Former WWE Champion says he needs time off ahead of WrestleMania 41

In less than two weeks, Sin City hosts WWE WrestleMania. Ahead of the Show of Shows another top star has come forward needing time off for recovery.

On SmackDown, Kevin Owens disclosed he needs neck surgery after struggling for months with an unspecified injury. The company was forced to cancel his match with Randy Orton at Allegiant Stadium. Meanwhile, RAW's Sheamus claims he may need some time off too.

The Celtic Warrior shared an Instagram post in which his knee is scraped, possibly from being involved in an accident while visiting his home country of Ireland. However, the Irishman appears to only be making a joke:

"Taking big bumps in the County Clare.. might be out for a few weeks 🤒😉," Sheamus captioned his post.

Alberto Del Rio returning to WWE?

The Celtic Warrior's trip to Europe also featured an Intercontinental Championship match in Belfast against Bron Breakker. However, he failed to procure the belt. He has been after it since his return from a career-threatening injury in April 2024.

Sheamus was doubtful of WWE return before April 2024

After wrestling Edge in the Hall of Famer's final WWE match in August 2023, Sheamus quietly took time off to heal up. He doubted his future as an in-ring competitor during this time.

In an interview with Robbie Fox on My Mom's Basement, the Irishman discussed his trials and tribulations after finding out there was a legitimate possibility that his career was over. But after wrestling Ivar upon return, he got some degree of confidence as a performer:

"Man, there's been a lot. I think the first match I had with Ivar was when I came back with the extra cushion around my waist; that was a pretty nerve-racking one for me because I didn't even think I was going to be able to wrestle again, and I came back in that one. I was pretty nervous with that, but Ivar is such a great talent. It was easy enough," the former WWE Champion explained.

At the time of this writing, Sheamus does not have a WrestleMania match to prep for in less than two weeks.

About the author

Joel has been a WWE news writer at Sportskeeda for the last 2 years. Always having a penchant for writing, he worked as an independent screenwriter and a copy/content writer for almost 2 years before joining Sportskeeda.

Joel’s pro-wrestling knowledge comes from hours of watching it from a young age. His favorite wrestler is Shawn Michaels, but if he could go back in time to The Attitude Era, he would like to manage Chris Jericho and advise him to cut his hair and portray a character similar to Javier Bardem in the movie “No Country for Old Men,” something which Jericho later pulled off in 2008.

Besides Michaels, Joel is also a fan of Eddie Guerrero, Randy Orton, Edge, CM Punk, and Brock Lesnar. His current favorites are Roman Reigns, Gunther, and Drew McIntyre.

Joel is a team man and works closely with his colleagues, conducts thorough research, and only relies on top pro-wrestling sources for information. His well-researched news reports have received close to 10 million reads till date.

When not following pro wrestling, Joel can be found designing built spaces, auditioning for films, working out, spending time with family and watching movies.

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Edited by Ken Cameron