Stephen Farrelly (born 28 January 1978) is an Irish professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring nameSheamus.
Farrelly was inspired to become a professional wrestler by watching British wrestling on World of Sport and American wrestling via the WWF.[15] Following advice given to him by Bret Hart,[14] he began training at Larry Sharpe's Monster Factory wrestling school in April 2002,[8] alongside Tank Toland and Cliff Compton.[14] Six weeks later, he officially debuted as a fan favorite against Robert Pigeon under the name Sheamus O'Shaunessy. After hitting an opponent in the groin, he gained the nickname of the "Irish Curse"[13] (a reference to a slang term supposedly denoting a man's inability to perform sexually after consuming an excessive amount of whiskey).[17] He soon suffered a serious neck injury after botching a hip toss,[14] sidetracking his career for two years.[8]
In May 2004, still using the ring name Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Farrelly returned to wrestling at the newly opened Irish Whip Wrestling (IWW) school in Dublin. He then made his debut match for the promotion at their Mount Temple show on 9 July, facing Mark Burns in a winning effort.[9] He went on to win a battle royal the following month.
Sheamus O'Shaunessy after retaining the IWW International Heavyweight Championship in November 2005
O'Shaunessy spent the rest of the year engaged in a rivalry with Vid Vain after losing to his tag team partner Joey Cabray the same night he won the battle royal. On 22 and 23 October they traded wins,[18][19] leading to O'Shaunessy recruiting help from CJ Summers to help defeat the tag team on 24 October.[20] O'Shaunessy was still unsuccessful to defeat Vain in singles action the following day.[21] Despite these losses, his impressive showings earned him a place against Alex Shane in a guest match for the Frontier Wrestling Alliance (FWA) British Heavyweight Championship.[22] Although he put on a proficient exhibit and came close to win, his friend Red Vinny interfered in the match and cost him the championship.[9]
In March 2005, he avenged this loss by teaming with Raven to defeat Shane and Vinny.[23] This victory was part of a winning streak over the end of March where O'Shaunessy wrestled twice a day on 24, 25, 26 – including an 11-man Rumble win – and 27 March with a standard tag match and a ten-man tag team match.[23][24][25][26] This series of victories, aside from one loss by disqualification to Vain,[25] put him to a good form for the one-day tournament held in County Kildare to crown the inaugural IWW International Heavyweight Champion. On 28 March, O'Shaunessy put an end to his main rivalries when he defeated Vinny and then Vain in the quarter and semi finals, respectively.[27] He met Darren Burridge in the final match and won to become IWW's first champion,[citation needed] but had to compete again in an evening show in Dublin, defeating Burridge and Vinny once more in a tag match alongside Vain.[28]
O'Shaunessy's first successful title defence came against Burridge the following month[29] but Burridge would not let his grudge rest, continuing to attack O'Shaunessy and finally costing him the title during a match against D'Lo Brown on 29 May.[9][30] O'Shaunessy earned revenge in July by defeating Burridge in a grudge match,[31] though lost to him in an arm wrestling contest the following day.[32] Still, he continued on his quest to regain the title[9] by winning a contendership three-way match against Vinny and Red Viper in August[33] setting him up to regain the International Heavyweight Championship in October from Brown in Newcastle upon Tyne in England.[34]
After defending his title against Vampiro[35] and Viper,[36] O'Shaunessy found himself embroiled in a new feud with rising Scottish wrestling star "Thee" Drew Galloway, whom he later admitted was his toughest opponent.[37] On 28 January 2006, he received his first championship match, evolving their rivalry from previous non-title contests.[38] The rivalry quickly took on a patriotic flavour, with Galloway's blue colours of Scotland clashing O'Shaunnesy's green colours of Ireland, mirroring the Old Firmfootballderby between Rangers and Celtic, respectively.[39] This football allusion became particularly prominent when the two met again at Verona Football Club again for the title, though the match changed into a Lumberjack match, the result and champion remained the same.[40]
With Galloway defeated, O'Shaunessy continued to dominate by again defending his title against Vampiro on 17 March.[41] Galloway earned himself a two out of three falls match against the champion the following day, however, which O'Shaunessy won two falls to one;[42] the next day produced the same result[43] in a match O'Shaunessy claimed was his best on the independent circuit.[37] With Galloway briefly answered, O'Shaunessy took on the newcomer Pierre Marcaeu and defeated him in two successive title matches only to find Galloway had earned another shot.[44][45] With their rivalry intensifying, Galloway's next challenge to O'Shaunnesy was given the stipulation of a Last Man Standing match. O'Shaunessy retained the title,[46] as he also did in June with the same stipulation.[47] Finally, on 28 August, O'Shaunessy lost the IWW International Heavyweight Championship in a singles match to Galloway in what would be his last appearance with the promotion.[48][49]
British promotions (2005–2007)
As well as wrestling in Ireland, O'Shaunessy occasionally traveled to Great Britain to make appearances on the British independent circuit. In April 2006 he was brought into Wales' Celtic Wrestling promotion as a contender for their top title but was defeated by the champion, Chris Recall.[50] Later that year in November, he was employed by London's LDN Wrestling to appear on their Capital TV show where, after quickly defeating William Hill, he gained an LDN Championship match against Tex Benedict which ended with Benedict winning by disqualification and O'Shaunessy attacking him after the match.[51]
