Bank of Ireland

Last time I wrote about Sheamus it was shortly after his return as a heel. With that haircut and those piercings. I've not mentioned him outside of reviews since because, as I feel is pretty well-established by this point, I find him dreadfully uninteresting to watch and as a character. The heel turn has helped with both of these things but not enough to make him actually enjoyable for me.

But he's swaggering around with that Money in the Bank briefcase isn't he? The one that entitles him to a WWE championship match whenever he fancies, something he's statistically likely to win. Which means the prospect of 'Great White' getting a third WWE title reign has been looming over WWE for a few months now. But as useful as statistics are in analysing these things I don't think they're an especially good indicator here. 

Fella in the Bank.

On the one hand I wouldn't enjoy a Shaymo title win. Not just because I find him dull (although there is that, of course) but because I'm enjoying the current work of Seth Rollins. He's not being booked especially well but 'The Future' does the best he can with everything he's given. He's become way more comfortable on the microphone than I ever expected him to during his Ring of Honor days and in the ring he's had cracking matches with guys like Cena, Orton, Neville, Ambrose, Reigns and anyone else he's been put in a match with. That he managed to make Sting look good in 2015 speaks volumes about S-Roll's ability. He's great, basically, and he utterly deserves a lengthy title reign because of this and because it makes sense for his character and the characters of The Authority. He's a weasel who'll do anything to stay on top and they want a toady who'll go corporate for them. It works.

It also feels like the natural guy to take the title from Rollins is Roman Reigns. Rollins won the strap at his expense, interjecting into the assumed chosen one's WrestleMania main event showdown with Brock Lesnar and essentially stealing his spot. Something which, by the way, could have been an incredible Reality Era (because that's what we're in, right?) story had it been played up correctly.

As the babyface Reigns has to get retribution on Rollins. This being WWE he has to do this for the title and enjoy a reign of significance after because Vince loves a happy ending. There's something quite appealing about the two having a rematch at WrestleMania and for it to have the full impact Rollins needs an uninterrupted title run. Because that builds him up as a rascal and increases the need for someone to finally knock him off his perch. It means more if Reigns gets to do this before anyone else because being the second guy to do something just isn't as meaningful. It would utterly ruin the Rollins v Reigns dynamic (although I will say that they could add Dean Ambrose to the mix and make it more interesting, because of the there's shared history as The Shield). Plus he'd be avenging Rollins' play at WrestleMania 31.

Which basically makes Sheamus a gooseberry. He can't defeat Rollins because he needs to hang onto the gold for his match with Reigns. He can't defeat Reigns within the first two months of his (assumed) 'Mania win (which he'd have to because MITB gimmicks run for a year and a year only) because Reigns needs a long run to validate his claim of being the biggest dog in the Fed. For all Sheamus's heel antics since late March have been entertaining the timing just doesn't seem right for him to get a world title reign. Which, ultimately, is okay because he's boring anyway, right?