What’s the story?
Current WWE United States Champion and ‘Face of America’ Kevin Owens took to Twitter last night to tell his fans that he has broken his thumb. The injury happened ahead of last night’s episode of SmackDown Live, but clearly, the injury is not serious enough to force KO to miss any in-ring time.
In case you didn’t know...
Kevin Owens has been one of the WWE’s most consistent performers ever since he arrived on the main roster back in May 2015. Since showing up to interrupt John Cena on that night just over two years ago, Owens has gone on to win both the WWE Intercontinental and United States Championships on two occasions, and in August of 2016, he became only the second men to win the WWE Universal Championship.
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Owens was moved to SmackDown as part of the post-WrestleMania superstar shake-up, and is scheduled to take part in the 2017 Money in the Bank ladder match.
The heart of the matter
The more observant members of the WWE Universe may have noted that Owens had his right thumb wrapped up last night on SmackDown Live. Owens battled Shinsuke Nakamura, with Nakamura pulling out the eventual win after hitting the US Champion with a Kinshasa knee strike.
Owens showed signs of discomfort throughout the match but wasn’t stopped from performing any of his signature moves or taunts.
Owens is somewhat lucky to have avoided missing any in-ring time, as the Face of America could well be on the verge of the most important time of his career. SmackDown Live is a show in an experimental phase, and performers like Owens, AJ Styles, Sami Zayn and Nakamura will be relied upon to keep things consistent in the meat of the card.
This injury is poorly timed, but things could have ended up a lot worse.
What’s next?
Owens confirmed on Twitter that he won’t be missing any in-ring time, and as such will still take part in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Will a fractured thumb restrict his ability to climb the ladder and claim the briefcase? We won’t have to wait long to find out, as the show is just 11 days away.
Author’s take
Injuries are an unavoidable part of professional wrestling. In fact, it is somewhat surprising that they do not happen more, and wrestling fans must always remember to respect the physical tribulations that these men and women put themselves through for our entertainment.
I’m sure everyone will join me in wishing the Thumb of America a speedy recovery so that Owens can get back to doing what he does best – blocking people on Twitter.
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