The Future of Sheamus

[AJ1981]

I just finished watching the latest edition of Wrestlemania Fallout on the WWE Network. The one thing that stood out for me during the whole episode was Sheamus impassioned promo about getting his career back on track and main eventing Wrestlemania 31. With the prospect of another Daniel Bryan vs. Kane feud on the horizon, maybe Sheamus would be a good short term choice to face Bryan instead. We all know that WWE is thin on main event heels right now and after three years as a babyface Sheamus could do with a character adjustment. As a face he's stuck around the IC title level at the moment and his persona has grown stale. Turned heel with a chip on his shoulder he could have an exciting program with Bryan (their match at Extreme Rules 2012 shows what they can do together) and The Authority could use their past history (beating DB for US title, the 18 second loss for the WHC) to claim Sheamus has Bryan's number. It would be simple to get the feud going. Bryan could have a match with Kane on Raw and after picking up the win celebrate at the top of stage he turns around an Sheamus Brogue kicks him out of nowhere. Sheamus stands over the fallen Bryan and just smiles. Bryan would then call out Sheamus the next week but Sheamus would ignore him but would level Bryan again to end the show. Sheamus wouldn't cut any promo's during this time, when approached by interviewers he would just smile and walk off. After a couple of weeks of this to build heat Sheamus would cut a promo explaining why, he's annoyed where he was and seeing Bryan who he's easily beaten before rise to the top has eaten away at him at he's decide it's time for him to do what's best for himself. Triple H would then select him as their challenger and you could have a couple of PPV matches between the two with Bryan extracting his vengeance. What do you guys think?

 

[boywithbluehanger]

Once you have an idea and get very detailed about how it should be executed, you set yourself up for disappointment. I was in agreement with you once you said they should turn Sheamus into a main event heel again. However once you started delving into how/when he should attack Bryan, how he should handle promos, and what his motivations are, the idea seemed to get off track. It's not like someone's going to actually write/book what you exactly want. So when you have a good idea, you should probably stick to the jist of it by explaining the benefits, your reasoning, and possibly the downside to it as well.

Sheamus is a great talent. He's got a lot of power moves in the ring (That thing where he pounds a dude's chest 10 times, White Noise, High Cross, Irish-Curse Backbreaker, Brogue Kick etc) and is a very believable irish brute. He was a great heel and I think lot of Cena's detractors, didn't appreciate him being the answer to their prayers. I think he is a better main event heel talent than even Batista or Orton. As a heel, you got the sense that he was unbeatable the same way that they book Cena as a face. To top it off, he'd deliver threatening promos and was an expert at the angry face-to-face stare-down whilst staying intense. When I talk about his heel days feuding for/with the title, I feel like I'm John Madden giving commentary for Brett Favre during Monday Night Football. Sheamus is just that much of the total package. It feels like a crime that he's been underused to such a degree.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

With Sheamus the issue isn't so much what's wrong with him being face but it's where he fits in overall. There doesn't seem to be space for him right now.

You have Evolution, The Shield, Bryan and Wyatt all taking those spots that are not Cena. Punk being gone is a bonus for Sheamus but even lower down the card you are seeing some guys build momentum like Cesaro and Wade Barrett while Sheamus is quickly becoming stagnant.

A heel turn is obvious but not really the right move, like it or not he is kid friendly and almost their version of Ultimate Warrior, he is also a naturally affable guy so it makes sense he uses that rather than being mean and moody... they have plenty of guys who that works better for.

I personally think an alliance would be a good way, and Barrett could be the guy if he too becomes a face. Both are good talkers and "funny guys", they have the British/Irish stuff they can play off of and as a new "super team" they could easily do the old "singles and tag belts" routine for a while. Cesaro could be the 3rd guy in this European stable, maybe add Paige as well.

