Jon Moxley

WWE interviewer and jack of all trades Renee Young announced Wednesday she was diagnosed with COVID-19.

Young's announcement came on the heels of multiple reports regarding positive coronavirus tests within WWE. Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin reported that at least three people who have been at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, for WWE shows were diagnosed with COVID-19.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson reported that a source said the positive tests were in the "two dozen range," although that hasn't been confirmed.

WWE released the following statement regarding testing: "WWE will continue COVID-19 testing of its talent, production crew and employees in advance of TV productions for the foreseeable future."

It wasn't until last week that WWE began testing talent and personnel for COVID-19 after a Performance Center trainee was diagnosed with the coronavirus.

Young is married to AEW World champion Jon Moxley, who did not appear on Wednesday's episode of AEW Dynamite. AEW President Tony Khan tweeted that Moxley opted to stay home so as not to potentially expose others to COVID-19:

Moxley is scheduled to defend his title against Brian Cage at Fyter Fest, a two-week AEW event beginning next week. It is unclear if his situation may impact the scheduled match.

WWE has been running nearly all of its shows at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando since March when the company stopped traveling and fans were no longer able to attend events.

Young's primary role over the past several months has been as the host of WWE Backstage on FS1, but Fox announced this week the show will no longer be produced weekly.

In addition to the WWE Backstage gig, Young has been appearing on SmackDown recently as an interviewer and moderator. With multiple people within WWE reportedly testing positive for COVID-19, that may have been how Young came into contact with it.

Bleacher Report's David Gardner interviews athletes and other sports figures for the podcast How to Survive Without Sports.

Although it hasn't been included yet on a Matt Hardy Being The Elite sketch, the phrase "go-home show" is indeed a "Term of the Inside," part of a peculiar lexicon that professional wrestling calls its own. It's used to describe the final television show prior to a major live event, in this case two weeks of Fyter Fest airing free on TNT the next two Wednesday nights.

It's a pay-per-view-quality collection of matches, one worth getting excited for. But did this go-home show do the trick, potentially driving record ratings? Or will Fyter Fest fizzle and end up being just two average episodes of a struggling television show?

A lot rode on Wednesday's Dynamite, and I have five thoughts that might help us figure out whether AEW can pop a rating when it needs to.

1. The Scourge of Covid-19

Professional wrestling has been living on borrowed time when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. It was the first sport back, and an eventual outbreak felt inevitable. This was the week it finally reared its head, with AEW champion Jon Moxley missing the show as a precautionary measure.

"Moxley did come into contact with somebody with COVID-19," announcer Excalibur explained to the television audience. "He is also quarantined."

While the announce team praised his unselfishness, Moxley's Fyter Fest opponent, Brian Cage, and mouthpiece Taz were less impressed.

"[Cage is] the individual that came to work," Taz said. "He came to work and compete. You are sitting on your ass at home with some bulls--t excuse."

It was a sizzling promo and a cool touch by AEW to make denying the dangers of the coronavirus a heel move. The open question is whether Moxley will be able to perform. If he continues to test negative, he should be free to compete—but the close contacts put the title bout in question.

In today's world, it's probably safe to assume every match is doubtful until you see the competitors stepping into the ring.

2. The Squash Match

AEW has brought back the squash match, a bout designed for one of the performers to get a showcase win instead of a competitive challenge. In the days of yore, when I was a young man, wrestling television was made up almost exclusively of these kinds of contests, designed to get you excited enough to see two stars square off that you'd make the trek to your local arena and plop down some hard-earned cash for a ticket to see a show.

Back in yesteryear, that was how the business of wrestling worked economically—the money was made at the box office. Television was simply an extended advertisement for the live events.

The arrival of WWE's Raw changed all that. Guaranteed television-rights money became a major economic driver and soon replaced live events in the corporate hierarchy. With big money came the need to draw big ratings. That meant big matches and the end of the squash.

Seeing them slowly return makes my heart sing. There's something special about watching Hikaru Shida destroy a hapless foe with a running knee or Brian Cage literally get in some reps by bicep curling some poor ham-and-egger.

I wouldn't want to see these matches overwhelm the exciting back-and-forth bouts that have helped define the AEW era. But they are definitely a nice change of pace.

3. It's Time for FTR to Deliver on the Hype

For years it was enough for FTR to talk a good game. Cash Wheeler and Dax Harwood declared themselves the best tag team in the world and dined on fading memories of their run in NXT back when it was still very much a developmental territory.

There were always excuses for why they didn't thrive in WWE, whether it was the promotion's seemingly eternal disdain for tag team wrestling or the indifferent approach to booking an act that very much seemed to believe it could matter if only someone would let it.

The time for talk, however, is over. In AEW, Wheeler and Harwood will get consistent television time and the opportunity to work a fast-paced, hard-hitting bout built to make them look like the stars they believe they are.

So far, the result has been mixed. They've delivered fun matches with The Butcher and The Blade and SCU, but nothing that really stands out in a crowded tag team scene.

It's easy to talk the talk. Now is the time for FTR to walk the walk. If Wheeler and Harwood are the best on the planet, now's the time to show it. In 2020 that doesn't come down to creative or a sinister corporate presence holding them back—it's up to the men looking back at them in the mirror. And that's how it should be.

