Smark Out Moment

Welcome to the third installment of BELT OR BURY, wherein you must choose between two different options for a particular wrestler in question: a) should they be given a push to a higher spot on the card and a championship or b) should they become a jobber or possibly even released? Factoring in that wrestler's past as well as their potential future, do they have anything left to offer but aren't being utilized well enough, or should they step out of the limelight and be pushed aside in favor of others?


HISTORY: As of this article, Sheamus has been on the main roster since 2009. In less than 170 days, he became the WWE champion after defeating John Cena at TLC in a tables match. On two more occasions, he won a world championship. He has also been a Royal Rumble winner, Slammy winner, King of the Ring winner, and he is currently in his second run with the United States Championship.

CURRENT STATUS: His current US title reign is relatively new, so there aren't many signs pointing toward an easy-to-spot conclusion. No strong feuds are being lined up and it appears as though WWE is testing out a wide variety of opponents for him before they decide on who they want to challenge him, with the edge possibly going to Cesaro. One way or another, optimists and pessimists can argue about Sheamus's status. Has it gone down, now that he is a midcard champion and not fighting for a world title, or has he merely elevated the United States title by being someone above it who is willing to carry it?

PROPOSAL: I think Sheamus has already peaked and this should be his last title reign for quite some time. Granted, this should be a good one that serves a big purpose in putting someone over that can defeat him. However, once that mission has been accomplished, I think it is a bad idea for Sheamus to hold any titles—at least for a while. He can be a jobber to the stars in the upper-midcard scene and someone who is a part of the Elimination Chamber to fill up spots. He can be a tag team champion, an Intercontinental champion, and even win the United States title again in the future and be a frequent challenger for that as well as a staple participant in the division. However, Sheamus has been given opportunity after opportunity and really hit almost all of the high points that he could possibly hit, so the best way to utilize him now is to let this title reign run its course and then let others make their names off of him.

BELT OR BURY = BURY. Sheamus was never as good as WWE touted him to be. He should never have been a three time world champion, especially not based on anything that came before his first title win. There was no justification to put the belt on him then. After five years, he's certainly reached a level where he's believable as a midcard champion and a challenger to a world title, but he's not a priority.