We know Barrett is at his best as the "point man" of a Stable, we know Sheamus is a great "enforcer" type... Cesaro is the one getting the push so he would perhaps get the lions share of the wins but the three together makes sense if they can avoid the awful Union style face stable... hell frame it as they are all Heyman guys if you want... He could also be a 4th guy in Evolution although that role would be better fit with a Bo Dallas or Adrian Neville.

He isn't being under used but there just isn't that killer feud that merits him being higher than he is right now... I can at the outside, see him working with the Wyatts next if they keep on this path and perhaps joining them as he would fit with their style somewhat.

 

[AJ1981]

Once you have an idea and get very detailed about how it should be executed, you set yourself up for disappointment. I was in agreement with you once you said they should turn Sheamus into a main event heel again. However once you started delving into how/when he should attack Bryan, how he should handle promos, and what his motivations are, the idea seemed to get off track. It's not like someone's going to actually write/book what you exactly want. So when you have a good idea, you should probably stick to the jist of it by explaining the benefits, your reasoning, and possibly the downside to it as well.

Sheamus is a great talent. He's got a lot of power moves in the ring (That thing where he pounds a dude's chest 10 times, White Noise, High Cross, Irish-Curse Backbreaker, Brogue Kick etc) and is a very believable irish brute. He was a great heel and I think lot of Cena's detractors, didn't appreciate him being the answer to their prayers. I think he is a better main event heel talent than even Batista or Orton. As a heel, you got the sense that he was unbeatable the same way that they book Cena as a face. To top it off, he'd deliver threatening promos and was an expert at the angry face-to-face stare-down whilst staying intense. When I talk about his heel days feuding for/with the title, I feel like I'm John Madden giving commentary for Brett Favre during Monday Night Football. Sheamus is just that much of the total package. It feels like a crime that he's been underused to such a degree.

After re-reading my OP I agree it does come off as fanboy-ish. That wasn't the intention it was just to suggest a credible scenario in which Sheamus could be re-established as a main event heel. Although it probably doesn't read that way I'm not a massive fan of Sheamus, I do like him be he isn't a favourite. The reasons for me suggesting him for a renewed push were that his promo on Wrestlemania Fallout 4 impressed me and looking down the list of those who could be credibly turned heel (the audience seems to have tired with him) he seemed the best choice. Personally I would have preferred to see rematch between Daniel Bryan and Triple H at Extreme Rules

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Once you have an idea and get very detailed about how it should be executed, you set yourself up for disappointment. I was in agreement with you once you said they should turn Sheamus into a main event heel again. However once you started delving into how/when he should attack Bryan, how he should handle promos, and what his motivations are, the idea seemed to get off track. It's not like someone's going to actually write/book what you exactly want. So when you have a good idea, you should probably stick to the jist of it by explaining the benefits, your reasoning, and possibly the downside to it as well.

Sheamus is a great talent. He's got a lot of power moves in the ring (That thing where he pounds a dude's chest 10 times, White Noise, High Cross, Irish-Curse Backbreaker, Brogue Kick etc) and is a very believable irish brute. He was a great heel and I think lot of Cena's detractors, didn't appreciate him being the answer to their prayers. I think he is a better main event heel talent than even Batista or Orton. As a heel, you got the sense that he was unbeatable the same way that they book Cena as a face. To top it off, he'd deliver threatening promos and was an expert at the angry face-to-face stare-down whilst staying intense. When I talk about his heel days feuding for/with the title, I feel like I'm John Madden giving commentary for Brett Favre during Monday Night Football. Sheamus is just that much of the total package. It feels like a crime that he's been underused to such a degree.

I have to agree with this completely. No offense is meant towards the OP, it's just that it's that that sort of post is a HUGE example of what's wrong with a lot of wrestling fans, especially internet fans. They have such detailed scenarios worked up in their heads as to how something should go and become so engrossed with it that whenever said topic doesn't take happen like they think it does, they're often disappointed and crap all over the program. Don't get me wrong, nothing wrong with a little fantasy booking or expressing something that you think'd be cool to see, the problem comes when the fan only likes his/her own scenarios.

