Sami Zayn, Outspoken Critic Of President Trump, Reportedly Staying Home Due To COVID-19 Concerns

WWE Intercontinental champion Sami Zayn, who has been away from WWE television since the April 3 broadcast of Friday Night SmackDown, is reportedly opting to stay home due to COVID-19 concerns. Zayn last competed on April 4, retaining his Intercontinental title against Daniel Bryan during Night 1 of WrestleMania 36.

Per Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter:

“The reason Zayn wasn’t on SmackDown this past week with Nakamura and Cesaro is that he made the choice not to come, which everyone was told they had that option to do. He was originally part of the show.”

WWE continues to assert that personnel has the option to stay home rather than compete during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. This notion was strongly reaffirmed in a statement by WWE following anonymous comments from an individual claiming to be a WWE employee.

During last month’s Orange County Board of Commissioner’s Meeting, the individual claimed the promotion was forcing employees to work while struggling to maintain social distancing measures.

Said WWE in a statement responding to these accusations:

“These accusations aren’t true. Employees know they can confidentially go to Human Resources, not the public. Notwithstanding the appropriate protocol, no one would be fired if they were uncomfortable with their surroundings. We’ve made accommodations for individuals upon request.”

Zayn, who has described the spread of the novel coronavirus as a “lethal viral outbreak,” appears to be one of those individuals whom WWE has made accommodations for as the 35-year-old veteran remains off TV.

The idea of Zayn staying home due to COVID-19 concerns lines up with his political ideologies, which clash with that of WWE.

Zayn has remained outspoken against President Trump’s ongoing push to reopen the economy. During a recent firestorm of all-caps tweets from the President—urging that certain states be “liberated” from the pandemic by reopening—Zayn responded with a tweet of his own, lamenting the “stupidity and privilege that is so distinctly American.”

Zayn has been highly critical of the Trump administration dating back to Election Night 2016, which he described as “scary” and compared to Nazi Germany.

WWE’s ties to President Trump are well known. The promotion was listed as a top donor to the Trump Foundation, per 2007 IRS filings, and the relationship seemed to play a hand in closed-set WWE tapings shockingly being deemed essential in Florida.

In addition to differing political views, WWE’s continued fight to remain open also seems to stand in stark contrast to Zayn’s own philosophy of remaining overly cautious during the pandemic. Like many on either side of the political spectrum, Zayn was especially critical of those who have chosen to protest social distancing.

Due to its lengthy history of at-times petty behavior, many remain skeptical of WWE’s otherwise magnanimous public stance in allowing employees to stay home without fear of retaliation.

Given Zayn’s reported decision to stay home, in addition to public comments that clash with WWE politically, Zayn will be an excellent case study of how the promotion books him upon returning.

WWE did not respond to a request for comment.