Sheamus


I feel the need to share my thoughts and feelings regarding Sheamus, his career thus far, and his current role and future in the WWE.

Now I'm not a big fan of Shaemus, and never really have been, so I apologise now if my comments come over as rather negative, and welcome anyone reading this blog who is a fan of his work to let me know where I've got it wrong. Maybe I'm being too harsh, I don't know, but here I go.

Titles & History & Drew McIntyre

The World Title was put on him at the fatefull TLC in 2009, on the same night Drew McIntyre also won the Intercontinental Title. This was after less than 6 months of first officially being on WWE television and was quite shocking at the time, much like the botched finish against Cena in their tables match to win the belt. Sheamus's push has continued unabashed since this first high point while sadly for Drew his career has well and truly nosedived. For me the only high point in the The Chosen One's career since was a particularly spirited performance in the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match in the 2011 PPV of the same name, where he got a few pops and maybe even a little chant if I remember. So why has Shaemus's career flourished since and Drews gone so spectacularly backwards? I'm not going to go into the reasons behind Drew's demise as this blog is about The Celtic Warrior, I'll talk about him in another blog. But if rumours are to be believed its Sheamus's relationship with Triple H that gets him preferential treatment and a sustained push in the federation.


Toughness

He seems to have been given the green light to display his almost superhuman strength on regular occasions. Sheamus has been afforded the opportunity to kick out on one counts where others would almost be pinned if not actually pinned. He does this on multiple occasions during matches and it makes the match seem less 'believeable'. This does nothing to heighten my interest in Sheamus as a performer, but serves to bury his opponent. I remember this happening in a few matches against Christian, and it made the matches less interesting, and made me annoyed with Sheamus, and his obvious favour with the management.

He destroyed Daniel Bryan in less than 20 seconds at Wrestlemania. Fortunately Daniel Bryan has managed to overcome this setback is and on the way to becoming established as a full time main eventer, something I applaud the management for.

I think Sheamus needs to learn that you can appear tough without making your opponent look weak in professional wrestling, it just requires talent. By making your opponent look strong you actually make yourself look even stronger when you win, and Sheamus wins a lot of matches. But instead of doing this the powers that be feel the need to make him squash people, and it harms potential other main eventers of the future. Maybe he's learning to 'play the game' from non other than the Cerebral Assassain himself?

Moveset & In Ring Ability

It appears Sheamus has been allowed a rather large moveset unlike others on the roster, due to his special treatment. He's got four finishing moves (Brogue Kick, White Noise, Celtic Cross, Cloverleaf/4 Leaf Clover Submission) and gets to use numerous other power moves including the Irish Curse Backbreaker, diving shoulderblock over the top rope or from the top turnbuckle, ten stiff chest blows over the ropes, Mr Kennedys old finisher plus power slams, clothslines, superplex's and more, the list goes on........ Don't get me started on him chanting 'brogue, brogue, brogue' before his very stiff looking Brogue Kick, it is just unimaginitive and very 'me too' and confirms that to me that he's very manufactured.

I suppose he is competant enough in the ring but certainly not in my top ten of current performers. He fails to excite me and I can't remember a truly stellar match featuring him, and for a three time world champion thats just not good enough. I'm going to go as far as to say his best of three falls versus Daniel Bryan was probably the best match I can remember him ever having, either that or the wrestling masterclass showstealing Wrestlemania 28 opener........

Stiffness. Sheamus is by far the stiffest wrestler in the WWE. He gets away with some painful looking stuff in the ring, and again this leaves a bad taste in the mouth. It's almost like he does it because he can get away with it, and not get repreimanded for it. Some of his Brogue kicks look genuinely painful, as do his chest blows, and clothslines too. If I were to launch a career in the WWE he'd be the wrestler I'd wish to face least! Well, him or Cena.

Look & Character

I'll give him his dues, he does look unique, with his extremely ginger hair and beard and almost translucent pale white body. He is also extremely large and unnaturally well defined, just the look favoured by upper management. He almost seems, dare I say it, enhanced, and you tend to feel certain elements of the roster can get away with it, unlike many others including the recently suspended Randy Orton, a genuine main eventer and excellent performer. But Sheamus has got that 'main event' look, due to a combination of his size and distinctiveness, and thats to his credit.

I also have to give him credit for actually becoming a genuine main eventer, someone who looks like (and currently is) a world champion, and when he hasn't got a title he's never far away from it. But does he only look like a main eventer because of the special treatment he's received? How much of his success is actually down to genuine talent and not because he and Tripper pump iron together. I'd suggest that there are a whole host of other performers who if having been given the same push as Sheamus could be doing a much better job than him in the spot as one of the top faces of the company.

My other issue with Sheamus is that he doesn't suit being a face. He just looks a little too angry and evil, qualities that make him much better suited to the heel character he used to play. His stiff wrestling style also lends him more to being a heel too. My fear is that with the full marketing machine behind him Sheamus will become an almost Cena level face, an extremely boring one at that, for years to come. You'll have noticed his name change from the Celtic Warrior to the Great White in an effort to make him more marketable. He does get a decent pop now, I wonder how well his merch sells? By the way I find his latest piece of merchandise, the Brogue Kick Hooligan T-Shirt, just a bit poor.

His promo's aren't great, and almost trying to steal the yes yes yes chant in one of them made me just cringe. Like I said before, I find him a bit unimaginitive and he's a bit dull. Definitely duller as a face. Sadly can't see him turning heel again anytime soon.

Royal Rumble

Got to be honest, it annoyed me he won the Royal Rumble this year. I'm just not a fan. Sorry to mention this. I'd have liked the Miz to have done it as unlike Sheamus his star has appeared to have fallen recently, and he now no longer resembles a genuine main eventer, and winning the rumble would've given him a boost. But they gave it to Sheamus and it was wasted on a joke of a match at Wrestlemania....

In Conclusion

Maybe a lot of my criticisms are unfair as it isn't he who makes the booking decisions, and everything he does must be green lighted otherwise he wouldn't do it. So maybe my issue is with the management who continue to push and book him in a certain way. If he wrestled a bit more like the previous resident Irish toughman Finlay, who was a great technical wrestler as well as a smashmouth specialist, and learned to cut better promo's, I may develop more interest in his character.

Whilst I respect what Sheamus has achieved in the short space of time he has been in the WWE, the overriding feeling for me is that its been handed to him rather than genuinely earned, and means I don't respect him as much as other more recent champions. Wrestlers such as CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, The Miz, hell even Mark Henry.

Undoubtedly Sheamus has a bright future in the WWE, as bright as his beard, but he's just not for me. Let's hope Barrett can get the monster push I feel he fully deserves upon his return, and hope he starts hanging around with HHH

Please post your opinions below, and thanks for reading my blog.