Personally, I like Sheamus, always have. He's a strong in-ring talent and he's pretty comfortable on the mic. I'm of the opinion, however, that he's much more entertaining as a heel rather than playing the jovial, Irish lug that's about half a step away from being a full blown Irish stereotype. Sheamus was out for the better part of 6 months due to injury and in that time, the show had to go on. As a result, other guys had to be pushed into a spot Sheamus may have wound up having. Since his return, Sheamus finds himself surrounded by a ton of younger, fresher talent that are on the rise and getting a lot of attention because they've been delivering the goods.

I do think that a heel Sheamus could be a good challenger for Daniel Bryan. Personally, I also feel that he & Wade Barrett would be a strong heel tag team. I don't see Sheamus as WWE World Heavyweight Champion anytime soon. Now that the WHC is no longer active, which served the function unofficially as the upper mid-card title the last few years of its existence, I see Sheamus spending most of the rest of his career as either a tag team guy or an upper mid-carder who occasionally makes his way into the main event to challenge for the title. He's still a young man at 36 years of age, but there's also a lot of much younger talent working their way up.

 

[bioshock]

Sheamus vs Bryan I think has a good chance to headline Wrestlemania 31. For many reasons. Sheamus is good in the ring, Bryan good in the ring, we know that, Sheamus is a Triple H guy, Bryan is becoming the top guy, and these two already have a Wrestlemania history with each other, they faced in a dark show, they faced in the WHC 18 second match, so it could make for a good story Bryan wanting his revenge of some kind for that 18 second loss. Plus it works in Sheamus favor putting him over for the future to come as I see him being a top guy into the future.

 

[laodaron]

I think I could DEFINITELY get behind an old fashioned United Kingdom heel tag team. I miss those old fashioned heels. The ones that made fun of the locals. The ones that were from other countries, and tried to sandbag America. The ones that wave their motherland flags. Those were very entertaining.

I, too, would rather Sheamus be a heel. When he first came out, he was brutal and vicious, he was an immediate star. Right now, I see him sitting on cruise control. I could be wrong.

 

[EuropeanUppercut]

People always complain about John Cena burying talent. At least he's doing something relevant when he does! Sheamus constantly wins matches and knocks other superstars further down the card without any objective. That's the main reason I don't like him. Also, what exactly is his gimmick? Being Irish? I like the idea of a United Kingdom stable, and I like the idea of a heel turn. Just have him do something relevant.

 

[Cats Pajamas]

I'm not too interested having factions forming left and right, but I've been hoping for a while now that they'd do a European Invasion thing with Barrett and Sheamus. Cesaro would make more sense as the 3rd man, but I'd prefer to see him stay his course and use McIntyre instead. I mean, do SOMETHING with Drew for God's sakes... 3 Man Band my frickin ass.

Barrett/Wyatt would be nuts going back and forth on the mic and Sheamus/Harper seems like it would be a fun matchup. After that it'd be fun to see them take on the Shield, though I'm not even sure that would make much sense. Hell, I'd even enjoy them in a feud with Evolution and I've never liked Evolution. Seriously never. It's kinda weird.

I'm a huge fan of Sheamus. He's a tough bastard and I've always enjoyed his character, heel or face. Now that there's no "alternate" title, I'd also give him one more try as a face champion and I mean really FOCUS on him. He looks crazy talented and I think it'd be a worthwhile experiment to put the spotlight right directly on him, see if that pale skin shines or burns.

 

[The Eighties]

As a face I just don't see Sheamus ever being more than he is right now, a heavily protected upper card guy that is never going to be a truly big deal or have anything significant built around him, and in truth that is a spot a LOT of guys would love to have.

However I think the man himself has goals to be more and he has the talent to achieve them, but to do so it would require removing the friendly fella safety net and letting him take a chance on being a top heel, there's certainly an opening for one and I think the crowd will be quite ready to boo the Irish Cena not to mention he has the ready made foil in Bryan to facilitate the turn.

