Cesaro is no longer with WWE.
According to a report by PWInsider.com, Cesaro is no longer with WWE after failing to come to terms on a new contract. Fightful’s Sean Ross Sapp later confirmed the report that The Swiss Superman had left the company.
It was noted that Cesaro and WWE were in the negotiating phase, but both sides could not come to terms on a new agreement. PWInsider added that one source claimed WWE offered Cesaro an extension of his most recent deal, but it was turned down.
Cesaro had been with WWE since 2011. He is a former United States Champion, 7-time WWE Tag Team Champion, and 2014 winner of the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. Cesaro’s last match with WWE was on the February 11 episode of SmackDown, a loss to Happy Corbin, and he was originally slated to be at this Friday’s WWE SmackDown tapings in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Since Cesaro’s deal expired (instead of being released), it would mean that he does not have a non-compete clause and would be free to work wherever he’d like immediately.
Cesaro’s contractual status had been a topic of conversation last year, and it was reported that he’d “signed or verbally agreed to” a new deal in February 2021. Speaking to Ryan Satin for FOX Sports later that month, Cesaro simply said that he could confirm or deny that report, but felt like there’s some magic in keeping certain things under wraps.
“Well … I could [clarify]. I certainly could confirm or deny that,” Cesaro said. “What I love about this whole thing is there’s always some mystery to everything, right? And I feel like that air of mystery needs to stay with a lot of things because that’s what makes it magic, and that’s what makes it special. So, you know, who knows?”
Update: Fightful Select has provided more details about Cesaro’s contract, and reported that he was only under a one-year extension that began last year. It was also noted that one source noted that Cesaro could always return to the company if a new agreement is worked out, pointing out that Drew Gulak did something similar in May 2020 when he was a free agent for ten days.
Read More: Paul Heyman Has Always Seen Cesaro As A ‘Main Event Player’
