Why doesn't Sheamus get more respect?

[Creepy Old Man]

People bang on about how strong Cesaro is, but in Sheamus' 2010 feud with the Big Show, he man-handled Show in a way we haven't seen since Lesnar. Sheamus body-slammed the giant, executed White Noise, and gave him an Electric Chair. I didn't see any praise among the IWC. Sheamus dragged out Big Show's only shining performances in a decade, as far as I can tell. He's incredibly powerful, only of the most agile and quick big men ever in WWE, and a strong talker in my opinion.

Do you think he gets the respect he deserves?

 

[Kris Benwa]

I too have wondered this. Sheamus is a very well rounded guy as in good in the ring and on the mic and he would be liked in a face run or hated in a heel run. I think he's easily one of if not the best brawler on the roster as well. I don't get the hate for Sheamus he's very good imo. If I had to pick one dumb reason people hate him it's the way he's booked. Since turning face he rarely ever loses. I don't have a problem with that even though sometimes his feuds get stupid because they're so one sided. Sheamus doesn't deserve the hate he gets I can say that for sure. The guy can work and he can talk.

 

[Cena's #1 In My Heart]

Cause he is a product of the system, pushed down our throats as champion WAY to early and it has gotten him partially stale and resented by the fans.

WWE's restrictive wrestling doesn't help... Sheamus is one of those guys who pretty much has the exact same match every night and doesn't really change it up at all. Just walks around clubbing people with his forearm and kicking people in the face. You never see him go hold for hold, countering people really. It's always just a boring one sided brawl that the WWE puts out with him usually.

Some of the boos that were surrounding him when he got injured were a lot of the John Cena effect. The fans wanted something different than the basic muscle head who works an average match. Now that the balance in wrestling has been restored a little bit with Daniel Bryan being champion, the crowd can warm up to Sheamus again with not as much fear that he'll be booked like a superhero like he was for a while.

Sheamus isn't respected because he hasn't earned it in a lot of the eyes of hardcore wrestling fans. I've gone from disliking Sheamus to not really minding him. If they start pushing him towards a title run again, I'll definitely start to resent him, because I don't think he belongs being the best on the entire card.

Comes down to the fans liking and respecting the wrestlers that Sheamus was going over more than they liked him... thus they don't want him to win. Happens a lot, could happen to Roman Reigns in the near future.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Cause he is a product of the system, pushed down our throats as champion WAY to early

Guys like Lesnar, Kane and Yokozuna also got the world title after mere months in WWE but people don't seem to sh!t on them for it.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

I like Sheamus a lot. I made a thread about him a month or so back and asked a similar question. If you take the current 'new breed' of wrestlers such as Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Cesaro and others, all of them have sizeable fanbases (within the IWC, that is); they're seen as the next big things. Sheamus is a little older than most of those guys and debuted a couple of years ahead but I think he can hang with any of them in the ring and it's disappointing that he does get that 'John Cena reaction' in certain cities. I think that his character needs more guidance - not a heel turn, but perhaps a greater focus than just 'being Irish' and making jokes - and he needs to actually have stories as opposed to just two matches a week for people to get really invested in him, but as far as ring work goes Sheamus is one of the guys that I can pretty much guarantee will entertain me week after week.

I think the answer to why Sheamus doesn't have such a strong fanbase is that there are a number of factors: rumours that he was Triple H's lifting buddy before his debut, the megapush that he received upon his debut despite not being particularly entertaining (to me, at least) during his first year or so, the fact that he's not a technically polished performer, the fact that he didn't work the indies extensively prior to his debut like a Cesaro did, the eighteen second win over Daniel Bryan, the fact that his accent might be hard to understand and/or take seriously, and the fact that he still very rarely takes a clean loss on television (I think the loss to Barrett on Raw was his first since his feud with Big Show over the World Heavyweight Championship over a year back).

Maybe one or two of these things are against other names on the roster, but the fact that they all go against him is a bit of a problem. Personally, whenever I discuss the future of the company Sheamus is always in the conversation and I always look forward to watching his matches on a weekly basis.

