Barrett VS Sheamus missed opportunity?

[PRMETFAN]

I was pleasantly surprised by Sheamus and Barrett's last 2 matches together. I think that we might finally have 2 wrestlers that may go on to have a great rivalry and have epic matches in the future.

But being over 30 yrs old myself i grew watching the great storylines and rivalries of wrestlers in the 1980's based on their nationalities like the Iron Sheik(Iran) vs Hogan(Usa),the Bolsheviks(Russians),The Hart foundation(Canadians),the British Bulldogs(English) etc.

I immediately noticed the Ireland (Sheamus) vs England (Barrett) angle in their match and enjoyed it partly because of this, but besides JBL mentioning it in passing they barely mentioned it.

I think that by building up the Ireland vs England angle two people that have been at war with each other off and on for almost 1,000 years could be awesome. With Barrett insulting the Irish and Sheamus insulting the English back could be classic.

If the storyline was to be built properly i think that it would be much more entertaining than Ryback (a wrestler that still hasn't proven anything) vs Cm Punk for main event in hell in a cell.

I understand that maybe a storyline off Ireland vs England angle could not have been built in time for hell in a cell but i worry that in today's politically correct/multicultural society the Wwe might not even build it up at all and i think this could be a horrible and missed opportunity.

Does anyone else think that Wwe might miss something good by not building up Ireland vs England storyline in Sheamus vs Barrett matches or am i just too old school for my own good?

 

[LascoX]

You bring up a good point and it is an oppertunity missed. I think in this day of politically correctness, exspesially with Linda running for office the WWE isn't going to want to go down that path. Also, the WWE probibly doesn't want to alienate the English fans against Sheamus being that he is on a big face push right now. Currently they can roll him into the fold of the United Kingdom and be proud of having one of thier own (even though he is Irish) as Champion. If this was the 90's they probibly would have milked that angle to the max but currently it would hurt them more then help them.

 

[Swarles Barkley]

The only problem with doing an Ireland vs. England angle is that the US fans don't have a rooting interest. If Barrett makes fun of Ireland or Sheamus makes fun of England, most people won't know what they are talking about and they probably won't care. Also, most WWE events take place in the US and they are going to cheer Sheamus, even if they aren't Irish, just because he's a face. I'm not crapping on your idea because I like these types of angles (the best ever being the Hart Foundation vs. the US in 1997) as well, but I don't know if this specific one would work as well as the others.

 

[info62]

You bring up a good point and it is an oppertunity missed. I think in this day of politically correctness, exspesially with Linda running for office the WWE isn't going to want to go down that path. Also, the WWE probibly doesn't want to alienate the English fans against Sheamus being that he is on a big face push right now. Currently they can roll him into the fold of the United Kingdom and be proud of having one of thier own (even though he is Irish) as Champion. If this was the 90's they probibly would have milked that angle to the max but currently it would hurt them more then help them.

Yeah I had the same thoughts about PC-mania as well as alienating English fans. I don't think WWE would want to risk being labeled as racist, not because it will affect people voting for Linda (CT is mainly Italian/Irish descent not English, and if they aren't the ones being insulted then people don't care) I think they would be more concerned with WWE itself getting negative press about teaching racism to kids.

I don't think it would make much sense to have WWE consider Sheamus as a member of the UK though. I think Irish fans would be insulted . And UK fans would just think WWE is stupid for not knowing the difference



I think this feud would have potential, it may make Sheamus interesting, and I would like to see Barrett get the push. The Ireland vs England thing would be interesting and something I would enjoy watching but I just don't think WWE would do it because of 1) Bad press potential 2) They probably think viewers (especially the younger ones)wouldn't care about country vs country feuds that don't involve USA, unfortunately

 

[Diet Soda]

For crying out loud, you're the second muppet this week who seems to think that the English and the Irish have a long history of violent conflict - you know Ireland has only been it's own country for less than a century? Christ.

The reason why these so-called international feuds were so popular in the '80s was because the Cold War was still going on and it was topical; the WWF could freely poke fun at Russia, Iran, or Japan because the USA was going through a historical phase of asserting it's political, economic, and military dominance, and fans could engage with it because it was happening in real life too.

