An In-Depth look into Sheamus' Title run

[The Architect of Anarchy]

This topic's been visited time and time again, but lets dwell deeper into this brawlers title reign...

To put it into polite words, Sheamus isn't the most interesting champion but his reign has given us less to be interested in. The man behind talent relations now, HHH has decided that lengthy reigns can make for a better and more interesting champion.

It's safe to say that most of us disagree with this due to the comedy jobber, that is Santino right now is still holding the US belt.

However, Santino doesn't deserve the title right now but that isn't the problem for Sheamus; he needs to be away from the title to garner some attention. He's held the title for too long.

For example, Sheamus has put up great matches with likes of Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler (the occasional Del Rio) but he keeps winning. Why? He has kept winning and one more PPV win for the title will kick him into the verge of becoming the Super Cena of 2010.

Solution?
Get the title off him. Simple as that. Let Sheamus put someone over because he's already over himself as a solid, legitimate brawler. So who to defeat him? Orton is the only one I see is fit. Some of you might complain because he's doesn't deserve a spot that should be given to someone more dedicated like Daniel Bryan.

Orton has violated the wellness program and the WWE could easily book a younger, dedicated talent to hold the title for a while. However, Orton deserves it the most out of the whole roster due to three points:

- he's experienced and over which is great when putting younger talent over
- he charismatic and can sell a PPV as easily as Sheamus, if not more
- he a BORN main eventer

If you take Sheamus off the main event after getting beat clean by Orton for the title, he could go feud with a veteran like Jericho or even someone like Cena if he turns heel.

My last point is Del Rio. Del Rio has gone, absolutely, stale! His in ring work is far impressive but he lacks something that others like the Rock, Cena and even Punk have. If Alberto Del Rio is having problems backstage, fire him!

Del Rio vs Sheamus at MITB should have settled it there, having them bout again at SummerSlam is a waste of time and space on the card. Sheamus could feud with someone such as D-Bry, Kane or even Ziggler.




To conclude, his reign has been a bust, his mic skills don't help as well so I wish he's turn heel and go back to the mid card so we can wait to see a proper title reign for the future. This is my opinion entirely and feedback is welcome.

 

[Kelso1ftw]

What about Wade Barrett? He is now getting returns promos and is now working house shows and is set to return after SummerSlam. I'm sure Barrett is going to return the week after SummerSlam and make some kind of instant impact by either attacking Sheamus or returning during a number 1 contenders match and destroying everyone in the ring. He would be a much better choice right now compared to Orton as Orton is becoming stale and to get the title interesting again and have a fresh superstar holding it and Wade Barrett surely does deserve it.

 

[The Architect of Anarchy]

What about Wade Barrett? He is now getting returns promos and is now working house shows and is set to return after SummerSlam. I'm sure Barrett is going to return the week after SummerSlam and make some kind of instant impact by either attacking Sheamus or returning during a number 1 contenders match and destroying everyone in the ring. He would be a much better choice right now compared to Orton as Orton is becoming stale and to get the title interesting again and have a fresh superstar holding it and Wade Barrett surely does deserve it.

I totally agree about Barrett. But before he comes back, he needs to establish himself as worthy of the title. Maybe he could face Orton in a number 1 contenders match and beat Sheamus for the title then.

 

[xavyer]

I don't mind the fact that he's the champion, to me, he has been doing a great job, but if he was to loose the title, like you said, it should be a fresh face, i agree with the fact that Barret deserves it, but it shouldn't be righ away, if Sheamus was to loose the title, Ziggler should cash it in in Summerslam after Sheamus and Del Rio have a hellatious match, Ziggler should cash his briefcase and win the title, let him hold on to it for a month or two wile Wade Barret is rebuilding himself so he can shake some ring rust, then after that, have a match against Ziggler like at Survivor Series and win, that way it will be a lot better, but that's only if Sheamus is really on the verge of loosing the WHC title.......

 

[Mustang Sally]

.... but that isn't the problem for Sheamus; he needs to be away from the title to garner some attention. He's held the title for too long.

Well, I don't know that I'd look at a 4-month title reign as "too long," but the OP obviously does. That's fine, although I think Sheamus' reign has been excellent. He's got the fans behind him, which I thought would never happen after the (kayfabe) behavior he projected during his heel days.

In addition, he has had success speaking to groups of children and doing other public relations for WWE that usually fall to people high up in the company. He seems to be getting a great reaction from the crowd and projects as a good man for them to rally around, which is especially significant since wrestling fans want to see most wrestlers perform as heels. Think about it: on this forum, people are always asking how certain performers would fare better: as heels or faces. In almost all cases, they conclude he/she would be better as a heel. But Sheamus has proven to be extremely capable at both, which makes him an elite performer, in my opinion. He's a true asset to WWE.

