How Does Sheamus Fit Into the WM26 Scene?

[Ben-Phillips]

Alright, it's pretty obvious that Sheamus is certainly at odds when it comes to retaining the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, and with the way the Triple H/Shawn Michaels thing is going, I almost doubt the WWE Championship will remain with Sheamus after the Elimination Chamber Pay-per-view. The best candidate at this point in time to take the championship, as much as I dislike it, has to be Triple H. DiBiase and Kingston are no where-near ready for that burden.

Orton winning would mean DiBiase and Rhodes would be in title contention, and they're not ready for that yet. John Cena would mean Batista/Cena (WM26's #1 Box Office Draw) for the WWE title, and I think there's enough drawing power in that match to leave the title out of it. Sheamus retaining would mean he'd have no one to really face at WrestleMania. Triple H winning means Shawn can have a title match, which I think we all want to see headline the show.

The question is, what does WWE do with Sheamus after the elimination chamber? How do they keep him over and further establishing him as a hopeful long-term player in the WWE? Well, this is just what I, want to see.

I want to see Chris Jericho take the World Championship in the SmackDown chamber, and Sheamus go on to challenge the Undertaker.

Undertaker can carry big men and make them look better than they really are. Look at what he did for Batista? Took a hard-working, yet lacking wrestler and made him look great (Sorry, just how I see it), and what better way to make Sheamus look as if he's here to stay than to let him get over at The Undertaker's expense leading into WrestleMania 26?

Sheamus vs The Undertaker

I can see it, myself. I can't help but run that match out through my mind... I think they could put on a G.R.E.A.T. big-man match. What do you think? Personally, as much as I'm a mark for Edge vs Jericho, if this happened it might make the show for me.

Thoughts?

 

[Shocky]

I think you pretty much nailed it right on the head. I just posted this in the WM26 predictions thread, and gave more reasons there as to why, but I'll help make this thread go.

There are only two logical choices for Sheamus at this point. Sheamus is someone the WWE (Triple H) is trying to push. I don't mind the Pale Bastard myself, even though he's still far from a legit main eventer imo. There are only two guys that are good enough to carry Sheamus at this point in a one on one match, which is what I'm assuming the WWE wants to have happen with him on the card.

Option 1 is Triple H. If for some reason Sheamus retains the WWE title, and the company decides that HBK vs. Taker II is what they want, then Triple H going after Sheamus for the title is pretty much the only thing left. You're assuming that Legacy is going to be acting with each other, and Cena vs. Batista is pretty much a lock at this point.

Option 2: The Undertaker. If you assume Sheamus drops the title at EC, then HBK vs. HHH is on at Mania. There are no main stars left on Raw for Sheamus to have a match with. Smackdown is all but locked up as well if the presumed Jericho vs. Edge match happens. The Undertaker is in need of an opponent that the common folk would believe have a shot at beating him, and this guy Sheamus has been getting the monster push.


There is a third option, Money in the Bank. However, I don't see the WWE pushing Sheamus so hard and for so long, to be simply thrown into a match with 7 other guys. The WWE probably wants him in a singles match.

 

[MizMark]

Alright, it's pretty obvious that Sheamus is certainly at odds when it comes to retaining the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber, and with the way the Triple H/Shawn Michaels thing is going, I almost doubt the WWE Championship will remain with Sheamus after the Elimination Chamber Pay-per-view. The best candidate at this point in time to take the championship, as much as I dislike it, has to be Triple H. DiBiase and Kingston are no where-near ready for that burden.

Orton winning would mean DiBiase and Rhodes would be in title contention, and they're not ready for that yet. John Cena would mean Batista/Cena (WM26's #1 Box Office Draw) for the WWE title, and I think there's enough drawing power in that match to leave the title out of it. Sheamus retaining would mean he'd have no one to really face at WrestleMania. Triple H winning means Shawn can have a title match, which I think we all want to see headline the show.

The question is, what does WWE do with Sheamus after the elimination chamber? How do they keep him over and further establishing him as a hopeful long-term player in the WWE? Well, this is just what I, want to see.

I want to see Chris Jericho take the World Championship in the SmackDown chamber, and Sheamus go on to challenge the Undertaker.

Undertaker can carry big men and make them look better than they really are. Look at what he did for Batista? Took a hard-working, yet lacking wrestler and made him look great (Sorry, just how I see it), and what better way to make Sheamus look as if he's here to stay than to let him get over at The Undertaker's expense leading into WrestleMania 26?

Sheamus vs The Undertaker

I can see it, myself. I can't help but run that match out through my mind... I think they could put on a G.R.E.A.T. big-man match. What do you think? Personally, as much as I'm a mark for Edge vs Jericho, if this happened it might make the show for me.

Thoughts?

Are you forgetting Michaels v. Taker? IMO WWE wouldn't tease a rematch like this if it wasn't going to happen, the storyline is Michaels wanting to face Taker, not get the title.
I see Sheamus retaining and facing HHH at Mania, if he doesn't retain, and doesn't face Taker, then what in the hell is he going to do? So you make a good point there, but I just think it's obvious that Michaels faces Taker and HHH faces Sheamus, although I'd LOVE to see Sheamus face, and defeat the Undertaker. What a push.

