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The former WWE and World Champion had a great spell of impressive runs in WWE since his debut in 2009 until this year’s WWE Money in the Bank, where he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder. This brought his momentum to a standstill, but ‘The Celtic Warrior’ is “fired up and ready to go.” As he looks forward to making a return to the ring we take a look at his WWE career so far.
Debut, various feuds, and WWE Champion in his debut year
Starting as a Heel in the WWE, Sheamus debuted on ECW in June 2009, quickly getting involved in feuds with Goldust and Shelton Benjamin, but soon he was moved to Raw where he continued his Heel character with attacks on Jamie Noble and Jerry Lawler. Later, he won the traditional Survivor Series tag team match for his team and the following night on Raw he won a battle royal to face John Cena for his WWE Championship at TLC where he defeated Cena in a Tables match and became the WWE Champion within 6 months of his debut. For such an impressive run he deservedly won the Slammy Award for ‘Breakout Superstar of the Year.’
WWE Championship reigns and ‘King of the Ring’
Sheamus retained his WWE Championship against Randy Orton at the 2010 Royal Rumble and continued this reign until Elimination Chamber where he lost his title to Cena after being eliminated by Triple H with whom he started a rivalry which continued until Extreme Rules, a rivalry ending in a street fight match where Sheamus assaulted Triple H, showcasing his Hardcore abilities. He won the WWE Championship for the second time at Fatal 4-Way against Cena and successfully retained the title against him at Money in the Bank and later against Randy Orton at SummerSlam. Although, he lost the title to Orton at Night of Champions, his second reign as the WWE Champion was an impressive one. Later, he won the King of the Ring tournament after defeating Kofi Kingston and John Morrison, further adding another accomplishment to his name.
U.S. Champion and Face turn
In March 2011, Sheamus challenged Daniel Bryan to a career vs. title match for the latter’s U.S. Championship which he won and hence added another title to his list of achievements. He successfully retained the title against Bryan, but soon lost it to Kofi Kingston at Extreme Rules. His Face turn started when he was caused the World Heavyweight Championship by Christian against Orton. Until Royal Rumble, Sheamus was involved in a 12-match and a 14-match winning run, a rarity in WWE.
Winning the Royal Rumble and the World Heavyweight Championship
Sheamus won the 2012 Royal Rumble by last eliminating Chris Jericho and won his WrestleMania World Heavyweight Championship match against Daniel Bryan in a record 18 seconds. This marked the beginning of his glorious World Championship reign that lasted until the October pay-per-view of Hell in a Cell, where he lost the title to Big Show, bringing an end to his 210 days long reign.
Injury at Money in the Bank
Sheamus suffered a hematoma on his left thigh after he landed on a horizontal ladder. Three weeks later WWE.com confirmed his injury and the requirement of an imminent surgery, further adding that he would miss 4 to 6 months of in-ring action. This news came as a shock to the fans as Sheamus was expected to add more accomplishments to his name this year. This marked a halt in his wrestling career with the year 2013 already ending for the superstar.
His impending return and what to expect from him once he returns
This week Sheamus had an interview with WWE.com about his road to recovery. When asked about his shoulder, the superstar replied that “it’s [shoulder] feeling pretty solid. I’m still a little while away from coming back”. This is definitely great news for everyone associated with the WWE, but the fans will have to wait a bit more to see “The Great White” back in the ring.
When asked what the WWE Universe can expect from him, he replied: “I want to come back aggressive, no-nonsense. I’m fired up and ready to go”. He is more fearless than before now as he told WWE.com that “now, I’m [he is] ready to just tear through anybody who stands in my way – I don’t care if it’s Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Randy Orton or Big Show. I don’t care who it is – The Wyatt Family, The Shield, I don’t give a damn who they are.”
He also had a message for the fans as he mentioned that he has to “go back out there [in the ring] and remind people who he is” and “show the new members of the WWE Universe what they’ve been missing.”With such strong words from Sheamus we can assure ourselves that the forthcoming return of “The Celtic Warrior” will be a memorable and again a glorious one.
