3 WWE Superstars who opted not to work due to COVID-19 (and 2 that were asked not to)

#3 Sami Zayn (Personal Decision)

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

Sami Zayn was one of the highlights from the early weeks of WWE SmackDown shows from the Performance Center. Feuding with the likes of Drew Gulak and Daniel Bryan, Zayn did some great work both on the microphone and in-ring, which really enhanced the shows he appeared on.

Zayn even retained his WWE Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania when he beat Bryan. However, shortly after filming the pay-per-view, Zayn informed WWE that he was no longer comfortable working while the threat of the coronavirus still loomed.

Sami Zayn was stripped of the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Not keen to have a reigning champion missing for an extended period of time, WWE stripped Zayn of his title - and set up a tournament to determine his successor. AJ Styles would defeat Daniel Bryan in the final of the tournament to become the new champion.

Watch your ass. https://t.co/BckYziaur5

— Sami Zayn (@SamiZayn) June 13, 2020

Sami Zayn has tweeted regularly since deciding to take a hiatus from WWE, recently teasing a match with Styles for the title he never lost. Zayn has certainly lost some of his momentum since choosing to step away from SmackDown but has the ability to establish himself again very quickly once he is convinced that it is safe for him to return to WWE.