Sheamus’ WWE exit may have come down to money in the end, but it sounds like he was already checked out creatively long before that.
While speaking during a Self Made Session, Self Made Pro claimed Sheamus had given up on WWE Creative after realizing the Intercontinental Championship chase he expected was not happening the way he believed it would. According to the claim, Sheamus thought WWE was building toward him and Bron Breakker at WrestleMania 41, but the company burned through that direction in early January and moved on.
“I was told that Sheamus gave up on WWE Creative when Mania 40 wasn’t him chasing the IC Title. He was of the belief that there was going to be something with him and Braun for Mania 41 IC belt, and they ended up doing that in early January and kind of moving past it.”
After that, Sheamus was pulled from television despite being healthy. That is where the frustration seemed to go beyond booking and into communication: “He was kind of just taken off TV for no reason.”
Self Made Pro said Sheamus was not the only veteran who noticed the shift. Names like The New Day were also said to have realized that things had changed, not only with how older talent were being used, but also with how the office was communicating with them. One major issue was apparently access to Triple H. According to the claim, even getting him on the phone became much harder than before.
“Him and The New Day and a number of other veterans realized that things had really changed significantly, not just in terms of their usage but also communication with the office. It became even harder to just get Triple H on hold for conversations.”
That left Sheamus in a strange spot. He was healthy, but he reportedly was not being brought to several TV tapings, and there was very little explanation for why.
“Sheamus was not called to a number of TVs that he was healthy for, which is very odd. And it was very minimal communication as to why. At that point, I was told that he knew, like, ‘All right, creative is just cooked. It is what it is.’”
Still, that did not mean Sheamus immediately wanted out. The way it was explained, he accepted the creative situation for what it was and was willing to ride it out as long as the money stayed the same. That is where the contract side became the breaking point
“It wasn’t like one of those things where he knew that and went, ‘I want my release.’ It was just like, ‘Okay, I now mentally accept this is what it is now and creative sucks.’ For Sheamus, as long as the money wasn’t affected, he was going to just ride it out even though he knew things were bad. Obviously now the money was affected because they asked him to take a cut.”
That lines up with previous reports that Sheamus’ deal expired after he turned down a restructured offer for less money. It was previously reported that TKO is treating WWE contracts more like a sports franchise, where older talent with bigger deals may not get the same number if the company believes their best days are behind them.
Sheamus gave WWE nearly 20 years, became WWE Champion, won the Royal Rumble, King of the Ring, Money in the Bank, and built a resume most wrestlers would dream of. But if this report is accurate, his final stretch was not some emotional farewell run. It was a veteran realizing creative had passed him by, then seeing the business side cut into his money too.
Do you think Sheamus was right to walk away after WWE changed his creative direction and asked him to take less money? Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments.
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