WWE Royal Rumble 2012 Results: What Is Sheamus' Next Move?

The 2012 Royal Rumble surprised us all with a victor not many of us expected to see.

Sheamus, the former two-time WWE champion, redeemed himself in grandiose fashion, outlasting 29 competitors to win the annual match.

The question now is, where does "The Celtic Warrior" go from here? After all, most of us predicted Chris Jericho or Randy Orton to stand tall at the end, as opposed to Sheamus.

What does the WWE have in store for the alabaster Irishman, having swerved us all by booking him to win The Royal Rumble match?

It's hard to say what the WWE creative team has planned for him, as ideas could be scratched at a moment's notice, but here is how, ideally, the WWE should proceed with Sheamus:

On the next episode of SmackDown, Jinder Mahal should run into the ring and attack Sheamus, who would be wrestling a lower-card wrestler.

Not only would Sheamus be robbed of a victory, Mahal would continue pummeling his adversary into the mat as fans begin to wonder if another babyface will step in.

Like clockwork, The Great Khali would come lumbering out as the audience cheers. However, instead of  fending off Mahal, Khali would inexplicably join his Indian brethren to further annihilate "The Celtic Warrior."

The week thereafter, "The Punjabi Powerhouse" would rationalize his actions, via his translator, by stating he is "sick and tired" of warring with his countryman, Jinder Mahal.

Naturally, this turn of events would set up a bout between Khali and Sheamus at Elimination Chamber 2012.

At the February pay-per-view, Sheamus would trounce Khali in impressive fashion while displaying his uncanny perseverance and strength.

Stronger than ever, and having not yet redeemed his WrestleMania title shot, fans would begin to wonder what Sheamus' decision will ultimately be.

On the Raw following the Elimination Chamber event, Sheamus would reveal that, after having petitioned the WWE board of directors, he's been granted an unprecedented opportunity at WrestleMania 28.

Continuing on, Sheamus would announce that he has decided to forgo his title shot at WrestleMania. Instead, he would opt to wrestle Undertaker in an effort to end the mystical streak. At this point, the lights in the arena would go out as the patented bells toll resoundingly. But instead of flinching or appearing to be apprehensive, Sheamus would appear undeterred.

In the subsequent week, The Undertaker and Sheamus would have an in-ring stare down, but, again, Sheamus would surprisingly hold his ground. It would quickly become apparent that, although "The Celtic Warrior" respects "The Grim Reaper," he does not fear him. The Undertaker, in turn, would be intrigued by his most formidable challenge yet.

As the motivations of both men come to the surface, the fans would become enthralled by the face versus face collision set for WrestleMania.

At the actual event, in front of 80,000 fans, Sheamus and The Undertaker would have an epic clash in the ring, as both men trade power move for power move.

Finally, as the bout comes to its finale, the Irishman would escape from "The Tombstone" and surprise "The Dead Man" with a devastating "Brogue Kick."

As Sheamus goes to pin The Undertaker, the audience would be hushed, but in the back of their minds, they'd wholeheartedly expect "The Phenom" to kick out.

However, he wouldn't.

Sheamus would end the streak, help the fallen Undertaker to his feet and embrace him, with tears in his eyes, in the center of the ring.

Overnight, the indelible legend of Sheamus would be born.

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