Sami Zayn has been stripped of his Intercontinental Championship as a result of not being able to defend it, and WWE has declared the title vacant. The news was first announced on WWE Backstage.
BREAKING NEWS:@SamiZayn is unable to compete and defend the Intercontinental Championship, therefore @WWE has declared the title vacant. A tournament to crown a new Champion will begin on Friday Night Smackdown on FOX. pic.twitter.com/5qZgUyL9rC
— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) May 13, 2020
A tournament will begin this Friday night on SmackDown to determine the new Intercontinental Champion.
While neither Sami nor WWE has given an official explanation for the former champion’s absence from television, it seems likely that Sami has elected not to return to work because of the COVID-19 pandemic. WWE has claimed that they have given all employees the option of staying home instead of working through the pandemic, and Zayn has apparently taken that option.
WWE has been able to continue producing live television in Florida after the state’s governor deemed them an essential business.
Sami Zayn was last seen on WWE television at WrestleMania 36, where he successfully defended his title against Daniel Bryan.
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