During his time overseas he worked for Brian Dixon's All Star Wrestling,[52] which gave him a taste of large audiences that he had not experienced in Ireland,[14] as well as wrestling English veteran Robbie Brookside and other British wrestlers, including Nigel McGuinness and Doug Williams.[14] He also represented the UK in a Battle of the Nations tag team match between the UK and Austria alongside Drew McDonald and The Celtic Warrior in a losing effort against Chris Raaber, Michael Kovac, and Robert Ray Kreuzer at the European Wrestling Association's Night of Gladiators.[53]
As well as making top contender appearances based on his growing reputation, O'Shaunessy also brought with him to Britain his long-standing rivalry with Galloway. He had already wrestled in Galloway's home promotion, British Championship Wrestling (BCW), twice in 2005, losing to Jay Phoenix on the day before Phoenix lost to Galloway in March,[54] and returning in September to defeat one of BCW's top stars, Wolfgang, via countout.[55] In the middle of their IWW feud the following year, O'Shaunessy went back to Scotland to take part in BCW's Path To Glory tour, defeating Galloway on the first night[56] but conceding a loss to him the next night in May.[57] Though their feud finished in Ireland in August 2006, it continued on across the Irish Sea when the two wrestled for the umbrella promotion Real Quality Wrestling (RQW) the following year. The two first met during April's Taking On The World show which ended in a double countout.[58] The lack of a decision led to a rematch in June, and one of O'Shaunessy's last on the independent circuit, where Galloway picked up the victory in a No Holds Barred match ahead of an RQW Heavyweight Championship match.[59]
World Wrestling Entertainment/WWE
Early appearances and developmental territories (2006–2009)
On 13 November 2006, O'Shaunessy and English wrestler Stu Sanders appeared on the World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) show Raw at the Manchester Evening News Arena, as part of the security team ejecting D-Generation X (DX) from ringside, only for O'Shaunessy to later receive a Pedigree from Triple H.[8][60] The following day, he and Drew Galloway had a tryout match against each other. In April 2007, he received another set of tryout matches in Milan and London against Galloway, as well as Sanders, WWE talent Jimmy Wang Yang, and Monster Factory alumnus Domino.[61] This led to an offer and signing of a developmental contract with WWE, at which point he relocated to the United States.[8]
Sheamus lost the Florida Heavyweight Championship to Eric Escobar, who is seen here in an armbar
O'Shaunessy debuted for the WWE developmental territoryFlorida Championship Wrestling (FCW) on 2 October in a double-debut match with a win over Bryan Kelly. While wrestling regularly, he was not part of any long feuds but did wrestle with a number of short-term tag teams alongside Hade Vansen[62] and Jake Hager before teaming with Kafu (and managed by Dave Taylor) in the tournament to crown the inaugural FCW Florida Tag Team Champions. They advanced past the first round after defeating The British Lions ("Thee Superstar" Christopher Gray and "The Rascal" Tommy Taylor), but lost to Brad Allen and Nick Nemeth in the second round.[63]
By September, O'Shaunessy had focused his attention on singles competition and wrestled his way to the top of the card, successfully defeating former partner Hager for the Florida Heavyweight Championship.[6] He defended the title against Hager on 23 October and took on a number of competitors, with Eric Escobar and Joe Hennig consistently earning themselves into contention. Eventually, on 11 December, O'Shaunessy lost the title to Escobar in a four-way match also involving Hennig and Drew McIntyre (formerly Drew Galloway).[63]
O'Shaunessy spent 2009 continuing to chase gold, earning two shots in January and February at the Florida Tag Team Champions Johnny Curtis and Tyler Reks, but he and Ryback were unsuccessful in both attempts. In March he challenged the two for the titles again, this time with McIntyre as his partner, but could not defeat them, nor could he defeat McIntyre for the Florida Heavyweight Championship the following month. He received a series of chances throughout the rest of the year, but could not win any more titles before being called up to WWE television,[64] unsuccessfully challenging Justin Angel for the Florida Heavyweight Championship in November.[65]
On 22 July 2008, O'Shaunessy worked a dark match at a SmackDown taping, losing to R-Truth.[66] The following year in May, O'Shaunessy began appearing at the Raw brand's house shows, and on both 8 and 9 May he defeated Jamie Noble[8][67][68] along with another dark match victory over Noble before an episode of Raw.[citation needed]
WWE Champion (2009–2010)
On 30 June 2009 episode of ECW, Farrelly made his unannounced debut as a villain under the shortened ring name of Sheamus, quickly defeating local competitor Oliver John.[2][69] Sheamus soon entered into a critically well-received[70] rivalry with Goldust after defeating him on 29 July.[71] After exchanging victories in the following weeks[71][72] they competed in a no disqualification match on 1 September which was won by Sheamus.[70] Sheamus then began a feud with Shelton Benjamin which was hot-shot into a deciding match on 27 October which Sheamus won.[73]
His rivalry with Benjamin ended prematurely when Sheamus was moved to the Raw brand. He made his Raw debut by defeating Jamie Noble on 26 October.[74] In the following weeks, he continued to attack Noble causing him to retire,[75] and, in lieu of competition, assaulted the timekeeper and commentator Jerry Lawler on 16 November.[76] The following week Sheamus appeared on his first WWE pay-per-view event, Survivor Series, on 22 November, when he was part of The Miz's team in a traditional five-on-five elimination tag team match. He eliminated fellow Irishman Finlay and made the final pinfall to eliminate the opposing captain John Morrison and survive along with The Miz and longtime former rival Drew McIntyre.
