Smackdown 1K, Crown Jewel, HBK
There is plenty of big news this week, so let鈥檚 get right into it.
WWE milestone Tuesday
The 1,000th episode of Smackdown will air live Tuesday, and WWE is treating the show like a big event.
The company is bringing back many former stars, like Batista and Edge, for the show and WWE expects the show to draw solid numbers.
Look for an angle to begin with Batista that will set up a future match, possibly at WrestleMania.
While the event won鈥檛 draw a rating close to the Raw 25th anniversary show earlier this year, they are hoping for a good number.
Rey Mysterio will make his WWE return on the show and will be a prominent figure on the show moving forward.
Look for The Rock to be involved, although it may be by a pretaped video as his movie schedule may not permit him to appear.
Crown Jewel to be canceled?
Several major politicians have asked WWE to cancel the Crown Jewel show that is scheduled for Nov. 2 in Saudi Arabia.
An American reporter was said to have been murdered, possibly at the behest of the Saudi Arabian government, inside its consulate in Turkey.
Will WWE go through with the show?
There are many factors here, one of which is that of WWE pulled out, what kind of financial damages would it do?
WWE has a deal with Saudi Arabia to put on a set amount of shows and what kind of financial damages would the company open itself up to if it pulled out?
A dark cloud formed over WWE when the deal with Saudi Arabia was announced.
WWE looks at itself as a forward-thinking entity, but the deal with Saudi Arabia felt wrong from the start.
Sure, the deal was said to be possibly worth as much as nine figures, but does it now look worth it?
If WWE goes through with the show, there will be a roster full of talent who will head over there literally worried about their lives.
Look for some wrestlers to consider pulling out if the show takes place, and wrestlers who are financially secure like Brock Lesnar may pull out all together.
However, talent is forbidden from speaking about the event or the country, so no one will speak on it.
Plus, what kind of hit will the company take if it does the show?
WWE finds itself in a murky situation, and when asked for a comment by the national media, the company simply stated that it is, 鈥渕onitoring the situation.鈥�
HBK return on or off?
As has been discussed for weeks in this column, Shawn Michaels is set to return to the ring for the first time in over eight years to team with Triple H to face The Undertaker and Kane.
Michaels is reported to be making seven figures for the match, but if the event is canceled, will Michaels鈥� return be nixed all together?
Or would it be moved back to Survivor Series?
His big pay day is because of the money WWE offered him, and if the show is off, will the big purse be as well?
This week鈥檚 question: Will Rey Mysterio stay long in WWE? Ryan, Brownsville.
My guess is that he will stick around long enough until his son Dominic, who is training at Lance Storm鈥檚 school, has enough experience to be signed by WWE.
Email questions/comments to Bill at powerhousehughes@gmail.com or tweet them to me @BillHughes_III.