Just 166 days after debuting on WWE television, Sheamus captured the company's biggest prize, the WWE Championship. "The Celtic Warrior" did so in dramatic fashion by sending John Cena, the arguable face of WWE, through a table at WWE's 2009 TLC pay-per-view. During a recent edition of the "Raw Recap," Sheamus looked back on the major career milestone, noting that it also marked a personal dream come true.
"When I look back, and obviously it came so fast, that was the goal for me always was to not just make up the numbers, but to be successful and obviously win the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. That's the creme de la creme," he said. "I grew up watching this sport, this entertainment, whatever you want to call it. I didn't miss Saturday Night's Main Event. I didn't miss the Saturday morning shows, and through to the New Generation all the way up to the Attitude Era. I was a massive fan, and that's a dream everybody has who watches WWE."
At the time of his title win, Sheamus had been working under the WWE banner for two years, beginning with a stint in its developmental territory of Florida Championship Wrestling. Given that dynamic, Sheamus still felt relatively "green" within the WWE landscape, especially on the main roster. Still, he knew he possessed unique qualities that made him stand out.
"I knew I had intensity that nobody else had, and that's really what that's kept me unique, as well as my skin color and red hair and my accent being Dublin, but I think that the intensity is something that I've always really kind of leaned into."
Sheamus' first reign as WWE Champion spanned 70 days. Cena eventually dethroned him by winning the 2010 Elimination Chamber match for the respective title.
16 years removed from their first WWE Championship match, Cena and Sheamus may meet again as the former wraps up his in-ring career at WWE Saturday Night's Main Event next month. En route to Cena's final match, WWE has organized a 16-man tournament with talents from "WWE Raw," "WWE SmackDown," "WWE NXT," and potentially from outside the company. In the opening round, Sheamus will take on Shinsuke Nakamura.
In comparing himself to Cena, Sheamus noted that he and the 17-time world champion are only one year apart in age. Still, Sheamus jokes that it feels like his own career is just getting started.
"Last week I was in there with JD [McDonagh] and just ripping it up," Sheamus said. "When I first came here, there was a couple of people that were kind of phoning in on their merits, just kind of doing whatever they can, and they knew they were here a long time. I looked at it, I said, 'The day I don't go out there and give 110% or give everything I possibly have in every single match, I don't care if it's a Raw, SmackDown, I don't care if it's an NXT, it's Main Event that they tape before the show, I won't go out there not give everything I have in every single match I have.'"
"... Every time I get out there, even tonight running out and beating Dom [Mysterio], I'm knocking the bollocks out of him, I still get that crazy adrenaline rush because every bleedin' day is a gift. Every time I get out, I'm still going, I've still got it, I still train very hard. That's how great I feel about this business."
Sheamus' faceoff with Nakamura will take place on the upcoming episode of "Raw," which emanates from Cena's hometown of Boston, Massachusetts.
If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Raw Recap" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.
