Sheamus...What a Shame!

Professional wresting is a scripted form of entertainment. And like any fictional universe, the writing has to fit into certain “rules” that make sense in that universe. If events start happening in a mythology that do not fit into the “rules” of that mythology, then the storytelling starts to fall apart. For example, it would destroy the Batman mythology if Bruce Wayne suddenly became invulnerable and had the ability to travel through time. Similarly, it would make absolutely no sense for the Easter Bunny to become a mercenary for hire. Sheamus winning the WWE Championship at the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs Pay-Per-View is very confusing and hurts the mythology of the WWE Championship.

The WWE Champion is supposed to be the best wrestler on the Raw brand. Does anyone really believe that Sheamus is the best wrestler on that roster? On a television show that features guys like HHH, Shawn Michaels, and John Cena we are supposed to believe that Sheamus is the best that Raw has to offer. Hardly!

In addition, the history any wrestling Championship, while fictional, is very important to a wrestling organization. This is evident in the WWE with their recent “History of…” DVD releases. A wrestling champion has to prove himself before even getting a title match. A wrestler usually spends years improving his wrestling skills and developing his character. That wrestler has to prove himself in matches for secondary Championships such as the Intercontinental title. Guys like Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Randy Savage all proved that they were Championship caliber wrestlers by capturing the Intercontinental title before moving into the WWE Championship hunt. Is Sheamus supposed to be better than Hart, Michaels, and Savage? I don’t think so!

What has Sheamus done to prove that he deserved a WWE Championship match? Absolutely nothing! He debuted on ECW on June 30 2009 and had feuds with an old, out of shape Goldust and the underachieving Shelton Benjamin. He never even won the ECW Championship, the lowest prestige title in the company, before going to Raw on October 26, 2009. On Raw, Sheamus’ big accomplishments included feuding with the equivalent of a jobber in Jamie Noble and beating up an announcer. He then won a “break-through battle royal” to earn the Championship match. This was a battle royal where Sheamus spent most of the time in the ring just standing there looking confused. In less than a year Sheamus has been given a WWE Championship match while doing nothing to prove that he deserved it. It must be frustrating for guys like MVP, Mark Henry, and Carlito who have spent years working on their wrestling skills and developing their characters to watch an inexperienced rookie be given a big push less than one year into his WWE career.

Finally, the Championship victory itself has to be believable. The WWE wants the fans to believe that John Cena, the guy who beat HHH at Wrestlemania 22, Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 23, Edge in a TLC match, and Randy Orton in a 60 minute iron man match, lost to an newbie with little over 5 months of experience in the WWE. Not even close to being believable.

I will concede that Vince McMahon knows talent and Sheamus may develop into a big star. But Sheamus holding the WWE Championship at this very early stage in his career is a joke, no different than when Vince McMahon held the title in 1999 and when David Arquette was the WCW Champion. Giving Sheamus the title hurts the mythology of the WWE Championship.