Also, the OP's subject matter seems more about why he feels Randy Orton should win the title from Sheamus than it is about Sheamus himself.

Well, not to worry, OP. Randy will eventually get the title back, as long as he remains a good boy outside the ring. Whether he wins the belt from Sheamus or not depends on the usual factors, but in my view, Sheamus has the staying power to keep him on top for quite some time to come......and I hope he does.

 

[killerjohn]

Randy is well more over than sheamus he should be kept away from the title till xmas early next year he should be putting over younger guys. as for barrett i would like to see him face sheamus due to the fact that the two of them and drew galloway were hired from the same indy promotion. as for his long title run its not that long id rather see guys hold the titles for 4to6 months rather than win it lose it win it back the next ppv that is why cena is like 11 time camp i think and everyone hates him for it. cm punk has been the wwe champ for way longer than steven. sheamus's long title is what he needs because wwe has a.d.d. your hot one week and your jobbing to randy ortan the next, just my opinion iv seen a lot of good wrestlers been buired and i dont wana see it happen to someone who i used to know.

 

[matman8540]

Personally, I like having Sheamus with the belt. But, if it were to be dropped, it should be to Barrett at Survivor Series. However, we need to remember that Ziggler has MITB, and he'll probably take it at Summer Slam from whoever wins; especially since it will be a long grueling match. Matter of fact, my scenario goes like this.
1. Del Rio wins the belt after a long match, and some shenanigans from Ricardo Rodriguez
2. Sheamus goes nuts and beats Del Rio like a (using a Jim Rossism) government mule.
3. Ziggler comes out with Vickie; throws Ricardo into the steps, throws Del Rio in the ring, hits the Zigg-Zagg, and wins the belt.

 

[asiatic7]

I was never a fan of Sheamus, even as a heel. His title run to me has been pretty boring.

I would like to see Alberto Del Rio relive him of his Championship duties. A lot of fans are not so high on Del Rio, but I think he's an exceptional talent. He's good on the mic just as long as he doesn't expound himself (keep it short!), and I would like to see him win The Big Gold Belt.

Sheamus is over with the majority of fans. He has a unique look and a high impact move set, so it's easy to see why he's at the top of the food chain. I hate to play fantasy booker, but I think we can expect a pretty lengthy run as WHC from Sheamus.

........I prefer Del Rio, but hey, that's another thread for another time!

 

[Killercam]

I think having Del Rio vs Shaemus at SummerSlam means Del Rio is definatley going over. He lost clean at the previous ppv and they feel the need to have the same match again? No way, Del Rio is about to get his last big chance at a big run with the #2 title. Hopefully he will start drawing some heat. As for Shaemus, in my opinion the only other guy near the top that has a hall-of-fame future is Bryan. Shaemus needs to loose the World Title so he can start challenging for the WWE Title.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

Sheamus is fine as World Heavyweight Champion. Daniel Bryan was awesome, but Sheamus is doing fine. He's brought more credibility to the title by cleanly defeating his opponents and that's something that NEEDS to be done more often (especially for a face). Sheamus looks and acts the part of World Champion and has carried himself as one. Sure, there may be shades of John Cena in him, but if Mark Henry was a strong Champion then I don't see why Sheamus shouldn't be the face equivalent of that. Let him have it for a while. This reign is far better than his first two WWE title reigns.

I also find Alberto Del Rio stale, and would rather choose Dolph Ziggler as the guy to take the belt off Sheamus. Unfortunately, with Alberto Del Rio's status, I find him the chosen victor. With that being said, I DO NOT agree with you about Randy Orton defeating Sheamus for the title. I remember back when Sheamus was on a huge momentum as a heel and didn't win a single match against Randy Orton (I'm excluding the two bullshit title matches where Sheamus won by DQ or count out or something of that nature). I got sick of every week being defeat after defeat for Sheamus. It killed his streak as an intimidating ass kicker. You don't understand how many times I wanted to see Sheamus brogue kick Randy Orton and get the 1-2-3 victory. My point is, why repeat what we've already seen before when Sheamus is hot and Orton should instead be the one to put over others? If anyone should get a victory non-title or title over Sheamus, it should be guys that really need it and have NOT gotten a consistent main event title break yet (ex. Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, etc). That would further propel their careers.