 

[bigben929]

Because he skipped the system and was champ in a year. And the reason he had that was that he was Trips' workout partner. And while he's gotten over, a lot of the IWC doesn't like him because he's a Triple H guy, and that's why he got over.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Because he's a face

Really, though I was making fun of many of the idiots around here, I can understand part of that argument. Sheamus could pull off being a badass face in an outstanding way if they'd book him that way. The biggest problem with his character now is that he's this happy-go-lucky face who smiles all the time. The funny thing is, he can cut very good promos if given the chance, but his current character doesn't call for it.

And while I say I could understand that part of an "He should be a HEEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" argument, it doesn't change the fact that he's a colorful guy. He looks kind of funny. Add that to a happy-go-lucky character and you've got a great spokesman for the children. It's along the same lines why you'll never (or not for a very long time) see John Cena turn heel. But obviously Sheamus doesn't generate the revenue as well as Cena, so you will probably see him turn at some point.

Really though, Sheamus is very good in the ring for a man his size. He can go with wrestlers of all shapes and sizes and is very agile for a guy as big as he is. His mic work is also better than most around here give him credit for. They tend to ignore his actual mic work and only listen to his goofy content. That's his character talking. It's a concept too many people don't understand.

 

[jameyt2003]

I love Sheamus. He is a top 5 in my book of current WWE stars. My argument has been that these middle of the road performers, which WWE has a ton of, should be facing each other on a weekly basis. Start a storyline around the guys you want near the end of the year.

With Evolution, Shield, and Wyatts bringing a new style of wrestling to WWE, Sheamus should be built to face one of these guys in the near future. I would love an Ambrose/Sheamus feud for the US belt.

The details for how this would work I am too lazy to get into write now.

 

[jeffrey9800]

Guys like Lesnar, Kane and Yokozuna also got the world title after mere months in WWE but people don't seem to sh!t on them for it.

Dude, those 3 guys are unique, Sheamus is just a mere replica, he is ... generic.

While I don't think being a Trips guy helped him, I don't think it's the main reason why he's not as popular as you might like.

His booking has been HORRIBLE since he came back and I think his feud with Christian hurt him a great deal.

He was unbeatable during that feud, except of having some back and forth in the W/L category he was winning all the matches clean. People who were still on the verge of liking/hating him went into the worst spot you can be about someone : the "I don't care" category. He's always winning and being dominant. It's boring.

Plus he is a man of a few moves, fans don't like that anymore, well not from guys shove down our throats.

Lesnar was a never before seen monster AND a Paul Heyman guy
Kane came in the biggest storyline at the time and the story telling in that feud was awesome
Yokozuna, while I'm too young to remember exactly his debut, people wanted to see that guy and all of his match were a big deal, His body and uniqueness at the time made him a star.

Sheamus has no manager, has no "never before seen" feel to his character, doesn't have a great feud and people don't care if he's on the show or not.
Recipe for boooooossss

 

[obamartins]

I have little respect for a guy with all the tools but who is to afraid to say no to the power that be. Let's examine...

- He ran away from Nexus & screamed for John Cena
- He lost to Hornswoggle in a battle royal
- He talked to Muppets like they were real
- His white meat corny babyface act is lame
- He's stuck in cruise control i.e. afraid to take risks to truly get over

Todays generation of pro wrestlers are afraid to speak up to protect their character...there is no way guys like Steve Austin, Kevin Nash, Scott Steiner etc. in their primes would have agreed to lose to a midget in a battle royal. Guys like Austin, Nash, Steiner were dealing with backstage politics that no longer exist today & fighting tooth & nail with the plethora of other top talent to protect their spot.

 

[Sexcellence of Sexecution]

I really like Sheamus. I think he's talented in the ring and his look is obviously pretty unique (at least to me since I live in Canada, for all I know all people in Ireland could look like that). I'd also like to say that the matches between Sheamus and Big Show in late 2012 were great, and some of the best matches that year.