The following night on Raw, Sheamus won a "break-through" battle royal for wrestlers who had never won a world championship, to become the number one contender to John Cena's WWE Championship. At the contract signing immediately afterward, Sheamus put Cena through the table, and the Raw guest host, Jesse Ventura, announced it would be a Tables match.[77] On 13 December at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view, Sheamus defeated Cena to win the WWE Championship, his first championship in WWE,[78] making him the first Irish-born WWE Champion.[15] He also captured the major title in just 166 days since his WWE debut, making it the third shortest time to capture a title since his WWE/ECW debut.[79] The following night on Raw, Sheamus was awarded the 2009 Breakout Superstar of the Year Slammy Award. He would make his first title defense on the final Raw of 2009, getting disqualified in a rematch against Cena.[80] On 31 January 2010 at the Royal Rumble, Sheamus defeated Randy Orton by disqualification to retain the WWE Championship, following interference from Orton's teammate Cody Rhodes.[81] On 21 February, Sheamus lost the WWE Championship at the Elimination Chamber pay-per-view in the Elimination Chamber match after he was eliminated by Triple H.[82] During the match, Sheamus suffered a concussion and as a result did not attend Raw the following night.[83][84] Upon his return, he attacked Triple H in revenge, setting up a match at WrestleMania XXVI on 28 March where Sheamus lost.[85][86] At Extreme Rules on 25 April, Sheamus attacked Triple H at the beginning of the show and later defeated him in a Street Fight. After a series of kicks to the head to win, he continued his assault after the match finished resulting in Triple H being written off television for ten months.[87]
On 20 June at Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view, Sheamus won a fatal four-way match, following interference from The Nexus that allowed him to pin John Cena, winning the WWE Championship for the second time and being named the one-hundredth WWE Champion in history.[88][89] He defeated Cena in a steel cage match to retain the championship on 18 July at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, after The Nexus interfered again.[90] He retained the title against Randy Orton on 15 August at SummerSlam by disqualification.[91] On 19 September at Night of Champions, Sheamus lost the WWE Championship to Randy Orton in a six-pack elimination challenge, which also included Chris Jericho, Edge, John Cena, and Wade Barrett.[92] Sheamus received his rematch for the title on 3 October at Hell in a Cell, but was again defeated by Orton in a Hell in a Cell match.[93]
He bounced back on 29 November, with wins over Kofi Kingston and John Morrison to become the 2010King of the Ring, after receiving a bye through the second round.[94] As "King Sheamus", he faced Morrison again on 19 December at the TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs pay-per-view for a future WWE Championship match, but lost in a ladder match.[95] Going into 2011, he continued to lose to Morrison in a mixture of singles and tag team matches.[96][97] Triple H returned on 28 February and took revenge for his scripted ten-month injury by putting Sheamus through the announce table.[98]
On 7 March, after losing a match against Daniel Bryan, Sheamus challenged him to a rematch with his WWE career on the line against Bryan's United States Championship.[99] He won his match against Bryan the following week, winning his first United States title.[100] The rematch between Sheamus and Bryan took place on 3 April, during the pre-show of WrestleMania XXVII, and ended in a draw after interference from the lumberjacks.[101] The next night on Raw, Sheamus retained the United States Championship against Bryan in a rematch.[102] In the 2011 Supplemental Draft, Sheamus was drafted to the SmackDown brand, and made his SmackDown debut on 29 April by attacking Kofi Kingston. He brought the United States Championship to SmackDown, but lost it back to the Raw brand at Extreme Rules on 1 May when Kingston defeated him in a Tables match.[103][104]
On 3 June episode of SmackDown, Sheamus lost a World Heavyweight Championship match to Randy Orton due to biased refereeing from Christian.[105] Two weeks later, he lost a match to Christian, ending his chance to compete in the World Heavyweight Championship match at Capitol Punishment on 19 June.[106] At Money in the Bank on 17 July, he competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match for a World Heavyweight Championship match contract, but lost.[107] On 29 July episode of SmackDown, Sheamus started a feud with Mark Henry over Henry being a bully, turning face in the process. At SummerSlam on 14 August, he lost to Henry via countout. Sheamus went on a fourteen match winning streak that ended after interference from Christian, with whom he had been feuding.[108][109] During this time, Sheamus defeated Christian in three consecutive matches at Hell in a Cell on 2 October, Vengeance on 23 October, and on SmackDown.[110][111][112] He then went on a twelve match winning streak[113] building towards winning the Royal Rumble on 29 January 2012. He entered the match twenty-second and won by last eliminating Chris Jericho to earn a main event championship match at WrestleMania XXVIII.[114]
On 19 February at Elimination Chamber, Sheamus attacked World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan after Bryan retained his title, thus challenging Bryan the World Heavyweight Championship on 1 April at WrestleMania XXVIII, which Sheamus won in a record 18 seconds.[115][116] On 6 April episode of SmackDown, Sheamus lost to Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match by disqualification, thus earning Del Rio a future title match and starting a feud between the two.[117] On 29 April at Extreme Rules, Sheamus successfully defended the World Heavyweight Championship against Bryan in a two out-of-three falls match.[118] Sheamus then returned to his feud with Del Rio which eventually began to include Chris Jericho and Randy Orton.[119] The rivalry between them culminated in a fatal-four-way match for the World Heavyweight Championship on 20 May at Over the Limit, where Sheamus pinned Jericho to retain the title.[120] Del Rio earned another title shot on 25 May episode of SmackDown, but suffered a concussion a week before their match at No Way Out and was subsequently replaced by Dolph Ziggler; Sheamus retained the title in their match at the event on 17 June.[121][122][123][124][125] Sheamus went on to retain the title against Del Rio and Ziggler over the next few months, including at Money in the Bank on 15 July, SummerSlam on 19 August, and Night of Champions on 16 September.[126][127][128][129] On 28 October at Hell in a Cell, Sheamus lost the World Heavyweight Championship to Big Show, ending his reign, which was the third longest in the title's history, at 210 days.[130]
