{"id":104012,"date":"2020-09-05T13:48:47","date_gmt":"2020-09-05T18:48:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/?p=104012"},"modified":"2020-09-05T13:48:47","modified_gmt":"2020-09-05T18:48:47","slug":"9-5-wwe-talking-smack-kayla-joined-by-xavier-woods-alexa-zones-out-as-she-twirls-her-expanding-dreds-jey-talks-about-heyman-and-facing-reigns-cesaro-talks-about-relating-to-big-es-frustrations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/09\/05\/9-5-wwe-talking-smack-kayla-joined-by-xavier-woods-alexa-zones-out-as-she-twirls-her-expanding-dreds-jey-talks-about-heyman-and-facing-reigns-cesaro-talks-about-relating-to-big-es-frustrations\/","title":{"rendered":"9\/5 WWE TALKING SMACK: Kayla joined by Xavier Woods, Alexa zones out as she twirls her expanding dreds, Jey talks about Heyman and facing Reigns, Cesaro talks about relating to Big E&#8217;s frustrations"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"pwtor-352757223\" class=\"pwtor-before-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><hr \/><b>SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)... <\/b>\r\n\r\n<iframe src=\"https:\/\/widget.spreaker.com\/player?show_id=3076978&theme=light&playlist=false&playlist-continuous=false&autoplay=false&live-autoplay=false&chapters-image=true&episode_image_position=right&hide-logo=false&hide-likes=false&hide-comments=false&hide-sharing=false&hide-download=true\" width=\"100%\" height=\"140px\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe>\r\n<hr \/><\/div><h3><strong>WWE NETWORK REVIEW: TALKING SMACK<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>SEPTEMBER 5: , 2020<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>REVIEW BY NICK MORGAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><em>Hosts: <\/em><em>Kayla Braxton and Xavier Woods<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>This week\u2019s guests: Shinsuke Nakamura &amp; Cesaro, Alexa Bliss, and Jay Uso<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Kayla welcomed everyone to Talking Smack in the Thunderdome and pretended to introduce he co-host, \u201cThe\u2026\u2026.\u201d, but she laughed and said no, no, it\u2019s Xavier Woods!\u00a0 Woods was wearing a very nice (and rather ostentatious) royal blue tuxedo-like jacket.\u00a0 Kayla introduced Woods by running down his several online ventures (Twitch; Up, Up, Down, Down; etc.) and his record six Smackdown and two Raw tag team championships.\u00a0 Woods reciprocated by telling Kayla that she is great at what she does and that Miz was just mean to her and that she should keep going with her Instagram and make that money.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; After the mutual admiration society, that actually seemed somewhat sincere, Kayla announced that they had updates on the two big injury angles from the night: Sasha Banks and Big E.\u00a0 All Kayla said was that they had been taken to \u201clocal medical facilities\u201d and they were being evaluated.\u00a0 Really, that\u2019s the big update. Okay, whatever. Oh, Pet Peeve time:\u00a0 Why can\u2019t they just say \u201chospital.\u201d\u00a0 I know there is some reason, but it is just dumb.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; After the \u201cupdate,\u201d Kayla asked Xavier how he felt about Big E\u2019s injury and the fact that Sheamus attacked him the way he did.\u00a0 Of course, Xavier was upset about his best friend getting hurt and said that Sheamus is disgusting for doing the attack.\u00a0 Kayla also asked about Big E\u2019s singles run and how Xavier felt about it, and as you would expect, Xavier was completely supportive and excited for his friend.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Once they were done with this, Kayla introduced their first guests: Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro, the Smackdown Tag Team Champions.\u00a0 Cesaro did most of the talking for the pair as you would expect, but there seemed to be a fun connection between Cesaro, and Xavier bred from all the tag team matches the two had been involved in.\u00a0 Cesaro brought up Big E\u2019s single run and said he understands the frustration that Big E has felt and seemed to throw some shade at WWE for not moving himself in the singles arena.\u00a0 Cesaro said he does and is willing to do whatever it takes but for some reason (read corporate decisions, i.e. Vince) it just hasn\u2019t happened.\u00a0 It is interesting that on all three of the Talking Smacks since its return, shots have been taken at the decisions about who and how championship runs and title shots are allocated.\u00a0 Hmmmm, worth keeping out eye on.<\/p>\n<p>The remainder of the interview was pretty bland.