Booker T Defends WWE Following Sheamus' Departure

NXT announcer and WWE Hall of Famer Booker T has addressed the news that Sheamus has left the company.

On July 5, news broke that Sheamus had departed WWE as his contract had expired. Shortly afterwards, The Celtic Warrior was moved to the alumni section of the website, effectively confirming his exit. Reportedly, the reason for the departure was that both sides could not come to terms on a new deal, as Sheamus rejected the initial offer.

Speaking about the news on his Hall of Fame podcast, Booker T admitted that the company is in a different place compared to previous eras. The Hall of Famer compared the situation to sports, noting that no athlete is a “lifer” on the team forever, adding that not many are in the industry for decades:

“What did I say about talent in the WWE just about a month or so ago? I said, man, we’re in a different time now. It ain’t like it was back in the day when it was the Attitude Era, when you think guys are going to be around for a hundred years. When I hear the term lifer, [people say], ‘Oh, well, I thought he was going to be a lifer.’ What the hell does that really mean in a job? When you work at job, what does that really mean? I mean, does anybody expect any basketball player to stay on the team forever? How many football players stay on the team forever? One? One maybe still be coaching, you know what I mean, assistant coach. He’ll keep that job for the remainder of his life until he retires. How many actually do that? How many people like myself, who have been in the wrestling business for 35 years, go from wrestler to commentator? There’s not that many. There’s a life expectancy in everything. I’ve heard these podcasters, people talking about this could be a problem. Sheamus is 48 years old, okay? Sheamus started in the WWE in 2007 in the FCW program. He started on the main roster in 2009. This guy’s had a damn near 20 year career as a professional wrestler in one company.”

Booker T Dismisses That WWE Is “The Bad Guy” In Sheamus Situation

As has been the case with a lot of WWE releases, there has been fan backlash over the decision to cut Sheamus, who gained a significant fan following over the course of his near 20-year career. Reiterating that this practice happens in many organisations, Booker T would not blame WWE for their decision:

“Someone like Sheamus, four time world champion, he’s put in his work. The thing is, if Sheamus left WWE, he still can go ahead and make money and still do this thing for however many more years he actually wants to do it, if he actually wants to do it. When I hear people literally trying to make WWE the bad guy when somebody gets released, laid off, or fired — that happens in any corporation. It really does.”