Top WWE superstar pulled from Raw for health reasons hours before show

WWE superstar Bronson Reed has been pulled from tonight’s episode of Monday Night Raw.

The former NXT North American Champion, 36, had been due to face Sheamus and Ludwig Kaiser in the Intercontinental Championship number one contender tournament.

However, a few hours before the show was due to kick off, general manager Adam Pearce confirmed Reed has tested positive for covid and will no longer be part of the bout.

In a video previewing the night’s event, he said: ‘Happy Labor Day WWE Universe, and what a weekend it was.

‘Bash In Berlin, NXT No Mercy last night, and we finish it off right tonight. Labor Day Monday Night Raw from the Mile High City, Denver, Colorado.

‘Plenty of good vibes to go around, but I’m here with a bit of bad breaking news. Bronson Reed, medically unable to compete tonight. [He] has COVID.’

Pearce promised he was ‘working on’ Reed’s replacement for the match, with fans having to wait and see who will step into the ring with Sheamus and Kaiser.

He continued: ‘[Bronson is] out of the Intercontinental Championship contenders triple threat, and who steps in? Well, I can assure you I am working on that, and you will have an answer tonight.’

In response to the news, Reed wrote on X: ‘No man in WWE can stop me. So mother nature had to go and do them a favor. I’ll recover and be back to destruction ASAP!’

Earlier in the day, before the news was made public, he had simply tweeted: ‘Ugh’.

The Australian star has been on a roll in recent weeks, taking out the likes of Seth Rollins and R-Truth on a path of destruction, so fans and the wrestler himself will be hoping it’s just a short term absence.

Also planned for tonight is another Triple Threat in the tournament, pitting Ilja Dragunov against Dragon Lee and Dominik Mysterio, while the Unholy Union and Damage CTRL will battle to face new Women’s Tag Team Champions Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill.