Sheamus: Breaking Down WWE Star's Upside, Direction and Long-Term Potential

It isn't often that a superstar becomes world champion mere months after debuting in the WWE, but that is precisely what happened with Sheamus.

He was only on the RAW roster for two months before winning the WWE Championship in 2009, and while many believe he was given the title too soon, things have ultimately worked out for the Celtic Warrior.

Sheamus went through a bit of a lull after winning the WWE Championship for a second time, but a run in the mid-card and a subsequent face turn have made Sheamus one of the faces of the company.

He is now World Heavyweight Champion and is just a notch below the likes of John Cena and CM Punk in terms of popularity.

Keep reading for another installment in my superstar countdown series in which I break down the upside, direction and long-term success of the biggest names in the WWE. Today I'll take a look at the staying power of Sheamus.

Origins

Sheamus played Gaelic football and rugby growing up, but he decided to try his hand at wrestling in 2002. Sheamus trained under "Iron" Mike Sharpe, but an injury put his career ambitions on hold.

He would re-establish himself in 2004 as Sheamus O'Shaunessy while wrestling for Irish Whip Wrestling in Ireland. He was an instant success as he went on a massive winning streak early in his tenure and went on to become the inaugural IWW Heavyweight Champion.

Sheamus also wrestled in Britain, where he feuded with another future WWE star, Drew McIntyre. Sheamus eventually caught the WWE's attention. He had tryout matches for the company in 2006 and 2007, and was then signed to a developmental contract.

Sheamus competed in Florida Championship Wrestling. In his first year with the promotion, Sheamus defeated Jack Swagger for the FCW Heavyweight Championship. His quick push was a sign of things to come in the WWE.

He would wrestle for FCW until getting called up to ECW in 2009. Sheamus was a dominant force and was moved to the RAW roster within four months. He quickly earned a shot at the WWE Championship against John Cena at TLC and shockingly defeated him to take the belt.

Sheamus would hold the WWE Championship on one other occasion before winning King of the Ring honors, as well as the United States Championship.

Current Storyline

Ever since he turned face last summer, Sheamus has been nearly unbeatable. The start of his super push truly began when he won the Royal Rumble.

Sheamus has been on an absolute roll ever since, including a win over Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania in 18 seconds to win the World Heavyweight Championship.

Sheamus retained his title against Bryan at Extreme Rules and has been involved in sporadic feuds ever since.

Most notably, Sheamus has had to deal with Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler. He has beaten both of them on multiple occasions, but Del Rio is finally set to get a shot against Sheamus one-on-one at Money in the Bank.

The feud hasn't been particularly heated in general, but Del Rio ramped it up a bit on Tuesday when he attacked Sheamus and smashed his head under the hood of one of his cars.

Sheamus is essentially in a holding pattern until a true challenger comes forward, though. He has had some entertaining matches with Del Rio and Ziggler, but neither of those wrestlers are currently in a position where they look like viable threats to take the belt.

I feel like Sheamus is merely taking part in some holdover feuds and waiting for a big angle to develop. He continues to get a great reaction from the crowd, but there is no doubt that Sheamus is currently taking a backseat to the WWE Championship feud and the Money in the Bank ladder matches for now.

Strengths

Sheamus is the total package, but the most impressive thing about him is his look. So many guys look similar in the wrestling business these days, but Sheamus is unique without even trying to be.

The fact that he is Irish makes him a rare commodity, but he simply stands out thanks to his pale, white skin and shocking red hair. On top of that, he has good size and a spectacular physique, so he is very easy for the fans to identify and root for.

He also is a fine in-ring performer, particularly for a guy with his dimensions. Most of the best pure wrestlers in the WWE are on the smaller side like Bryan, Ziggler and CM Punk, but Sheamus is on the shortlist of bigger superstars who can work.

He has had excellent matches with smaller competitors, but he has also managed to carry guys like Tensai and even Great Khali through passable bouts as well. That shows Sheamus' incredible versatility and it makes him quite invaluable as an upper-echelon performer.

I am also a fan of Sheamus' promos. Perhaps I just enjoy his Irish accent, but I feel like the overall quality of his mic work is there as well. Sometimes you aren't really sure what he's talking about, but that is a big part of his charm.

Sheamus never stumbles over his words while speaking and is usually pretty smooth, so he can compete with many of the better talkers in the company, and that truly rounds out his skill set.

Weaknesses

I don't see too many negatives regarding Sheamus as a character, but one thing I believe he needs to be wary of is the John Cena effect. Since Sheamus has only been a top guy for about a year it may not apply yet, but fans generally turn on guys who are too successful.

Many fans have become disillusioned with Cena as he has been at the pinnacle of the company for so long, and some are even turning on Punk as well since he rarely loses, has held the WWE Championship since Survivor Series and now panders to the fans to some degree.

