Celtic pride: Why Sheamus is a true son of Ireland

It’s an understatement to say that Sheamus stands out in a crowd. With his fiery red shock of hair and his unusually white complexion, the No.1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship certainly isn’t hard to spot. But where The Great White does blend in is with his connection to traditional Irish values and the culture of his ancestors.

So, with St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, it’s only fitting that WWE.com shines a green spotlight on the Dublin-born Superstar and takes a closer look at the celebrated Irish traits that make up this modern-day Celtic Warrior.

 

Sheamus’ success has always included a strong bit of luck. Coming off a dominant run in ECW, his emergence on Raw in 2009 proved no exception. Once there, The Great White wasted no time in chasing down Raw’s biggest fish, John Cena, and a heated rivalry quickly ensued. The colossal collision between the WWE Champion Cena and the rapidly ascending Superstar Sheamus reached its apex in the form of a Tables Match at WWE TLC 2009.

And, while it was the up-and-coming challenger who walked out of San Antonio, Texas, as the first-ever Irish born WWE Champion, one can argue that The Great White was more lucky than legendary that night.

After a brutal back-and-forth battle, Sheamus found himself in an unenviable position on the top rope. Cena had his opponent primed for what would surely be a monstrous superplex into a table set up in the ring below, thus ending the bout and ensuring Cena’s retention of the title.

But that was not meant to be.

Instead, it was Cena, precariously trying to hurl Sheamus from the ropes, who would ultimately drop to his defeat. Perhaps it was because Cena’s opponent had pummeled the champion throughout the bout and he was just too exhausted to capitalize on the moment. Or perhaps Cena simply lost his footing at the wrong time. No matter the reason, it was clear that the luck of the Irish rang true.

Less than six months after his WWE debut, Sheamus shocked the WWE Universe by claiming the WWE Championship, thus signaling a changing of the guard and proving an old saying right.

One dominant trait that has certainly made its way down the generations from his Celtic ancestors is Sheamus’ fiery temper. In years past, the Superstar walked through the halls of WWE with a very different demeanor than the affable personality he’s known for possessing today. Still, even now, when he gets angry, opponents better watch out for flashes of Sheamus’ legendary temper.

Just ask Santino Marella about inciting the wrath of The Great White.

Back in 2010, Santino and Sheamus didn’t exactly see eye to eye. So, in an effort to appease his increasingly annoyed adversary, Santino decided to throw Sheamus a tea party when Raw traveled to Great Britain.

The Italian Superstar, who has a penchant to mispronounce names, continually called The Celtic Warrior “Shay-Moose” and, though trying his best to befriend the fire-haired Sheamus, Santino only made matters worse.

Give Sheamus some credit, though. He was able to keep his cool for a while, but when Santino — hands shaking for fear of The Celtic Warrior sitting across from him — spilled hot tea on his lap, The Great White exploded. Sheamus threw the table over, sending Santino’s tea party — and his attempt at friendship — crashing to the canvas.

Possessing a warrior’s lineage, fighting is in Sheamus’ blood. A grappler born, The Celtic Warrior is predisposed to tenacity, making him genetically incapable of backing down from a fight. Case in point, when no one else in the SmackDown locker room was willing to take on Mark Henry during a particularly brutal run of the big man’s epic Hall of Pain, Sheamus just couldn’t pass up a challenge to take on the enormous Superstar.

In July 2011, Mark Henry demanded that SmackDown General Manager Teddy Long provide him with “real” competition. But after Henry tore through opponents at a frightening clip, Long declared that there just wasn’t a SmackDown Superstar left willing to face The World’s Strongest Man.

Cue Sheamus’ music.

The Gaelic grappler entered the ring and confidently stated, "Teddy, if you’re looking for a fella to fight him ... I’ll fight him."

With that proclamation, Sheamus stood face to face with the gigantic Henry and the two imposing Superstars stared one another down. "The problem is," Henry shouted, "You talk too much!" Sheamus’ response? A thunderous slap across the face of The World’s Strongest Man, signaling to the entire WWE Universe that The Celtic Warrior backs down from no man.

Recently, Sheamus took his tenacious spirit to new heights heading into the 25thAnniversary of the Royal Rumble. He made clear his intentions to fulfill his WrestleMania dream by winning the 30-man over-the-top-rope match. Despite the long odds of that particular bout, Sheamus did exactly as he said, outlasting and conquering 29 other Superstars in epic fashion.

Now, The Great White finds himself charging head-first into the main event at WrestleMania, where he’ll take on Daniel Bryan and try to claim the World Heavyweight Championship for the first time in his career.