Now as we all know, professional wrestling has lost much of its luster over the years. We the fans have been introduced to many characters and storylines that most would agree are useless, terrible, and aggravating. Whether it’s the fault of World Wrestling Entertainment, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, or even Ring of Honor, there will always be moments that make us wonder why the hell we even watch wrestling anymore.
That’s where I come in.

My job, my duty to the fans, is to take the worst that each wrestling programs presents to us, and provide a lighter side, or “silver lining”, with the idea being that there can be something positive that comes as a result of these horrid atrocities making their way onto our television and computer screens. I’m sure some of you are saying to yourselves “Tom, that’s impossible. You can’t possibly see the glass as half full all the time.” Well to that I say that this glass is overflowing with juicy goodness. Won’t you take a swig with me?
Let’s move on to our first topic: Sheamus as the WWE Champion.

I can imagine why many fans would be appalled at the thought of Sheamus being the WWE Champion so early in his career. While he did spend a fair amount of time in a few independent organizations, and of course rose to success in WWE’s developmental territory Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW), his time on WWE television has been limited. His earliest matches were against such wrestlers as Ron Simmons and Jamie Noble, and his first feuds were on ECW against established wrestlers Goldust and “The Gold Standard” Shelton Benjamin. Now that I think about it, perhaps having Sheamus defeat wrestlers with the word “Gold” in their stage name was Vince’s way of telling us what was in store for Sheamus. Or perhaps I’m giving Vince too much credit for being that clever. Anyway, in the course of around six months Sheamus goes from retiring Jamie Noble to beating John Cena for the WWE title. That’s about as huge a push as the kind formerly given to WWE wrestlers Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg.

You see where I’m going with this?

Perhaps it’s a long shot, but I can picture Sheamus becoming the (pun clearly intended) next big thing in professional wrestling. Now now folks, put your hate mail away for a second and hear me out. What were Lesnar and Goldberg doing when they first started out? They faced lower card wrestlers. How did they rise to the top? By plowing through everyone they came across. How quick did it take them to win a major title? About less than a year, or maybe even half that. As a result, did they become big names and gain the respect of the wrestling fans over time? You bet they did!

This is a good thing, people. All the big time promoters know this, and you should know it too. Vince McMahon perfected this formula with The Undertaker in the early 90s. Eric Bishoff redefined it with Goldberg in the late 90s. McMahon countered this by, well, copying Bishoff’s redefinition with Brock Lesnar in the early 2000s. Vince would later try to copy himself with Bobby Lashley, but let’s not think about that mess. This is supposed to be a positive column, people!

So anyway, Sheamus is Vince’s latest attempt at creating the unstoppable powerhouse, but there’s a twist to this character; he’s actually not that bad in the ring. I know he’s not showing it right now, but trust me when I say that Sheamus is only showing the tip of the iceberg that is his wrestling ability. While Goldberg and Lesnar could put on an entertaining show, they weren’t exactly the cream of the wrestling crop. Sure they could lift giants, smash cars, and tackle dozens of wrestlers at a time, but did that really make them great wrestlers? In this columnist’s opinion…no. But hey, don’t let me stop you from watching Youtube videos of their matches and backstage antics. Sometimes it’s fun to watch a guy toss a bunch of people around like they were plastic dolls. But if I really wanted to wrestle one of these powerhouse figures, and NOT get injured by accident, I would pick Sheamus 100% of the time. He may be a bit green, but he knows how to take care of whoever he’s wrestling. That, to me, is a very valuable trait to have in this industry.

Another thing that fans might not care for with Sheamus is that he hasn’t exactly been winning his matches decidedly as of late. What I mean by this is that the character seems to be projecting the kind of heel who could possibly lose, but an outside source or a lucky break gives him the win at the end. Whether it’s Cena slipping onto a table, or Cody Rhodes causing Randy Orton to lose by accident, Sheamus manages to keep himself out of a potential loss and still hold onto the title belt. Know what I think about all this? I think it’s great!
Great?! Yes, great!

A monster character with faults has the potential to be far greater in the long term than just a regular monster. Yes, Sheamus is a heel right now, but when you look at the character, you know that he has his weaknesses, and can be beaten. The notion that anyone could have the chance to beat him, even a guy like Evan Bourne, will make every match he’s in much more exciting due to the principle of uncertainty, and the payoff will be far greater when he eventually loses the title, preferably on a big stage event. However, the thing with professional wrestling is that you never know just how long it’s going to take before a monster character’s popularity dies down. If you don’t believe me, just compare Kane and Abyss, and tell me which character is over with the fans the most these days. In the beginning Kane was an awesome character, and the fans ate it up as he destroyed his opponents. But as the years go by, look where he is now. He’s merely a filler spot; gum that has lost its flavor as a certain billionaire tycoon might say. He had nowhere to go but down, and I highly doubt he will ever become as popular as he once was. As for Abyss? Well now he’s considered one of the TNA originals, and one of the most loved by the fans. His faults, stemming from his immature, child-like behavior and thought pattern, resonated with the fans, and though he was a monster, he was a monster with a heart. Sheamus can now fall under this category if and when he becomes a babyface. Well, he could if it weren’t for a wee problem.

The only real problem I see with the character is his background. If you have never seen Sheamus, or were too blinded by the whiteness of his skin to notice, he is in fact Irish. Now I don’t want to come across as being intolerant or xenophobic; I think all countries and colors should be treated as equals. BUT, and it’s a big but, the average American demographic, nine out of ten times, is not going to cheer for a foreign powerhouse. Look at The Iron Sheik in his prime. Look at Yokozuna in his prime. Look at Vladimir Kozlov when he once meant something. Look at The Great Kahli in general. Nobody likes these characters because when they look at them, and see them in the ring wrestling, they are thought of as the opposition to America. They don’t believe in apple pie, baseball, and the star spangled banner. They want to crush the American dream by kicking puppies and popping a baby’s balloon. To them we are capitalist pigs!

Remember, these are the characters we’re talking about, not the people playing the characters. And yes, I know there are exceptions to this rule in most indie promotions, but I’m talking about 100% American prime time cable television. As long as Sheamus remains heel, it’s all good and dandy. But when the moment comes that he has to turn face, Vince better have something creative up his sleeve that will convince the fans to cheer for him. Otherwise he is going to get the wrong kind of heat, and that has the ability to deplete any wrestler’s rise to superstardom.

So what have we learned, ladies and gentlemen? Well here are the main points of my discussion:

-Sheamus has the potential to be the next Goldberg/Lesnar

-The fans will respect a monster who is also a good wrestler (Matt Morgan anyone?)

-A monster with faults is better in the long term than an indestructible monster.

-The foreign powerhouse will not be cheered by default.

My Final Statement: Sheamus as WWE Champion can not only be a great thing for the character, but a great thing for the WWE. However, this will only be true as long as he remains a heel with faults for a long period of time.
If you guys have any ideas for what my next silver lining topic should be, or if you just want to make fun of me for being wrong about something, feel free to e-mail me at tagibbs4@yahoo.com.

Before I sign off, I would like to take a moment to say that it is a great honor to be a part of the TWNP family, and I will do my best to provide the readers with an entertaining column each and every week. I would also like to thank fellow columnist Shadow, and my good friend Joey, for introducing me to this wonderful website, and a big thanks to Shaun for getting me started. I hope to make you guys proud of my work.

Until next time, remember that every ring is bound to have a silver lining.