Matt Hardy has weighed in on Sheamus’s departure from WWE, sharing his personal reaction to the news and his thoughts on where the veteran could land next.
On The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, Hardy admitted he had mixed feelings when he heard Sheamus was gone, given how long the two-decade WWE staple had been with the company.
“It was a little surprising, considering how long he’s been there. He seems like such a vet and such a staple of WWE. But in some ways, I kind of wasn’t surprised by it,” Hardy said.
Hardy noted that he had recently been in contact with Sheamus, who reached out with a fond memory, and it seemed to him that Sheamus had been in a holding pattern.
“I had a text with him a while back. He texted me out of the blue, and he was sending a photo of the WrestleMania match, and he said, ‘What a great moment that was,’” Hardy said. “But it just seemed like he was just kind of off and hanging out and not doing a ton. It seemed like they really weren’t sure what to do with him.”
Hardy also credited Sheamus for the crucial role he played in elevating Gunther, noting that the Irishman lent major credibility to the rising star.
“He’d been around long enough that he had a lot of credibility. He did build equity in himself, in his character, and his work,” Hardy said. “That’s when he had a string of great matches. He was doing the whole thing, banger after banger after banger. So yes, I definitely think it helped Gunther, no doubt about it.”
As for where Sheamus could land, Hardy ran through the veteran’s options, noting that it ultimately comes down to what the star is looking for.
“If he really wants to wrestle and pursue it, I’m sure he could be very beneficial somewhere,” Hardy said, pointing to AEW, TNA, and MLW as possibilities.
Hardy cautioned that AEW, in particular, is a mixed bag given its roster size, but praised the way the promotion treats its talent.
“AEW is kind of a roll of the dice. You never know. It’s got a huge, bloated roster that doesn’t use everybody,” Hardy said. “Tony Khan is excellent at taking care of his talent. There is value to guys like Sheamus, because WWE TV is still the most powerful TV there’s ever been. You seem like a global star if you’ve been featured heavily on that program.”
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