Sheamus Makes Huge Move After Turning Down WWE Offer
After reportedly turning down a controversial offer from WWE, Sheamus made a big move.
Sheamus has been out of action since his last match in November last year. He last competed in a six-man tag match on RAW, teaming with John Cena and Rey Mysterio against the Judgment Day. Amid his absence from TV for months, there are rumors of The Celtic Warrior leaving the WWE after his current contract is up.
Dave Meltzer on the Wrestling Observer Newsletter recently reported that Sheamus is leaving because he refused to take a pay cut offered by the WWE, which is a similar situation to how Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston left earlier this year:
The big news today is that Sheamus will be leaving WWE soon as his contract is expiring and was offered a pay cut so decided to leave. It’s identical to the Kofi Kingson and Xavier Woods situation. The basic thing is TKO is in the business of paying stars incredible amounts of money who move business and less so in paying those who don’t move business, especially given Sheamus is 48 and has been hurt a lot,” Meltzer noted.
Meanwhile, Sheamus seemingly confirmed his departure from the WWE by making some huge changes to his official X social media handle. He changed his name from “Sheamus” to “S. Farrelly.” The Celtic Warrior also removed “WWE” from his bio, as his new bio just states “Pro Wrestler.”
Sheamus has removed all mentions of WWE from his social media accounts and is now using his real name, Stephen Farrelly, fueling further speculation about his departure from the company. pic.twitter.com/yAqeITct60
— Pro Wrestling & MMA News (@PWMMANews) July 5, 2026
The change in his X social media handle seemingly confirms that the 48-year-old veteran is no longer with the Stamford-based promotion.
Backstage reaction to Sheamus’ WWE departure
According to a recent exclusive report by Sportskeeda Wrestling, there is irritation regarding Sheamus’ WWE departure, and stars are not pleased with TKO restructuring the contracts of wrestlers like New Day in the past and now The Celtic Warrior:
But as for the reaction backstage, there’s a lot of irritation surrounding it. WWE stars are not happy with the entire contract restructuring that TKO has been doing. They were very unhappy after New Day’s news became public and it’s safe to say everyone is very annoyed it’s happened with Sheamus.”
The report also stated that The Celtic Warrior is a beloved wrestler in the locker room:
Even though he has not been around backstage a lot recently, the guy’s a much loved wrestler. They really love him a lot and makes no sense to not have him here.”
It remains to be seen what’s next for the 48-year-old veteran following his WWE departure.