7 Ups & 6 Downs From WWE Raw (Mar 22)

2. Sheamus Serves As Cannon Fodder

Bobby Lashley Sheamus
WWE.com

Sheamus really had no chance against Bobby Lashley on Monday night after barely escaping Fastlane without serious injury. And that’s what made their match so perfect.

Lashley was the heavy favorite heading into the contest, so when his Hurt Business cohorts interfered, it just made it look really bad – for Lashley. The All Mighty felled Sheamus after a solid battle, and then later, he and MVP laid in the badmouth to their teammates.

MVP wisely noted that Cedric Alexander & Shelton Benjamin interfering “tainted the image” of Lashley by making it seem like he couldn’t beat the Celtic Warrior by himself. It was a perfect little bit of storytelling, as it shows real cracks in the Hurt Business, along the line of Lashley wanting to prove himself as champ after 16 years (admirable) and MVP realizing the business value of a champion who can fight his own battles.

And throughout all of this, Sheamus didn’t look bad – he took a beating last night, had to contend with interference, and still hung with the world champion for a good while. However, he needs to win something at some point to avoid being labeled a glorified upper card jobber.

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Contributor
Contributor

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.