WWE stripped Sami Zayn of the Intercontinental Championship earlier this week, and they started up an eight-man tournament to determine the new title holder.

Zayn has been on hiatus for several weeks, having decided to stay home for safety reasons amid the COVID-19 pandemic. WWE has reportedly given its superstars and staff members the option to go home if they don't feel safe working.

It was recently reported by the Wrestling Observer Newsletter that even though Zayn had the option to go home, WWE management is unhappy with his decision. There's also a major explanation for WWE's choice to take the title off of him.

Citing sources, Paul Davis of WrestlingNews.co reports there's a "feeling among some people" that WWE stripped Zayn of his championship in order "to send a message" to the other talents.

Davis noted that some superstars like Roman Reigns (he removed himself from WrestleMania 36 and has been off of television ever since) can stay home "and not worry about their spot." But this cannot be promised for lower and mid-card performers, Davis explained.

The Observer had also noted that multiple people in WWE are nervous about losing their jobs, so they don't feel safe taking the company's offer to go home. Davis noted that Lio Rush was released after being the first superstar "to publicly state that he would not work during the pandemic."

RELATED: [Report] WWE Management Is Unhappy About Sami Zayn Taking A Hiatus

WWE began a long sequence of releases last month, which included dozens of superstars and other staff members such as writers, producers, on-air personalities and well-respected veteran refereee Mike Chioda.

So far, both Daniel Bryan and Elias have punched their tickets to the next round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament. The other two matches in round one will see Shinsuke Nakamura vs. A.J. Styles and Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus on next week's edition of SmackDown Live.

WWE Has To Be Clear With Its Talents & Staffers 

Nobody can be faulted for wanting to stay home for safety and health reasons. It's not fair that some superstars and staff members essentially feel forced to work simply because they're worried about job security. The company is going to have to be more clear with its employees; they don't need more bad PR amid an extremely difficult time in the world.

NEXT: [Report] Why WWE Refuses To Push Shinsuke Nakamura & Cesaro As Singles Stars