8. Upcoming WrestleMania Season
An established heel champion has always been important for WrestleMania season. It is the classic narrative, a babyface upstart winning the Royal Rumble and then chasing down the hated champion, eventually overcoming the odds and getting the treasure at WrestleMania. It wouldn't have made sense to have a babyface champion heading into the January - April run. As for other heel champions, could anyone else have been as genuinely hated as Sheamus? He's someone who fans really will want to see get defeated. If you think back to classic narratives like Batista defeating Triple H at Mania, that was done with Hunter in an absolutely loathed position. The same works with Sheamus.