Drew McIntyre has tested positive for COVID-19, WWE announced on Monday. The WWE champion has entered quarantine and will not be in attendance for Monday night's edition of Raw.
McIntyre was set to face off with longtime rival Randy Orton in the main event of the show. In addition, it was expected McIntyre would address the end of the previous week's edition of Raw where he was challenged to a WWE championship match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view by Bill Goldberg. It is unknown if McIntyre will appear remotely on the show, as has been done with other superstars who have been forced to quarantine during the global pandemic.
A full two-week quarantine would mean that McIntyre would not appear on Raw in-person prior to the Jan. 31 Royal Rumble and his planned match with Goldberg.
Despite multiple reported COVID-19 outbreaks that have impacted talent availability, WWE has not missed a single weekly television event or monthly pay-per-view card during the pandemic. The company originally hunkered down in the WWE Performance Center -- which house WrestleMania 36 -- before launching the ThunderDome, a virtual fan experience with a "live crowd" appearing on video boards surrounding the ring. The ThunderDome was originally hosted at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, prior to being moved to Tropicana Field in Tampa due to the start of the NBA season.