4. Cody, Hager and a Big-Fight Feel

In recent weeks, the divide between some of the creative forces in AEW has become more public and visible. The fun, high-spot-oriented wrestling of The Elite and comedy stylings of Orange Cassidy stand in stark contrast to the ultra-serious, sports-oriented approach of the TNT champion Cody.

As if to circle that idea and go over it with a highlighter just to be sure people notice, Cody's go-home moment was a press conference and face-off right out of the world of professional boxing or mixed martial arts. He and his coach Arn Anderson took questions from the "press" and gave heartfelt, thoughtful answers.

And, while things devolved and a glass of water was thrown when Jack Hager finally arrived, things never truly got out of control. It felt like, well, it felt like sports, a welcome change in a promotion that can sometimes be a little too goofy for its own good.

5. Orange Cassidy May Be Wrestling's Next Big Star

It's hard to know exactly how the audience is responding to Orange Cassidy's unlikely main event push. Although popular as a side attraction since AEW's launch, accepting someone as a midcard attraction is quite different from accepting them as a legitimate main eventer.

The crowd obviously loves Cassidy—but does it want to see him in a serious fight like the one that closed this show with Chris Jericho?

The final image AEW fans saw going into Fyter Fest was Cassidy, blood pouring out of his right ear and staining his iconic white T-shirt. He stood over a fallen Jericho as a conquering hero. Is he one? Or is this a short-lived experiment destined to fail?

The answers to those questions will come at Fyter Fest—now just a single week away.

Jonathan Snowden covers combat sports for Bleacher Report.

All Elite Wrestling pulled Jon Moxley from Wednesday's edition of Dynamite because of his secondhand exposure to COVID-19.

AEW President and CEO Tony Khan said Moxley "had contact with someone who had contact with someone who has COVID-19." As a result, AEW's doctor told the world champion to stay home and get tested for the coronavirus:

Like WWE, AEW has continued operating during the COVID-19 pandemic. The promotion taped episodes in Norcross, Georgia, after moving from Daily's Place in Jacksonville, Florida.

Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin reported in March that "talent got tested by a team of physicians yesterday before entering Daily's Place in Jacksonville to be involved in the show."

During the May 6 episode of the AEW Dynamite Post Show, announcer Tony Schiavone provided some details behind the company's coronavirus protocols.

"Just to let you guys know, many of us came in yesterday and we had to be tested for COVID," Schiavone said (h/t Satin). "Once we got tested for COVID, we got the yellow stripe [wristband] that we were clean. Then, today, have our temperature taken and you had the blue one [wristband] to say you can get in as well."

Khan also tweeted June 16 that anybody who works backstage or around the ring is tested at the start of every week when a broadcast is scheduled.

Moxley is scheduled to face Brian Cage at Fyter Fest, which will air July 1 and July 8.

AEW champion Jon Moxley revealed on Twitter that he suffered a bruised tailbone and offered proof of that injury Saturday:

WWE broadcaster and WWE Backstage host Renee Young, who is married to Moxley, said she would get some items ready:

Moxley recently defeated Brodie Lee at Double or Nothing on Sunday to retain the AEW title.

Moxley has suffered numerous injuries during his AEW tenure, which began in 2019.

The champ showcased a nasty cut above his right eye in February, and he was also forced to pull out of his All Out match with Kenny Omega last August because of an MRSA infection in his elbow.

As for the tailbone inury, it's unclear as to when it was suffered, with Andrew Ravens of SEScoops writing the following:

"Moxley made his latest title defense as the AEW World Heavyweight Champion against Brodie Lee at the AEW Double or Nothing pay-per-view event last weekend. This was a hard-hitting affair with a brawling style.

"He also worked the AEW Dynamite TV tapings earlier this week in Jacksonville, Florida at Daily's Place. Thus, he could have suffered the injury at the TV tapings or PPV event."

Moxley will be facing Brian Cage at the Fyter Fest in his next title defense, per Ravens, but there is no date for that event yet.

As Jon Moxley has learned already, uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.

Moxley successfully defended the AEW World Championship against Mr. Brodie Lee on Saturday. Shortly after the event, AEW President Tony Khan announced Moxley will have to put the title belt on the line against Brian Cage at Fyter Fest, per Pro Wrestling Sheet's Ryan Satin.

The details for Fyter Fest will come on Wednesday's edition of AEW Dynamite.

Cage made his AEW debut at Double or Nothing as the mystery entrant in the Casino Ladder match.

By virtue of winning the match, Cage earned an opportunity to challenge for the AEW World Championship.

Cage had been out of action since wrestling Rob Van Dam to a no-contest at Impact Wrestling's Hard to Kill event on Jan. 12. The 36-year-old confirmed in January that his contract with Impact had expired and that he planned to take time off for a torn biceps.

AEW is obviously looking to get The Swolverine involved in something big right out of the gate.

Even if he's unable to take the championship from Moxley, Cage's involvement in the match will help cement him as a top threat in the promotion.

Moxley had to dig down deep in order to topple Lee. He delivered three Paradigm Shifts to the leader of The Dark Order, but it took a sleeper hold to make Lee finally pass out.

The road from here won't get any easier for Mox.