Hours before he was set to enter the ring against Brock Lesnar at the WWE Day 1 Match on Saturday night, Roman Reigns took to Twitter to inform his fans that he tested positive for COVID-19, and that his match-up would unfortunately be canceled.
“I yearn to perform tonight at #WWEDay1 to defend my Universal Championship,” Reigns tweeted. “However, unfortunately, earlier today I tested positive for COVID-19. Due to the proper protocols I am unable to compete as originally scheduled. I look forward to returning to action as soon as possible.”
As a result of Reigns dropping out, WWE announced that Lesnar would now compete for the championship title in a Fatal 4-Way against Big E, Seth Rollins, Kevin Owens and Bobby Lashley, making it a Fatal 5-Way match.
Reigns took a brief hiatus from WWE at the start of the pandemic in 2020 because of complications with cancer. He had previously battled two separate bouts of leukemia, and made a triumphant return to the ring at SummerSlam that August.
The Day 1 Match up between Lesnar and Reigns was highly anticipated. A promo video for the match, which was scheduled to take place at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, aired yesterday and featured Atlanta’s hometown hero Quavo, who gave a rousing speech as the trailer played.
“This right here is Day 1. A new year, a new opportunity,” the Migos rapper says in the trailer. “And what you do tonight—in my city of Atlanta, in front of all these people—becomes the blueprint for your tomorrow.”
Watch the trailer below.
