WWE not providing COVID-19 Vaccine to talents

WWE altered talents this week that they would not be providing them with the COVID-19 vaccine.

As was initially reported by Fightful Select (subscription required), the WWE alerted talents through their talent relations app that the company would not be providing COVID-19 vaccines to on-screen talents.

The notice, which was released to the WWE and then shared with Fightful shortly after, went on to say that if talent wanted to receive the vaccine they would be responsible for scheduling and administration the vaccine on their own and that WWE medical facilities would not be administering the inoculation.

The report went on to say that several WWE talents were shocked by this development assuming that the company would be providing the inoculation.

There were, however, several senior members of the talent roster who expressed frustration, but not surprised, telling Fightful that their status as independent contractors led them to believe that this was what the company would do in the end.

It was also expressed by several members of the talent roster that there were several senior members of staff who actively speak out against COVID and its existence altogether.

Several talents have tested positive in recent weeks.

Following the announcement of WWE Champion Drew McIntyre’s positive COVID diagnosis, several more staff members have tested positive. Those names have not yet been disclosed, so it is unclear if they are members of the RAW, SmackDown, or NXT rosters.

Though with both RAW and SmackDown recording their episodes from the Thunderdome, which has taken residence inside Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, in the weeks since WrestleMania 36, it is not hard to imagine that a super spreader event, which has been warned about by top health officials in the country since the beginning of the pandemic, might be taking place weekly in Florida.