Wrestling legend Sheamus’ next move is ‘something to watch out for’ after leaving WWE

Wrestling fans are predicting Sheamus could be joining AEW soon, and now his best friend has weighed in.

The Celtic Warrior is leaving WWE to become a free agent after 19 years with the company, and there has been plenty of speculation he could sign with Tony Khan’s All Elite Wrestling and reunite with a familiar face.

Claudio Castagnoli, formerly known as Cesaro, exclusively told Metro: ‘Sheamus is extremely passionate, and he always gives 100% when he’s in the ring, and you can clearly see that with everything he’s done.

‘I think wherever he ends up, and whatever he decides to do for the future, I think it will be something to watch out for.’

Recent reports claim Sheamus has turned down an offer of a new contract on renegotiated terms, and he’ll officially become a free agent at the beginning of October 2026.

Naturally, Claudio wasn’t going to be drawn into any firm answer on the matter, but he did offer a bit of insight into Sheamus’ mindset since deciding on his departure.

He added: ‘If you’ve been with people on the road for so many years, the people who are friends, they stay friends.

‘We’ve been talking about the World Cup quite a bit, I feel that’s kept him in good spirits as well.’

With fans calling for The Bar reunion, you have to wonder if Claudio is open to the idea, given his current run alongside the likes of Jon Moxley, PAC, Will Ospreay and more in the Death Riders.

‘I’m very happy with where I’m at,’ he smiled. ‘Whenever I’m asked about speculation, and this and that, I think that’s what’s fun about wrestling for the fans to do.

‘For me, I’m trying to figure out what’s best for what I’m doing right now. What’s best for the Death Riders, what’s best for our group, and whatever falls in our lap or whatever happens. happens.’

He teased: ‘So I guess we’ll see.’ For now, Claudio’s focus is on this weekend’s AEW Revolution event where he and PAC will battle Christian Cage and Adam ‘Edge’ Copeland for the tag team titles.

After that, his attention turns to AEW’s Wembley Stadium return at the end of August for All In London. It’ll be the company’s third event there, and at the inaugural one in 2023, Claudio ended up brawling into the Royal Box.

‘Over my career, I feel I had a lot of moments that are surreal when you look back on it,’ he laughed. ‘The chance to brawl around in the Royal Box, that would not have been on my bucket list. It’s a very, very, very cool memory.’

For years, fans were clamouring for Claudio to get a run as world champion given his undeniable talent, but he is happy with his current position and the way his career went.

‘I’m a little bit older now, a little bit,’ he smirked. ‘I feel like I’ve learned to focus and not force the present, right? So, I’m just gonna enjoy what I have and what I’ve been given, and I can make that special. And I feel it has served me well during my career.’

Claudio has become a veteran and legend in his own right, having been mentored and supported by the likes of Mick Foley earlier in his WWE career.

Now, Foley is part of the AEW team on-screen, and the Swiss star is delighted to have him on board. ‘He’s somebody that I’ve looked up to, and I’ve watched when I was a fan,’ he said.

‘To have again somebody believe in you when it may have seemed like you were at a point where you kind of didn’t know what to do, and light that fire, that definitely helped.’

He added: ‘I feel that’s one of the big strengths of AEW is that there’s such a mix of different people that just love wrestling and want it to become the best it can be.’

He’s also worked with John Cena, having worked together a handful of times one-on-one in the mid-2000s. ‘I treasure the memory of those matches,’ he admitted.

‘We got the chance to really go out there and do something special, and he really wanted to as well.’ Cena, who retired from wrestling in December 2025, namedropped Claudio (as Cesaro) during his farewell tour, and the star was ‘very grateful’ for his friend’s ‘kind words’.

When it comes to the end of his own in-ring career, Claudio isn’t rushing into any decisions. ‘I’ve always thought that if the people will let me know,’ he laughed.

‘If I get that applause of like, “Oh, look at him, he’s still trying”, then it’s then it’s definitely time to hang it up.

‘Obviously none of us gets any younger, but as long as I can perform at a high level, and add to AEW and the Death Riders, try to make it a better place, I would love to do this for a long time.’

AEW All In London returns to Wembley Stadium on Sunday, August 30. Tickets are available now at livenation.co.uk.