Sheamus faced Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship on November at Survivor Series, defeating Big Show by disqualification, failing to win the title. Afterward, Sheamus repeatedly hit Big Show with a steel chair.[131] This led to a Chairs match on 16 December at TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs, where Sheamus again failed to regain the title.[132] On 24 December episode of Raw, Sheamus defeated Big Show in a non-title lumberjack match.[133]
On 27 January 2013, at the Royal Rumble, Sheamus entered the Royal Rumble at number eleven, eliminating five other superstars before Ryback eliminated him.[134] After being a frequent target of The Shield,[135] Sheamus gained vengeance on the stable when he united with John Cena and Ryback to attack them.[136] This culminated in a six-man tag team match at Elimination Chamber, where the Shield emerged victorious.[137] In late February, Sheamus aligned himself with Randy Orton to feud with The Shield.[138] Over the next weeks, Sheamus and Orton saved each other from attacks by The Shield and Big Show.[139][140] On 15 March episode of SmackDown, Sheamus and Orton were then allowed to pick a third partner to face the Shield in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania 29 and chose Ryback.[141] Three days later on Raw, however, Ryback was booked for another match at WrestleMania, leaving the spot open. Later that night, Big Show saved the two from an attack by The Shield and was recruited as their partner.[142][143] On 7 April at WrestleMania 29, Sheamus, Orton and Big Show were defeated by The Shield, after which both men were knocked out by Big Show.[144] The following night on Raw, Sheamus and Orton faced off in a match to earn a match with Big Show, however, the match ended in a no contest after Big Show interfered.[145] Sheamus and Orton then defeated Big Show in two handicap matches on SmackDown and Raw.[146][147]
Later that month, Sheamus re-entered a feud with Mark Henry after the two repeatedly attacked each other backstage.[148] Sheamus and Henry then challenged each other in tests of strength, but with Sheamus unable to best Henry, he resorted to attacking Henry.[149][150] After Sheamus attacked a commentary-bound Henry during a match, Henry whipped Sheamus with a belt, prompting a strap match on 19 May at Extreme Rules, where Sheamus emerged victorious.[151][152] Sheamus then began feuding with Damien Sandow, when Sandow hosted a series of mental challenges on SmackDown, and Sheamus repeatedly interrupted and tried to solve the challenges. However, when Sheamus failed to solve the puzzles, he instead resorted to physical violence.[153][154][155] On 16 June, during the Payback pre-show, Sheamus defeated Sandow in a singles match.[156] The following night on Raw, Sheamus was defeated by Sandow and Cody Rhodes in a handicap match after Sandow pinned him with a roll-up.[157] The rivalry culminated in a Dublin Street Fight on 28 June episode of SmackDown, where Sheamus emerged victorious.[158] On 14 July at Money in the Bank, Sheamus competed in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Randy Orton.[159] During the match, Sheamus suffered a hematoma on his left thigh after being thrown into a horizontal ladder, which prevented him from competing that week.[160] Sheamus returned to in-ring action on 22 July episode of Raw, losing to World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match.[161] On 7 August, WWE confirmed Sheamus had suffered a torn labrum in his shoulder that would require surgery, and was expected to miss between four and six months of ring action.[162][163]
On 26 January 2014, at the Royal Rumble, Sheamus returned as a surprise entrant in the Royal Rumble match; he was eliminated by Roman Reigns in the final three.[164] The following night on Raw, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, and John Cena qualified for the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship; he was eliminated by Christian in the match. This began a brief feud leading up to WrestleMania, in which Sheamus consistently was victorious. He was part of the final four in the André the Giant Memorial battle royal at WrestleMania XXX on 6 April, before he and Alberto Del Rio eliminated each other.[165] On 14 April, Sheamus participated in the Intercontinental Championship number one contender tournament, which was held on Raw. He advanced to the next round by defeating Jack Swagger, before losing to Bad News Barrett in the semi-finals on 21 April.[166][167]
On 5 May episode of Raw, Sheamus won a 20-man battle royal to win the United States Championship for the second time, last eliminating previous champion Dean Ambrose. Sheamus then began feuding with Cesaro and his manager Paul Heyman, culminating in a match between Sheamus and Cesaro for the title at Payback on 1 June, which Sheamus won. On 9 June, Sheamus defeated Bad News Barrett to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship; the match was won by John Cena on 29 June.[168] Sheamus was in the Intercontinental Championship battle royal at Battleground on 20 July; the match was won by The Miz. Sheamus successfully defended the title against Cesaro at Night of Champions on 21 September, and The Miz at Hell in a Cell on 26 October.[169][170] He lost the title to Rusev on 3 November, in a match which aired exclusively on the WWE Network ending his reign at 182 days.[171] Following this, Sheamus was written off television when he and Big Show were attacked by Rusev and Mark Henry, allowing Sheamus time off for surgery.[172][173]
"For months, Sheamus had been in a lower-level position, sometimes comedic, sometimes in a tag team but never presented or treated as the threat-in-waiting for the champion on a consistent basis".
