Nowadays, rising WWE talents make their major debuts on the “WWE SmackDown” and “WWE Raw” brands. Back in 2009, however, the wrestling company offered a third platform, WWE ECW.
For former WWE Champion Sheamus, his main roster journey traces back to that now-defunct brand, with his official debut facing Oliver John on the June 30, 2009 edition of ECW. The Celtic Warrior ultimately walked away with the win, but not without a sense of nervousness behind it.
“I remember my debut was in 09. I remember it was on ECW, and we’re on the West Coast, so usually ECW is taped, so if something happened, they could quickly edit the post before it went live,” Sheamus recalled.The Culligans.” “It was on Syfy at the time, but since we’re on the West Coast, it had to be live because we’re three hours behind the East Coast. So basically 5:00 when it went on so no time to edit. I was one and ready. I got out of there. I had a guy called Oliver John and he was great. I’m nervous about it.”
In his early years with WWE, Sheamus stated that he was “extremely” nervous for fear of making mistakes. Fortunately, he spent time in WWE’s developmental system and participated in dark matches to make himself more comfortable, and in turn prepare him for his eventual rise.
Sheamus defeated John in quick fashion at ECW, courtesy of a Brogue Kick and a backbreaker. Less than six months later, he defeated the company’s top star John Cena to become the WWE Champion.
Sheamus wanted more substance storylines in WWE
Sheamus spent nearly 20 years under the WWE banner, with notable feuds against Cena, Triple H, Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, and GUNTER. In the words of “The Celtic Warrior” himself, however, none have felt like a true story of substance.
“I wasn’t really getting a lot of stories. I didn’t have the luxury. So I went out there and just put on the best game I possibly could,” Sheamus said. “I would get something out of my opponents that no one else could get out of them. And when they went through me, it was their job to maintain that intensity, but no one could match my intensity. No one could match my physicality.”
Several current and former WWE stars have signed up citing Sheamus as the hardest ring puncher they’ve ever faced. Sheamus himself confirmed that he never stopped them from physically hitting him right back. In fact, he encouraged it, both for the sake of his opponent and the audience following him.
“People love to see a fight,” said Sheamus. “They want to see a person give something, a character, a wrestler, whatever you want to call it, they want to see something different. Inner hunger and strife within them. I was proud to get it out of them. That was my strength. Would I have liked a lot more stories and stuff like that? Of course I would.
The multiple world champion left WWE after reportedly turning down a restructured contract extension offer. He officially hit the free agency market earlier this month.
If you use any of the quotes from this article, please credit “The Cooligans” with ah/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
