WWE Superstar admits he almost quit the company over injury woes and creative frustration

The road never seems to run smoothly in the life of a professional wrestler - not least when they sustain an injury.

So hard-hitting is the work they do in the right night in, night out and so brutal is their travel schedule, that it is only natural that Superstars will often pick up injuries; most often routine and manageable, but sometimes very serious, too.

Former WWE Champion Sheamus sits perfectly on the list of extremely talented Superstars to have experienced the agony - both physically and mentally - of being left on the shelf for a prolonged period. After sustaining a concussion on an edition of SmackDown shortly after WrestleMania 35 last year, the Celtic Warrior missed the better part of a calendar year of action.

He's back now, though, and is easing himself back into the cut and thrust of WWE action but, in an interview with Matty Paddock, the 42-year-old admitted that the road back to stardom in the squared circle has been anything other than plain sailing.

Admitting he felt demotivated by his storyline at the time, the injury only appeared to compound his misery, leading to fears he may never actually be back at a point where he could compete again.

He said:

We [The Bar] fighting a losing battle... It was tough. I felt at that point that we were swimming upstream and that everything we'd worked hard to create was being undone... I was sitting on the couch and had no energy for a couple of weeks. I was just zonked... at that time, I just didn't know; didn't know what the next step was or whether I'd be able to wrestle again.

Luckily for Sheamus, though, he received some motivation from what would turn out to be an incredible source, with the Dublin native revealing that Edge had inspired him to change his mindset away from quitting and, instead, to focus on a return. At that point, he said, the Rated-R Superstar hadn't been cleared to return to WWE - a comeback which has since been remarkably completed - which makes the fact they're now set to compete on the same WrestleMania card all the sweeter.

He went on to add:

I was with Edge and he was in the best shape of his life. I was looking at all the titles on the wall that I'd won, and there was Edge who was still so passionate about the business but, at the time, couldn't come back at the time. I realised I wasn't finished...

Now firmly back in the saddle, Sheamus will look to add to his impressive haul of championships in WWE. He's already a former WWE, World Heavyweight, United States and tag team champion, while also having scooped the King of the Ring, Money in the Bank and Royal Rumble accolades during a stellar career thus far.