what we saw on SmackDown. “This is what you wanted, hmm?” Heyman knows Big E means about Apollo Crews. Heyman will talk to Big E directly and respect him as a man to give him a straight answer. NO, this is not what Heyman wanted but it is what he told Big E what would it would be like. Heyman didn’t predict what things would be like as champion. He gave a spoiler. As champion, what did Big E think his life would be like? This is where Heyman fails to understand all the animosity that the locker room has for Roman Reigns. What Big E is learning now is life at the top. It is what Roman has to deal with.

“There are no friends, there are no allies. Nobody is truly happy for your success. They’re all jealous and-or envious, because they all want to be in the position that you have worked your ass off to earn.” They want to be on the rise, be buzzworthy, be the Intercontinental Champion. They want to take from Big E what Big E has earned, and Apollo Crews is just the first of many. This is the life Big E leads because of the sacrifices that he made. That’s life at the top. Now Roman understood that and created the Island of Relevancy in order to protect himself from all those around him who are willing to do him harm and take from him.

Look at Jey Uso! Jey isn’t just #MainEventJey or the Right Hand Man, he is like the Secret Service for the Tribal Chief! That is why this morning, Heyman mentioned that if Big E is tired of it, if he wants to protect his championship, there is more than one Uso. No need to give Heyman an answer now. But just as we’re heading into WrestleMania, maybe Big E will take this into consideration. And when Big E is ready, he’ll give Heyman a call. Big E says he does hear Heyman. And he has learned a lot form Heyman. Like how shark infested the waters really are.

But this title is BIG E’S title. And Big E will beat Apollo Crews, decimate him, embarrass him, and defend his title. HIS title. And Big E will walk into WrestleMania, defend the title again, and then hold it for an entire calendar year, 2022, WrestleMania 38, beyond a shadow of a doubt, deserving the Universal Championship shot more than anyone else! If Roman still has that title by then, that match will be Big E’s. And when Big E walks out of WrestleMania as a DOUBLE CHAMPION, new Universal and STILL Intercontinental, after beating whoever it is, then Big E and Heyman can talk. With that, Big E takes his leave.

Kayla says every time she sees Big E, she sees more determination in his eyes. Ladies and gentlemen, Big E VS Apollo at Fastlane is coming at the final stop on the Road to WrestleMania! Thank you for watching, see you next time. Heyman is oddly excited after hearing that. Is Heyman already looking forward to the road beyond WrestleMania?

My Thoughts:

What a great episode! Heyman is always great in these, but especially here with that line about Christian and him leaving WWE. Sami was great because he is unraveling just as I figured he would, but he had a great bit bringing up Heyman saying what he said a few weeks ago. Heyman trying to defend himself by blaming Kevin Owens was very Heyman. I have a feeling Heyman’s words might be why Sami and Kevin end up opponents again and not a team. That’ll still end up a great story to carry Sami and Kevin to at least WrestleMania, maybe past it, and for however long WWE wants it to, because Kevin and Sami can definitely make it go for as long as they want.

The segment with Nia, Shayna and Reggie was good, but Nia sure dominated the talking for her side. Though I suppose that is her character as the self-proclaimed leader of this group. But also, Shayna being annoyed is kinda her thing. But the suggestions of Nia and Shayna wanting to be the next Two Woman Power Trip like how Sasha and Bayley were is a natural progression, so it was good to bring up here. But if Shayna were to get the Raw Women’s Championship, that’d really complicate WrestleMania. Three titles, two nights? Someone’s pulling double duty. But of course, that’s only if they get all the belts and I’m thinking Nia loses to Sasha.

Big E’s segment was great, between him having that same serious passion as he did on SmackDown, and Heyman saying his piece, and then Big E vowing to retain for an entire year and face the Universal Champion in 2022, that is big stuff. There is a lot going into that match at Fastlane, Big E VS Apollo could be the show stealer.