Pro Wrestling Insider writer Mike Johnson describes Sheamus' storyline position before winning the world title in 2015[174]
On 30 March episode of Raw, Sheamus returned from injury, having drastically changed his look, including a mohawk and braided beard, appearing to save Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler from an attack by Bad News Barrett, but then attacked Bryan and Ziggler instead, turning heel in the process for the first time since 2011.[175][176] Sheamus then explained his heel turn and new attitude by claiming that "the era of underdogs is over", resulting in a feud with Ziggler.[177] On 16 April episode of SmackDown, Sheamus announced that he would face Ziggler in a Kiss Me Arse match at Extreme Rules on 26 April, which he lost.[178] However, Sheamus refused to follow the stipulation, and instead made Ziggler kiss his arse, despite losing.[179] At Payback on 17 May, Sheamus defeated Ziggler in a rematch.[180] At Elimination Chamber on 31 May, Sheamus participated in the Elimination Chamber match for the vacant Intercontinental Championship, but was unsuccessful as the match was won by Ryback.[181] At Money in the Bank on 14 June, Sheamus won the Money in the Bank ladder match to earn a WWE World Heavyweight Championship contract.[182] Sheamus then began a feud with Randy Orton, who was also part of the ladder match, with both men attacking each other and facing off in tag-team matches. Sheamus lost to Orton at Battleground on 19 July, but defeated Orton at SummerSlam on 23 August.[183][184]
The League of Nations in April 2016
In November, Sheamus competed in the tournament for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Championship, being eliminated in the first round by Cesaro. At Survivor Series on 22 November, Sheamus cashed in his Money in the Bank contract and defeated newly crowned champion Roman Reigns, after he refused to shake hands with Triple H, to win the title, thus aligning with Triple H and The Authority.[185] On 30 November episode of Raw, Sheamus announced that he had formed his own stable called The League of Nations with Alberto Del Rio, Rusev and King Barrett, with the members of which having been born outside the U.S., while remaining associated with the Authority. In addition, he proclaimed his championship reign as "Sheamus 5:15", a play on Austin 3:16 and Reigns' short-lived title reign of five minutes and 15 seconds.[186]
At TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs on 13 December, Sheamus defeated Reigns in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match after interference from The League of Nations. After the match, Reigns attacked Sheamus and Triple H.[187] This resulted in a rematch the following night on Raw for the title with the stipulation that Reigns would be fired should he lose. Despite interference from chairman Mr. McMahon, Sheamus lost the title, ending his reign at 22 days.[188] On 4 January 2016 episode of Raw, he failed to regain the title from Reigns with McMahon as special guest referee.[189] On 24 January 2016, Sheamus entered the Royal Rumble at number 29, where he made to the final four, before being eliminated by Reigns.[190][191]
At Fastlane on 21 February, WWE Tag Team ChampionsThe New Day began mocking The League of Nations, calling them the "league of booty". They continued to mock The League of Nations in various segments and skits while simultaneously feuding with other teams.[192] At Roadblock on 12 March, Sheamus and Barrett unsuccessfully challenged for the WWE Tag Team Championship.[193] The next night on Raw, The New Day defeated Del Rio and Rusev, prompting all four members of The League to attack The New Day after the match. The League of Nations then challenged and defeated The New Day in a six-man tag team match at WrestleMania 32 on 3 April. After the match, they were confronted and attacked by Mick Foley, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Shawn Michaels.[194] The next night on Raw, Barrett and Sheamus faced The New Day in another tag team title match, in a losing effort. After the match, the League of Nations blamed Barrett for being the "weak link" and attacked him, ejecting him from the group, before the rest of the team was attacked by The Wyatt Family.[195] The feud was suspended within a month as Bray Wyatt suffered an injury, which led to Alberto Del Rio saying that The League might split soon in result.[196]
On 28 April episode of SmackDown, The League of Nations would compete in a six-man tag match against Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Kalisto, however, Del Rio and Rusev walked out during the match. Sheamus, who would do the same, confronted Del Rio and Rusev during a brawl, and said that the league is finished, confirming the end of the group. Del Rio would also confirm in an interview that the group was finished.[197][198] At Money in the Bank on 19 June, he lost to Apollo Crews.[199]
On 19 July at the 2016 WWE draft, Sheamus was drafted to Raw.[200] Sheamus would then begin a rivalry with Cesaro, after losing to Cesaro on 1 August episode of Raw, the two would continue to brawl after the match with match officials having to pull them apart. On 8 August episode of Raw, after losing to Cesaro in a rematch, he would later cost Cesaro the United States Championship after interfering in his main event impromptu match against Rusev. The following week, Raw General Manager Mick Foley booked Sheamus and Cesaro in a Best of Seven Series, with the first match taking place on 21 August on the SummerSlam kick-off show, which Sheamus won. Sheamus would defeat Cesaro in the second and third matches, but lost to Cesaro in the fourth, fifth and sixth matches. At Clash of Champions on 25 September, the match ended in a no contest, leaving their series tied at 3-3. The next night on Raw, Mick Foley decided to make the two partners to receive a future Raw Tag Team Championship opportunity. Later that night, they defeated a few local athletes, but still did not seem to be seeing eye to eye.[201] Sheamus and Cesaro defeated The New Day on 24 October episode of Raw and defeated them by disqualification at Hell in a Cell on 30 October.