Can Sheamus replace Brock Lesnar?

[John McCass]

First of all, I want to say i'm a big big fan of Sheamus. He is great in ring. He is currently injured and on the shelf.



When will he return? He may return at Royal Rumble as a surprise entrant according to rumors. According to rumors, he is slated to take place of Brock Lesnar when he leaves for UFC. Yes,Sheamus looks like a beast,he can take place of Lesnar imo.



He has many parallels with Lesnar. Both of them were pushed to moon upon their debut. Both of them became KOTR. But,he then lost in the midcard. After Mania,he can be pushed in main event scene.




Do you guys think he can replace Lesnar?

 

[L@RISANO]

Regarding the question... I say no.


However, a Heel turn is exactly what Sheamus needs in order to get back into the Main Event scene as his style and intensity suits the Heel role. He might well be a breath of fresh air as well, if the heel turn happens, and I for one, am looking forward to seeing how it works out.

 

[Navi]

The short answer is no. Sheamus has never really been embraced by the fans by and large. He gets a reaction, but with his talent he should get more.

I think there are just too many others that stand out a little more than he does. He's been around for awhile now, and had been in the main event. His first title run was a disaster and he never really recovered from it. That's what I'm afraid is going to happen to Roman Reigns if they push him too hard.

Sheamus is an upper midcarder and I don't think he'll ever reach the heights he once did. There are guys that have come up behind him that seem to want it more than he does. He's also had a couple of injuries which haven't done him any favours. Usually when a wrestler is injured they come back to a huge pop. When Sheamus returned this year, he did get a pop, but nothing like the one Daniel Bryan got. I like Sheamus, but he's stuck where he is for the foreseeable future. When he comes back I mean. Would be very surprised to see him have another title run.

 

[MartialHorror]

Hellz to the no. That would make no sense. He was mostly being reduced to a more respectable jobber, losing cleanly to whoever was more relevant. A heel turn might be the shot in the arm that he needs though. Whereas fans either love or hate Cena, they seem indifferent to Sheamus. Personally, I think he just needs an edge.

Sheamus doesn't take things seriously enough (in terms of his storylines) and when he finally did start getting serious with Rusev, the promos tended to be rather dull. He needs a balance, sort of like Ambrose- who can be funny or intense, sometimes at once.

As for who would make the next Brock Lesnar, the only person I can think of is Rusev and even that...I dunno. I like Rusev, but Lesnar has this prestige accompanying him that no one else shares...unless Cena turns heel.

 

[Prince Vee]

I don't agree with the above people coz they just simply say no. Well if you take this into the perspective the answer should be "it depends". In his last face turn he really had good matches in the mid card. His run of US champion and the title defenses are good but he couldn't connect with the crowd. Even when he had good matches he doesn't get any cheers from the crowd. If they try to correct it and push him again he can certainly can be in the main event scene

 

[Kodo Sawaki]

[youtube]b-eFoOaNKSo[/youtube]

No, really, you are comparing no1 heel on the roster and somebody who WWE wished it is that over?

 

[John McCass]

But, WWE seriously needs a dominating heel after Lesnar leaves for MMA.



Anyone on the current roster doesn't have physique like Lesnar except for Rusev or Sheamus. Rusev is another type of heel. He stands for his country's supremacy. He is not Lesnar type. Seth Rollins is yet another type. Sheamus is the only one just sorta close to it. Yes,his push was failed. But,he has talent,he can be used as the top heel if they allow him to do so. He can align with Paul Heyman to cut promos.



Cesaro is another option. But,creatives or Vince do not like him thats why he is not being pushed. He has potential to become top heel.

 

[WhiplashUnited]

The only way he can is if he turns heel. The Sheamus we first saw that 'retired' Jamie Noble is the only version of himself that can get anywhere close.

 

[kadroan]

No. He's at a tier below Lesnar/Cena/Rock, etc. I don't think anybody could replace Lesnar, a dominating heel with mainstream appeal.

Him as a heel would be a breath of fresh air for his character. I think he can be a great contender for the IC and US Champions but as far as replacing Lesnar a main event heel that dominates, no. WWE just got to find their next big bad guy and from the looks of things it look like it'll be Rollins and Bray for now.

 

[Mustang Sally]

According to rumors, he is slated to take place of Brock Lesnar when he leaves for UFC.

