WWE, AEW Rumors on Drew McIntyre, Sheamus and 'Rare' Gimmick Match for Bayley vs. Lyra Valkyria

Bleacher Report catches you up on the latest news from the WWE Universe.

McIntyre Reportedly Expected Back in WWE Soon

Drew McIntyre's lengthy absence from WWE programming reportedly may be coming to an end in the near future.

According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlePurists), McIntyre is expected back on WWE TV "soon" since he has finished up most of his acting commitments, including a WWE "micro drama" also starring Jacob Fatu and Joe Hendry.

PWInsider.com (h/t Steve Carrier of Ringside News) added that McIntyre recently attended meetings and filmed promotional material for the micro drama at WWE headquarters.

McIntyre, 41, last appeared on WWE programming at WrestleMania 42 in April when he lost an unsanctioned street fight against Fatu.

Leading up to WrestleMania, McIntyre had been embroiled in a months-long rivalry with Fatu, and it ultimately cost him the WWE Championship, as Fatu interfered in Drew's title defense against Cody Rhodes in March.

McIntyre had surprisingly beaten Rhodes for the WWE title in January in a Three Stages of Hell match, making him a four-time world champ.

While not always presented on the same level as the company's unquestioned top stars in Rhodes and Roman Reigns, McIntyre has long been a key figure in WWE and a perennial world title contender.

He has been a major missing piece from WWE programming over the past six months, and he will undoubtedly provide the roster with a significant boost whenever he does return.

AEW's Reported Stance on Signing Sheamus

Longtime WWE Superstar Sheamus is reportedly on the radar of some people in AEW following his surprising WWE departure.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Subhojeet Mukherjee of Ringside News), AEW has interest in signing Sheamus and is expected to do so.

There are reportedly members of the AEW roster who would like to see AEW bring in the 48-year-old Irishman as well.

Fightful Select (h/t Geno Mrosko of Cageside Seats) reported in July that Sheamus would be leaving WWE upon the expiration of his contract after he rejected WWE's attempt to restructure his deal.

It was later reported by Fightful Select (h/t Fightful's Ishaan Sharma) that Sheamus would officially become a free agent on Oct. 1.

Now that the date has come and gone, Sheamus is free to sign anywhere he pleases, and AEW stands out as the most obvious landing spot.

AEW has not shied away from shining accomplished WWE veterans with Kofi and Austin Creed of The New Level being the most recent example.

Sheamus put together a Hall of Fame resume during his nearly 20-year run in WWE.

The Celtic Warrior was a four-time world champion, three-time United States champion and five-time tag team champion, in addition to winning the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank and King of the Ring one time each.

Sheamus's physical in-ring style would seemingly fit well in AEW, so it won't be a shock if that is ultimately where he ends up.

Bayley, Valkyria Reportedly Lined Up for Unique Gimmick Match

WWE is reportedly planning something out of the ordinary for an upcoming match between Bayley and Lyra Valkyria.

According to WrestleVotes on Fightful Select (h/t Mukherjee), the eventual blowoff match in the Bayley vs. Valkyria rivalry may include a stipulation that is considered "rare" for the women's division.

No additional specifics were given, and it is unclear if the creative team has 100 percent decided to move forward with that particular idea.

One stipulation that the match reportedly won't include, however, is Hell in a Cell, which is a match that has included women on only four occasions.

Bayley competed in each of the past two women's Hell in a Cell matches, losing to Sasha Banks in 2020 and Bianca Belair in 2021.

Some stipulations that aren't particularly common for WWE women's matches and could potentially be in play include an I Quit match, a Last Woman Standing match or a strap match.

The feud between Bayley and Lyra began in June when Valkyria turned on her tag team partner and friend.

After that, Valkyria beat Bayley at Saturday Night's Main Event and then beat her again on the Sept. 21 episode of Raw.

However, after Bayley cost Lyra her match against Iyo Sky this week on Raw by providing a distraction, it seems almost certain that there will be at least one more match between them.