Dave Meltzer has weighed in on the reported departure of Sheamus from WWE, offering his thoughts on why the company may have been unwilling to match the veteran’s previous contract.
As previously reported, Sheamus is expected to leave WWE after his contract expires, having reportedly declined a restructured contract offer. His profile was also moved to the WWE Alumni section on WWE.com on Sunday evening.
Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio, Meltzer suggested the decision reflects TKO’s broader philosophy when it comes to veteran talent. “I mean, if you look at the TKO [WWE’s parent company] situation, from talking to people there and in other situations, they are very willing to pay really, really giant money to people they perceive as stars, like a sports team, you know what I mean?”
However, Meltzer believes the company’s approach changes when it comes to aging performers with lucrative contracts. “But when it’s older wrestlers who they perceive as being on their downside and have big contracts, they’re very much like an NFL team. Rather than pay a guy a giant salary who’s on the downside, they’d rather spend their resources on somebody younger, who they can also pay less.”
Because of that philosophy, Meltzer said he was not surprised by WWE’s reported offer to Sheamus. “So, the offer to Sheamus really doesn’t surprise me at all. He’s a guy I would have expected something like this to happen to.”
As of this writing, neither Sheamus nor WWE has publicly commented on the reports regarding his departure.
