Highlights
- Sheamus, a WWE superstar, has had a successful career and will likely be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame someday.
- Despite his many accomplishments, Sheamus wasn't always beloved by fans when he was a top babyface for WWE from 2011 to 2014.
- Sheamus' babyface run in 2012 went wrong due to negative reactions, character development criticism, and a desire from fans for him to turn heel again.
WWE SmackDown superstar Sheamus will no doubt be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame once his career ends. Someone who's a multiple-time world champion in WWE and has had countless classic matches over the years, Sheamus has established himself as a success story in WWE. However, there were times when he was not always the most beloved WWE superstar in the eyes of the fans, especially when he was one of the top babyfaces for WWE.
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The Legacy Of Sheamus In WWE
Sheamus has been an active member of the WWE main roster for almost fifteen years since debuting on WWE ECW in mid-2009. Throughout his in-ring career, he has become one of the most decorated WWE superstars of the modern era, as he's a former three-time WWE Championship, a former World Heavyweight Championship, a former King of the Ring winner, a Royal Rumble winner, and many more accolades. Based on this, there's no doubt in anyone's mind that Sheamus will likely get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame someday, maybe even when he's still wrestling on the active roster.
Many fans and critics alike have grown to appreciate Sheamus' talents as a heavyweight, feeling he's one of the most underappreciated WWE superstars in history. However, despite the respect many have for his accomplishments, he wasn't always beloved by the WWE fans. In fact, when Sheamus was positioned as the top babyface for WWE from 2011 to 2014, like many top WWE babyfaces, he was one of the most polarizing superstars on the roster.
When Sheamus turned babyface in 2011 after moving to the SmackDown brand that year, he was quickly on his way to becoming WWE's next breakout star. He was initially getting over with the WWE fans during the early stages of his babyface run, especially after he won the Royal Rumble 2012 match and earned a shot for the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 28.
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How Did Sheamus' Babyface Run Go Wrong In 2012?
The night Sheamus won the World Heavyweight Championship from Daniel Bryan in eighteen seconds at WrestleMania 28 was the beginning of the end of his babyface run. Due to the growing popularity of Daniel Bryan, newly-crowned World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus had to deal with a hostile live on the Monday Night Raw episode after WrestleMania 28.
Despite receiving a negative reaction surrounding his World Heavyweight Title victory, he held on to the belt for over six months, delivering many quality championship matches against opponents like Dolph Ziggler, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, and The Big Show. However, throughout those six months, even though Sheamus got positioned as the number-two babyface of the company, especially with CM Punk turning heel in 2012, his character development was subjected to heavy criticism.
Sheamus went from the aggressive heel to acting like any other typical superhero-like babyface of the PG era, especially constantly relying on comedy. Furthermore, after losing the World Heavyweight Championship to The Big Show at Hell in a Cell 2012, WWE fans eventually became sick of his babyface run, desperately wanting him to turn heel again.
Before Sheamus took time off in mid-2013 to recover from injuries, the crowd reactions he got were getting more hostile towards him. That same year, Sheamus was involved in a rivalry with Mark Henry, in which many critics criticized his character during that feud as unlikable despite being the babyface, especially when taking on Henry in an arm wrestling challenge on a May 2013 episode of SmackDown.
Sheamus Turns Heel Again In 2015
Sheamus continued his babyface run until mid-2015 when he turned heel on Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler on the Monday Night Raw episode after WrestleMania 31, debuting a new look upon returning to his natural roots. That same year, he won his fourth world title when he won the WWE Championship against Roman Reigns at Survivor Series 2015, although his title reign only lasted less than a month.
RELATED: Sheamus Says WWE Making A Mistake With Money in the Bank Ladder MatchWhether as a babyface or a heel, Sheamus had gone through many struggles throughout his WWE career regarding the booking of his on-screen character. However, in the end, he has already racked up an impressive WWE career for himself, currently thriving as the main figure of The Brawling Brutes on SmackDown with Ridge Holland and Butch.
