More details have emerged regarding Sheamus‘ reported WWE departure, including when he could become a free agent and AEW’s interest in signing him.
It was reported over the weekend that the former WWE Champion is set to leave the company after nearly 20 years, having rejected a restructured contract offer. His profile has since been moved to the Alumni section of WWE.com.
Speaking on Fightful’s In The Weeds podcast, Joel Pearl clarified that Sheamus requested neither a release nor was he released by WWE, meaning he will become a free agent as soon as his current contract expires.
“It should be reiterated that Sheamus turned down a contract extension and he was not released,” Pearl said. “Once he’s done, he is out. There will be no 90-day (non-compete). There will just be Stephen Farrelly, professional wrestler, workout artist, doing whatever he wants once that contract ends, which we do not specifically know the date of expiration.”
Pearl also revealed that WWE approached Sheamus with a restructured contract while he was sidelined through injury, but the offer was quickly rejected.
“He swiftly rejected WWE when he was approached about a restructured contract while he was out with injury. And we’re told that the WWE contract was set to expire within months of that happening anyway or there wasn’t a purpose for an imminent release or waiting out the 90 days.”
Jeremy Lambert noted that the situation appears to differ from previous reports suggesting Sheamus had signed a five-year contract in 2024, which would have kept him with WWE until 2029.
“It said he signed a five-year deal in 2024, which, obviously, that’s still only two years.”
AEW Reportedly Interested In Signing Former WWE Champion Sheamus
Fightful also reported that AEW could emerge as a potential destination for the former world champion, with Claudio Castagnoli expected to be among those pushing for the company to sign his former tag team partner once he officially becomes available.