But I also think that the way they made Sheamus into a lame smiling babyface was a mistake. He doesn't have to turn heel to gain credibility again, but I think he should have more of an edge as a face. When he was doing those 1-800-FELLA commercials I thought it would be a great opportunity to give him an APA gimmick. Wrestlers in other feuds would call his hotline and have him take out the guy they are feuding with, or be their bodyguard, or interfere in a match for them. Making Sheamus this badass guy who just kicks people in the face for money would keep him as a face, but still give him an edge. It also keeps an element of humor which I think would work well. In general, I think a huge Irish guy who fucks up everybody is awesome, and that's something people could really get behind.

At this stage in the game, it would also make sense to play up the real-life relationship between Sheamus and Triple H, and have Sheamus turn heel. He could align with the Authority and would make a good challenger for Bryan. Turning heel on Bryan is an instant way to get heat, so he'd definitely be over as a heel.

 

[OYDK]

Just being a good worker doesn't get you respect anymore. You need to be able to change up your character every few years and keep the audience interested. This doesn't necessarily mean turning heel, just adding another element to the character. Sheamus was a generic heel and now he's a generic face... He needs to find a way to evolve as both a face and a heel in order to get back up to the main event again and actually have the audience give a damn about it.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

I don't think Sheamus is "disrespected" by anyone. Sure, there are pockets of people who don't like Sheamus simply because he is close w/ Triple H, but I don't see an overriding sentiment out there that he is not a solid worker or that he has no charisma.

His character is that of a happy-go-lucky guy who can flip the switch in the ring and he's a big guy who can go. The only "negativity" regarding Sheamus, other than the Triple H connection, is that they would prefer he go back to being a heel. They want the bad-ass Sheamus, not Cena-lite. His face run has produced no real "moments" of note. With one exception. That abortion of a match at WM 2 years ago. There may also be some Bryan-marks out there who still resent Sheamus because of that (as if it was his decision), but I don't pay any mind to such simpletons.

 

[No Count Pup]

They should turn Sheamus heel. I know "turn him heel" is the knee jerk reaction much of the IWC has toward meandering faces. But for Sheamus, it would be the shake up he needs.

Some wrestlers benefit from wondering in the wilderness. Daniel Bryan tapped out to Alberto Del Rio a hundred times during he lull periods. Wade Barrett's career was stagnant for the past three years until now. Even Jack Swagger is getting some cheers after a four years trip to mediocrity. Why? Fans learn to appreciate awesomeness over time. They will do so with Sheamus, but not if they are forced to. The process must be organic.

Sheamus can be a brute, scary character if he wants to be. Maybe the fans and WWE needs to see his range to appreciate his prowess.

 

[Ross421]

I love Sheamus the wrestler, but he can be way too corny way too often. He has been more serious since he came back from injury, but still not up to par with a no nonsense, brawler, badass that Sheamus can and should be. He sells really well if they want to keep him babyface and he can show off his brute strength if they want to turn him heel. All I ask of him is to drop the Irish puns and talk about kicking ass

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

Good in ring, not so good in anything else. He was pushed down our thtroats and he is over in some way but not nearly as WWE wants him to be. He wins a lot, had a very good fight with Batista on Smackdown, he is where he should be based on what he can. He may go for more but thats unlikely now, they simply dont have anything for him right now to do that much...

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

He may go for more but thats unlikely now, they simply dont have anything for him right now to do that much...

A heel turn and program w/ Daniel Bryan sounds like something they can do. After Kane at ER, whose next to go after the title?

I guess Orton does deserve a rematch, but I hope they just get that out of the way in a one match deal on RAW. Batista is taking a leave. Lesnar won't be involved until SS. Triple H is involved w/ the Shield and probably will be until SS since the plan is for him to go against Reigns.

So I think it makes total sense to turn Sheamus and have him go against Bryan. They have the obvious starting point to a feud with what happened between them at WM28, Sheamus has been treading water since he's returned but is a believable challenger, and Bryan is going to need to face SOMEONE between ER and SS.

 

[Jay]

Sheamus really is boring these days though. Kinda going the way of cena, same boring move set, crappy wee jokes etc.... It's a shame really, loads of potential to be a great heel.