[202] On 7 November episode of Raw, Sheamus and Cesaro were announced as part of Team Raw for the 10–on–10 Survivor Series Tag Team Elimination match at Survivor Series on 20 November, which Team Raw won with Sheamus and Cesaro being the sole survivors of their team.[203] The next night on Raw, Sheamus and Cesaro again failed to capture Raw Tag Team Championship from The New Day.[204] After hinting at a break-up, the pair got into a bar brawl with men who offended them and finally began to cooperate with each other, thus turning Sheamus into a face.[205] On 18 December at Roadblock: End of the Line, Sheamus and Cesaro defeated The New Day to win the Raw Tag Team Championship, marking Sheamus' first tag team championship in both his WWE and entire wrestling career.[206] On 29 January on the Royal Rumble kickoff show, Sheamus and Cesaro lost the Raw Tag Team Championship to Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson, and failed to regain them after The Hardy Boyz won the title at WrestleMania 33 on 2 April.[207][208]
The following night on Raw, Sheamus and Cesaro defeated Enzo Amore and Big Cass to become the number one contender's for the Raw Tag Team Championship at Payback. At Payback on 30 April, after failing to regain the title, both Sheamus and Cesaro turned heel by attacking The Hardy Boyz.[209] From there, now known as "The Bar", their entrances became further synchronized as they wore the same attire into the ring. They then won a tag team turmoil to earn another opportunity for the tag title at Extreme Rules.[210] The match was made a steel cage match after Matt Hardy defeated Sheamus on 22 May episode of Raw in a match where the winner chose the stipulation for their Extreme Rules bout.[211] At the event on 4 June, The Bar defeated The Hardy Boyz to win the Raw Tag Team Championship for the second time, making Cesaro a three-time champion and Sheamus a two-time champion.[212] The duo made their first televised defence of the title against The Hardy Boyz on 12 June episode of Raw in a two out of three falls match where the two teams tied at 1-1 after being counted out.[213] They defended their title against The Hardy Boyz at the Great Balls of Fire pay-per-view on 9 July in a 30-minute Iron Mantag teammatch by the score 4–3.[214] The Bar lost the Raw Tag Team Championship to Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam on 20 August.[215] The Bar lost their rematch for the title to Rollins and Ambrose at No Mercy on 24 September.[216] They teamed with The Miz, Braun Strowman and Kane against reunited The Shield and Kurt Angle who replaced Roman Reigns after he wasn't medically cleared to compete in a five-on-three TLC match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on 22 October in a losing effort.[217] On 6 November episode of Raw, the duo regained their titles from Rollins and Ambrose, winning the title for the third time.[218] At Survivor Series on 19 November, SmackDown Tag Team Champions they were defeated by The Usos in an interbrand Champion vs Champion match.[219] The Bar later lost the tag team titles to the team of Seth Rollins and Jason Jordan on the Christmas episode of Raw.[220]
On 28 January 2018, The Bar won back the title at Royal Rumble, setting the record for the most reigns as a team at four.[221] Earlier in the Royal Rumble match, Sheamus entered at number 11 and was quickly eliminated by Heath Slater, lasting just one second in the match.[222] Following consecutive losses to Titus Worldwide (Apollo Crews and Titus O'Neil) on Raw, they defended their title against the two at Elimination Chamber, retaining successfully at the event on 25 February.[223] On 12 March episode of Raw, after Braun Strowman single-handedly won a tag team battle royale to determine the number one contenders for their tag titles at WrestleMania 34 although he lacked a partner, Raw General Manager Kurt Angle still allowed Strowman to wrestle for the titles, under the provision that he reveal his mystery partner at the event.[224] At the event on 8 April, Strowman revealed his partner to be a 10 year old fan called Nicholas. The Bar was defeated by Strowman and Nicholas, therefore losing the tag team title and in turn making Nicholas the youngest champion of any kind in WWE history.[225]
On 17 April, Sheamus and Cesaro were both drafted to SmackDown as part of the Superstar Shake-up.[226] Despite the trade, they still had an opportunity to win the Raw Tag Team Championship as they faced Matt Hardy and Bray Wyatt at Greatest Royal Rumble event on 27 April, but failed to win the titles. The Bar entered a short feud with The New Day losing to them and failing to qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match. After going on a hiatus, the duo returned in late July to take part in a number one contendership tournament for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship and beat The Usos to advance to the finals, where they lost to The New Day. After failing to become number one contenders again, the duo finally was gifted a title match. At Super Show-Down event on 6 October, The Bar failed to win the titles. At SmackDown 1000, The Bar won the titles from The New Day with the help of Big Show.[227] They retained against The New Day in a rematch at Crown Jewel on 2 November.[228] The Bar lost to Raw Tag Team Champions AOP in an interbrand Champion vs Champion match at Survivor Series on 18 November.[229] On 27 November episode of SmackDown, they had a backstage argument with Big Show, causing him to break away from the team.[230] At TLC on 16 December, they successfully defended the championship against The Usos and The New Day in a triple threat tag team match.[231] On 8 January episode of SmackDown, they accepted a challenge from The Miz and Shane McMahon,[232] which would lead to a tag team title match at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view on 27 January 2019, where they lost the titles.[233]
