News
WWE News Round-Up: Pat McAfee Explains Pro Wrestling is “Soap Opera For Dudes,” Andrade Dropped, ‘WrestleMania’ to Saudi Arabia
This past week has been another hotbed of news and moments for the WWE, who continues to expand its reach domestically and internationally. Now, with the upcoming Wrestlepalooza premium live event on September 20th becoming the inaugural event under WWE’s new streaming partnership with ESPN, the card is stacked.
WWE Chief Content Officer, Paul “Triple H” Levesque visited Pat McAfee on his ESPN talk show to chat about the reason behind the 1.6 million dollar rights deal between WWE and the sports outlet. Triple H, said on the new deal, “This normalizes it (pro wrestling) for everybody.”
McAfee comments, “There is still a carny mindset how we will always be outcasts in the wrestling world. How people view it as not legit. But whenever you look at it from an athletic standpoint, the performers are so incredibly, insanely talented and at Olympic-level of athleticism, and then we talk about the performance. People who like sports, like to see people do their thing at a high level, which is what the WWE does.”

CourtesyESPN
PRO WRESTLING IS A SOAP OPERA
Then, McAfee made the the following analogy, “So I think a lot of sports fans who aren’t into WWE, that whenever they are exposed to it, they are like ‘Wait a minute! This is a men’s soap opera? This is like a soap opera for dudes? I think we can buy into this!” I think there is a lot of appeal for sports fans that I think ESPN will bring.”
Triple H responded, “I think so too, and some people talk about the soap opera stuff, but there is the behind the scenes stuff, no different than you guys talking about the NFL and the drama of it, and its the same thing. You can pick and choose: ‘Do you want to pay attention to the storylines? Do you want to see the backstage stuff?’ When you start digging into the WWE, all that drama of any sport is there.”
ANDRADE LET GO
Over the weekend, various reports have serviced that Andrade’s current run in the WWE had come to an end, and he has been dropped from being listed on the roster and moved to the alumni page of WWE.com. His exit comes a surprise, but industry insiders are reporting it is not because of his relationship with his ex-wife, Charlotte Flair, who was public about how her divorce from Andrade shook her to her core while visiting Sherri Shepherd on her talk show, and then speaking with Michael Fairman TV at WWE SummerSlam in August about it.

Photo: WWE
In an update from the Takedown by SI, they have shared that Andrade was sent home by the WWE with disciplinary action after he failed to show up for TV tapings for a month, and for all intent and purposes, he was effectively released by the company, and that the departure was not a mutual decision.
The report added, “Andrade had at least one wellness policy violation during his most recent WWE run. It is not known how exactly he was in violation of the policy, or whether or not he in fact tested positive for a banned substance (WWE can suspend talent for failing to produce a test). It is also not clear if it directly led to his release, but it was noted that he was suspended without pay as of a result of it.”
Andrade left WWE once before, when he ended a near six-year run with the company by requesting his release in 2021. He then had a wonky run in AEW, and eventually returned to WWE as a surprise entrant during the men’s 2024 Royal Rumble match. More may come to light on why Andrade missed TV tapings in the coming days.
WRESTLEMANIA HEADS FOR THE FIRST TIME OVERSEAS
Building on their global success, the WWE announced that Riyadh, Saudi Arabia will host WrestleMania 43 in 2027 marking the first time that the cultural phenomenon will be staged outside of North America.
The event will be a part of Riyadh Season which is when the city plays home to the biggest entertainment events every year during winter. Since the launch of Riyadh Season in 2019, the festival has welcomed visitors from all over the world to experience thousands of concerts, sporting activities, and other unique cultural events. Most recently, Riyadh Season 2024 reached a major milestone after the number of visitors for the year exceeded 20 million for the first time.

