WWE Extreme Rules 2012: Why Sheamus' World Title Reign Is Becoming a Bust

When Sheamus defeated Daniel Bryan to win the World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania in only 18 seconds, the "Celtic Warrior" effectively became a villainous figure in the eyes of the hardcore professional wrestling fanbase which holds Bryan in high esteem.

It is not his fault, really. Sheamus’ title victory, which should have been a career-defining moment on the biggest stage the sports-entertainment art form has to offer, became a flash-in-the-pan disappointment because the creative team was not in touch with its audience and had absolutely no idea what the people in Miami wanted or expected from the match.

Had Sheamus defeated Bryan after a solid, 15-minute match, perhaps the very vocal backlash would not have been there.

Instead, the creative team wanted to make an example of the internet wrestling god as well as create a sense of "anything can happen," and sacrificed Sheamus’ credibility as champion to do so.

Daniel Bryan’s heat was not affected. If anything, the loss fueled a movement by fans to make their displeasure with the treatment of the Ring of Honor standout known. They supported the man once known as "The American Dragon" by chanting "YES" during other wrestlers' promos and "Daniel Bryan" during matches they viewed as boring or underwhelming.

In comparison, Sheamus was greeted with boos and jeers. The new babyface champion, expected to lead the SmackDown brand, has seen his popularity wane since April 1 and as a result of that—and the constant chants and cheers for Bryan—the World Heavyweight champion has stumbled out of the gates.

Making matters worse is the fact that Sheamus has turned into a smiling, joking babyface rather than the tough Irishman who enjoys fighting and stands up against whiners and bullies. Sheamus initially got over with the audience because he confronted and fought Mark Henry. He got over with audiences because he stood up to and shut up the constantly complaining Christian.

By directing him to force a smile and be the always-happy babyface, the creative team is turning him into a paler, redhead version of John Cena—something the company does not need at this point.

All the ingredients of the imperfect storm have come together to hamper Sheamus’ ascent as champion. As Extreme Rules approaches, no one is talking about "the Great White" and his title reign. Instead, everyone is talking about how over Daniel Bryan is, the return of Brock Lesnar and the fact that John Cena has been booked to look weak three weeks in a row.

The creative team, the booking of the WrestleMania match, the fan appreciation for Daniel Bryan and the retooling of Sheamus’ character into the bread-and-butter babyface has the fiery redhead’s championship reign in very real danger of becoming a bust.

It will be more important than ever before for Sheamus to deliver a performance at Extreme Rules that reassures fans that he belongs in the position he is in. If he fails to hold his own against Bryan on April 29 and the Best 2-of-3 Falls match is anything less than very good, Sheamus could very well prove to be the biggest bust as World Heavyweight champion since Jack Swagger fell victim to poor booking two years ago.

Seven years ago, John Cena and Batista both rebounded from disappointing performances and lackluster first months as champion to become two of the better titleholders of the last decade.

Sheamus has the opportunity to recover from his early struggles, but only if all of the pieces fall in place. Right now, that has yet to happen.