Afternoon Update: Kevin Owens double knee surgery, Smackdown 1000 ratings compared to Raw, Kevin Nash on Crown Jewel, Jay Lethal talks ROH-MSG sellout

By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

Kevin Nash (art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch)

SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...

Please send news tips and results to pwtorch@pwtorch.com.


-Smackdown 1000 last night drew a 1.72 rating, beating Raw’s rating this week which was 1.70. Smackdown got a boost from the celebration of it being the 1000th episode and featuring the return of Rey Mysterio, the reunion of Evolution (Batista, Triple H, Ric Flair, Randy Orton), and other festivities. The 1.72 is up from the 1.53, 1.52, and 1.57 ratings of the last three weeks. Total viewership was 2.545 million. We’ll have more details on this in a separate report later today.

-Kevin Owens has undergone double knee surgery. He posted a picture on Twitter of his legs wrapped heavily. He said: “They had a 2 for 1 sale going at the surgery store!” There’s no timeline on his return that’s been reported. He wasn’t in a main event position lately, and based on how wrestlers often are brought back from time off for injuries, he could end up in a better position whenever he returns in 2019.



-Kevin Nash has sided with Randy Orton and JBL in a Twitter post, making the case that WWE should go ahead with the “Crown Jewel” even in Saudi Arabia on Nov. 4. He said: “We’ll never know the truth. Let’s push Saudi Arabia to progress.” He added in a follow-up post, “Honor it’s contract. It’s entertainment not a UN summit.”

-Politicians who normally align with President Trump have spoken out against “business as usual” with Saudi Arabia. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a Republican, said this week: “We deal with bad people all the time, but this was in our face. I feel personally offended.” Prominent conservative commentator Bill Kristol said on MSNBC on Tuesday that he believes the United States government and business world need to react swiftly and strongly against the apparent brazen murder of a Saudi dissident by the Saudi regime. He warned against not doing so. “It’s not just a moral question, although it is a moral question, obviously,” he said. “What signal does this send to the rest of the world [if we just let this go]?” The Wall Street Journal reported last night: “Saudi operatives beat, drugged, killed and dismembered a dissident Saudi journalist in the presence of the kingdom’s top diplomat in Istanbul, Turkish officials said Tuesday, as Washington urged Riyadh to provide answers.”

-Two-thirds of PWTorch’s Twitter followers voting in our poll believe WWE should move Crown Jewel.

-In a Deadspin article by David Bixenspan published this afternoon, he writes that WWE has handled this situation with Crown Jewel poorly: WWE Is Not Handling The Backlash To Its Saudi Deal Very Well

-ROH Champion Jay Lethal appeared on a segment with Julie Wright on ABC7 in Washington D.C. last week to hype “Glory by Honor” event in Baltimore that weekend. He talked about how impressive it was that ROH was able to sell out Madison Square Garden without announcing any matches on the card. He also cut a promo on the new news anchor on the show toward the end of the interview: WATCH [Thanks to PWTorch reader Chuck Carol for the news tip]


Please send news tips and results to pwtorch@pwtorch.com.


NOW CHECK OUT YESTERDAY’S UPDATE: Afternoon Update: Mounting criticism and media attention on WWE-Saudi Arabia partnership, Aries not at Impact tapings after lashing out at Bound For Glory, Rey Mysterio’s return

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