The COVID-19 pandemic had affected the normalcy in all aspects of life, and sports entertainment was no exception. It includes WWE as well. Circumstances had started to improve but the Omicron variant has once against caused disruptions globally which has raised concerns for a number of different sports and entertainment entities such as WWE and NFL. As infections of COVID-19 Omnicron variant rage forward, they are dealing with breakthrough cases for vaccinated personnel and talents. asdf
Omicron cases have been reportedly recorded in WWE
It has been noted that nearly a dozen Broadway shows have canceled performances or closed their doors for good, the NFL has reconfigured their schedule and the National Hockey League has paused its season until after Christmas while also making the decision to withdraw its players from the 2022 Winter Olympics in China.
Mike Johnson of PWInsider has reported that they have learned from multiple sources that:
“coming out of this past weekend’s loop of live events and TV tapings, a number of talents and staff were feeling run down and some have since tested positive for COVID-19, while others who were feeling sick are still waiting for their test results to return.”
It has been revealed that Friday’s edition of Smackdown on FOX is already taped, so that show will not feature any changes due to the COVID positives.
However, the return of the post-Christmas Holiday Tour, which resumes after being paused last year due to the pandemic, could be risking the talents for COVID-19. Given the quarantine requirements and the timing of positive COVID-19 tests, it’s impossible there won’t be some repercussions as there is just not enough time for some talents and staff to test negative and be cleared to return.
WWE is set to go for a Holiday Tour
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. 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 is slated to run Toronto, Ontario and Laval, Quebec in Canada next week as well, although the latter event is currently up in the air as that province has shut down due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Tickets for the Laval event are no longer on sale but the event is still currently listed as taking place. Two days after the Holiday Tour ends on 12/30, WWE presents their first PPV of the year, the first-ever Day 1 event from Atlanta, GA, which will stream on Peacock and the WWE Network as well as traditional PPV outlets. Stamford, CT, where WWE is headquartered, recently reinstated an indoor mask mandate for the third time, requiring people in indoor public spaces to cover their faces.
We will have to see how WWE deals with COVID-19 moving forward.
