WWE Talking Smack Takeaways: Becky Lynch Could Learn from John Cena

On the latest Talking Smack, Smackdown women’s champion Becky Lynch is still finding out how to act like a champion, while John Cena shows he never forgot.

The concern on a show like Talking Smack is that a star with the wattage of John Cena would find it beneath him to appear more than very occasionally. But now, having made his second appearance in six weeks, Cena has shown that – not only does he not mind making the extra commitment – he knows how to perfectly utilize the format.

On the other side, we have Becky Lynch. She’s shown strides in the last couple weeks since carrying the Smackdown women’s belt. But she also showed in her appearance with Renee Young and Daniel Bryan this week that she still has some things to learn. Cena, for one, is someone from whom Lynch could take some notes.

Here are our biggest takeaways from each superstar’s appearance and the rest of Talking Smack.

Lynch Still Learning

Having proven in interviews on other outlets, Becky Lynch can tell a story and hold court with the best of them. Which made it weird she relied on such curt responses to every question provided to her.Credit Lynch with quality analogies: both the title-belt-as-a-steak and dynamite-is-nothing-without-fire metaphors played extremely well. But, unlike Cena, Lynch did not dictate the conversation. She let Young and Bryan do most of the talking, which shouldn’t happen when you’re the babyface champ.
One thing Lynch did do well was provide scouting reports for the rest of the division. Despite being a relative newcomer to the main roster, Lynch talked about Naomi’s new gimmick and Natalya’s character change as if Lynch were the elder stateswoman. That sense of authority imbues Lynch with more gravitas as champion, something she can continue to use more of.
The straight-on promo into the camera with which Lynch ended her chat was effective, if oddly out of place. Breaking the fourth wall so passionately usually fits better with a heel persona. See: The Miz putting this very show on the map. A heel calling out a face makes all the sense in the world. Think of Clubber Lang trying to drag Rocky Balboa down to his level. Lynch would’ve been better off speaking her mind directly to the show hosts.

Cena Fires Back

This interview provided the umpteenth reminder: serious John Cena > dad joke John Cena. Without trying to rhyme or make clever quips, Cena’s steely resolve had its chance to shine, and wow did he deliver. Whereas Lynch seemed to speak for maybe a quarter of the airtime afforded her, Cena dominated his portion of the show, showing how polished of an industry veteran he is in barely allowing Young and Bryan time to speak.

More from SmackDown

Cena delivered an absolutely brilliant retort to Dean Ambrose’s accusations of him as a lazy part-timer. It was classic debate retaliation: grant your opponent the less-damaging point, then drop the hammer on them with the more serious one. Part-timer? Yes, Cena will take that L. But lazy? Cena astutely pointed out that he’s a part-timer in ring only, not in the business at large. Unlike, say, The Rock or Brock Lesnar – who leave WWE altogether when they’re not around – Cena doesn’t leave to do his own thing. He leaves WWE…to promote WWE. It’s a salient point and one Ambrose would be hard-pressed to argue convincingly, when Cena’s reminding us of trips to Beijing and Total Bellas publicity junkets.

Saying you’re the face that runs the place is one thing. Showing it is another. That’s just what Cena did in so beautifully distancing himself from Ambrose in the WWE hierarchy. Historically, Dean Ambrose is a fly on John Cena’s windshield. A line like “Dean Ambrose doesn’t like John Cena. John Cena doesn’t care about Dean Ambrose,” shows us Cena feels the same way. Going cross-brand to insult Ambrose as the runt of the Shield litter just added insult to injury.

Cena went into life coach mode saying you’re the sum of the five people you surround yourself with. He later alluded to Vince McMahon being one of those people for him. It’s an impressive way for Cena – long dogged as McMahon’s teacher’s pet – to turn that accusation into a positive.

Bryan Doesn’t Forget

Smackdown has certainly taken the lead on Raw in cross-show sniping. Daniel Bryan saying he and Shane McMahon don’t need to be on camera every week like the authority figures on Raw was a nice tip of the hat to fans who hate Raw’s insistence on authoritative meddling.

Line of the night, from Bryan on the unexpected challenges that face him as a GM: “Somebody wins a match we don’t expect, like all of a sudden, our plans change.” Kayfabe lives!

Nice callback to the failed Daniel Bryan experiment as member of The Wyatt Clan in early 2014. The storyline bombed, but good on WWE for not pretending like it never happened.

How do you think Becky Lynch is doing on the mic as champ? Did you buy John Cena’s response to Dean Ambrose’s accusations? Let us know in the comments below.