 

[The Brain]

To put it into polite words, Sheamus isn't the most interesting champion but his reign has given us less to be interested in. The man behind talent relations now, HHH has decided that lengthy reigns can make for a better and more interesting champion.

It's safe to say that most of us disagree with this due to the comedy jobber, that is Santino right now is still holding the US belt.

Actually I think most would disagree with you. A common complaint was how the titles changed so frequently. I think most are glad to see longer title reigns. I know I am.

However, Santino doesn't deserve the title right now but that isn't the problem for Sheamus; he needs to be away from the title to garner some attention. He's held the title for too long.

I don't think four months is too long. Did you enjoy the title changing every month last year? That was awful. People's expectations sure have changed over the years. There was a time when a champion who had a title reign under four months was considered a transitional champion. Now it's considered a long reign. I hope WWE is making an effort to reverse that expectation.

For example, Sheamus has put up great matches with likes of Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler (the occasional Del Rio) but he keeps winning. Why? He has kept winning and one more PPV win for the title will kick him into the verge of becoming the Super Cena of 2010.

He keeps winning because he is the champion. He's supposed to be the best. So many people think wrestlers should just trade wins and losses equally. How is anyone supposed to stand out that way? If that happened you would have a roster full of mediocre wrestlers and no great ones.

Solution?
Get the title off him. Simple as that. Let Sheamus put someone over because he's already over himself as a solid, legitimate brawler. So who to defeat him? Orton is the only one I see is fit. Some of you might complain because he's doesn't deserve a spot that should be given to someone more dedicated like Daniel Bryan.

So Sheamus should put someone over because he's already over and your choice is Randy Orton? Wouldn't you say Orton is already over too?

If you take Sheamus off the main event after getting beat clean by Orton for the title, he could go feud with a veteran like Jericho or even someone like Cena if he turns heel.

Why can't he feud with Jericho while champion?

My last point is Del Rio. Del Rio has gone, absolutely, stale! His in ring work is far impressive but he lacks something that others like the Rock, Cena and even Punk have. If Alberto Del Rio is having problems backstage, fire him!

Del Rio gets so much unfair hate it's ridiculous. How is he any more stale than anyone else? He lacks a certain something that Rock and Cena have? Yeah, I agree. You know who else lacks that certain something? Everyone else. Rock and Cena are the cream of the crop. Those type of performers don't come around often and it's not fair to compare Del Rio to them. He's not expected to be at that level. Del Rio has more talent than most of the guys on the roster and to suggest firing him is ridiculous.

Del Rio vs Sheamus at MITB should have settled it there, having them bout again at SummerSlam is a waste of time and space on the card. Sheamus could feud with someone such as D-Bry, Kane or even Ziggler.

And Sheamus could feud with those guys while champion. Is this thread about Sheamus's title reign or your dislike for Del Rio?

To conclude, his reign has been a bust, his mic skills don't help as well so I wish he's turn heel and go back to the mid card so we can wait to see a proper title reign for the future. This is my opinion entirely and feedback is welcome

Why turn him heel? He's over with the crowd. He's unique on the mic. Faces are more valuable than heels. It's not like he's the number one champion anyway. He's building a reputation with the secondary title. You really haven't said anything that's wrong with Sheamus's title reign other than you think four months is too long. What do you mean by proper title reign?

 

[LeviCook]

Sheamus isn't that bad of a champion. They main problem is the lack of story with his opponents. They come across as all the same and very meaningless, plus we get a lot of the same consistent contenders. Add some storylines and use some other talent to challenge him and i think it would help get things back on track.

 

[Mr. HD]

I personally have not been a fan of Sheamus' title run, but it's not necessarily all his fault. Like the guy above me said, it's been more of a lack of story with his opponents. Sheamus' feuds have lacked substance.

I can only hear Del Rio prattle on about Destiny and beat down Sheamus to close SmackDown so many times before I get sick of it. I mean the only reason Ziggler was Sheamus' opponent for No Way Out was because Del Rio was out of action. We were almost looking at 3 months of Sheamus vs Del Rio. There's no other reason why Sheamus and Del Rio are feuding other than the fact that Del Rio wants to be Champion.

WWE continues to not push the envelope, delve into feuds and explore different layers, making feuds more than just becoming Champion. The mic work to push this feud hasn't been very intense, so when Sheamus wins again, it becomes a "whatever" moment. Sheamus won, but who really cares? There wasn't a doubt in my mind that he wasn't going to win.

