Kayla Braxton: You Can Say A Lot About Paul Heyman, But He Is Brilliant

The SmackDown post-show Talking Smack became must-see television for many fans during the pandemic era due to the presence of Paul Heyman. 

Heyman’s interactions with the WWE superstars were often clipped and posted to social media as he would enhance storylines and characters. Kayla Braxton has a front row seat for it all, sitting beside Heyman on the set and adding her personality into the pieces as well. 

“I didn’t know Paul very well prior to him being the co-host, but one thing I realized was, ‘Wow, they’re putting Paul Heyman next to me on the show, they must really care about this show.’ You can say a lot about Mr. Heyman, but he is brilliant and I have become a much better host because of him. Being able to go back-and-forth with him, my quick wit has gone up. He’s kept me very sharp. He’s one of a kind and has helped me big time,” Braxton told Sam Roberts on NotSam Wrestling when discussing the addition of Heyman to Talking Smack. 

Heyman was eventually replaced on Talking Smack by Pat McAfee, who Kayla also had glowing praise for. 

“Man, he’s funny,” she said of McAfee. “He’s someone I would like to potentially do more stuff with. He got thrown on Talking Smack and that was our first time working together. When you get thrown a new co-host you’ve never worked with before, it’s a risk to see how you vibe with them. He’s another one who is so good and so quick.”

The format of Talking Smack changed once again with crowds returned and, for now, Braxton is no longer the host of the show. 

Matt Camp and Peter Rosenberg hosted the most recent episode of the show from WWE studios while Braxton did in-arena interviews. 

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