Continuing with our series to find the top 10 overrated performers in the history of WWE, we come to number 9. There are individuals who toil in the independent scene for more than a decade, still failing to make it to the WWE. A guy like Colt Cabana, who is enormously talented and has genuine passion for the business, hasn’t made it big in the global organisations. Then there are other individuals who toil in the independent circuits and finally find a spot in the WWE, making the most out of it. The best examples for that being CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.
There are others who don’t spend as much time travelling around the world, but fit the mould of “superstars” the WWE looks for. Having the right physical attributes goes a long way in being successful in the WWE, but having the right people looking after you is something that guarantees success in the company. Whether you talk about the Kliq or backstage politics, the practice of making “friends in higher places” has been one of the most common ways for superstars to get the top spot in the company. You have the Batistas and Ortons who were handpicked by Triple H to become the future of the WWE. There is one other guy who was handpicked by Triple H to be the face of the organization. He is none other than “The Great White”, Sheamus.
Sheamus was booked to win the WWE title way too soon; WWE tried to repeat the Brock Lesnar story, but it fell flat. Sheamus started in the wrestling business in mid 2000s, and worked in promotions in the United Kingdom. He then signed with the WWE and was sent to its former territorial organization, FCW, where he became the FCW champion. He then debuted on ECW as a villainous character, going through the ECW performers, and was then drafted to RAW. Sheamus was pushed as a monster heel, and he started taking out the performers such as Jamie Noble, forcing him (kayfabe) to retire.
He was then placed in a program for the WWE championship, and his first match for the title was against Cena, which Sheamus won. Now, I don’t have a problem with Sheamus winning the WWE title, but his act wore out soon afterwards. Sheamus became yet another generic heel in the WWE. He lost the WWE title, but won it back after a few months. Sheamus then dropped the title to Randy Orton and won the King of the Ring tournament. He then defeated Daniel Bryan to win the WWE United States championship, and was drafted to Smackdown. After dropping the United States title, Sheamus went after the World Heavyweight championship after he won the Royal Rumble in 2012.
Sheamus then faced Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania for the World Heavyweight championship, and defeated Bryan in under 18 seconds to win the world title. Sheamus then held the title for 7 months before losing it to the Big Show. Sheamus since then has been plagued by injuries, and hasn’t been able to perform regularly on the roster.
Sheamus has stacked up an impressive resume within a short span of time. Sheamus is a natural heel, and has been a bland babyface, often being monotonous and boring. There have been individuals more deserving of the push Sheamus received, and even though he was entertaining as the dominant monster heel, his only other entertaining contribution has been saying “Fella”, which doesn’t speak much about his credentials. He has also been very green in the ring, which hasn’t done him any favours.
Sheamus has been ordinary in the ring, and is generic on the mic. I honestly cannot remember one segment of his that stands out. For the first couple of years, WWE pushed Sheamus even though he didn’t get over with the fans. Sheamus is currently out of action due to a torn labrum, and will take about 4 – 6 months off due to the injury. Sheamus wasn’t ready to win the WWE championship, but with WWE trying to make him the next “big thing” in the company, he was given the opportunity to hold the title. Sheamus hasn’t been anything but ordinary, and his push came too soon for his own good. This places him at number 9 in our list of the top 10 overrated superstars in the WWE.
Read other articles in the series here: Top 10 overrated performers in WWE