\u00a0 One interesting note is that while Nakamura\u2019s spoken English is not great, he definitely seems to understand it well as his facial gestures during the interview conveyed a lot.\u00a0 I would love to see an interview with Nakamura where they had a translator so Nakamura could really express his feelings and the insights he very obviously has.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Next up was Alexa Bliss.\u00a0 Interestingly, she sat rather far away from the hosts (could have been a camera angle thing, but I don\u2019t think so, I think this is part of the Alexa\/Fiend angle.\u00a0 Alexa came out in full pigtails and made a point out the dreads, which are multiplying.\u00a0 They briefly spoke about Nikki and the mug incident and Alexa pawned it off and said that is what happens with friends, there are ups and downs and things will be fine.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3334326675\" class=\"pwtor-content pwtor-entity-placement\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x250\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>&#8211; Xavier then brought up The Fiend and how he knows what it is like to be drawn into something like that (remember back to when New Day was confronting the Bray Wyatt Clan and Xavier was being seduced by Cult Leader Bray). Alexa began twirling one of her dreads and seemed to zone out and then came back and acted as if she had just arrived and said it had been so long since she had seen Xavier and how good it was to see him and then quickly said it was time to go and got up and left.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Kayla and Xavier talked about how weird that was and Xavier said that when he was going down the rabbit hole the only thing that saved him were his friends, Big E and Kofi.\u00a0 Xavier stressed that it could be up to Nikki Cross to save Alexa and that only time will tell.\u00a0 The whole segment was a pretty good mover for the whole Alexa, Fiend, Nikki angle.\u00a0 Definitely interested to see where this ultimately ends up.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Next up was Jay Uso.\u00a0 Uso came out all hopped up and excited and sprayed Kayla and Xavier with silly string.\u00a0 It was a bit silly (pun intended), but a fun moment.\u00a0 Kayla and Xavier asked several questions about how exciting it was that he was going to be fighting for the championship and Uso gave all the standard answers.\u00a0 The most engaging thing about the interview was that Uso recounted several stories about how he and his bother Jimmy would fight in the front yard and big cousin Roman was also there.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Jay Uso did a great job of building up the family angle of this fight, but also built up how he was not going to lay down for his cousin. He was going to take it to him and go for the title. Jay Uso also said how he was going to always keep an eye on Paul Heyman, but that he loves Heyman, that Heyman goes way back with Uso\u2019s family, but bottom line it is \u201cabout me right now.\u201d\u00a0 In perhaps the funniest bit of the night, Jay says he loves his cousin, but right now if they have a barbecue, he won\u2019t give Roman a plate, he won\u2019t give Roman no chicken.\u00a0 Xavier broke out laughing and the moment just seemed genuine.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; I have always liked the Uso brothers whether they were heels or faces, and I think it is great that Jay is getting this shot.\u00a0 I also think WWE was dumb not to keep Jay Uso on the show during this COVID-era, even if not in a tag team with this brother Jimmy. He is full of energy both in the ring and on the mic and he just adds so much to the programming.\u00a0 Are you listening WWE? Don\u2019t just get rid of Jay Uso once he loses to Roman, give him a run at the Intercontinental Championship.\u00a0 Keep him on the air!<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Before going off the air, Kayla had a producer (in a mask!) bring out a birthday cake for Xavier and both she and Jay Uso \u201csung\u201d bastardized versions of Happy Birthday.\u00a0 Kayla even mentioned that because of copyright they couldn\u2019t sing the song.\u00a0 Are you kidding me, WWE, you guys get 100\u2019s of millions of dollars from the networks and you can\u2019t spring a few bucks to pay for the rights to use the song?\u00a0 Apparently, according to Wikipedia, Warner Music collects royalties for the song. I guess WWE doesn\u2019t want to give any money to AEW\u2019s television partner.\u00a0 To quote my grandmother, \u201cOy Vey!\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>FINAL THOUGHTS:<\/strong>\u00a0 Okay, this show is getting better.