Wrestling Inc. reports that AEW changed their COVID testing protocols at Wednesday’s tapings.
AEW had talents get tested from their home in addition to getting test on-site at Wednesday’s taping. Lance Archer apparently tested positive during that second round of testing. Also, the AEW medical staff consulted with the NFL COVID response team to come up with updates to their COVID testing process.
This apparently comes after several positive COVID-19 tests in the company. Jon Alba and Fightful.com reported that multiple AEW wrestlers who were at the September 9th tapings tested positive for COVID-19 in the two weeks since. The report noted that some of the talent that had tested positive had been brought in for the last set of AEW Dark tapings and are not under contract.
Archer announced that he had tested positive prior to Wednesday’s Dynamite, causing the scheduled six-man tag team main event to be changed. On the show, the announcers said that Archer was pulled from the match because he had come into contact with someone with COVID, but never stated that Archer tested positive himself.
We noted earlier this month about the COVID testing procedures implemented by WWE and AEW. AEW talent go to an off-site facility the morning of tapings to have a blood prick test taken. The test allows a talent to know within ten minutes whether they are positive or not. If the talent passes the test, they are given a wrist band and taken to Daily’s Place. Talent cannot enter Daily’s Place without the wrist band.
