WWE Hell in a Cell 2016: 'Raw Talk' Debut Episode Highlights

The live post-show Raw Talk, hosted by Renee Young, debuted on the WWE Network after HIAC. It featured interviews and analysis from Booker T, Jerry Lawler and Lita.

The WWE kicked off Raw Talk immediately following the the pay-per-view. The show starts with reactions from the analyst panel. Most notable was an emotional Lita describing the pride and anxiety she felt watching Sasha Banks and Charlotte. The panel agreed that all three main events delivered and they went into guest interviews.

First off Roman Reigns discussing his successful US title defense. He thanked the Boston crowd for the great reaction and expressed his respect for Rusev after their brutal match. Reigns then challenged Kevin Owens for the Universal title, stating his desire to hold both titles. The former Shield member said he will do what Seth Rollins couldn’t and beat Owens for the title.

Speaking of winning titles, the next guest was The Brian Kendrick after capturing the WWE cruiserweight championship. In the most controversial segment of the night, Booker criticized Kendrick for getting out-wrestled. He also claimed that Kendrick had “lost a step” from his previous run in WWE. The new champ was offended by Booker’s remarks stating, “Booker you could never do on your best day what I could on my worst.” Then Kendrick walked angrily off the set claiming that his new title proves he is the best cruiserweight in the world. Following that was Bayley discussing her win over Dana Brooke and her desire to challenge for the women’s championship.

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens provided the comic relief. The best friends started by kicking Bayley off the set and adding her to the list of Jericho. Several others also made the list including Cesaro for giving an off-camera crotch chop to Y2J. There were also several David Pumpkins SNL comments made by Jericho to Renee Young in reference to her Halloween sweater. In addition, Owens praised his own efforts in successfully defending his title against Seth Rollins. He then blew off the challenge made by Roman Reigns. Adding that the US champ should slim down and go after the cruiserweight title instead.

Then Cesaro and Sheamus closed the episode by arguing as the show went off the air. Following the success of Talking Smack, it’s understandable that WWE wants to create something similar for Raw. But will Raw Talk be able to create the same buzz without having the irreverent comments by Daniel Bryan?