 

[milfy21]

i think vinny might be makign the eddy beniot momment over agian for hbk and hhh have them both when the world title as the DX Momment just a thought with whats going on right now and i think the taker was to lose his streak he wiukdnt mine do it for shawn.

 

[Ben-Phillips]

Are you forgetting Michaels v. Taker? IMO WWE wouldn't tease a rematch like this if it wasn't going to happen...

Not necessarily true, WWE is using that to get Shawn off-kilter and off-his-game per se. Thus, why he lost the Rumble, lost to Orton and now lost the Tag Team titles. They're most likely using that in order to get Triple H frustrated with Shawn, so there will be friction leading to a turn between one of the two. Triple H will most likely be the one to turn on Shawn, but Shawn snapping and going heel on Triple H would be a more-than-pleasant surprise that I would pay to see.

There is a third option, Money in the Bank. However, I don't see the WWE pushing Sheamus so hard and for so long, to be simply thrown into a match with 7 other guys. The WWE probably wants him in a singles match.

Of course, Sheamus isn't an established main eventer, he's entered the realm of upper-midcarder (at best) for me. For the moment, anyways. WWE already put the title on him, and Money in the Bank is used generally for those who are either trying to get back to the main event, or are trying to break the glass ceiling to get there: Christian, Kofi Kingston, MVP, etc.

Sheamus has already been there, and it would make little-to-no sense whatsoever to take him from main eventing three straight pay-per-views, to putting him in an opening (or early card) match at WrestleMania, when he's supposed to be built up as RAW's top heel. That would be too far of a fall for his character to take, and would likely break him.

THUS, why an Undertaker feud would also be set up. If there is anybody in the WWE you can lose cleanly to, and still look like a top-tier talent, if not better than you looked before.. That person would be Undertaker (and HBK, but that's out the window), and that would only put Sheamus over more so than it would if he'd be in MITB or even, god forbid, miss the show.

 

[Calderownz]

He fits in like a pasty, red-headed square peg, into a round hole.

Michaels is tied up. Orton could possibly be facing a member of Legacy. Obviously, he might be facing the winner of Raws elimination chamber, but I think it'd be better if he lost it at EC and was able to feud with the guy who beat him. He's not big enough for headling WrestleMania, yet. Too soon.

If he keeps it, it's Triple H and Sheamus, most likely. If he loses it, it'd be better for building his character for right now. However, nothing sounds incredible at this point. Hopefully, the right guys get matched up for the big show.

Cena doesn't have a cemented stop. The CHAMPION SHEAMUS doesn't have one. HBK I assume they are building with. Randy Orton isn't set either. However, there is some build there. Hopefully, things take shape.

 

[Ben-Phillips]

How can you even say Shawn isn't set? Shawn is definitely going to face Triple H or Undertaker, the latter is quite unlikely as of the look of things right now. That's almost a guarantee. Orton, almost a guarantee. Cena, guarantee. WWE has been pissing themselves at the thought of Cena/Batista at WrestleMania 26. It could have been confirmed ten months ago.

Sheamus feuding who takes the belt from him into Mania would be the dumbest booking decision ever. WWE wants to make Sheamus (more specifically, Triple H does) and to do that, they have to pit him against someone who will be able to solidify him as a star. If Sheamus doesn't face Undertaker, he's pretty much doomed. Triple H -WILL- face either Sheamus or Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania. That's not even up for debate. With that, Sheamus has no where to go if/when Triple H wins the title at Elimination Chamber. Sheamus. Does. Not. Draw. There is no denying that fact. He's not a draw, wasn't a draw, and most likely won't be, a draw. He must be WWE Champion going into WrestleMania, or, face Undertaker.

If he doesn't, than he's going to be dropped a few rungs down the ladder, and he'll soon be obsolete.

Apparently, many "smart" mark fans don't have the mind needed for booking or building up a wrestler. Sheamus went from a lump of coal that could be squeezed into a diamond overtime, albeit, a very flawed diamond. Maybe good enough for a run or two at the top, but not the main man. WWE did a horrible injustice to the idea of building someone by putting the title on Sheamus, and just because it was a breath of fresh air, I don't quite mind... It's obviously been the grounds for getting the belt off Cena in time to build for something else, as well as Cena/Batista. Meanwhile, they try to solidify Sheamus by him going over the top heel on RAW and arguably (depends on the angle/time-period) in the WWE's entirety.

How would it look for Sheamus to win the WWE Championship from undoubtedly and undeniably the #1 man in the entire world of wrestling (PERIOD! ), to then be reduced to going into WrestleMania in the second of two poorly drawing main event championship matches?

It would be a career suicide. It would be like if after Brock Lesnar had one the WWE Championship from The Rock at SummerSlam 2002, only to lose it two months later to someone like Steve Austin, just so he could chase the title into Survivor Series, while he was still in the process of build molded, and was far from the top of his game.

