WWE Talking Smack Recap (1/24): Guests AJ Styles, Mickie James And Mojo Rawley

By Leon Milici

Welcome to WrestlingINC's live coverage of 'Talking Smack' on The WWE Network. You are all welcome to follow along and post your thoughts in the comment section below. Full coverage will begin immediately following '205' Live. Just hit REFRESH on your browser to update the page. Talking Smack will once again be hosted by Renee Young and Shane McMahon. The scheduled guests are WWE Champion AJ Styles, Mickie James and Mojo Rawley.

TALKING SMACK ON THE WWE NETWORK

Renee Young welcomes the audience to this week's show. She is joined once again by guest co-host Shane McMahon. I guess Daniel Bryan was too busy eating apples.

Renee opens the show by saying that they should ask the WWE universe to take a poll and vote Shane as the permanent host of the show. Shane balks at the idea and puts over Daniel Bryan as a better host. Shane noted that Bryan has "got baby on the brain right now as he should, so he's taking care of business." . Renee talks about seeing Brie recently and how fantastic she looks. The opening topic is The Rumble taking place in 5 days. Renee mentions how the show will have Smackdown and Raw talents competing with each other in the Rumble match. She asks Shane, what he thought about Raw Monday night. Shane says that he doesn't watch Raw. He admits that he checked out some clips on WWE.com. Shane puts over all the big stars that will be participating in the rumble match. Renee asks Shane about his current relationship with his sister Stephanie. Shane says that he has kept in contact with her from time to time. Renee states that Shane McMahon will make a prediction for Sunday's rumble before the show ends. Renee then welcomes Mickie James as the show's first guest.

Mickie James talks about how excited she is to be back in The WWE. Shane welcomes her back. Shane asks Renee how different it felt for her to be in the ring interviewing James inside the ring rather than backstage. Renee says that it is very intimidating. Renee talks about how much respect she has for James. Mickie thanks Renee. She is glad that someone remembers how important she is. Mickie calls it a slap in the face that she has been dismissed by many of the women in the new revolution. James says that the revolution actually started before the new women actually showed up. Mickie says that they are not a part of the revolution, but that they are a product of one. Shane talks about Mickie being a former 5 time champ and makes a Booker T reference. Renee asks Mickie how she felt about how the new women's wrestlers have been treated. Mickie calls it bittersweet. She says that she was initially happy for the women getting the spotlight but after awhile, She didn't like the way that her work was forgotten. She felt that all of her hard work and accomplishments were diminished by the new women in the WWE. How everything she did in the past meant nothing. Mickie calls it disgusting. Shane brings up Alexa and her impact on James. Mickie says that she sees a lot of herself in Alexa. How Alexa has a ruthless side to her. Renee asks about Mickie being back in the WWE. James says that she never wanted to go away from the WWE to begin with. She calls her departure from the company very humbling. James says that she always wanted to come back. She is once again asked about her friendship with Alexa. Mickie teases that it may not last very long because friendships in this business usually don't. Mickie is excited about being a part of The Royal Rumble on sunday. Renee brings up the match that Mickie is in. A 6-Woman tag match with her teaming with Natalya and Alexa Bliss. They will be facing Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch and Naomi. Mickie says that she is ready to face these new women before she leaves the show. After James leaves. Shane talks about how confident Mickie is and that he likes to see that.

Mojo Rawley is the next guest on the show. He is congratulated for qualifying for The Rumble match with his victory of The Smackdown Live battle royal. Rawley says that things are changing for him and that he is working very hard. Shane talks about how Rawley needs to have the same energy in the rumble that he had on Smackdown tonight. Shane talks about how stacked the match is, and Renee asks Rawley about this being his 1st ever Rumble match. Mojo is very low key here. He talks about how happy he is and how many of his friends and family contacted him after his battle royal victory. Mojo talks about his dad's text to him. How touched he was with it. Rawley talks about how The Rumble was always a big deal for him and his family when he was a kid. Rawley talks about how great of a feeling he had when he first played for The Green Bay Packers. Rawley hopes that him and his dad can have that same feeling this sunday. Mojo is once again congratulated before leaving the show.

Shane and Renee hype The Rumble and the kickoff show this sunday. Renee asks Shane for a prediction in The Royal Rumble match. Shane takes a very diplomatic approach with his answer. He tows the company line about how so many competitors have a realistic shot. He then goes over the importance of the numbers that are drawn. Renee teases Shane and asks him what number he wants to draw for The Rumble. Shane says that there is no way that he will be in the match.

Joining the show next is WWE Champion AJ Styles.

Renee and Shane sense that AJ is not in a very jovial mood. Shane calls him a buzzkill. AJ admits that he is very angry with what John Cena said about him tonight. How he is just ordinary. Just like any other man Cena has faced in the past. AJ takes issue with Cena calling him "just a guy". Clips are played from SD Live of Cena saying that AJ is only champ because John Cena let him be..... After the clip airs, AJ is fuming. Shane puts over AJ and addresses Styles feelings about him that have left him silent. AJ says that he stood back and listened to what Cena had to say about him. AJ calls John Cena an actor. Shane says that it was an academy award winning performance by Cena, if that was the case. AJ snaps at Shane. Tells him that he knows what he is trying to do. Styles says that he has beaten Cena on multiple occasions and that he will do it again. AJ calls Cena scared. Renee brings up John Cena taking a shot at the Indy's. AJ says that John Cena wouldn't have made it in the independent wrestling scene because he wouldn't have been able to hang with guys like him. AJ says that he can wrestle every single style in the ring. While John Cena is just strong and has a great mind. Styles says that there is more to being great than just what Cena has. AJ says that John wouldn't have lasted 2 seconds in an indy ring. Styles rips on The Today Show for not knowing anything about him. Calling him "The Guy From Atlanta". Shane mentions how that it isn't even accurate. That Styles is from Gainesville. Styles says that it's the same place that National Champion Deshaun Watson is from. He says that The Today show doesn't know anything about The WWE.

Shane switches the subject back to The WWE Championship match at The Rumble. Styles says that it's a joke that Cena is even getting a shot against his title. That he didn't even earn it. Renee asks AJ if he feels distracted going into the match. AJ says that everyone is against him. Styles brings up being on the back of the poster for The Royal Rumble. Next to Rich Swann.... AJ yells at Shane and asks him if he had anything to do with it. Shane says that Stephanie was behind the creative for the poster. Styles says that it figures because all The Raw guys are upfront except for Cena. Styles asks if he has done a good job as WWE Champion. He doesn't understand why he is being disrespected. Styles thinks that Shane should have done something about it. AJ feels that Shane thinks that John Cena is important while he is not. Shane tries to calm AJ Styles down. He tells him to disregard the poster. Shane says that AJ has been great as champ, and has seized his opportunity. Shane then repeats a line Cena said about AJ on Smackdown Live. Where Cena said that Styles has been hot for 6 months, while he has been hot for over 10 years. AJ says that at The Rumble that he is going to walk out The WWE Champion. He then storms off the set.

Renee Young talks about the pressure that Styles must be feeling leading into The Rumble. Shane McMahon says that AJ Styles is one of the most talented guys to ever step into a WWE ring. Shane says that he is looking forward to seeing that match sunday. He does however take issue with AJ's attitude. Renee and Shane debate the mind games going on between Styles and Cena before closing the show.

Comments

Recommended