Coronavirus | Sportzwiki

Coronavirus

Drew McIntyre
courtesy Twitter
//

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre Tests COVID-19 Positive; Update On Health

Published on

In a surprising set of events, WWE announced that WWE Champion Drew McIntyre has tested positive with the Coronavirus. The announcement came right before Monday Night Raw went on air sending a shockwave through the WWE Universe. Check out the below statement issued by WWE in regards to the top babyface superstar of Raw,

“Drew McIntyre has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been placed in quarantine.”

The Scottish Psychopath was set to face Randy Orton on the main event of RAW, but that match was canceled due to the champion’s absence. The doctors have placed him in quarantine after his test results came positive. It’s likely that he will miss the next two or three episodes of RAW, meaning that he won’t be a part of the remaining build-up to the Royal Rumble.

Stone Cold Steve Austin Confirms Retirement From WWE Competition

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre Tests COVID-19 Positive; Update On Health 1

Update on WWE Champion Drew McIntyre After Testing COVID-19 Positive

But the good news is that Drew McIntyre will be available for the Royal Rumble PPV. Goldberg returned to RAW last week on the Legends Night and issued a challenge to McIntyre. This week, the champion accepted the challenge via a pre-recorded message because he’s currently in quarantine due to a positive COVID-19 diagnosis.

As a result, WWE Hall of Famer Bill Goldberg vs. WWE Champion Drew McIntyre is now official for the upcoming Royal Rumble 2021 pay-per-view. The poster boy of the red brand also assured his fans about his health in a recorded message.

He noted in the segment that he’s one of the fortunate patients who doesn’t have any symptoms. He also urged the fans to wear masks and practice social distancing.

“Alright, WWE Universe. Now I wish I could’ve been there with y’all tonight in the ThunderDome, but unfortunately, as I’m sure you’ve heard already, I tested positive for COVID-19,” McIntyre said. “Now I’m one of the fortunate ones with no symptoms but I assure you, COVID should not be taken lightly. Don’t think you can’t catch it because you can. If it can happen to me it can happen to anybody and the only way we’re going to be able to stop this thing is by working together.

“So please… wear your mask, follow social distancing guidelines. It’s not just to protect you, it’s to protect everyone and their loved ones. I’ll see you all really, really soon, but until then – stay safe.”

WWE Champion Drew McIntyre Tests COVID-19 Positive; Update On Health 2

So, we can now expect Drew McIntyre to return at Royal Rumble that goes down, on January 31 from the ThunderDome at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Check out the current match card for the show.

WWE Title Match
Bill Goldberg vs. Drew McIntyre (c)

WWE Universal Title Match
Adam Pearce vs. Roman Reigns (c)

30-Man Royal Rumble Match
Daniel Bryan, WWE United States Champion Bobby Lashley, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Otis, 25 Superstars TBA
Winner earns a title shot at WrestleMania 37

30-Woman Royal Rumble Match
Nia Jax, WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion Charlotte Flair, Bayley, Bianca Belair, Mandy Rose, Dana Brooke, 24 Superstars TBA
Winner earns a title shot at WrestleMania 37

You might be interested in

Suresh Raina. Image Credit: BCCI.
/

Suresh Raina, Two Bollywood Celebrities Among 34 People Arrested By Mumbai Police For Breaching COVID-19 Norms

Published on

Former Indian cricketer Suresh Raina was arrested on Monday night for violating COVID-19 norms after police raided the Mumbai Dragonfly pub near the Mumbai airport. Apart from him, the renowned Bollywood celebrity Sussan Khan and singer Guru Randhawa was also arrested. But later on, they were granted bail and has been released.

A total of 34 people were arrested by Mumbai Police in the raid on the ground of violating norms. Out of which, seven were staff members. Mumbai Police stated that they were booked under Section 188 (Disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 269 (whoever unlawfully or negligently does any act which is, and which he knows or has reason to believe to be, likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life), 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of IPC and provisions of NMDA.

