The comparisons are staggering: a wisecracking, never-take-your-opponent-too-seriously, supposedly virtuous face who acts heelish, wins the vast majority of his matches including ones in which the odds are stacked against him whose character is past its expiration date and wins matches he clearly doesnt need to. At one point, there was talk that WWE wanted Sheamus to be a John Cena-type: the super-popular good guy who does the talk shows and is the face of the company (sorry Randy Orton). But it looks like the similarities arent limited to company outlook. Quite simply, Sheamus has become an Irish version of John Cena with less pigment, more red hair and fewer T-shirt designs. Hes booked as a good guy, but many fans cant stand him like, legitimately can't stand him and that's a dangerous sentiment from fans that can disrupt storylines and can turn to outright apathy. But there is good news: Sheamus is a really good, talented in-ring performer his matches against Cesaro and Bad News Barrett bear that out and even the most jaded fans do notice and appreciate it. The hatred and frustration many fans feel toward Sheamus center on his character and how hes presented to the audience. Some sincere character and booking changes could help reshape Sheamus career and get fans behind him in the right manner. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKJql1CJfQw Unlike John Cena, Sheamus doesn't move the truckloads of merchandise he does, so that might make it easier to make those changes. Here's hoping the Celtic Warrior can win over more of the fans, regardless of whether it's to boo or cheer.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.