The idea of an English vs. Irish feud wouldn't fail because of multiculturalism or political correctness getting in the way, it would fail because it's a moronic idea and doesn't reflect reality.

Yes, I believe that in the future Barrett and Sheamus will have a longer, more in-depth feud - maybe even during Sheamus' current title reign - but there would be no reason to bring their nationalities, or any kind of politics into it. I doubt we'll see Drew McIntyre feuding with Wade Barrett over the Scottish independence referendum anytime soon either.

 

[Redemption-2012]

No that angle should be done because most us fans wouldn't give 2 shrimps about it. I think doing Barrett vs Sheamus would be a good feud in itself, you don't to add any kind of irrelevant angle to it. People would look at it as, 2 big guys from two different countries, who were different from the norm.

Which could be interesting, at the end of the day, the fans would just see it as another main event feud. Regardless of their different cultures and nationalities.

 

[PRMETFAN]

For crying out loud, you're the second muppet this week who seems to think that the English and the Irish have a long history of violent conflict - you know Ireland has only been it's own country for less than a century? Christ.

The reason why these so-called international feuds were so popular in the '80s was because the Cold War was still going on and it was topical; the WWF could freely poke fun at Russia, Iran, or Japan because the USA was going through a historical phase of asserting it's political, economic, and military dominance, and fans could engage with it because it was happening in real life too.

The idea of an English vs. Irish feud wouldn't fail because of multiculturalism or political correctness getting in the way, it would fail because it's a moronic idea and doesn't reflect reality.

Yes, I believe that in the future Barrett and Sheamus will have a longer, more in-depth feud - maybe even during Sheamus' current title reign - but there would be no reason to bring their nationalities, or any kind of politics into it. I doubt we'll see Drew McIntyre feuding with Wade Barrett over the Scottish independence referendum anytime soon either.

Geez dude please only talk about wrestling and never politics or history cause you obviously dont have any knowlegde about it.

The irish people didnt come into existence when their independent state was created in 1921 they were struggling for hundreds of years since the 1500's against the English and since 1169 against the normans the ancestors of the english.

And the whole country is still not free from the english even today with northern ireland still in indirect control of the british.

Sorry for the "history lesson" but you shouldn't call someone who knows alot about history a muppet.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't think WWE is worried about alienating English or Irish fans. If they were, then I somehow doubt that JBL would've been able to make all those references to England & Ireland feuding in various ways, such as in soccer for instance.

I'm sure there are still some latent hostilities held by some individuals as it pertains to the political history they've shared. I'm sure there are some Japanese citizens that feel the same way regarding the United States for Hiroshima & Nagasaki and vice versa for Pearl Harbor. As a whole, however, I don't think there's anything to worry about.

Is Sheamus vs. Barrett a missed opportunity? Not really because it's a feud that could always be reignited at some point without any real difficulty. The past few weeks, they've put on three great, physical matches and, all in all, neither guy really came out ahead when you think on it. In the first two, it was an even fight the whole way through. In the last one this past Friday, it can be argued that Cody Rhodes played apart in Barrett getting beaten this past Friday. After all, Cody did climb up on the apron and Barrett did run into him by mistake as he was trying to attack Sheamus.

Barrett is someone that only recently returned from pretty serious injury. He's only bee back for, what, 6 weeks or something like that? And, he's already had three highly competitive matches against the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.

If WWE does just let this die down without picking it back up again, I do think then it could be thought of as a missed opportunity.

 

[das1234]

i never like these country-based feuds, or nationality-based gimmicks, like jinder mahal for that matter.
thats why i think a england vs ireland feud would be bad, however i wouldnt totally ignore it, they should do it more along the lines of "the british islands arent big enough for the both of us" or or something like that, instead of building a conflict between the two guys entirely on the countries they come from.
it should be focused on the guys themselves instead of the countries.

 

[a0161613]

It is a missed opportunity but the root of the problem is what has plagued WWE for years now. Barrett vs Sheamus is a feud that could main event PPVs in years to come and we seeing them fight now. It's short sighted, it's poor booking and it's showing up the soft underbelly that is the WWE's midcard for what it really is, truly underdeveloped rubbish.

