WWE Hall of Famer and Vice President of Talent Developmental Creative – Shawn Michaels announced on Twitter Friday that Nikkita Lyons and Zoey Stark were injured and could not complete in the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championship Tournament on SmackDown.
Lyons and Zoey Stark were originally scheduled to face Natalya and Sonya Deville in the tournament match on Friday’s show. Instead, former NXT Women’s Tag Team Champions Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne of Toxic Attraction replaced Stark and Lyons, and went over to advance to the semi-finals on next week’s show.
According to Friday’s Daily Update Report on F4WOnline, Stark suffered a concussion during her match against against Mandy Rose on this past Tuesday’s NXT Heatwave. However, as it pertains to Lyons, it is being said she was pulled from SmackDown because she was not allowed to travel into Canada because she has not been vaccinated against COVID-19.
The following was stated in the report by Dave Meltzer: “Lyons wouldn’t have been allowed to go as they didn’t realize she wasn’t vaccinated and thus couldn’t get into Canada.”
This past Friday’s WWE SmackDown took place from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. Immigration policies require those traveling in Canada must provide proof of vaccination.