Sheamus has been booked as dominant and basically unstoppable, so it is important for the creative team to eventually find a balance. If Sheamus continues to beat everyone with ease, then there may be some backlash.

There isn't much Sheamus can do about that one way or another, but perhaps he can be wary of putting his opponents over, even when he is the one winning the match. Making others look good can go a long way in generating fan support.

Aside from that, Sheamus tends to be a tad too happy-go-lucky at times. When he was first transitioning from heel to face, that is when Sheamus was at his very best gimmick wise.

It started when he challenged an established heel in Mark Henry, and while Sheamus was the one getting positive reactions, he was at a point where he was willing to do anything necessary to win, including using heel-like tactics.

Since Sheamus is a guy who loves to fight, I would like to see him as more of a reluctant ally to guys like Cena and Punk than someone who is suddenly good buddies with them for no apparent reason.

Greatest Match

Sheamus has had some entertaining encounters since winning the World Heavyweight Championship, but my favorite by far was his two-out-of-three falls match against Daniel Bryan at Extreme Rules.

Bryan exercised his rematch clause after losing quickly to Sheamus at WrestleMania and this bout didn't disappoint.

There were a lot of disappointed fans when the Sheamus vs. Bryan match at 'Mania lasted just 18 seconds, because it was well known that they could do something special together in the ring. That was proven true one month later.

Bryan has always been someone who could wrestle a paper bag and look good, so it wasn't a surprise that he brought it at Extreme Rules, but Sheamus cemented himself as well.

Not only was the in-ring action great with Bryan utilizing a mix of technical and high-flying skills, and Sheamus displaying his pure power, but it told a great story and resulted in both Sheamus and Bryan looking like winners at its conclusion, despite the fact that Sheamus was the true winner.

Bryan made Sheamus pass out with the Yes Lock, so Bryan looked strong, while Sheamus didn't have to have his pride hurt by tapping out. When push came to shove, however, Sheamus nailed Bryan with his patented Brogue Kick and got the win.

Sheamus is essentially billed as the toughest wrestler in the company, and this win cemented that title, and gave Sheamus even more credibility.

Career Potential

Sheamus is a true success story, and at this point I don't see him ever straying very far away from the main-event scene. After his two runs with the WWE Championship, Sheamus fell into a really bad place.

He won King of the Ring, but he proceeded to go on a long losing streak and seemed as though he would fade into oblivion. Sheamus paid his dues in the mid-card for a while, though, and was ultimately rewarded with a big face push and has developed into the top star that he is today.

Many feel that the likes of Jack Swagger and Alberto Del Rio were given too much too soon as well, and they have failed to recover from that. To Sheamus' credit, however, he found a way to get over with the fans after being a fairly nondescript WWE Champion.

Sheamus is so firmly entrenched at this point that I envision him being one of the faces of the company for years to come, although, he could branch off and be an effective heel again at some point as well.

Sheamus can do it all and could go on to be one of the greatest superstars in WWE history. He is still fairly young at 34 years of age and has several years of prime wrestling left in him.

There isn't much face depth on the roster right now, so Sheamus is very likely to hold the World Heavyweight Championship or be in contention for it over the next year or more.

Sheamus is right on the verge of Cena and Punk and I feel like he can reach their level one day soon.

How He Gets There

Sheamus is on the precipice of establishing himself as a top face for years to come, but I feel like he needs a truly great feud in order to do that. He has had plenty of good matches, but Sheamus has yet to have an intense feud that truly engages people.

Once he does that, Sheamus will essentially be locked into his current spot. It isn't his fault that it hasn't happened yet because Sheamus has basically been stuck in the company's tertiary feud behind Punk vs. Bryan and whatever Cena happens to be doing at the moment.

One possible option for Sheamus is Wade Barrett. He is scheduled to return soon from his dislocated elbow, and he was seemingly in line for a big push before getting injured anyway, so I would love to see Barrett and Sheamus have an angle.

Barrett would be a great match because he is a rising star, he is comparable to Sheamus in size and he is British, so their rivalry can stem from Barrett claiming that he is better since he is English and Sheamus is Irish.

Both Sheamus and Barrett are very good in every facet so they should have some excellent matches and promos. I would enjoy seeing this feud last for at least three or four months rather than the throwaway feuds that Sheamus has been having so far.

If that happens and Sheamus ultimately comes out on top, then it will be tough to knock him from his perch.

Check back daily for new entries in this WWE 25-superstar countdown. Here are the five most recent editions for your viewing pleasure:

8. The Miz

7. Cody Rhodes

6. Dolph Ziggler

5. Daniel Bryan

4. Randy Orton

Follow @MikeChiari on Twitter and listen to me on Ring Rust Radio.