 

[GeneralKarim]

I pretty much agree with everyone saying he should turn main event heel or form a tag team with Wade Barret, be it face or heel.

He needs to do something. He's been stuck in limbo for a very long time and his injury didn't help at all.

As everyone in here is saying, he clearly has the goods. The guy is confident on the mic, he has amazing cardio, he keeps in shape, he's good in the ring, has been since he debuted and got better and better. He's like in that state that he just goes there and does what they say and gets a paycheck.

We have a lot of popular faces now and I think we need more solid heels. WWE should see this and just turn Sheamus, cause seriously he isn't doing anything important. The only heels atm that are worth mentioning are the established guys, Evolution, and Bray Wyatt. The Shield were heels, but they got so good that they turned face.

I think since the Real Americans split, Wade and Sheamus would be perfect for a european hard-hitting heel team to challenge the USOs, cause I'm sorry but Ryback and Joe aint doing it for me. Cause really Wade is coming up in the ranks but where is his place? How many guys can they really push at once? I really do feel Wade&Sheamus should be a tag team.

 

[Pedigree1]

years from now,were going to ask ourselves a question. What WWE superstar did the company not use properly? The answer right now,is sheamus. Sheamus when he was a heel,was the answer to our prayers whether we knew it or not at that time. "Were ah going clubbering,Brogue Kick,Irish Curse Backbreaker,(High Cross,although I haven't seen him use that move in quite some time now),he has the moves necessary to be a complete beast in the ring..

HE is great on the mic,a lot better that people give him credit for anyway. The problem is though,he is stagnant right now.. But IMO the answer is right there,turn Sheamus heel. When he was King Sheamus,he was at his best. This whole Ol Jolly Irish Fellow,does not suit his character at all.. He is a super upper mid-card talent,i dont see him being the champ anytime soon,but that doesn't mean he cant be the IC champ.

 

[Hem]

WWE is not at all thin when it comes to the main event, in fact its actually quite heavy with most of the spots filled. So what does that leave guys like Sheamus and Del Rio to do? Well I think Del Rio is finally where he should have been the whole time, the IC scene.

Sheamus however is a pretty good heel who can give good promos and matches. However I don't agree with you saying Sheamus just turns heel on Bryan because Sheamus' career is off track even after he beat Bryan, who is thew new #1, many times.

I think Sheamus should join Zeb Colter as a Real American. I do think he should turn heel and that Zeb approaches him and says look, I know your not American but you have that American spirit in you and you are a REAL AMERICAN. Sheamus joins and he and Jack Swagger have a hell of a tag team run and a feud with Cesaro and maybe another Paul Heyman Guy (Cesaro Vs. Sheamus have always been great matches)

With Sheamus joining Swagger and going against the Paul Heyman guys for a few months than a tag title hunt with Swagger and eventually a big blow up with Swagger turning face and Sheamus staying heel (perhaps a tag title loss is blamed on Swagger) this gives Sheamus a fairly meaningful year at minimum.

 

[tehblogger]

Sheamus as a face is just meh, maybe he sells merch to little kids but the character is awful. Sheamus as a heel is very good though.

I do like the idea of him in a tag-team with Barrett (another criminally under-used talent, although arguably the Bad News gimmick has kept Barrett more relevant than Sheamus as of late, in a very weird way).