Taking the belt off of Sheamus for him to chase it into WrestleMania would be a booking injustice, and with that, one to the caliber that should have whoever's decision that was, to be thrown off the writing staff (if I was the lead, anyways). Because by that one booking, they would completely disrupt and destroy the building of a potential moneymaker.

WITH THAT BEING SAID!

How many stars has The Undertaker solidified? Hmm?

I didn't take Brock Lesnar that seriously until his Undertaker run-ins. I thought he was just going to be a hot commodity for a year or two, then fall off the radar. Low-and-behold, he did.. But by choice, rather than being ruined by a poor staffing decision. And it ultimately cost him the best spot in the pro wrestling career-circuit. As he'd work Japan for much less (but still plenty) exposure.

If Sheamus loses the WWE Championship at Elimination Chamber and doesn't face The Undertaker (or someone of his caliber: Shawn Michaels [TIED UP!]) his career will dwindle down to nothing, or jobber/mid-card status.

I paused this post for about an hour or two, and I forgot what I wanted to add.. But I think I've said enough. HA!

 

[RVDgurl]

I have been wondering this myself and it all may boil down to what happens at the Elimination Chamber. I am a huge fan of Sheamus, and would like to see him retain the title to go on and main event Mania. Personally, I think Shocky has the right idea:

Option 1 is Triple H. If for some reason Sheamus retains the WWE title, and the company decides that HBK vs. Taker II is what they want, then Triple H going after Sheamus for the title is pretty much the only thing left. You're assuming that Legacy is going to be acting with each other, and Cena vs. Batista is pretty much a lock at this point.

I love this option. HHH vs. Sheamus could be a solid program. First of all, it's no secret that these 2 guys are buddies which means Trips would to take care of his new friend. Trips would most likely take the belt at Mania, but surely he would still make Sheamus look good.

Option 2: The Undertaker. If you assume Sheamus drops the title at EC, then HBK vs. HHH is on at Mania. There are no main stars left on Raw for Sheamus to have a match with. Smackdown is all but locked up as well if the presumed Jericho vs. Edge match happens. The Undertaker is in need of an opponent that the common folk would believe have a shot at beating him, and this guy Sheamus has been getting the monster push.

Another decent option. For me, it would be a must see match as I am a big fan of both guys. However, a storyline to build this up would be a little tricky. Would Sheamus be moved to SD!; would Taker be moved to RAW; or could the WWE cook up a believeable storyline that would keep both men on their respective shows.

I just don't think that any real speculation can occur until we see the results from both EC matches at the upcoming PPV. I would love to see Sheamus retain his title and main event his first Wrestlemania, but that remains to be seen.

 

[Dan E. Inferno]

Option 1 is Triple H. If for some reason Sheamus retains the WWE title, and the company decides that HBK vs. Taker II is what they want, then Triple H going after Sheamus for the title is pretty much the only thing left. You're assuming that Legacy is going to be acting with each other, and Cena vs. Batista is pretty much a lock at this point.

This is exactly what I think is going to happen. Like you said Cena vs Batista is a lock. I also very much expect some sort of Legacy implosion heading into WM26 and in my opinion HBK vs Taker II is going to happen. I also believe Edge will choose to face Jericho at WM26, assuming Jericho wins the chamber. That leaves Sheamus vs HHH for the WWE title. Of course, this is purely based around my other predictions going into WM26, but It makes sense that Sheamus would get a rub by main eventing WM26 with HHH because of his good relationship with HHH backstage. HHH would probably be happy for this match to take place and, although he'd probably win the title, he would make sure to do a good job in making Sheamus look good.

 

[Kayoh]

I 100% agree with TigerTron 5000, HOWEVER I think Triple H wins the EC match and then, to solidify himself as a legit main eventer, Sheamus wins his title BACK at WM. I just think Sheamus needs that one legitimate one on one match against an established Main Eventer to establish himself as one.

 

[Trill Co$by]

Sheamus. Does. Not. Draw.

To quote your idol Edge in his post 2009 EC Victory Speech on Raw...

You are wrong! WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! 100% WRONG!

I had literally stopped watching Raw after Breaking Point because it got way too predictable.. *Cena enters, Orton, Guest Host, Cena, Close... somewhere there's DX, probably flirting with that troll.*

It wasn't until I heard that Sheamus won the belt that I turned back to Raw. And that was only because I wanted to see how well he would carry the title. And so far, he's doing an absolute great job of that. Especially when it comes down to getting out of dodge with his title intact. He is really a great heel, and can be a huge draw if he walks in to WM as the champion.

Also, who knows what the angle going into Mania will be? If you ask me, Sheamus could easily lose the belt and bounce back as a top star. After all, isn't that what Edge did when he cashed in his first MITB briefcase? Alright there you go Mr. "Smart mark" as you like to point out. A big hole in your entire logic.

Just because Sheamus hasn't showcased much yet, doesn't mean he isn't WrestleMania material. I mean seriously, if it were all about being on the in crowd then Chris Masters would be the one holding the Unified titles with The Miz or even Big Show, seeing as he's in with Orton and Triple H. HHH and Creative Team have left the belt on Sheamus this far because they believe that he can deliver. Why can't you believe it? What about him can you not accept as a legit champion for WM 26?