Thanks to WWE, pro wrestling has nearly 40 years of talk show segments. Usually, a wrestler will host in front of a set personalized to their gimmick, and the sole purpose of the talk show is to foster conflict. Older fans might remember classic shows like Jake Roberts’ Snake Pit or even WWE’s devoted talk show, Tuesday Night Titans, while younger fans will know more recent examples like Christian’s Peep Show or Alexa Bliss' Moment of Bliss.
While any given wrestling talk show is rarely consistent, there have been a bunch that have produced some moments that have gone down in wrestling history. Without further ado, let's take a look at the best wrestling talk shows moments in both WWE and WCW.
10 Shawn Betrays Marty (The Barber Shop, 1992)
These days, it feels like tag teams break up every couple of months. But in the early 1990s, it was pretty rare to see a long-running duo crash and burn like The Rockers did on the set of Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake’s talk show, The Barber Shop. Not only did Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty break up, but Michaels delivered a superkick to his ex-bestie and threw him through the window of the show’s fake storefront.
9 The Miz Goes Off On Daniel Bryan (Talking Smack, 2016)
For many fans, the SmackDown after-show Talking Smack was a must-watch show, as its largely unscripted nature made the wrestlers seem more loose and natural, unlike many of WWE’s scripted promos. It was not only fun, but its format resulted in an infamous promo where Daniel Bryan criticized The Miz’s in-ring abilities, which sparked a passionate promo from The Miz in response. It was an angry and intense tirade from The Miz that felt really special because no one on the show was prepared for it.
8 Andre Turns On Hogan (Piper’s Pit, 1987)
WWE touts the Hulk Hogan vs. Andre the Giant title match at WrestleMania III as one of the promotion’s biggest matches of all time, and the betrayal that caused the match happened on a segment of “Rowdy” Roddy Piper’s talk show, Piper’s Pit.
During an interview with Hulk Hogan, Andre The Giant intervenes to reveal that he’s taken Hogan’s enemy Bobby Heenan as his manager. Hogan already felt betrayed, but Andre decided to further cross the line by ripping off Hogan’s shirt AND his cross necklace in the process.
7 Rated-RKO Forms (The Cutting Edge, 2006)
Not every classic wrestling talk show segment has to involve a deep betrayal. Sometimes, partnerships can form, like in 2006 when Edge courted Randy Orton into forging an alliance to take on D-Generation X.
Edge gave an impassioned speech about combatting Triple H and Shawn Michaels’ nostalgia act, and Orton would ultimately agree to Edge’s offer. Their tag team, Rated-RKO, would prove to be a great heel tag team and end up winning the World Tag Team Titles.
6 Jericho Gets Cancelled (The Highlight Reel/Ambrose Asylum, 2016)
Chris Jericho debuted his in-ring talk show, The Highlight Reel, in 2003. But in 2016, new onscreen boss Shane McMahon made the bold decision to cancel the segment while it was already in progress.
To make matters more absurd, Dean Ambrose started redecorating the set to introduce a replacement show, The Ambrose Asylum. A feud between the two ensued, which culminated with an “Asylum Match” at Extreme Rules.
5 The Fiend Deposes The King (The King’s Court, 2019)
Jerry “The King” Lawler has been hosting an infrequent WWE talk show segment, The King’s Court, pretty much since he joined the company in the mid-1990s, but one of the best moments happened on one of the most recent segments. Lawler was on Raw, set to interview Sasha Banks, when the lights started going down, signaling an attack from Bray Wyatt’s alter ego, The Fiend. Rather than wait around, Lawler tried to leave the arena, only to get caught and assaulted by The Fiend anyway. It didn’t work, but the escape attempt was surprisingly logical for a wrestler.
4 The Debut of Shockmaster (A Flair For The Gold, 1993)
Not every classic wrestling talk show moment has to be some kind of shocking betrayal. Sometimes all you need is a dude falling down when he wasn’t supposed to fall down. On Ric Flair’s talk show A Flair for the Gold, Sting introduced a new tag team partner, The Shockmaster, who was meant to burst through the wall of the set.
Unfortunately, there was some kind of mishap, and The Shockmaster tripped on his way in, taking a spill as his helmet flew off. It’s one of the most infamous “botches” of all time, and without it, The Shockmaster would have likely gone down as a forgettable piece of WCW ephemera.
3 Jake Attacks Undertaker (The Funeral Parlor, 1992)
In 1992, The Undertaker and Jake “The Snake” Roberts were allies in wrongdoing, but the former suddenly turned face by keeping Roberts from bashing Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair. To find out why his partner did this, Roberts appeared on Undertaker and Paul Bearer’s talk show, The Funeral Parlor. From there, he staged an attack on the two, smashing Undertaker’s hands in a casket. A feud would ensue, with Roberts losing to ‘Taker at WrestleMania VIII.
2 The Coconut Smash (Piper’s Pit, 1984)
In the early years of Piper’s Pit, Roddy Piper was a full-on heel who used his TV time to antagonize his guests. In one infamous segment, Piper was “interviewing” Jimmy Snuka but refused to actually let Snuka talk. Piper decided to escalate the situation by pelting his guest with tropical fruit and ultimately smashed Snuka in the head with a coconut. While being overall racially insensitive, it’s hard to deny the effective heel work as fans really, really wanted to see Piper get his comeuppance for that.
1 Chris Jericho Betrays Shawn Michaels (The Highlight Reel, 2008)
Given that one of Shawn Michaels’ biggest moments happened during a talk show segment, it was inevitable that he’d end up getting betrayed on a talk show himself. The one doing the betraying was friend-turned-rival Chris Jericho, who invited Michaels to his Highlight Reel talk show and proceeded to turn heel. throwing Michaels head-first into a TV screen. The resulting feud would go down as a fan favorite thanks to great storytelling and classic matches.