It has been a few months since reports of a COVID-19 outbreak within the WWE have popped up, but Mike Johnson of PWInsider dropped the news of one on Wednesday saying that “a number of talents and staff” tested positive following this past weekend’s live event tour. No names were given, and Friday’s edition of Friday Night SmackDown has already been taped so none of the positive results willm affect the show. Johnson did however point out how the outbreak could have an effect on WWE’s post-Christmas tour, including the annual Madison Square Garden show on Dec. 26.ย
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“The Holiday Tour commences this Sunday 12/26 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden with the Raw brand and The Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida with the Smackdown roster, just four days away,” Johnson wrote. “Beyond MSG and Tampa, there are eight additional tour stops scheduled across both the United States and Canada.In the United States, the tour hits Detroit for a Monday Night Raw broadcast with additional Holiday Tour live events in Orlando, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Buffalo and Washington, DC.PWInsider.com is told that currently, there are no plans to cancel any events in the United States.”
WWE returned to touring this past July after spending well over a year operating out of either the WWE Performance Center or the WWE ThunderDome. Reports emerged earlier this week that, with the latest outbreak via the Omicron variant, there is a possibility WWE could return to having fans appear virtually if shutdowns of mass gatherings are enforced once again. The company currently has its next pay-per-view, Day 1, scheduled for Jan. 1 at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia. Check out the full card for the show below, and stay tuned for more updates on WWE’s Covid situation as they become available:
- WWE Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar
- WWE Championship: Big E vs. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens vs. Bobby Lashley
- SmackDown Tag Team Championships: The Usos vs. The New Day
- Raw Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Liv Morgan
- Edge vs. The Miz
- Drew McIntyre vs. Madcap Moss