When Sheamus debuted in 2009, he was a brawling bad guy who just loved to fight and beat up his opponents. Eventually, his smashmouth style earned him more cheers than jeers, and he transitioned over to a babyface in 2011. At the time, it was a smart move considering the reaction he was getting, and it gave him an entirely new set of feuds. However, Sheamus might be one of the worst babyfaces out there today. He just doesnt fit the mold. Primarily, hes rarely booked to look weak against a heel. The heel/face dynamic works best when the heel gets the upper hand and the face has to dig deep to overcome. At worst, face Sheamus has to overcome within a single match rather than being down and out at any point in a feud. Even John Cena can take a beatdown now and again. Hes also constantly doing something heelish usually an unprovoked or unwarranted Brogue Kick. Look at how Sheamus won the U.S. Championship last month, lying on the mat for a solid two minutes while Dean Ambrose eliminated three men, only to blindside him with a Brogue Kick and eliminate him. But the all-timer probably was when he stole Alberto Del Rios convertible and trashed it while driving around (with the entire escapade being filmed, mind you). Could you picture 1986 Hulk Hogan talking about saying your prayers and eating your vitamins, and then stealing Paul Orndorffs Trans Am? What face commits grand larceny and expects to get cheered? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7eZvedN-kI Okay, Stone Cold Steve Austin is one answer, but thats just not going to happen for Sheamus. And theres a reason for that
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.
