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SHOULD CONTRACTED WRESTLERS PULL THEMSELVES OFF INDEPENDENT DATES, SHOULD WWE FIRE THE TALENT WHO'S PARTY SPARKED THE LATEST COVID OUTBREAK AND MORE

By Mike Johnson on 2020-09-25 10:00:00

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Why doesn't WWE announce who is COVID-19+?

Quite frankly, for the same reason PWInsider.com doesn't unless the talents make it public themselves - it's a violation of their personal medical history and for WWE especially, a violation of The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects the privacy of one's medical history.  I get emails all the time with speculation but to me, that should be the person's decision to make or not make.  Just because you take bumps, that doesn't mean your health issues should play out publicly, unless you decide that's what you want to do.

You wrote about there being fear there could be changes to the PPV this weekend - will there be?

If someone tests positive, of course, but as of last night, that fear has been thankfully unfounded.  Whether it remains that way, we will see, but I think everyone hopes it does.

Could this change NXT Takeover?

The entire brand is more or less quarantining currently.  If someone comes up positive before or by the morning of Takeover, of course it could change things.

Do you think everyone should tape farther in advance?

Unless there's a clause in their TV contracts that they need to go live, I think taping three weeks' worth of TV at a time over a few days is a smart strategy.

You reported the COVID issue is believed to have started when a WWE NXT talent threw a party.  Should that talent be fired?

I can't say that person should be fired, because I don't know whether their contracts would allow for that ramification over this situation.  I do think that WWE (and AEW and Impact, etc.) need to lay the hammer down and say this is the bubble you are in and if you break it, you are suspended indefinetly without pay.  If I was that talent, I'd be the most apologetic person on the face of the earth at the moment, because if someone dies and their death can be traced back to that party, that's a pretty damn horrible thing to live with.

Several AEW wrestlers announced they were coronavirus positive but AEW let talents work independent shows over the weekend.  Do you think that should stop?

Yes.  There's too much left to chance if the talents are out there flying and driving and wrestling in tiny buildings and interacting with fans.  I think all promotions should tell their contracted talents no more independent dates as long as we are all dealing with the vortex of the pandemic.  There is too much of a danger in my mind.

Is it just trainees who are sick in the NXT system?

No, there are WWE employees that have tested positive.

Is there any timeframe as to when the WWE Performance Center gets back to normal?

I don't think normal is accessible to anyone until there's a vaccine.  I think the cycle WWE is in, trying to test and protect everyone, then having to deal with a flare-up brought about by someone who either doesn't respect their system (such as an anti-masker who stupidly thinks this is all a joke) or an unfortunate transmission brought on by bad luck and then having to react to it when it happens, will be the norm.  It's a horrible situation to be in, from every perspective.

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