Sheamus has been Champion for four months and still has not had "that" feud yet. The feud that actually makes Sheamus and the World Title relevant again.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

Sheamus has been floating around as Champion, and I do agree the overall lack of interest with his title reign but more to do with WWE's lack of devotion to the WHC. I think the WWE is just happy throwing him to different challengers and him coming out on top so he can appear dominant.

This is rather similar to Undertaker's 1997 reign when the WWE was more focused on Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Austin, USA, Canada that Taker's reign was 2nd fiddle and the WWE was just content in feeding challengers to him until he finally lost the title.

I also think the problem with Sheamus reign is that the challengers are not established enough to carry a feud to a relatively young Sheamus. I can't see Ziggler nad Barrett doing favors either since neither can carry a feud on their own and are better off working with veterans like Jericho, Orton, Mysterio, or Kane.

For Sheamus I think the best challenger to make his title reign more interesting and meaningful that hasn't been done before are Kane, The Miz, or Undertaker.

The case for Kane: The WWE does love botching his character but when they are committed to his push Kane can be a very interesting character that has proven to be reliable enough to carry a main event/upper card feud. He would be a good heel to work with Sheamus since Kane's mind games can work against Sheamus' brute strength.

The case for The Miz: If CM Punk is going to be the top RAW heel, The Miz won't have a lot of opportunity to work at the main event level. On Smackdown! The Miz can be that big feud for Sheamus. The Miz is a former Champion, Main Evented Wrestlemania, and is a potential big time star. Plus The Miz is the perfect contrast to Sheamus. While Sheamus is big and a brawler, The Miz is smaller but is a dirty player. Also The Miz is solid in the mic can delivery some great promos to make the feud more interesting.

Another possible title feud might be, if available. Is The Undertaker. Sheamus and Undertaker have not gone one-on-one yet but if Sheamus manages to be champion until Survivor Series or Bragging Rights, why not have Undertaker return to challenge Sheamus to a Title Match? It can be a two match program with the final match having Lesnar get involved to set up Taker/Lesnar at WM? Not only will this build up to Lesnar/Taker but give Sheamus a 1 to 2 month program for fans to really get interested on.

 

[SD619]

Given the lack of storylines and proper competition, I would say that Sheamus has done admirably as the WHC. The WHC is nowhere as prestigious as the WWE title (see RAW 1000), but still Sheamus is quite over with the crowd (again see RAW 1000).

As for him dropping the title, I don't see it happening soon. Who would he drop it to? Lets take a look at the options:

Del Rio: I doubt that he will become champion after failing to get over. He will most likely feud with Mysterio.
Ziggler: Too soon. Ziggler is starting to get over and gain credibility. Pushing him to the top now will be too Swagger-esque.
Orton: Probably. But then people will start complaining about him being stale and pushed down our throats etc.
Barrett: The most likely candidate. Though I think that a Sheamus-Barrett feud is inevitable, I think that WWE should hold it till one of the more prestigious PPVs.

 

[Miz_Mark]

It's been said before, but it bares repeating: Holding the title for 4 months is by no conceivable stretch of the imagination "too long." And being able to retain the title for that long hardly makes you Super Anything. If keeping the belt for 4 months makes you Super Sheamus, what is CM Punk? God?

Now, if you wanted to argue they should let Sheamus show a little more ass in his non title encounters to give his challengers more credibility, I'd be right there with you. But keeping the belt for 4 months and cleanly retaining it over that period should not be seen as too much, it should be the norm with the vast majority of WHC or WWE title reigns lasting this long or longer.

As for Alberto Del Rio, he is an amazing talent and has always entertained me. If anything has gotten stale about him, it's the way they've booked him to get so many chances but keep losing. They need to either cycle through more challengers, or let ADR really get over Sheamus in a non title scenario to give their feud some mustard.

Sheamus should retain at Summer Slam. When it does come time to drop the title, I agree with others who say Barrett is the man to take it. The 2 can have a brutal knock down drag out feud that makes both look like hosses.

 

[Irig]

Shemas has been projected as SuperCena II. Champion must win matches i do agree but occasionnal loses at tv wouldn't hurt but he never had.
Bryan cant go over Punk coz he cant go over Shemas in first place and there is no reasoning for him to go over Punk then.
Coming back to Shemas he cant be blamed much as wwe isn't helping him with good feuds for him. He cant lose to Ziggler, Bryan or Del Rio cleanly ( though i prefer it that way ) only a New face can go over him.
Title run isn't long but the interest levels in his feuds are not that good IMO.

 

[The Architect of Anarchy]

It's been said before, but it bares repeating: Holding the title for 4 months is by no conceivable stretch of the imagination "too long." And being able to retain the title for that long hardly makes you Super Anything. If keeping the belt for 4 months makes you Super Sheamus, what is CM Punk? God?

