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WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns has confirmed that he has tested positive for COVID-19. As a result, he'll no longer be performing on tonight's Day 1 pay-per-view.
The Tribal Chief was scheduled to defend his coveted title against Brock Lesnar at the New Year's Day event. According to the latest reports, The Beast Incarnate will still compete at the event as Lesnar will now challenge for the WWE Championship in a Fatal 5-Way match.
Just a few hours before the show, Roman Reigns took to Twitter to break the shocking news. He revealed that he yearns to defend his Universal Championship at the show, but he's unable to compete as originally scheduled. He added that he's looking forward to making a comeback very soon. You can check out the tweet below:
Roman Reigns match may not be the only canceled bout at WWE Day 1
WWE is currently facing some COVID-19 related issues. This has affected several of its shows, including Monday Night RAW. Many key figures such as Seth Rollins, Bianca Belair and Becky Lynch were all noticeably absent from the recent episode of the red brand.
Former WWE Champion Seth Rollins hinted on Twitter several days ago that he tested positive for the virus. However, he's still scheduled to compete on tonight's show.
On the latest edition of Wrestling Observer Radio, Dave Meltzer reported that not every superstar who missed the show had tested positive. Some of the talent was kept off the show as a precaution and to protect the announced match card for the event.
One match that might've been scrapped from WWE Day 1 is the Intercontinental Championship match between Sami Zayn and Shinsuke Nakamura. Zayn won a gauntlet match on SmackDown to earn an opportunity at the title.
According to WrestlingNews.co, the match was planned for Day 1, but it hasn't been confirmed for the show. WWE can still make changes to the card at short notice though. We here at Sportskeeda would like to send our best wishes to Roman Reigns and we wish him a speedy recovery.