Suresh Raina
Suresh Raina. Credits: BCCI

On Monday, the Maharashtra government had declared a night curfew in municipal corporation areas as a precautionary step amid growing concerns over a new coronavirus variant spreading in Britain apart from putting restrictions on flight movements.

The arrests were made after a raid at Dragonfly pub for keeping the establishment open beyond the permissible time limit and not following Covid norms.

Suresh Raina working for the progress of cricket in J&K:

Suresh Raina, Indian cricketer
Suresh Raina. Image Credit: Getty Images.

Suresh Raina had announced retirement from international cricket in August with MS Dhoni. He has represented India in 226 ODIs, 78 T20Is, and 18 Test matches. Because of personal reasons, he didn’t feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 which was played in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Currently, the former Indian cricketer is working for the upliftment of the game of cricket in Jammu and Kashmir.

You might be interested in

Misbah-ul-Haq,
Misbah-ul-Haq. Photo Credit: PCB.
/

We Were A Bit Unlucky: Misbah-Ul-Haq On Pakistan Player Not Getting Enough Practice Time Due To COVID-19 Cases

Published on

Pakistan’s head coach Misbah-ul-Haq has stated that his team is looking to making up for the lost time that they had lost after their eight players tested positive for the coronavirus. Because of the strict COVID-19 rules in New Zealand, they were denied for practice sessions while in quarantine. They moved out of the room in earlier this week after the completion of their isolation and

Misbah-ul-Haq had earlier complained about the Pakistan team not getting enough practice sessions. On Friday, while addressing the media, the former Pakistan captain again showed his disappointment for not being able to practice during the quarantine.

“Due to COVID, rules are very strict in New Zealand and we respect that. And now we have moved out of quarantine after spending 14 days in isolation. We were not able to practice in the last 14 days,” Misbah said during a virtual press conference on Friday.

“I think we were a bit unlucky in this regard that we couldn’t practice after three days and lost a lot of time due to coronavirus cases but now we are back on the field,” he added.

Want to be in the best shape before December 18 in Auckland: Misbah-ul-Haq

Misbah-Ul-Haq,
Misbah-ul-Haq (Image Credit: Twitter)

As the number of positive Pakistan players increased still being in quarantine, New Zealand health authorities had given a final warning to the visiting nation and condemned them for showing laxity in the rules.

The Pakistan coach opened up that New Zealand has cleared that nothing went wrong from the touring party and the breaches were unintentional. As there are only seven days left to the start of the tour, Misbah-ul-Haq calls his team to utilize the days to the best.

“The breaches were unintentional in the first day and it happened moving luggage here and there. It was a weird situation and New Zealand clarified afterward that Pakistan had followed protocols but never the less the main point is we couldn’t practice due to the positive results those 14 days,” Misbah said.

“Now we are out of quarantine and trying to make up for the time lost. It’s tough to do a work of three weeks in seven days but we are trying to give our best. Want to be in the best shape before December 18 in Auckland,” he added.

Pakistan
Pakistan cricket team. Image Credit: Twitter.

Pakistan is slated to play three T20Is against New Zealand of which the first game is on December 18, while the two-match Test series will be held in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch on December 26-30 and January 3-7, respectively.

You might be interested in

England Tour Of South Africa Called Off Without Playing ODI Series Due To COVID-19 Outbreak
Image Credit: Twitter.
/

Second ODI Between South Africa And England Postponed Due To COVID-19 Pandemic

Published on

The outbreak of coronavirus in the hotel where both England and South African players are staying has forced Cricket South Africa (CSA) to postpone the second ODI which was scheduled on December 7 in Cape Town. The decision has also been taken after two members of the England touring party have returned unconfirmed positive tests for COVID-19.

The opening match of the ODI series was postponed after a member in the South African squad, whose name has not been disclosed, turned out positive for the virus. Currently, he has been isolated from the group,, but the rest of the home squad returned negative tests on Friday evening.

2 member in England squad returns unconfirmed positive COVID-19 tests: Cricket South Africa

Second ODI Between South Africa And England Postponed Due To COVID-19 Pandemic 8
Jos Buttler. Image Credit: Getty Images.