I haven't heard those rumors. Honestly, I question whether the company would be looking to replace Brock in any capacity, figuring there's no real way to do it. I'm not talking about Brock being so great, but rather what he is: a guy from WWE's past who features as a monster and left back then in the midst of a big push. How many people like that are out there to fill the bill?

However, I can understand why some folks might feel it's planned for Sheamus to replace Brock, especially if Sheamus' return happens to coincide with Brock's departure.

Still, Sheamus can re-establish his own legacy without association to Brock Lesnar. Despite what many have been saying, I thought he was connecting with the fans, both as a good guy and bad. He works hard as hell in the ring and always acquits himself well. I believe he'll return as a bad guy......or soon revert to one..... and storm over people on his way back to main event status.

Brock Lesnar need not tune into WWE programming to check out his "replacement".....'cause there ain't gonna be one.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I don't see it personally. I like Sheamus as well, I've been into the guy since he debuted on Raw, though I like him a lot better as a heel. I think going heel will be a good thing for Sheamus as he's long since gone as far as he can as the jovial Irish lug, but I don't see him as the next big monster.

Sheamus has been around too long and has been too prominently established I think. I might be wrong and, if so, then it's going to take a good deal of consistently strong booking in order to get Sheamus to the level he'll need to be before he can be a viable replacement to Lesnar. It'll also be an uphill battle because Brock Lesnar has a reputation, one that's verified by actual footage rather than backstage rumors and reports, given that he's probably the biggest star among MMA heavyweights of the past decade. Sheamus, on the other hand, has been allegedly beaten up by Yoshi Tatsu years back, right about the time Sheamus began to appear in ECW, and by Sin Cara, AKA Hunico, sometime within the past year.

I haven't heard any of these rumors and I hope they're not true because I just don't see it. IF it is true, however, it'll be a pretty hard road to travel because I don't see a whole of people embracing Sheamus as the next dominant, monster heel anymore than I see Roman Reigns as the next "face" of WWE. Vince McMahon personally wanting it isn't gonna make it happen, especially if enough fans are vocal about their displeasure.

 

[Jonyboyuk2]

Sheamus won't ever be as big a star as Lesnar. Sheamus was pushed hard when he arrived in the WWE. He had a main event aura at one stage almost but when he lost the WWE title then lost to HHH again in early 2010, it killed his momentum. He did get that back a bit but then HHH returned 10 months later and despite being credited for shelving HHH, HHH came back and destroyed Sheamus in a angle and it went no further. Even winning the Rumble in 2012 did nothing. In fact; all it did was push him in to a match where he detroyed Daniel Bryan in 18 seconds, which led to Bryan being a world class babyface.

 

[blueskyy]

Unfortunately no, because the Brock Lesnar now is not the same Brock Lesnar from 10 years ago. As Jack Hammer mentioned, Brock Lesnar has a reputation/credential that is difficult to match.

But off topic, I would very much like to see a match between the two.

 

[bioshock]

Always been a fan of Sheamus, but the only difference with Sheamus and Lesnar is looks, Lesnar looks nasty, like he can beat anyone up he wants. Where as Sheamus doesn't, but I do think Sheamus is bigger, stronger, and better in the ring. Sheamus could actually be a better Lesnar if he wanted. I think just put him with Heyman and give him that killer instinct to destroy everyone. But then again, Ryback could do that.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

I think Sheamus could potentially replace Lesnar, as a dominant Main Eventer not career rise (obviously). I think that's what Wwe tried to do with him when he debutted anyways. The IWC hates on Sheamus a lot for his bland character, but the guy is really talented (atleast in the ring). I Would love to see Roman Reigns vs Sheamus, and if build right Sheamus could potentially be Reigns's career rival.
I don't think Sheamus will ever be on the level of Brock Lesnar, but then again Lesnar's career has been more of a success because of Heyman. Lesnar was a beast when he debutted, but (IMHO) I believe Sheamus is just about as talented if not more talented than Lesnar.
So yes I think Sheamus could replace Lesnar, because I feel like he is as talented as him, but he definetely needs a manager to improve his character.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Sheamus can't be scary. He's big and very strong, but he has a baby face, even if it has bizarre hair growth on it. He has a soft look to him, while Lesnar looks like the kind of man who hunted mammoths. Also, Sheamus only packs about 75% of Lesnar's size, and 60% of his power. Lesnar's a unique beast; the only (non-fat) guy who ever had that kind of width and strength was Ahmed Johnson.