Now, if you wanted to argue they should let Sheamus show a little more ass in his non title encounters to give his challengers more credibility, I'd be right there with you. But keeping the belt for 4 months and cleanly retaining it over that period should not be seen as too much, it should be the norm with the vast majority of WHC or WWE title reigns lasting this long or longer.

As for Alberto Del Rio, he is an amazing talent and has always entertained me. If anything has gotten stale about him, it's the way they've booked him to get so many chances but keep losing. They need to either cycle through more challengers, or let ADR really get over Sheamus in a non title scenario to give their feud some mustard.

Sheamus should retain at Summer Slam. When it does come time to drop the title, I agree with others who say Barrett is the man to take it. The 2 can have a brutal knock down drag out feud that makes both look like hosses.

I must admit that I've failed to conceive four months is not the long. Before I wrote this thread, it personally felt quite stretched for me without thinking.

Giving it a second thought, your dead right about my opinon being a 'conceivable stretch of the imagination.'

 

[@smarkmouth]

Before I get on topic, I have to throw in a pair of pennies on two side topics that have spawned on this thread.

First, I'm glad to see so much Barrett Barrage (or, as I prefer, Wade-Brigade) love for Sheamus' next rival. I'm a fan of both wrestlers, but these two put on great big man matches! Seriously, look up some of their work together, even when it was heel vs heel. Two big men rarely have the chemistry that these two had.

Secondly, to a shorter point, I'm hoping Dolph pulls an Edge with his briefcase and holds it for a better part of the year. Let him run some meaningful feuds outside the title, like he's doing with Jericho. Short runs with the briefcase are growing overdone recently(exception; DBD & Miz).

Back on topic, I have to agree with Irig, and his very concise opinion here.

Shemas [sic] has been projected as SuperCena II. Champion must win matches i do agree but occasionnal [sic] loses at tv wouldn't hurt but he never had.

I've felt this way awhile to. There's a few posts saying this very thing, but beating around the bush. The WWE creative machine is trying so desperately to squeeze this near 300 pound pale ginger through the Super Cena mold (right down to the corny humor, which I'm sure you've noticed), and I wouldn't say that they're failing. The World Heavyweight Championship is always second fiddle to the WWE Championship, and the story lines will always reflect that, and as pointed out by several above, it's not Sheamus' fault.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

The thing that bugs me the most (Besides the CONSTANT Arses & Predictable Brogue Kick Endings) is that Sheamus has always been booked as such a dominant champion, with a very Cena-Esque superhero flare, yet he has never won a world title in an impressive manner.

-Cena slips through Table
-Nexus distracts everyone
-18 seconds

All he can do to win a world title is slip away with the win, yet he is a super dominant champion that never loses?!?!
Unless he is planning on stealing the "Ultimate Oppritunist" gimmick, barely tricking people or attacking when their back is turned to win titles should NOT be his style.

It didn't bug me before when he was the big, brutish, foreign heel that he can play well but even as a face it seems his intial wins are won with tricks and everyone after that is just luck.

Not to mention, to me, the real sign of a Mian Event supertar, "Legend", or a real favorite of mine is when the performer can have a good match with even the most green of jobbers and still look good. Sheamus has yet to even have a really good match with someone on the roster that I didn't like to begin with and thought could carry him anyways!
-vs. HHH: Mania 26
-vs. Bryan: Extreme Rules 12
-vs. Ziggler: OTL 12
-vs. Jericho: Smackdown

 

[Jake Khaotic]

What depth? 18 second win at Wrestlemania? Okay. Random opponents at PPV's? Okay. EY! BERTIE! RICKY RICARDO! I'LL KICK HIS ARSE, FELLA! Okay. Hopefully his feud with one-dimensional-Del-Rio ends at Summerslam, so Dolph Ziggler can take the belt, or Wade Barrett, either one. As for Alberto? FCW is looking mighty fine this time of year. Go tweak yourself out. If your ring announcer is more entertaining than you, you're going to have a bad time. Anyways, until Sheamus quits kicking the heads off of everybody after a short promo that ends with I'LL KICK HIS ARSE! Or, FELLA! Keep him far away from the main event, I mean, keep him far away from the opening match to every PPV of 2012.

 

[keehlnate]

I don't get the OP when he is saying that get the title off with Sheamus because he is already over but give it to Orton which is already an over superstar. I'm confused.

Anyway, Ziggler will get that title soon so no worries.