The following SmackDown Live, they lost a number one contenders match to The Usos.[234] The Bar defeated Kofi Kingston in a handicap match at Fastlane on 10 March.[235] At WrestleMania 35 on 7 April, The Bar lost to The Usos in a fatal four-way tag team match for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship.[236] At the Raw following WrestleMania, The Bar interrupted a Winner Takes All match between Seth Rollins and Kofi Kingston, resulting in a tag team match. This resulted in "bullshit", "AEW" and "CM Punk" chants from the crowd, voicing their displeasure in the match they were given instead.[237] The next day on SmackDown Live, Sheamus reportedly suffered a concussion in a six-man tag team match with The New Day. Cesaro was drafted to Raw a few weeks later, and later confirmed in an interview that The Bar was over.[238][239]
Return to singles competition (2019–2021)
Sheamus posing backstage at the 2020 Daytona 500, where he drove the pace car for the opening laps of the event
On 19 September, it was reported that Sheamus was healed and ready to return to the ring.[240] On 29 November episode of SmackDown, Sheamus, with his old hairstyle, appeared in a vignette announcing that he will return soon.[241]
On 3 January 2020 episode of SmackDown, Sheamus returned from injury, appearing to save Shorty G from an attack by The Revival (Dash Wilder and Scott Dawson), but then delivered a Brogue Kick to Shorty G.[242] Sheamus then defeated Shorty G at Royal Rumble on 26 January,[243] and on 31 January episode of SmackDown.[244] He began a feud with Jeff Hardy insulting him for his various addiction problems, but was defeated by him in the first round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament on 22 May episode of SmackDown.[245][246] On 29 May, episode of SmackDown, Hardy was "arrested" after crashing his car into Elias, however later in the episode, Hardy would cause a distraction for Sheamus, costing him a match against Daniel Bryan, and attacked Sheamus after the match.[247]
The feud led to a match at Backlash on 14 June, which Sheamus won.[248][249] On 24 July episode of SmackDown Sheamus lost to Hardy in a Bar Fight, ending their feud.[250] Sheamus then started a short feud with Big E after he wanted help from the SmackDown wrestlers against Retribution's attacks, but Sheamus denied and mocked him. Sheamus lost to Big E on 21 August episode of SmackDown, at Payback on 30 August and on 9 October episode of SmackDown, ending their feud.[251][252][253]
As part of the 2020 Draft in October, Sheamus was drafted to the Rawbrand.[254] On 26 October episode of Raw, Sheamus defeated Riddle to qualify for Team Raw at Survivor Series.[255] Later on, he was involved in a triple threat match against Keith Lee and Braun Strowman for the latter's qualification.[256] He also competed in a tag team match with Strowman against Lee and Riddle in a losing effort.[257] At Survivor Series on 22 November, Team Raw defeated Team SmackDown in a clean sweep. Sheamus eliminated Seth Rollins after a Brogue Kick to score the first elimination.[258] In November, Sheamus began a storyline with Drew McIntyre where their real-life friendship was acknowledged. On 30 November episode of Raw, Sheamus was a guest on Miz TV, where The Miz and John Morrison berated him for his friendship with McIntyre to which Sheamus defended McIntyre from the accusations, and attempted to attack Miz, but was beat down by Miz and Morrison. Sheamus teamed with McIntyre to defeat Miz and Morrison in a tag team match later on in the night.[259] At the Royal Rumble on 31 January 2021, Sheamus entered at number 27 but was eliminated by Braun Strowman.[260] On 1 February 2021 episode of Raw, Sheamus delivered a Brogue Kick to McIntyre after shortly confronting then Royal Rumble winner, Edge. He bemoaned the fact that he was only acknowledged as just "Drew McIntyre's friend", implying that he was overshadowed by his success as the WWE Champion. As a result, he terminated his friendship with McIntyre, and vowed to take the WWE Championship away from him.[261] At the Elimination Chamber on 21 February, Sheamus faced McIntyre, AJ Styles, Jeff Hardy, Kofi Kingston, and Randy Orton in an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. Sheamus would eliminate Kingston but would be the second to last man eliminated in the match by Styles.[262] Following the event, Sheamus would continue to feud with McIntyre and the two faced each other on 1 March episode of Raw where Sheamus was defeated. The two had a rematch the following week in a No Disqualification match where Sheamus would once again lose to McIntyre. Sheamus and McIntyre would fight once more in a No Holds Barred match at Fastlane on 21 March, with McIntyre defeating Sheamus, ending the feud.[263]
On 22 March episode of Raw, Sheamus would face WWE Champion Bobby Lashley in a losing effort and backstage, attacked United States Champion Riddle. The following week, Sheamus defeated Riddle in a non-title match to earn a championship opportunity at WrestleMania 37. On the second night of the event on 11 April, Sheamus defeated Riddle to win the United States Championship for the third time.[264] He would go on to defend the title against the likes of Humberto Carrillo and Ricochet over the next several months. At SummerSlam on 21 August, Sheamus dropped the title to Damian Priest, ending his third reign at 132 days.[265]
As part of the 2021 Draft, Sheamus was drafted to the SmackDown brand.[266][267] In November, Sheamus formed an alliance with Ridge Holland, after Holland would refer to him as his idol and help Sheamus win his matches.[268] At the Day 1 event on 1 January 2022, he and Holland teamed up to defeat Cesaro and Ricochet.[269] At Royal Rumble on 29 January, Sheamus entered at No. 17 but was eliminated by Bad Bunny.[270] In March, they entered a feud with The New Day, where on the 11 March episode of SmackDown, Sheamus and Holland would introduce Butch as part of their stable.[271] On the second night of WrestleMania 38 on April 3, Sheamus and Holland defeated The New Day in a quick match.[272] At Money in the Bank on 2 July, Sheamus competed in the Money in the Bank ladder match, which was won by Theory.[273] On the 29 July episode of SmackDown, Sheamus faced Drew McIntyre in a "Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook" to determine the #1 contender for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship at Clash at the Castle, but lost.[274]
"Sheamus won over the crowd with his performance, but Gunther won the match … Even in defeat, he left the ring to a standing ovation."