Photo: WWE
WrestleMania is a week-long celebration of WWE and pro wrestling where fans from more than 60 countries attend wrestling’s Super Bowl, which has generated more than $1.5 billion in cumulative economic impact for the cities that have hosted the event over the last decade. In 2026, WrestleMania returns to Las Vegas, before heading to the Middle East the following year with their “Showcase of the Immortals.”
So, do you agree with us, that pro wrestling is a soap opera for men and women as well? Do you have kids that are fans of the WWE? What do you think of the sudden departure of Andrade? And, what are your thoughts of WrestleMania heading to Saudi Arabia less than two years from now? Share your thoughts in the comment section, but first check out the conversation with Pat McAfee and Triple H on all the big moves by WWE and ESPN.
Beyond the Gates
RATINGS: ‘Beyond the Gates’ Inches Closer to ‘General Hospital’ in Total Viewers

The latest ratings are out for the week of October 26-30, 2026 and the big takeaways include: that CBS daytime’s Beyond the Gates was separated by only 23,000 viewers behind third place (of the soaps) General Hospital! For the last several weeks, Beyond the Gates has been closing the gap on this year’s winner for Outstanding Daytime Drama Series, and continuing to best GH in the key demos.
According to the latest Nielsen ratings breakdown from Soap Opera Network, the final week of October brought Beyond the Gates 1.790 million on average tuning-in and the show set a season high in total viewers. Meanwhile, General Hospital hit a new season low! The long-running ABC soap had 1.813 million for the week, and once again the series did not go over the 2 million mark.
Meanwhile, in the key Women 18-49 demo, Beyond the Gates was firmly ahead of GH with a rating share of 0.21, while General Hospital had 0.17 rating share.Then, in the key Women 25-54 demo, Beyond the Gates was once again ahead of the ABC soap with a ratings share for that demo at 0.30 while GH came in with 0.26.

Photo: CBS
MORE BY THE NUMBERS
In addition and comparatively, Beyond the Gates +22,000 viewers week-to-week, and had the largest gains in viewership year-to-year in daytime TV with +267,000 from this in 2025.. However, General Hospital seems to be going in reverse. The show was down -56,000 viewers week-over-week and down -22,000 year-over-year .
BEYOND THE GATES
Let’s take a look at some of the storylines that had people tuning-in to Beyond the Gates during the ratings week:
Hayley (Marquita Goings) attempted a massive shocker regarding her pregnancy and tried to use it to extract money from Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett). Although, Bill saw right through her game, he demanded a paternity test, and made it clear he has no intention of raising the child—planning instead to pay her off to take the baby and leave. Meanwhile, Hayley confided her plan to her cousin Randy (Maurice P. Kerry).
Jacob Hawthorne (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi Hamilton (Arielle Prepetit) clashed over Jacob’s ongoing investigation into The Impaler, causing significant strain in their marriage. At the same time, Smitty (Mike Manning) considered taking matters into his own hands—including potentially heading to Mexico for evidence—while Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) worried about what comes next.

Photo: ABC
GENERAL HOSPITAL
Over at General Hospital for the ratings period, the story served up included:
Carly (Laura Wright) and Valentin (James Patrick Stuart) teamed up to investigate what really happened to Jack Brennan (Chris McKenna). Later, Danny (Asher Antonyzyn) leads them to Jack’s dead body.
Jude (Wil Traval) dropped a bombshell claim to Alexis (Nancy Lee Grahn); that he is Phoebe’s father, while Brook Lynn (Amanda Setton) and Chase (Josh Swickard) signed their divorce papers.
Then, Danny caught Rocco (Finn Carr) and Scout (Kayden Brenna Tokarski) sharing a kiss, plus the shocking return of Heather Webber (Alley Mills) capped the week.
Now the questions become; without having much promotional synergy in the ABC day-part to draw more eyeballs it is not helping but hurting General Hospital. It seems Beyond the Gates is also a benefactor of a one-two-three punch of CBS soaps (Y&R, B&B and BTG) and promotion.
However, that still doesn’t take away the fact that Beyond the Gates is close to besting GH in all ratings category as they go head-to-head in some markets across the country.
So, are you excited to see Beyond the Gates climb in the ratings? Are you concerned for General Hospital? Do you think they can stave off Beyond the Gates in total viewers or will the upstart soap overtake them in the next ratings report? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
General Hospital
Antonio Sabáto Jr. Breaks Silence on His Son’s Arrest for Fatal Hit-and-Run

Antonio Sabáto Jr., the former Jagger Cates of General Hospital and GH: Night Shift, and the former Dante Damiano of The Bold and the Beautiful has issued his first public statement since the incident involving his son, Jack’s arrest in Alaska for a fatal hit-and-run.
Jack is the son of Sabáto Jr. and Oscar-nominated actress Virginia Madsen, and according to court documents obtained by KTUU Jack, was allegedly driving a white Chevy Tahoe when he hit and killed Carl Simmonds, 42, near an intersection in Anchorage around 5:35 a.m. on Monday, November 9.
The reports indicated that Jack fled the scene — but later decided to called the cops to say he hit “something” that “suddenly appeared in the road” while he was “doing late-night DoorDashing.”

