Why WWE Fans Love Sheamus Now
Sheamus and Gunther's Clash At The Castle classic was held up as one of the earliest successes of the Triple H era of WWE, and while not remotely untrue, it was also emblematic of what the company should have regularly been producing for years.
Not to take away from the multifarious talents of the two men - and more on those shortly - but wrestlers wrestling was all that had saved the organisation from complete creative oblivion for years. It hadn't mattered to the network paymasters dropping billions on a product that became a glorified TikTok, nor Vince McMahon and Nick Khan as the ghoulish chasers of every last cent. But a growing number of fans had made peace with the poisonous reality that WWE would never be a wrestling company ever again beyond one Sunday a month where it presented a nice veneer.
That expectation changed when McMahon resigned in disgrace, and the veneer of a meritocracy revealed itself in the weeks that followed. With Roman Reigns on a part-time schedule, 'The Game' set to work on making respective United States and Intercontinental Champions Bobby Lashley and Gunther the Big Bads of their brands. To do that, stories and opponents were needed in short order, and while Lashley set about battering all that challenged him, Gunther tried everything he could to no-sell an experienced opponent already on his level.
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