Cricket South Africa and England and Wales Cricket Board chalked out a new schedule according to which the first game was set for Sunday at Boland Park in Paarl, which was originally due to be the second match of the series, and further matches on Monday and Wednesday at Newlands.

However, the match in Paarl was initially delayed and then eventually cancelled on Sunday after two members of staff at the Vineyard Hotel, where both teams are staying, returned positive test results for COVID-19 the previous day. Following that development, England’s touring party was tested on Saturday evening,, and the ECB confirmed on Sunday morning that those tests had returned two “unconfirmed” positive results.

Second ODI Between South Africa And England Postponed Due To COVID-19 Pandemic 9
England team. Image Credit: Twitter.

Thus, both the boards have taken the final decision to postpone the second ODI match for their players’ safety.

“The decision has been taken by Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) whilst they await the outcome of the independent ratification of the two unconfirmed positive COVID-19 tests from the England camp and the continued health and wellbeing of both playing groups,” CSA said in an official release.

Once the two unconfirmed results come in, then it will be decided as to what happens with the remaining two matches of the ODI series between England and South Africa.

You might be interested in

Vince McMahon
///

How WWE & Vince McMahon Be Affected By Donald Trump’s Loss

Published on

WWE is related to the world of politics through their owners. Vince McMahon is the Chairman of the company whose wife, Linda McMahon used to be the administrator of the Small Business Administration for Donald Trump. She also runs a Super PAC on behalf of the former President who is yet to digest the bitter pill of the tough loss.

The 2020 US Presidential Election results have been out and talks went down about the outcome, backstage. Vince McMahon was notably absent from SmackDown this past Friday. Ringside News exclusively reported the news hinting connection with the polling result. It’s unknown why he was absent, but a big political situation is going on in the WWE, at this point.

2020 US Presidential Election: WWE Stars React On Joe Biden Win

How WWE & Vince McMahon Be Affected By Donald Trump’s Loss

How WWE & Vince McMahon Be Affected By Donald Trump's Loss 10

Ringside News has now reported that the 2020 US Presidential Election has been discussed, backstage. One person with the knowledge informed that “the rest of the world is talking about it, aren’t they?” No arguments, nor any heat has been noted, but the topic was not barred from the conversation, too. After all, a fallout is expected after Joe Biden was declared the winner.

Roman Reigns Vs The Rock: Latest Update On Dream WWE Showdown

Andrew Yang already promised on several occasions that he will help WWE Superstars from their current situation in the company who considers them as independent contractors. Vince McMahon has recently issued an edict to the superstars which doesn’t allow superstars to be on Twitch or any other third party platforms under their names in WWE.

How WWE & Vince McMahon Be Affected By Donald Trump's Loss 11

One tenured member of the writing team remarked that “I am sure Andrew Yang is going to give Vince McMahon a lot of headaches.” At this time, it’s hard to predict how much of a focus WWE will actually receive. But it’s certain that the advantage they’ve been receiving in Trump’s era, won’t be there, anymore.

Trump administration wasn’t that strict about Coronavirus repercussions and WWE didn’t face that much problems to run their shows. But the upcoming Biden administration is likely to be a lot more serious about controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Andrew Yang won’t be forgetting about what he said in the last few months and Vince McMahon has to be prepared to face the consequences.

You might be interested in

Booker T
courtesy WWE
///

Booker T: WWE Hall Of Famer Tests Positive For COVID-19

Published on

Booker T seems to be the latest victim of coronavirus from the WWE Universe. While as always WWE has remained silent about an employee getting tested positive, he discussed the same on his own YouTube show and thereby provided an update to his fanbase.

On the most recent episode of The Hall of Fame podcast, the veteran name Booker T revealed that his test results came back from the CDC and it showed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 back in June. Booker T also specified whether these recent test results were part of an antibody test that tracks whether one has developed antibodies after getting over from coronavirus.

Zelina Vega: WWE Bombshell To Receive First Title Match At Clash Of Champions?

