Sheamus Feared His Career Was Over After Major Neck Injury

Sheamus almost had to walk away.

On the August 18, 2023, episode of SmackDown, Edge wrestled what he teased might be the last match of his career. In his hometown of Toronto, Canada, the veteran picked up the win but remained open about his future.

The Hall of Famer later let his WWE contract expire, and he went on to sign with AEW, where he now competes as Adam Copeland. But he wasn’t the only star who almost said goodbye that night.

During the match, Sheamus suffered a neck injury and wouldn’t wrestle again until April 2024. He’s since revealed that the injury was much more serious than he let on at the time.

Sheamus Is On A Mission

In a new interview with Uncrowned, the former World Champion looked back on his match with Edge and the injury he suffered in the midst of the action. He explained that there was a very real possibility he’d after to retire, which is why he’s treating every match going forward as a bonus.

“Every time I go into that ring, I want to prove that I still belong. I want to show I can still rile up the crowd and get the fans invested in my matches.

Two years ago, I took a bad fall (The star sustained a neck injury in a match against Edge), and I wondered if I would ever step into a ring again. So now every match I have is like a bonus. That’s why I want to make sure I give the crowd every last penny’s worth this Sunday.”

During the same interview, Sheamus revealed that he wasn’t the original opponent scheduled to face Gunther at Clash at the Castle back in 2022. At the time, the match was hailed as an instant classic, and the Irish star was given a standing ovation as he left the ring in defeat.

However, WWE originally planned for Shinsuke Nakamura to challenge Gunther before changing path.

Skipping back to 2025, Sheamus is scheduled to face Rusev at Clash In Paris in a Good Ol’ Fashioned Donnybrook match. The pair of real-life friends have been battling on Raw for several weeks.