Backstage Update On Where Steve Cutler Caught COVID-19

Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green's NYE party reportedly where Steve Cutler caught COVID-19.

Steve Cutler
WWE.com

With Steve Cutler having recently been released by WWE following a positive COVID-19 rest result, there’s now a little more information on when the former Forgotten Son caught the virus.

As per the Wrestling Observer, the belief is that Cutler – and his girlfriend, IMPACT Knockout Champions Deonna Purrazzo – caught COVID-19 after attending a New Year’s Eve party hosted by Matt Cardona and Chelsea Green.

Previous reports suggesting that the party in question was actually hosted by Cutler and Purrazzo, but this new report states that it was actually Cardona and Green who were on hosting duties on NYE.

Advertisement

For Vince McMahon, Cutler’s positive COVID result was enough to fire the military veteran, with McMahon furious that this could compromise the safe working environment he’d promised to his roster – in particular, to Universal Champion Roman Reigns.

Not just that, but this positive result also meant that plans to have Cutler and Wesley Blake aligned with King Corbin had to be put on hold, and now seemingly cancelled.

Advertisement

Steve Cutler was not the first WWE talent to test positive for COVID-19, of course, with WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, Rey and Dominik Mysterio, and AJ Styles just some of those to have confirmed their positive diagnosis for this virus.

In the case of Cutler, though, the anger of WWE seems to stem from the fact that he caught COVID by going to a party during a time when WWE is stressing to talent to be extremely careful and to take this situation seriously. He was not the only person to attend a party or mass gathering in recent weeks or months - but him doing so and then testing positive for COVID-19 means that he was viewed as expendable by WWE.

Advertisement
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.