\u00a0 Xavier Woods and his energy and joy are infectious, and he brings the best out of Kayla who seems to just fit in well (she stopped yelling as much).\u00a0 Where the Miz, in his heel persona, granted, tried to make everything about him, Xavier added to the guests, sharing the spotlight, not trying to hog it.\u00a0 I am going to stop gushing about Xavier now, but he makes this show better.<\/p>\n<p>The guests this week were a good group, with Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro, being personable and fun, but not really advancing any major angles, while Alexa Bliss in her brief appearance was only about advancing the angle with The Fiend and bringing attention to the fact that she had more dreadlocks.\u00a0 Jay Uso was great, full of energy and excitement about finally getting a shot, while also showing that, while Roman Reigns may have turned heel, he was still family as far as Jay was concerned.\u00a0 His appearance helped get me excited about the match and add some stakes to what I can only assume will be a win for Reigns in pretty convincing fashion.<\/p><div id=\"pwtor-3379371380\" class=\"pwtor-content-1 pwtor-entity-placement\"><!-- Tag ID: pwtorchcom_test_300x600 -->\r\n<div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280 __300x600\" id=\"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_test_300x600\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p>At only 24 minutes, Talking Smack is a great quick watch and, if you are a Xavier fan, it is a must watch, especially with a strand of pink silly string hanging off the back of his hair for the entire Jay Uso segment.<\/p>\n<p>See you all next week.\u00a0 Until then, take care and stay safe.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><strong>CATCH UP&#8230;<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/08\/31\/8-29-wwe-talking-smack-report-reigns-heyman-discussion-big-e-passionately-says-he-knows-what-he-is-doing-with-his-persona-riddle-talks-corbin-sami-rants\/\">8\/29 WWE TALKING SMACK REPORT: Reigns-Heyman discussion, Big E passionately says he knows what he is doing with his persona, Riddle talks Corbin, Sami rants<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"pwtor-end-article-groups pwtor-entity-placement\" id=\"pwtor-1276962147\"><div id=\"pwtor-4091514792\"><div align=\"center\" data-freestar-ad=\"__336x280\" id=\"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\">\r\n  <script data-cfasync=\"false\" type=\"text\/javascript\">\r\n    freestar.config.enabled_slots.push({ placementName: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\", slotId: \"pwtorchcom_medrec_3\" });\r\n  <\/script>\r\n<\/div>\r\n\r\nTHANK YOU FOR VISITING<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"mh-excerpt\"><p>WWE NETWORK REVIEW: TALKING SMACK SEPTEMBER 5: , 2020 REVIEW BY NICK MORGAN, PWTORCH CONTRIBUTOR Hosts: Kayla Braxton and Xavier Woods This week\u2019s guests: Shinsuke Nakamura &amp; Cesaro, Alexa Bliss, and Jay Uso &#8211; Kayla <a class=\"mh-excerpt-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/2020\/09\/05\/9-5-wwe-talking-smack-kayla-joined-by-xavier-woods-alexa-zones-out-as-she-twirls-her-expanding-dreds-jey-talks-about-heyman-and-facing-reigns-cesaro-talks-about-relating-to-big-es-frustrations\/\" title=\"9\/5 WWE TALKING SMACK: Kayla joined by Xavier Woods, Alexa zones out as she twirls her expanding dreds, Jey talks about Heyman and facing Reigns, Cesaro talks about relating to Big E&#8217;s frustrations\">[&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":104013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,18,3,4307,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104012","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-prowrestlingnews","category-tvshowsandevents","category-news_wwe","category-talking-smack","category-tv_wwetvreports"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/post\/2020\/09\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-05-at-1.38.25-PM.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104012","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104012"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104012\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":104014,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104012\/revisions\/104014"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/104013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104012"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104012"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pwtorch.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104012"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}