Sports Illustrated writer Justin Barrasso on Sheamus' performance at Clash at the Castle[275]
On the 19 August episode of SmackDown, Sheamus won a fatal five-way match, earning a match against Gunther for the Intercontinental Championship at Clash at the Castle.[276] The following week on SmackDown, Sheamus and Gunther had a confrontation, in which Sheamus and Gunther's respective allies, Butch and Ludwig Kaiser, engaged in a brawl while Sheamus and Gunther remained motionless, staring each other down.[277] At Clash at the Castle on 3 September, Sheamus failed to win the Intercontinental Championship from Gunther in a hard hitting, critically acclaimed match, but received a standing ovation from the Cardiff crowd after the match, turning face in the process.[278] It became the seventh main roster WWE match to receive a ratings of five stars from Dave Meltzer, and the first five star match of Sheamus' career.[279] At Extreme Rules, The Brawling Brutes defeated Imperium in a Six-Man Tag Team Good Old Fashioned Donnybrook match.[280] At Survivor Series: WarGames on 26 November, The Brawling Brutes along with Drew McIntyre and Kevin Owens lost to The Bloodline in a WarGames match.[281]
At the Royal Rumble on 28 January 2023, Sheamus entered the Royal Rumble match at No. 2 but was eliminated by McIntyre and Gunther.[282] Sheamus went on to face McIntyre and Gunther in a triple threat match for the Intercontinental Championship on Night 2 of WrestleMania 39 but the match was won by Gunther. This was the second match in Sheamus's career to receive a 5 star rating from Dave Meltzer.[283] On the August 18 episode of SmackDown, Edge defeated Sheamus in his hometown of Toronto in what would be his last match for WWE.[284] In September 2023, it was reported that Sheamus had suffered a shoulder injury and would be out of action.[285] During his hiatus, The Brawling Brutes disbanded after Holland walked out on Butch during a tag team match.[286]
Return from injury (2024–present)
Sheamus returned from injury on the April 15, 2024 episode of Raw, defeating Ivar.[287] At the Night 1 of the WWE Draft on the April 26, 2024 episode of SmackDown, Sheamus was drafted to the Raw brand.[288] In August 2024, Sheamus entered into a feud with a now-renamed Pete Dunne, who'd grown tired of the nickname 'Butch' and was infuriated by Sheamus's treatment of him.[289][290] After multiple attacks, interrupting varying matches (additionally fuelled by Sheamus taunting Dunne with his old nickname), their feud culminated in an Good 'Ol Fashioned Donnybrook Match, which Sheamus won, ending their feud.[291] Following the feud, he set his sights on earning the Intercontinental Championship, the sole championship that had eluded him thus far in his career, leading to several matches with reigning Intercontinental Champion Bron Breakker, of which one was interrupted by Ludwig Kaiser, leading to disqualification.[292] This culminated in a triple threat match between Sheamus, Breakker, and Kaiser at Survivor Series: WarGames where Breakker retained the championship.[293]
In 2024, Farrelly appeared as a guest picker on College GameDay for the Georgia Tech vs. Florida State game played in his native Ireland. Farrelly was the only analyst to correctly pick Georgia Tech to win. In return, he was hosted by the Yellow Jackets at their home football game at Bobby Dodd Stadium the following week.
Farrelly runs a YouTube channel called "Celtic Warrior Workouts", in which he invites fellow wrestlers to guide him through their own personal workout routines.[296]
Farrelly appeared on several episodes of Dustin's Daily News, where he had a rivalry with Dustin the Turkey, the famous Irish sock puppet; this ended with Dustin and Farrelly having a "fight", which Dustin won. Farrelly played a leprechaun wrestler on The Podge and Rodge Show. In July 2014, he made a guest appearance on the USA Network television series Royal Pains.[300]
1 2 Sheamus' first two reigns were when the title was known as the WWE Championship while his third reign was as WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
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1 2 McDonnell, Kevin (7 May 2006). "Sheamus Out to Slam 'em". Daily Mirror. TheFreeLibrary.Com. Retrieved 25 October 2008. Sheamus O'Shaunessy - who is nicknamed "SOS" or the Irish Curse - has vowed to take out all his opponents in his quest to be undisputed World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Heavyweight king.
↑ Plummer, Dale; Tylwalk, Nick (1 February 2010). "The 2010 Royal Rumble is Rated R in Atlanta". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Archived from the original on 14 July 2012. Retrieved 3 March 2010.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
↑ "Cesaro won The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal". Retrieved 13 April 2014. The final four – Del Rio, Big Show, Sheamus and the Swiss Superman – pulled out all the stops, ultimately resulting in The Celtic Warrior and Del Rio eliminating each other simultaneously.
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