Wrestling legend Sheamus is set to become a free agent after a 19-year stint with WWE, sparking speculation about a move to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). His best friend and former tag team partner Claudio Castagnoli, formerly known as Cesaro in WWE, has commented on the possibility.
Claudio Castagnoli's Exclusive Comments
In an exclusive interview with Metro, Claudio praised Sheamus's passion and work ethic. '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,' he said. '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 indicate that Sheamus turned down a new contract offer from WWE on renegotiated terms and will officially become a free agent at the beginning of October 2026.
Friendship and Future Plans
Claudio remained tight-lipped about a potential reunion but offered insight into Sheamus's mindset. 'If you’ve been with people on the road for so many years, the people who are friends, they stay friends,' he explained. 'We’ve been talking about the World Cup quite a bit, I feel that’s kept him in good spirits as well.'
Fans have been calling for a reunion of The Bar, the tag team duo of Sheamus and Cesaro that was popular in WWE. When asked if he is open to the idea, Claudio was noncommittal. 'I’m very happy with where I’m at,' he said. '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 added with a tease: 'So I guess we’ll see.'
Current Focus: AEW Revolution and All In London
Claudio's immediate focus is on this weekend's AEW Revolution event, where he and PAC will challenge 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. This will be the company's third event at the venue. At the inaugural event in 2023, Claudio famously brawled 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.'
Career Reflections and Mentors
Claudio, now a veteran, reflected on his career and the support he received from mentors like Mick Foley, who is now part of AEW's on-screen team. 'He’s somebody that I’ve looked up to, and I’ve watched when I was a fan,' Claudio 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.'
Claudio also cherished his matches with John Cena 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, name-dropped Claudio during his farewell tour, a gesture Claudio said he was 'very grateful' for.
Future of His In-Ring Career
When asked about the end of his own in-ring career, Claudio is taking it in stride. '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 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.