 

[kadroan]

I just finished watching the latest edition of Wrestlemania Fallout on the WWE Network. The one thing that stood out for me during the whole episode was Sheamus impassioned promo about getting his career back on track and main eventing Wrestlemania 31. With the prospect of another Daniel Bryan vs. Kane feud on the horizon, maybe Sheamus would be a good short term choice to face Bryan instead. We all know that WWE is thin on main event heels right now and after three years as a babyface Sheamus could do with a character adjustment. As a face he's stuck around the IC title level at the moment and his persona has grown stale. Turned heel with a chip on his shoulder he could have an exciting program with Bryan (their match at Extreme Rules 2012 shows what they can do together) and The Authority could use their past history (beating DB for US title, the 18 second loss for the WHC) to claim Sheamus has Bryan's number. It would be simple to get the feud going. Bryan could have a match with Kane on Raw and after picking up the win celebrate at the top of stage he turns around an Sheamus Brogue kicks him out of nowhere. Sheamus stands over the fallen Bryan and just smiles. Bryan would then call out Sheamus the next week but Sheamus would ignore him but would level Bryan again to end the show. Sheamus wouldn't cut any promo's during this time, when approached by interviewers he would just smile and walk off. After a couple of weeks of this to build heat Sheamus would cut a promo explaining why, he's annoyed where he was and seeing Bryan who he's easily beaten before rise to the top has eaten away at him at he's decide it's time for him to do what's best for himself. Triple H would then select him as their challenger and you could have a couple of PPV matches between the two with Bryan extracting his vengeance. What do you guys think?

Sheamus is going through what Orton went through 2012 - Summerslam 2013. I like your idea. He needs to turn heel. He's stale as a character, but fans will cheer him.

For somebody with his resume, multi world champ, former US champ, former King of the Ring, former RR winner, he needs to be in the main event, no excuse.

 

[Dagger Dias]

As much as I like Sheamus as a face, I'm not against another heel turn. As a face he could be a contender for the Intercontinental Championship and he is currently one of my predicted potential winners of the title shot against Big E at Extreme Rules. This would bring some prestige and importance back to the Intercontinental Championship if Sheamus wins it and is booked strongly, given him being a former multi time World Champion. That's about as good as it gets for him as a face. Cena and Bryan are above him on the top face listing, so I don't see him getting any world title shots anytime soon without a heel turn.

So, let's talk heel turns. Sheamus shoots up the ranks for getting a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship a lot faster if he is a heel. With Daniel Bryan being the current champion and Cena still being a potential title challenger at any given time, Sheamus is at best 3rd in ranking the top faces at this time. Bryan will need a heel to feud with this summer. If Sheamus turns heel during the Extreme Rules cycle, I can see him getting a shot at Bryan next. The two of them have history, and I would like to see Sheamus getting another world title shot. Triple H can even hand-pick a heel Sheamus as the next to face Bryan. Trips and Sheamus are very good friends in real life, so it would certainly be believable on Raw in a promo to see this decision by the authority play out.

 

[kadroan]

As much as I like Sheamus as a face, I'm not against another heel turn. As a face he could be a contender for the Intercontinental Championship and he is currently one of my predicted potential winners of the title shot against Big E at Extreme Rules. This would bring some prestige and importance back to the Intercontinental Championship if Sheamus wins it and is booked strongly, given him being a former multi time World Champion. That's about as good as it gets for him as a face. Cena and Bryan are above him on the top face listing, so I don't see him getting any world title shots anytime soon without a heel turn.

So, let's talk heel turns. Sheamus shoots up the ranks for getting a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship a lot faster if he is a heel. With Daniel Bryan being the current champion and Cena still being a potential title challenger at any given time, Sheamus is at best 3rd in ranking the top faces at this time. Bryan will need a heel to feud with this summer. If Sheamus turns heel during the Extreme Rules cycle, I can see him getting a shot at Bryan next. The two of them have history, and I would like to see Sheamus getting another world title shot. Triple H can even hand-pick a heel Sheamus as the next to face Bryan. Trips and Sheamus are very good friends in real life, so it would certainly be believable on Raw in a promo to see this decision by the authority play out.

Batista, Kane, but he's never beaten Sheamus

Bryan vs. heel Sheamus would be a good feud. They had a great match at ER 2012.

They could hype the match as the guy Daniel Bryan has never beat. He's beaten Cena, Orton, HHH, Batista, Christian, Kane, Mysterio but he's never beat Sheamus, could be a dope video package