3) Backstage Reaction To Sami Zayn Not Wrestling
According to Dave Meltzer in the latest edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter, the higher-ups in WWE are believed to be unhappy with Sami Zayn.
This comes after Zayn exercised his option to not work during the coronavirus pandemic. This led to him getting stripped of the Intercontinental Title. Here is what Meltzer wrote:
They officially announced as IC title tournament on Smackdown. Even though nobody can say it publicly for obvious reasons, there is a lot of unhappiness that Zayn exercised the option that they gave everyone regarding not wrestling if you don’t want to right now.
My Take:
- I could see WWE being mad that Zayn didn’t tell them earlier. The only reason I say that is because Zayn retained the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania 36 and they could have taken the belt off him there. On a personal level, I don’t think that anybody should be punished for making a decision for themselves right now. This includes Sami and Roman Reigns.
2) WWE’s Testing For COVID-19, Compared To UFC & AEW
According to Dave Meltzer on Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE is well behind the UFC and AEW in terms of their testing for the coronavirus. Here is what he said:
“[UFC is] doing 1,200 COVID tests in one week…AEW is testing everyone. WWE has still yet to do, as far as I know, one test. Which surprised me, because a lot of people were thinking that now that AEW is testing and UFC is testing, that WWE would follow suit to keep.”
Meltzer blames this on Vince McMahon not being receptive to things in the outside world:
“As it was explained to me, Vince McMahon is not receptive to the outside world. He finds what’s going on in the outside world to be an annoyance because it is getting in the way of his vision. He’s got a vision, and all these people are getting in the way of what he wants to do.”
My Take:
- WWE is (likely) still medically screening their Superstars before they enter the Performance Center. It just seems likely that they aren’t using the actual COVID-19 tests like the other promotions are. Still, WWE has enough money that they should be doing legitimate testing, so it is a bad look.
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