Booker T: WWE Hall Of Famer Tests Positive For COVID-19

Booker T: WWE Hall Of Famer Tests Positive For COVID-19 17

Booker T and co-host Brad Gilmore had a chat on the podcast to inform the listeners and viewers that he had lost his test results and had not known whether or not he tested positive for COVID-19 or not. The WWE Hall of Famer then noted that he was feeling ill for a few weeks while the diagnosis was made.

Considering his age, Booker T was thankful that his case was not as bad as he primarily thought of. Many of the people in the United States and all around the world are dealing with this deadly virus and he seemed thankful of getting over the issues and go back to normal life.

Clash Of Champions 2020: Spoiler On WWE Championship Match

“I never got my results back, but they called me, rest assured, today to tell me that back at the end of June when I got tested, I had tested positive, and I’ve had three tests since and they all came back negative,” Booker T said. “But it just goes to show you how badly f’d up we really are with this system that we’re working with as far as people finding out if they got this or if they don’t got it. I’m living proof.

“Thank God I’m still here. I got a healthy immune system. God spared me on this one, but I could have been on the nearly 200,000 if I didn’t know I had this and could have been gone into the next life.”

Booker T: WWE Hall Of Famer Tests Positive For COVID-19 18

Booker T wanted to share the experience with COVID-19 with everyone that is similar to WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page who recently urged the fans to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously. The former world champion also said that he did not know if he tested positive for COVID-19 when his initial test results were lost. But he decided to quarantine himself from his family so that the virus doesn’t spread to other people. He maintained the social distance procedures until he made a full recovery.

In recent times, there has been a lot if blaming on WWE for not following the ethics with COVID-19 as quite many of their employees have been tested positive starting from the talents, backstage personnel, and producers. But they never came up with official statements around them. But Booker T opposed the idea saying WWE has regularly conducted tests.

“Thank God I did man because I could have been like The Rock as far as the whole family coming out with something like this, and like I said, I got my mother-in-law out here with us. And this something that is so serious guys. I want you all to be careful. Be careful with something like this. Thank God I’m working for a company that’s tested me on a regular basis.” (Quotes courtesy wrestlingINC.com)

Booker T is free from the virus who joined the pre-show panels from SummerSlam 2020 onwards. He was also present for the Payback PPV panel, as well. Renee Young, AJ Styles, The Rock are some of the notable names amongst others who have overcome coronavirus in recent months.

You might be interested in

Eve Torres
courtesy WWE
////

Eve Torres: Former WWE Bombshell Tests COVID-19 Positive

Published on

Ex-WWE Superstar Eve Torres announced this week that she has tested positive with coronavirus. Her husband, Brazilian jiu-jitsu practitioner Rener Gracie, has also tested positive for COVID-19. The news was shared through Instagram where she also stated that her two-year-old son might have also been exposed to the coronavirus. However, she didn’t confirm whether their baby boy has been tested positive.

Matt Hardy’s Wife Reby Hardy Wants Breast-Feeding To Be Normalized Sharing Photo

Eve Torres: Former WWE Bombshell Tests COVID-19 Positive 31

Eve Torres: Former WWE Bombshell Tests COVID-19 Positive

Eve Torres’ family was on vacation when they got the information,

“I debated sharing this, as it still feels raw and personal right now, but I’ve always believed in sharing both the good and the tough with our community,” Eve Torres wrote on Instagram. “My husband, Rener, tested positive for COVID last Wednesday in the beginning of our vacation in Utah with my family. We all returned home immediately. I have now tested positive, and my 2 year old, Renson, has had a fever, who we also assume to be positive.”

WWE Star Nikki Bella Posts Raw Photos & Videos Of Post-Pregnancy Body

View this post on Instagram

I debated sharing this, as it still feels raw and personal right now, but I’ve always believed in sharing both the good and the tough with our community. My husband, Rener, tested positive for COVID last Wednesday in the beginning of our vacation in Utah with my family. We all returned home immediately. I have now tested positive, and my 2 year old, Renson, has had a fever, who we also assume to be positive. We have a great support system and a great vitamin/ supplement regimen, and we know many of you may have already battled with this virus and all the weight that comes with it. We welcome your positive thoughts for us and my family as we are hoping to be on the other side of this soon. ?

