WWE Hell in a Cell 2012: Why Big Show Is the Right Challenger for Sheamus

It’s official: Sheamus will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show at WWE Hell in a Cell. Like it or not, Big Show is the best possible challenger for the “Celtic Warrior.”

Sheamus is coming off an awful feud with Alberto del Rio. They had a relatively passable story behind the match, but they never got behind Del Rio and pushed him as a credible challenger.

Because Sheamus is such a strong babyface and Del Rio was portrayed as such a weak heel, their feud never had heat.

Big Show vs. Sheamus is already on the fast track to becoming a more compelling feud than Del Rio vs. Sheamus. Big Show’s size alone makes him a more believable threat than Del Rio was.

When Big Show returned at the end of September, he immediately set out to remind fans and Superstars of his dominance. He interrupted a match between Tensai and Brodus Clay on the Sept. 24 edition of Monday Night Raw and attacked both men.

As if making short work of Tensai and Clay weren’t enough, the “World’s Largest Athlete” defeated none other than Randy Orton to earn his title match with Sheamus.

The “Great White” works best with super heavyweights. One of Sheamus’ most compelling feuds in recent memory was with Mark Henry. Sheamus turned babyface when he attacked the monstrous Henry and later met him in the ring at SummerSlam in 2011.

As a babyface, Sheamus’ most entertaining programs are with the monster heels. Big Show fits that role perfectly. He’s has gotten the better of the champion in most of their encounters.

Unlike Del Rio and even Daniel Bryan, Big Show can give the dominant World Heavyweight Champion a real challenge.

At the same time, Big Show vs. Sheamus won’t compare to Sheamus’ past title defenses.

That’s something that is worth giving up, though. Big Show won’t bring the technical prowess that Bryan and Del Rio did. It will, however, be a hard-hitting battle.

Big Show and Sheamus’ respective in-ring styles incorporate a large amount of brawling-based offense. In that respect, they should mesh well.

Big Show vs. Sheamus likely won’t be a Match of the Year candidate. That much is true. Sheamus needs a compelling angle more than he needs a five-star match, though.

Sheamus’ matches with Del Rio were above average but the story behind their feud added nothing. Because of that, Sheamus’ character has become remarkably stagnant in the last few months.

By showing some vulnerabilities to the “World’s Largest Athlete,” Sheamus’ title defenses instantly become more captivating. Sheamus had been reaching John Cena’s level of invincibility in that it’s been hard to believe any challenger actually has a chance at dethroning him.

Between now and Hell in a Cell, Big Show needs to solidify his dominance. It was announced on the Oct. 15 edition of Raw that Big Show will wrestle Kane on the Oct. 22 show. Decisive victories over powerful Superstars like Kane will cement Big Show supremacy.

Sheamus also needs to become more serious. In light of Big Show’s WMD punch scoring a higher power rating on the Oct. 12 SmackDown, it looks like Sheamus is beginning to realize that Big Show is the most dangerous threat to his championship reign in a long time.

The “Great White” also needs to separate himself from the happy-go-lucky character he’s been adopting. He can be a babyface without having to blatantly pander to the crowd.

Being genuinely serious when meeting Big Show’s challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship at Hell in a Cell will go much farther in establishing him as a fan favorite than any of the half-hearted comedic promos he’s given recently.

Michael Prunka is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist and Sports Writing Intern. To stay up to date with his WWE and NHL commentary, you can like his Facebook page, follow him on Twitter and follow him on Tout.

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