New Details Emerge About WWE's Attempts to Re-Sign Sheamus

WWE did make attempts to re-sign Sheamus, but those efforts did not yield a new contract.

Sheamus | Netflix

Sheamus will soon hit free agency for the first time in nearly 20 years, but that doesn't mean that attempts weren't made to retain his services.

News broke earlier this week that The Celtic Warrior's WWE contract was due to expire soon after he rejected a restructured extension. That essentially means that there was interest in retaining him, but parent company TKO was only willing to pay the 48-year-old a certain dollar figure to stay.

It was said that Sheamus "swiftly rejected" the offer that was made, and he removed all mention of WWE from his social media accounts soon after. His profile has also been moved to the alumni section of WWE's website, but as of mid-week, the belief was that his contract still had not run out.

A WWE representative reportedly "went to bat" for Sheamus during negotiations

Some new information has now come to light about the efforts that were made on WWE's part to keep Sheamus in the company. During Thursday's episode of WrestleVotes Radio on Fightful Select, the guys reported that at least one company representative went to TKO to fight for the former world champion.

"WrestleVotes learned that an unnamed high-level member of the WWE office went to TKO and 'went to bat' for Sheamus," they said during the show. "That individual dove into the value that Sheamus brings to the company that stretches beyond his in-ring contributions."

Obviously, that pitch did not yield the desired results and Sheamus will soon be departing the company. When it comes to his future in wrestling, The Celtic Warrior is expected to garner heavy interest on the open market.

He has yet to be tied to any one company in particular, but several members of the AEW locker room are expected to push for him to become All Elite. Others are reportedly concerned about another industry veteran coming in with television time already at a premium, but would Sheamus even be interested in joining WWE's top rival promotion?

Sheamus and Rusev | WWE

The short answer, according to WrestleVotes, is yes.

"A person close to Sheamus believes he would welcome the idea of competing for AEW, even if it is on a short-term basis, if the right situation presented itself."

There are many in the industry who believe that it's a foregone conclusion that Kofi and Austin Creed, formerly known as Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods, will be joining AEW when their 90-day contractual waiting period is over.

The New Day asked for their release earlier this year after being approached about a contract restructure and their request was granted in what was called a mutual parting of ways. Kofi and Austin should be free to sign elsewhere in early August. Sheamus will be free to make his next move from the moment his contract expires, but that specific date is unknown at this time.