WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Results: No Shame in Sheamus' Win This Time

There's no use questioning Sheamus' claim to the WWE World Heavyweight Title now.

Not after earning a hard-fought victory over Daniel Bryan in their two-out-of-three falls match at Extreme Rules on Sunday.

Few would argue that the belt came cheaply to Sheamus the first time around. The giant ginger needed all of 18 seconds to pry the belt from Bryan's waist at WrestleMania XXVIII on April Fool's Day.

Of course, Sheamus used something of a cheap shot on Bryan to make the transfer such a quick one, attacking his budding rival as he accepted a good-luck kiss from A.J. at ringside.

This one wasn't nearly as cheap, though the result wasn't entirely without controversy.

Sheamus was granted the first fall by disqualification, after Bryan went after Sheamus while he was down, against the insistence of the referee. Sheamus certainly shouldn't be held responsible for Bryan's own negligence or have the result of the match at all diminished by it.

After all, it's that damage, rendered in Sheamus' suppliance, that allowed Bryan to score the second fall so easily to even the score.

More importantly, Sheamus deserves credit for fighting back so valiantly despite having been so thoroughly whooped by Bryan between the ropes. He refused to concede after Bryan's initial submission, despite having to consult with trainers in the middle of the match.

Instead, he got back on his feet, both literally and figuratively, using a pair of well-executed Brogue Kicks to bring Bryan down and, later, wrap up the third and final fall.

For that, Sheamus will hang onto the Heavyweight belt for at least a little while longer, even if his grasp is still somewhat shaky and, in some respects, questionable. His feud with Bryan is far from over, but at least he doesn't have to apologize for his title quite so effusively.

Not that the big, brash Irishman would've anyway.

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