A post shared by Eve Torres Gracie (@evetorresgracie) on

It was great to know Eve Torres and her family are ready to tackle the virus with brave hearts. “We have a great support system and a great vitamin/ supplement regimen, and we know many of you may have already battled with this virus and all the weight that comes with it,” she continued on Instagram. “We welcome your positive thoughts for us and my family as we are hoping to be on the other side of this soon.”

In recent times, WWE alumni, Kevin Nash and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson also revealed they contracted the coronavirus to test positive. After Rock announced on social media that he and his entire family recently battled the virus, Nash came up with the news, as well that he and his family was battling the same disease.

Eve Torres: Former WWE Bombshell Tests COVID-19 Positive 32

Eve Torres, 36, became a part of the WWE in the year 2007. She took entry to the wrestling industry via WWE’s Diva Search contest. She was named the 2007 Diva Search winner and thus got handed a WWE contract. She then started training at Ohio Valley Wrestling and consecutively made her main roster debut in 2008.

Eve Torres: Former WWE Bombshell Tests COVID-19 Positive 33

Initially, billed as a ring announcer, Eve Torres soon became part of the active roster, soon. Moving forward, she ended up winning the Divas Championship three times (which was a first-time accolade of the Divas Era) before retiring in 2013. She appeared on TV shows like Show Me The Money, Sunset Tan, and Deal or No Deal and also was a part of movies like Skiptrace and Supergirl. (sources Wikipedia)

 

You might be interested in

Renee Young
courtesy Twitter
//

Renee Young Admits WWE Wasn’t Happy With Her COVID-19 News

Published on

Renee Young apparently had to digest a lot of heats from WWE for revealing that she was affected with COVID-19. WWE has dealt with quite a few coronavirus cases in the past few months. From the get-go, the instructions were clear from the company that the superstars can’t disclose their names, directly on social media.

The former WWE employee did the exact same thing while informing it to the public and thereby make her colleagues aware of her exposure to the deadly virus so that they could get precautions. However, WWE never liked her way, as per the previous reports. Now Renee Young herself confirmed the same during a recent conversation.

Renee Young: A Lookback To The Career Of WWE’s Pioneer Journalist

Renee Young Admits WWE Wasn’t Happy With Her COVID-19 News

Renee Young Admits WWE Wasn’t Happy With Her COVID-19 News 46

While appearing in an interview with Sports Illustrated Media Podcast with Jimmy Traina, the former WWE Backstage host recalled how she sent out the tweet to reveal the news. She was doing it because she wanted to make sure if anyone around her those should get tested due to coming in contact with her.

Renee Young Reveals Reason Why She Opted To Leave WWE

But then obviously it wasn’t a good idea as per the below statement of Renee Young,

“But yeah, it was … not well-received.”

“Well I tweeted it in the evening west coast time. So by the time I woke up was like a couple texts. You shouldn’t … not even that like you shouldn’t have posted it, but it was like, ‘We really wish that you gave us a heads up that you were gonna post it.’ It was, you know, bad for PR and whatnot.

But again, I just like, I wouldn’t have even thought to be like, ‘Hey guys, I’m gonna tweet that I have COVID!’ That was just not what I was thinking about when I posted about it.”

Renee Young Admits WWE Wasn’t Happy With Her COVID-19 News 47

Back in June when Renee Young did test positive, Dave Meltzer reported in an edition of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that she didn’t receive any contact from top officials of the WWE namely Vince McMahon, Kevin Dunn, Paul Levesque, or Mark Carrano. They apparently cared the least about the well-being of the valuable talent. But a lot of her colleagues did contact her.

This could be one of the reasons why Renee Young’s frustrations with WWE increased in recent times. FOX canceled her Backstage gig owing to the Coronavirus pandemic related budget cuts while she didn’t want to become a backstage interviewer again that could have been a demotion for her. It’s yet to be seen what she opts to do next in her career.