Photo: NBC
Now, Antonio has taken to his Instagram breaking his silence on the situation, sharing, “At this time, my family and I are navigating an extremely sensitive and deeply personal matter.”
He added, “As a father, my love for my children remains unconditional, and my priority is the well-being of my family. We ask that the public and members of the media honor our privacy during this difficult time and keep us all in your thoughts and prayers.”
The soap alum concluded, “I also wish to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family and loved ones of the gentleman who tragically lost his life. My thoughts and prayers are with them as well. We sincerely appreciate your compassion, understanding, and respect for the privacy of everyone affected.”
Jack Sabáto was arraigned in court on Tuesday, November 10 with bail set at $5,000, and a no-driving order and the potential of $5,000 penalty fees if he fails to attend future court appearances.
Antonio is the father to Jack, 34, daughter, Mina Sabato, 24 and son, Antonio Sabáto III, 15.
This is a developing story. You can check out Antonio’s official statement below.
So, let us know your thoughts on this tragic hit-and-run, which claimed the life of another man, and Antonio’s statement, via the comment section below.
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Breaking News
‘Days of our Lives’ Veteran James Reynolds Reveals Parkinson’s Diagnosis
Days of our Lives long-running cast member James Reynolds revealed on the November 10 edition of Entertainment Tonight that he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and his character of Abe Carver will now be going through an on-screen Parkinson’s battle as well.
Speaking with ET’s Nischelle Turner, the 80-year-old actor and Daytime Emmy winner shared how he attempted to hide the warning signs dating back to 15-20 years ago when he would have, “What they call the hallucinations. My wife (Lissa) would say, ‘You were hitting me last night in bed,’ and I would say, ‘What?!’ I was having these really horrible dreams.” Reynolds also added that he realized falling out of bed was an early symptom of Parkinson’s too.
Discussing the on-going tremors that have become more noticeable over time especially in hands, James shared that when he finally told the Days of our Lives cast they were nothing but “extraordinarily helpful and supportive.”

Photo: ET
SCREEN LIFE TO MIRROR REAL LIFE
Now with DAYS about to launch into Abe’s Parkinson’s storyline, Reynolds hopes that he can turn his experience into something positive by encouraging others facing the disease to keep fighting. During the sit-down, Reynolds co-star Jackée Harry (Paulina Price) recalls her reaction to learning of Reynolds’ real-life diagnosis and how she has continued to search for new treatments to inform James about.
Although Parkinson’s disease currently has no cure, there are medications and treatments can help those manage symptoms and improve quality of life. The condition progresses at a different pace from individual to individual.
As discussed in his conversation with ET, Reynolds cited Michael J. Fox and Alan Alda as two high-profile celebrities who have brought awareness to the disease.

Photo: JPI
In story on DAYS, Abe in recent weeks had been experiencing tremors which led to seek help and a diagnosis Dr. Kayla Johnson (Mary Beth Evans). Soon Abe and others will find out of his battle with Parkinson’s. Although on the promo for this week’s DAYS, Abe is seen telling Kayla, that he will do something, “when the time is right.”
James Reynolds is one of the most prolific performers, being the longest-running Black Actor in a role on a television series, not to mention his aforementioned Lead Actor Daytime Emmy win in 2018, and being inducted in 2025 into the Daytime Emmy Gold and Silver Society of honorees.
You can check out James’ in-depth conversation on his Parkinson’s diagnosis below.
Share your thoughts for James after learning of his health battle, and what do you think of Days of our Lives incorporating the disease into Abe Carver’s Salem storyline? Let us know in the comment section.
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