NXT’s Rik Bugez Says ‘The Mask Stays On’ During WWE Tapings After Learning Of False Negatives
Design / Layout Credit: Bill Pritchard
Rik Bugez from NXT did happen to test negative for COVID-19 during recent WWE tapings, but still came away with a learning experience.
The NXT star formerly known as Eric Bugenhagen happened to receive some “negative” feedback for taking his mask off during said tapings while he was in the audience. Bugez originally defended his decision to take his mask off to show emotion, but did later learn of the higher than average ratio of false negatives.
“We all get our brains poked to get tested before tapings now,” Bugez said in his first Tweet. “When the test is negative, I feel ok taking my mask off for 10 seconds to convey some emotion for the sake of entertainment. Without facial expression, they might as well have mannequin dummies behind the plexiglass.”
After some criticism and someone making a note that 60% of the COVID tests could come back inaccurate, Bugez took a moment to state that he just learned of that news and made sure that fans knew he wouldn’t be doing that again.
“I didn’t know that at the time so moving forward, the mask stays on.”
WWE recently enacted a “must wear mask” policy for the talents that appear in the crowd for their tapings going forward after a spike in positive COVID-19 tests in the state of Florida occurred. You can see Bugez’s Tweets below.
We all get our brains poked to get tested before tapings now. When the test is negative, I feel ok taking my mask off for 10 seconds to convey some emotion for the sake of entertainment. Without facial expression, they might as well have mannequin dummies behind the plexiglass
— Eric Bugenhagen (@rikbugez) June 30, 2020
That’s what I’ve been hearing. I didn’t know that at the time so moving forward, the mask stays on 🙏
— Eric Bugenhagen (@rikbugez) June 30, 2020