You might be interested in

AJ Styles
courtesy WWE
//

WWE Superstar AJ Styles Reveals He Tested Positive With COVID-19

Published on

WWE reportedly does not like the roster members to reveal if some of them are dealing with the positive coronavirus tests. But AJ Styles has just revealed that he tested positive for COVID-19 a “couple of weeks ago.” Apparently, he used a similar way that ex-WWE employee Renee Young took. Hopefully, this won’t land him to WWE’s doghouse for good measures.

WWE Superstar AJ Styles Reveals He Tested Positive With COVID-19

AJ Styles himself came forward to reveal that he tested positive for COVID-19. He shared this information while appearing on his Twitch stream. He was seen discussing The Rock’s recent revelation that he and his family tested positive for coronavirus while giving the news to the WWE Universe.

Reason WWE NXT Might Air On Tuesday Nights From Late-2020 Onward

WWE Superstar AJ Styles Reveals He Tested Positive With COVID-19 60

AJ Styles added that he didn’t have to deal with “many problems” with COVID-19. But it feels bad for whoever gets it because “it’s not good for anybody.” Here’s the full statement from the SmackDown Superstar,

“I tested positive a couple of weeks ago, almost a month, I think, ago. I feel for people who have to deal with this. I gotta say, I didn’t have many problems with it. Hopefully, The Rock and his family are safe and nobody has too bad of symptoms. It’s not good for anybody. I went through it, I was one of the lucky ones. I had a headache but never had a fever. Maybe a couple of boogers, that’s about it.” (Quotes courtesy Fightful)

The good news is that AJ Styles has been back to work in WWE, beating the coronavirus symptoms. He has been tested negative and doesn’t have any symptoms left as WWE tests their superstars and staff prior to each television taping. He seems to be doing a lot better and there won’t be any effect on the ongoing storylines on SmackDown.

A few weeks ago, AJ Styles lost the Intercontinental Championship to Jeff Hardy on the day that WWE debuted at WWE ThunderDome aka the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida.

WWE Superstar AJ Styles Reveals He Tested Positive With COVID-19 61

It was supposed that a rematch would be announced at the next pay-per-view event, Payback 2020. However, the rematch has been on hold for sometimes. In the meantime, Sami Zayn is back on SmackDown claiming he never lost the IC title creating an interesting scenario. Going by the angle, it is likely that WWE would announce AJ Styles vs Jeff Hardy vs Sami Zayn in a triple threat for the title at Clash Of Champions 2020.

You might be interested in

IPL 2020 schedule
Image Credit: Twitter.
/

IPL 2020: Schedule To Be Announced On Saturday – Report

Published on

Although Indian Premier League (IPL) teams have already started practice sessions in the UAE, BCCI is yet to announce the whole schedule of the league which is set to start from 19th September. As per reports, the board is planning to proclaim the fixtures on Saturday after resolving some issues with Emirate Cricket Board (ECB).

Earlier, it was reported that BCCI is delaying to announce the scheduled because of the sudden surge of coronavirus cases in Abu Dhabi, one of the venues of hosting IPL matches. The other two venues are Dubai and Sharjah. But as reports are to believe that the Members of the BCCI and ECB chief Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak seemed to have resolved all the inter-city protocols.

IPL 2020: We will incorporate changes in the schedule – BCCI sources

IPL
IPL (Credit: BCCI)

“Just small pieces of the jig-saw puzzles are remaining and we should resolve them and release the schedules soon. ECB chief’s support in the matter was of great help. We will incorporate changes in the schedule as per our discussions with the local authorities”, said one of the BCCI sources currently in Dubai.

The reports had surfaced about Abu Dhabi’s strict laws regarding the checking of anyone entering the emirate. Every rapid test would have cost AED 50 which approximately is 1000 in INR.

Virat Kohli, RCB, IPL
AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. Image Credit: BCCI/IPL.

Meanwhile, KXIP, MI and RR have started the practice session near their hotels. The tournament will span for over 53 days during which 60 games will be played. The grand finale of the league will be played on 10th November.

UAE had earlier hosted the first half of the IPL in 2014 but this would be the first time they would be hosting the whole league (IPL 2020) amid the coronavirus scare.

You might be interested in

1 2 3 … 17