 

[cymraeg_cowboy]

There certainly should not be a personal one-on one feud that is based on English/Irish annimosity -Things are still pretty bad in Ireland (though a big improvement of 20-30 years ago) and emotions are high when this topic is raised. There is still problems between catholic and Protestant supporters of various football (soccer) teams that can get ugly - this rivallary should not be brought up for Entertainment purposes.

Whoever said that Seamus could be a part of a United Kingdom faction is also just plain wrong - that would be like suggesting a Canadian being part of a USA faction.

The only way to really play off this would be a if heel UK faction - Barrett, (England); Drew McIntyre (Scotland); Mason Ryan (Wales) and managed by William Regal did some kind of 'Invasion' style angle and Seamus led a group of guys to stop them - Only then maybe he could bring the 'you lot have been invading other countries for the past thousand years - I should know' kind of talk. Hell, Seamus could lead a European faction (including Santino and Cesaro) or ex-british rulled Empire countries (Justin Gabriel and Jahindar Mahal) to stop them.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I don't think a Barrett/Sheamus feud would need any sort of nationality based storyline. Both men are solid performers & can definately go in the ring. I think a straight up feud for a World Title would be awesome! I think Barrett/Sheamus can really have some legs if WWE let's it. Let them start out in a solid match for the title & have it build from that. These two could be easily be one of the main events at Mania in the coming years!

 

[Hitman1102]

To be honest I feel they used this as kind of a tryout to see if they do have something for a future big time feud between the two for the WHC. I could be wrong but it felt that way to me. I think it was a good teaser and it would be a rivalry that would certainly catch my interest.

 

[PRMETFAN]

For everyone saying they wouldn't care or know who to root for i would think that anyone who took history in school should have a natural slight dislike for the british being that we fought 2 wars against them and none against the Irish.

Others have said that it wont happen because because of Linda's election or out of fear of the Wwe being labeled racist. And i have to agree while the old Wwe would jump at the chance to do this this. Sadly i think the "PC era" (politically correct) Wwe would never do this.

I think this is sad because a little bigotry never killed anyone and i would love Barrett to call sheamus or his people potato eaters and for sheamus to insult the queen i think it would be in good fun.

With all this politcal correctedness it seems to me like the Wwe is in its "dark age". The edgiest thing the Wwe has done lately is Daniel Bryann yelling "YES YES YES" and "NO NO NO" which is really cool if you are 8 yrs old!

 

[Diet Soda]

The irish people didnt come into existence when their independent state was created in 1921 they were struggling for hundreds of years since the 1500's against the English and since 1169 against the normans the ancestors of the english.

Quick recap of the context of medieval Britain: everyone was struggling against everyone else on a local scale, and the English monarchy's power over the Irish people waxed and waned. Generally, they were just left to their own devices under the supervision of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, until the Tudor period where the Irish had their own monarchy created which lasted for over two hundred and fifty years.

And the whole country is still not free from the english even today with northern ireland still in indirect control of the british.

This garbled, confused, and incoherent sentence further proves that you have no idea what you're taking about and completely undermines your attempt to argue. Now go away while the grown-ups talk about wrestling.

Is Sheamus vs. Barrett a missed opportunity? Not really because it's a feud that could always be reignited at some point without any real difficulty. The past few weeks, they've put on three great, physical matches and, all in all, neither guy really came out ahead when you think on it. In the first two, it was an even fight the whole way through. In the last one this past Friday, it can be argued that Cody Rhodes played apart in Barrett getting beaten this past Friday. After all, Cody did climb up on the apron and Barrett did run into him by mistake as he was trying to attack Sheamus.

Barrett is someone that only recently returned from pretty serious injury. He's only bee back for, what, 6 weeks or something like that? And, he's already had three highly competitive matches against the reigning World Heavyweight Champion.

If WWE does just let this die down without picking it back up again, I do think then it could be thought of as a missed opportunity.

The problem I have with it is that with Sheamus' reign going on for so long (nearly seven months now), he's running out of credible challengers. His upcoming match with the Big Show is being described as the biggest yet for him, but the issue with this is that the reign either needs to end by Big Show winning, or Dolph cashing in, since all future challengers to Sheamus' title will inherently and automatically look less threatening than Show.

