Why Sheamus should be Cody Rhodes’ next WWE Championship challenger

The WWE revealed that former world champion Sheamus will soon be returning from injury, making him a prime contender for Cody Rhodes’ Undisputed Universal Championship.

Sheamus has been out for eight months with a shoulder injury after his match against Edge in the latter’s final WWE contest on August 18, 2023.

However, the WWE released a video promoting the Celtic Warrior’s impending return on April 8’s episode of RAW. Sheamus is targeting a comeback around the upcoming WWE Draft which begins on April 26.

Just a day prior at WrestleMania 40, Rhodes finished his story by capturing the WWE Undisputed Universal Championship from Roman Reigns.

The draft could place Rhodes and Sheamus on SmackDown or Raw together after the Superstar Shake-up changes the rosters of both brands.

Sheamus would be a strong first opponent for The American Nightmare on many fronts.

The Irish wrestling superstar appeared in two highly-rated fights of 2023, against Edge as well as his Intercontinental Championship triple threat matchup against Drew McIntyre and Gunther at WrestleMania 39, the latter of which received a five-star rating from Dave Meltzer.

In total, Sheamus competed in 15 title fights on the year despite not winning a belt. His popularity and creed as a former title holder would give WWE fans an exciting matchup between two of the promotion’s best performers.

Not to mention, the 46-year-old has prior beef with Rhodes dating back to Rhodes’ days as a member of The Legacy next to Randy Orton and Ted DiBiase.

The prospective matchup would promote Sheamus’ return and boost his profile in a win or loss. The lasting images that Sheamus left on the WWE prior to getting injured puts him in a favorable position to earn the major title fight.