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Sheamus returned from an eight-month absence to defeat Ivar on the April 15 episode of WWE RAW. Legendary booker and manager Dutch Mantell is the latest wrestling personality to address the social media criticism of the Irishman after the show.
While the fans in attendance cheered Sheamus' in-ring comeback, his RAW appearance drew a mixed response online. Many fans made jokes about The Celtic Warrior gaining weight, prompting the man himself to reveal he did not expect to return to action so soon.
On Story Time with Dutch Mantell, he defended the four-time WWE world champion saying that while The Celtic Warrior might have put on some weight, it wasn't as bad as people have made it out to be.
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"I didn't think he looked that fat. He definitely put a little weight on, but when you told me that, I was expecting to see a much, much heavier Sheamus. Yeah, he put weight on, but he's not fat," said Mantell. [1:27 – 1:50]
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The RAW star had been sidelined due to a career-threatening shoulder injury. Before defeating Ivar, he had not wrestled since losing to Edge on the August 18, 2023, episode of SmackDown.
How Sheamus could take advantage of the criticism
Since 2017, Sheamus has participated in dozens of workouts alongside other WWE stars on his Celtic Warrior Workouts YouTube channel. Becky Lynch, Charlotte Flair, John Cena, and Seth Rollins are among the big names to appear in his videos.
Dutch Mantell thinks the 46-year-old should capitalize on the scrutiny around his physique by posting a video of his transformation. He also took a dig at the intelligence of people criticizing the WWE star.
"I think that'd be great for his show. He said, 'I got heavier because I couldn't do this, this, this. Now I'm gonna lose the weight. You watch me lose the weight.' I think it's great. I think Sheamus might be a lot smarter than those critics out there," said Mantell. [3:43 – 4:01]
The 2012 Royal Rumble winner is expected to be involved in the upcoming 2024 WWE Draft. The annual roster changes will begin on the April 26 episode of SmackDown and end on the April 29 episode of RAW.
What did you make of The Celtic Warrior's WWE RAW return match against Ivar? Hit the discuss button and let us know.
Please credit Story Time with Dutch Mantell and give an H/T to Sportskeeda Wrestling for the transcription if you use quotes from this article.
