Former WWE star Ryback has criticized the promotion for its handling of the coronavirus following reports of a number of stars testing positive for the respiratory disease.
WWE hasn't made any confirmations over the stories citing as much but the likes of Renee Young and Kayla Braxton have both revealed having received positive tests, with Braxton actually catching it a second time.
Speaking on his Conversation with The Big Guy Ryback podcast this week, the former WWE wrestler claimed the company actually hadn't been testing for a while.
“They weren’t testing for the longest time," he declared (H/T Wrestlingnews.co). "There was a reason why they weren’t testing. They didn’t want this coming out. I know how they operate. The talent knows how they operate. There is no doubt they are frustrated.
"I saw a thing, I don’t know who it was, that said that Vince feels a responsibility to put the fans first as far as giving them programming. I think it’s safe to say we all know that is bullsh*t. That is a corporate way to get around everything.
"The problem where they shoot themselves in the foot with that is they say our talent is our top priority and we take care of our talent. Those two things conflict with each other. It’s either the fans come first or the talent comes first.
"If you are putting the fans first, it is at the expense of the talent. You can’t say fans come first because if they were, then you would have Corona testing at the beginning, which they didn’t. All the testing just recently started. Also, we are seeing talent are going to get tested on their own and finding out they are getting it. That’s happened and I know that happened with Renee (Young) as well. None of this is a surprise to me. I truly feel for the talent.”
WWE Doesn't Want Anyone Taking Positive Results Public
Sources have claimed the company doesn't want any talent making their positive results public knowledge while it's also been reported that the higher-ups are upset with Young for sharing the findings on social media.
Source: Conversations with the Big Guy Ryback (H/T Wrestlingnews.co)