Paul Heyman Has Reportedly Been Relieved Of His Talking Smack Duties

Legendary WWE personality Paul Heyman has reportedly been removed from his role as co-host of the SmackDown spinoff show Talking Smack.

In case you missed it, Heyman was absent from last week's edition of Talking Smack for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by SmackDown's color commentator Pat McAfee for the taping. According to a recent report by Dave Meltzer of The Wrestling Observer Newsletter (subscription required), Heyman's absence was not a one-off, and veteran wrestling promoter will no longer be working on the show moving forward.

Meltzer also reported that there was no significant reason for the change. Of course, Heyman currently serves as the special counsel to WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns, so he'll still be on TV regularly regardless.

Whether McAfee replaces Heyman permanently remains to be seen, but Heyman's are some mighty big shoes to fill. During his tenure, clips of Heyman's monologues and verbal sparring with guests would regularly viral on wrestling Twitter, with many fans praising his work on the show. He used the platform to get talent over and spiced up some rivalries with his witty rhetoric.

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For example, earlier this year, Heyman was able to get a huge rise out of then-babyface Apollo Crews and light a fire under him. Several weeks later, Apollo turned heel, embraced his Nigerian heritage, and became the Intercontinental champion at WrestleMania.

Another noteworthy moment of Heyman's Talking Smack tenure came when he paid homage to the late ECW legend, New Jack.  New Jack, famed for some of his more shocking matches in ECW, passed away at the age of 58 after suffering a heart attack. Talking Smack aired on the WWE Network shortly after news of New Jack's death made headlines, and it was clear Heyman was fighting back tears as he paid tribute to his former employee. Heyman spoke of New Jack's time in ECW, also highlighting why WWE is unable to show a package of New Jack's best moments as it does for other wrestlers who have recently passed away.

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