5 takeaways from WWE Backstage (January 7th, 2020)

#2 Rapid reactions

Lacey Evans has targeted the bullying of Sasha Banks and Champion Bayley.

There was a lot of content to get to as a few recent developments were addressed in various segments throughout the night. One was the fact that after being such an effective heel, Lacey Evans quickly turned face on SmackDown. Paige said that "I absolutely fell in love with her as a bad guy" and that she didn't think "the face thing should be a long term thing." As most people have, Paige said that she loved Evans' fiery daughter and that she "can't wait to see where this goes."

Christian was asked about the ongoing Buddy Murphy/Aleister Black feud. He said that "these guys have great matches together," but "at some point, Buddy Murphy has to win one of these matches to keep this going." He praised the bouts for their "great innovation" but noted that "sometimes a good old fashioned kick or punch in the face can mean more than a flashy move."

Booker T loves both AJ Styles and Randy Orton and was asked about Styles' mocking of the Viper on the latest RAW. Booker said it was more about "character building" for Styles since "we've seen AJ Styles wrestle a great match every night." The two-time Hall of Famer added that "from a promoter standpoint this (the Styles/Orton feud) is money and a main event anywhere in the world."

Renee Young asked the Miz about what he thought was standing out and entertaining him right now in WWE and he praised the Mandy Rose/Otis angle. He claimed that "any time I see Otis on TV it makes me smile" and that "there's a charm with him." Paige also professed her support for the man who loves ham.

Miz was also asked about a current colleague with a bright future and he said that the Drifter is one to watch, claiming that "Elias has what it takes to be a top talent in WWE." One thing he mentioned is that "a lot of people complain about TV time" for some stars. Every time he sees Elias, however, "he always makes an impact whether its 30 seconds or five minutes." He gave the advice to "just keep doing what you're doing and you'll get your moment." Sage advice from someone who knows how to stay the course in a tough business.