WWE and New Japan Both Hit By COVID-19

By Connor Casey

WWE and New Japan's locker rooms were both affected by COVID-19 recently. Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer reported this week that multiple WWE Superstars have had to miss shows recently due to testing positive for the virus, though opted to not name names. While the company is no longer actively testing its locker room, wrestlers who test positive are immediately pulled from events and quarantined in order to prevent any more positive cases. Perhaps the most infamous case of COVID messing with WWE's plans this year was back on New Year's Day when Roman Reigns tested positive, scrapping his WWE Universal Championship match with Brock Lesnar. Lesnar wound up getting inserted into the WWE Championship match, causing a domino effect that would eventually see Reigns unify both world championships at WrestleMania 38.

As for New Japan, the Japanese promotion announced on Thursday that both Will Ospreay and Tatsumi Fujinami have recently tested positive and will miss this weekend's Wrestling Dontaku pay-per-view. Ospreay was booked to face Hiroshi Tanahashi for the IWGP United States Championship while Fujinami was booked for a six-man tag match alongside Shingo Takagi and BUSHI. 

"New Japan Pro-Wrestling deeply apologizes to fans who were looking forward to seeing Fujinami and Ospreay wrestle. We appreciate your understanding, and join fans in wishing a speedy recovery and return," the company announced in a statement. "Changes have been made to the Dontaku card as a result. In the semi-main event, Tomohiro Ishii will face Hiroshi Tanahashi for the vacant IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship. Ishii defeated Minoru Suzuki at Windy City Riot on April 16, and is slated to wrestle Eddie Kingston in Washington DC May 14."

Ospreay is fresh off a controversial loss against Jon Moxley and is already teasing a program with Kenny Omega at Forbidden Door this summer (if the former AEW World Champion is healthy by then). The British star claimed he feels completely fine despite testing positive. 

Even AEW was affected by the virus this week as Hangman Page had to be pulled from Dynamite following a positive test. The show had to be rewritten as a result, with his next championship match against CM Punk getting outright announced and Punk left to cut a promo by himself early into the show. Stay tuned for more updates as they become available. 

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