 

[Attitude_Era_Guy]

1. He has ties with Triple H.
2. His move set is limited.
3. He's way too corny as a face.
4. There simply better wrestlers in the WWE today.

Pick a reason.
_______________________________________________________________
RVD, CM Punk, and Chris Jericho.

 

[Chicago1989]

Despite the fact that he's portrayed as being a "cookie-cutter" baby face, I believe Sheamus is a workhorse. The guy works hard through bruises and injuries, and still delivers a quality beatdown on his opponents. He's definitely one of the best brawlers in the business and he also has presence, which is a quality that barely anyone has. I like Sheamus.

 

[Schuyler]

Its not Sheamus fault, its cause him being BFF, with HHH and that super fast push, made everyone hate him. That simple, also now there is no B show championship, he's lost in the shuffle. The WWE, really needs to push there midcard titles to make them seem important.

 

[Reflection]

2. His move set is limited.

Is this a joke? The guy has/had 4 unique finishing moves- Brogue Kick, Celtic Cross, Cloverleaf, and White Noise, in addition to a dozen other moves in his moveset. The only other guy from the past 10 years (or maybe even before) to have four finishing moves, that comes to mind is The Undertaker.

Anyway, the reason why I think most internet fans don't like Sheamus is because
(a) He is rumored to be a (i) Triple-H-recruited guy, (ii)Formerly Triple-H's training partner, and (iii) having the type of physique that WWE prefers to have in the top card.
(b) He did not spend 10 years in the indy leagues (less important), followed by another 5 years or so in ROH (more important). According to that demographic of the IWC, anyone that didn't go through those two steps- "cannot wrestle".
(c) They are just jealous. Anyone that reads the Disqus comments section of the main page would notice how the majority of the internet fans are jealous of and absolutely hate to see someone succeed without struggling and getting kicked around for a decade or so. This is probably because of their own fruitless, stagnant and unsuccessful lives. And that is when statements like "He became champion only because he is HHH's workout buddy" and "Vince *********es to big muscular guys" come up.

 

[blueskyy]

I like Sheamus a lot! He is really good in the ring, really really good, though not as good on the mic. I don't get why people dislike him. If you gauge every match by the same standard -- by the quality of a match, Sheamus is up there. There's nothing, absolutely nothing about him to dislike.

 

[The Butcher]

I'm legitimately surprised no one has listed WrestleMania 28 as a reason for hating him. It's not a good reason, but I'm sure there's still some lingering butthurt over that one. Personally, I don't care for Sheamus because of Sheamus, not because of his backstage friends. He's boring and goofy. He's Hercules Hernandez pushed to the main event. Outside of his look he's nothing special. Being a good worker for a guy his size means dick. Congratulations Sheamus, you can do your job competently. His promo skill is serviceable at best; even if he were given better material he still wouldn't be among the better talkers in the company.

As for the OP's issue with fans praising Cesaro's feats of strength but not Sheamus', have you looked at the two guys? People expect a big mutant like Sheamus to be able to lift heavy things. Cesaro is certainly put together, but he isn't a hoss like Sheamus. And the IWC is a fairly large community. Saying "I didn't see any praise among the IWC" means nothing to me. Just because you didn't see it doesn't mean it didn't happen.

Sheamus has ability, and I'd never deny that. He's done a handful of things that have entertained me, and I respect him as much as any other man or woman who goes out there and busts their ass for my enjoyment. It's not a respect issue. He's been boring and goofy for too long, and it's turned people off of him. The Triple H connection or force-fed push mean little to me. I've said before that he was breath of fresh air when he beat Cena for the title at TLC, so if anything I thank Trips for sending his buddy in to break up the monotony. Since his debut he's just been on a steady decline, though. I'll be more than happy to get behind him if he gets good, heel or face. Just won't be holding my breath.

 

[lil steroid meat]

Great talent, decent in the ring, but his character is just boring and doesn't really offer anything new.

He doesn't "need" a gimmick change, as I'm sure he sells merchandise and serves his purpose for the company well without it. But he's just kind of there. Staying on his current path, in 20 years, no one will really remember him as anything special.