Sheamus can be a heel, but only a goofy one like he was before.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

He's a better bet than Reigns is full stop... but the things that make his unique are what will hold him down in the end.

Not Being American - WWE has NEVER had a truly non US poster boy for the company, face or heel for more than a week or two, only Sheik really qualifies even then. They've resisted when solid candidates have been there like Andre (he never got "the ball" only to be an attraction), The British Bulldog (could have done it in 92 or 96, and more recently Barrett (Nexus time he could have been immense if given that title...) they just don't want to do it and Sheamus being Irish isn't going to help... perhaps he has a little more chance than those others as there is such a large Irish fanbase in the US... but if he got it before a Brit for example, the backlash over here would be big and might damage business.

His Look - The ginger, pasty look is totally at odds with what WWE wants to go with for it's top guy... yet he has constantly been told don't change it. While I hate the idea of shaved heads everywhere, darker hair and a bit of a tan (Sheamus goes Hollywood or becomes a Horseman for example) would do a lot for him, perhaps even shaving the beard down to a more managable darker goatee or going clean shaven, he's not an ugly guy and Bryan and Bray kinda have the "wild" look cornered.

His lack of real promo skills - He can talk if you can call his affable "oirish fella" schtick talking but it's not really good at projecting malice or making him sound fearsome... Finlay sounded like a nasty piece of work, Sheamus doesn't... BNB can sound condescending and have a fun streak at the same time... Sheamus can't.

But there are a couple of reasons it might work.

Size - With the exception of Barrett who has inevitably gotten smaller since his injury, Sheamus is pretty much the template for WWE, tall and while muscular, there is still room for some work. Perhaps all the Trips workout buddy jibes stopped him working as hard on his body, either through choice or being told... with a bit of work, he could get back to looking like a beast... then he at least, with a Heyman style manager and less talking from himself get into "that zone".

Popularity backstage - He's a well liked guy, he has long had to put up with favoritism snide talk from the IWC for his friendship with Trips and Regal. Arguably he did carry some bags etc for Trips, but that's something Trips did himself and both guys quickly carved their own niches... but he's not got any major heat with people, is known to be safe and "a good hand"... they can trust him with anyone in the roster to have a good match and not hurt them.

Rumors - We all know that he was in Ireland last year while a certain movie was being filmed... and he even said on twitter he couldn't confirm he isn't in that movie... Yep it's Star Wars and IF he is involved in some way, perhaps as a reincarnated Vader or his "replacement" in terms of stunt work, like Dave Prowse was in the originals then that suddenly puts Batista's role as Drax into the shade slightly... While it's likely not true...if he IS Darth Vader... then WWE have Darth Vader on their roster, sans suit of course but that rep could help with the Sheamus goes Hollywood sort of stuff I mentioned earlier.... It WILL be the biggest movie of all time after all.

 

[Starkist]

Well, I am sure he can replace Lesnar in the top heel roll. He is a very good heel and since he is friends with Triple H he should be able to get more pointers from him to be even better. Their will be an empty void to fill when Lesnar leaves and I do not know of anyone who can fill it up half besides Sheamus. Miz, yeah, no. Henry. He'll get injured within a week so that is a no go. Keep Ryback face, as he is a really decent face. So in my eyes I see Sheamus to be the dominating heel he truly can be.

Do I think he can replace Lesnar and do what he did? No, but their can only be one Lesnar. Sheamus can defiantly sit on top of the throne as king of the heels if WWE will let him.

 

[Punk_Aries_Daniels_Bryan]

As soon as I read this caption, I thought of Sheamus in MMA trunks and gloves. He can definitely pull the look off. Sheamus is a seriously strong-looking guy as well. He definitely put on much more muscle.
I believe as great of a brawler he is, he needs to be more versatile with his offense, especially if he will be playing heel after his return. I would love to see Sheamus incorporate a different finisher other than the brogue kick. I'm a huge fan of ppwerbombs.
I don't think he has the monstrous presence of Lesnar though. Everything about Lesnar screams danger, crazy power, and he seems like a beast. With Sheamus you get a great badass slugger.