I like that they've tested the water with these two superstars; it has provided two entertaining television matches which prove that Barrett and Sheamus could easily have a great half hour PPV match. If Sheamus' title reign does indeed come to an end this Sunday (which it probably won't - SuperSheamus), then it will be the perfect time to have the two feuding proper.

 

[You Cant Fight Fate]

i dont think you would have to go that rate to book them to together... first of all sheamus is over as heck... which is why hes the world heavyweight champion and is tough as nails even tho i dont like him.. wade barret was on the rise b4 he got hurt.. and it still a huge star in the makeing. but they sould be pushing barret vs sheamus not big show... but i hope wade gets a real push soon..

 

[jameswalsh292]

I think it would be a great fued. The WWE would have to be careful as to what they say, as it could offend some people (I wish you could get away with offending people as that can contribute to great atmosphers). However, there could be a few jabs thrown by each guy in refference to the history of Ireland v England. Just dont base the whole fued on Ireland v England.
I also feel that this rivalry has wrestlemania potential.

The england situation is very sensitive in Ireland to this day. If some one called me english I would be very pissed off, it pisses me off even more when people think Ireland is a part of the UK because we fought and died for over 800 years to be out of the UK.

The fued would gain a lot of interest from Irish viewers, I would also guess that it would be interesting for english fans too. I think the fued would be easily understood and American fans could also get interested.
Most Irish people feel fucked over by the English and to have Sheamus go over Barrett would feel great for a lot of us.

As I said, the WWE doesnt have to go into detail on the history, just make a few refferences. The fued would be good with or without the Ireland v England storyline anyway, although I feel it would be hard for the WWE to avoid it.

I do get the impression that WWE are going to have Sheamus and Barret fued because of their last few matches where there hasnt been a clear winner. Remember how Punk and Daniel had a few matches where we didnt get a clear winner and 6 months later they where having a proper fued.

Either way this fued should happen in the future. I see a lot of potential in it. The fued could be revisited again and again. Both wrestlers are very good in my opinion and this could be their biggest rival like cena/orton, hbk/bret, rock/austin (maybe not on the same level, but you get the idea).

Here's an Idea. Have Mason Ryan (Wales) and Drew McIntyre (Scot) be in a faction where Wade(England) is the leader. This would be a heel faction where they always try and screw over Sheamus (Eire) and have Wade beat Sheamus for the belt and have Sheamus chase. I think this could get Wade a lot of heat. What do you think of the faction idea?

 

[theBec2101]

It was missed, yes. But it’s no one's fault that Barrett was injured. I mean they have time to do the story now. I mean how much more are we going to see Alberto and Big Show chase Sheamus for the WHC? I still would like to see CM Punk vs Barrett and maybe a stable vs stable king of thing down the road. It doesn’t have to be right away. Let it build. I like what Sheamus is doing right now and Punk. Just because Barretts back doesn’t mean they have to automatically use him in everything. It will happen.

 

[PRMETFAN]

Quick recap of the context of medieval Britain: everyone was struggling against everyone else on a local scale, and the English monarchy's power over the Irish people waxed and waned. Generally, they were just left to their own devices under the supervision of the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, until the Tudor period where the Irish had their own monarchy created which lasted for over two hundred and fifty years.

Are you actually pretending like you know history know when previously you said that the irish and English have not been fighting for hundreds of years?

Did you use wikipedia to educate yourself in one day?

This garbled, confused, and incoherent sentence further proves that you have no idea what you're taking about and completely undermines your attempt to argue. Now go away while the grown-ups talk about wrestling.

Its only incoherent to the intellectually challenged.

 

[LeW]

Barret vs Sheamus is a rivalry that must culminate in a Wrestlemania World Title match. They are definitely feuding in the near future, maybe even right after Hell In A Cell.
As much I actually enjoy Big Show despite him being disliked by many, I wish to see Barret get the push he finally deserves after 2 years, hopefully ending Sheamus's title reign cleanly which would make him very believable as a Heel, although I doubt that will happen.