Originally published at Sheamus felt he deserved bigger stage for 2020 in-ring return, says it was a "massive letdown"
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.
** Corey Graves and Vic Joseph welcomed Sheamus onto WWE’s After The Bell podcast. They went over Sheamus’ return in 2020. He had been out of action since April of 2019 at that point. His first match back was at a non-televised event to celebrate WWE’s partnership with BT Sport. Sheamus felt he deserved to come back on a bigger stage.
After the concussion I got at the last WrestleMania in New York — I’m so bad at these WrestleMania numbers. There’s so many WrestleManias. So that’s when we’re at New York. I had a concussion on the SmackDown and I was out for a while. I had some neck injuries too and I worked on all that stuff and I came back and I was really hyped about it, and instead of being out on the shelf since WrestleMania so I think it was like six months, I was in these backstage promos that really weren’t going anywhere. It started off really cool. The first one I did in the backstage, it was coming out. It was like, there was so much hype about it, right? So much hype and then it just happened the week after and the week after. It created a lot of story in the beginning but then it just kind of faded out so even before the time the in the B.T. Arena because we’d just signed a deal with them. It was a complete massive, massive let down return because for me, I felt like I deserved to come back on the big stage after everything I’ve done in my career.
The first program Sheamus was a part of when he came back involved Chad Gable while he was still ‘Shorty G’. He heaped praise onto Gable for what he’s currently doing on TV. Sheamus said the ‘Shorty G’ character was a failed experiment before it even started.
So I came back Rumble but then I’m wrestling Shorty G, an incredible talent. He’s really learning himself now. He’s being himself, he’s enjoying it, he’s got the ‘shoosh’ thing. He’s been back to who Chad Gable really is but that Shorty G thing was absolutely dead in the water before it even started.
As the conversation rolled on, Sheamus expressed that he is done being humble about the work he has put in. He looked back on the earlier days of his time in WWE and even when he was a babyface, he felt like he was fighting against the proverbial tide.
Listen, here’s the thing mate, for the longest time, I’ve been so humble in my career. You know, I’ve played everything down and I’m not doing that anymore mate. I’m not doing that anymore. I think it’s kind of an Irish thing sometimes to be humble, you know what I mean? And listen, first person to knock you into place is an Irish lad. You’ll get a slap on the nose if you get a bit carried away from yourself. But, I’m not gonna be humble anymore because I know — I look back on my career and every time I go out there and I wear my heart on my sleeve and I put everything into it, whether it’s my heel time and even in my babyface run, I was having great matches with and Bryan was getting hot at that time with the 18 seconds match and then everything kind of just switched. That’s when it felt like I was fighting the tide all the time but I was still having banger match after banger match and I think the time there was because of my position. I felt like people, no matter what I did in that ring, no matter how hard-hitting my matches were, I just felt like they didn’t wanna get behind it because in their mind, they felt this is not coming from them.
** On an episode of ‘Foley Is Pod’, Mick Foley mentioned that several years before he joined TNA Wrestling, he had an offer from the company and was considering taking it. Once Mick and his agent informed Vince McMahon of his interest, he received a new offer to remain with WWE. Foley then recounted the conversations he had with Jeff Jarrett during the initial discussions in comparison to when he actually joined TNA in 2008.
I should say prior to this who’s my bad guy. He’s the bad cop, I’m the good cop and we did go to Vince and say, ‘Look, I’ve got this offer’ and the next thing you know, I’ve got a contract for three years to do three-to-four matches a year and that went well.
When I told Vince that I was interested in doing a few things, because I had the 2004 match with Randy which was, you know, to this day, Randy considers it the best match of his career which is really saying something but it was as good as I’d ever been so that was — and I’d helped build a program and helped that character while also giving myself the one real comeback you get.
So what I said to Jeff when we talked again, I said, ‘Jeff –’ when I spoke to him, I remember meeting him at the Hilton Long Island in Melville, New York. It’s the center of Long Island. I said, ‘Jeff, I really like this but I’m going to have to go to Vince and if he makes me a deal, I can’t.’ He goes, ‘I understand completely.’ So now three years later, I said, ‘Jeff, here’s the deal,’ we come up with a deal. I’m not playing two companies off each other. I said, ‘You make me a deal that I’m happy with’ then I’m in and so Barry was able to work out a good deal that called for only three matches a year for three years. Somehow, I had gone to do 28 matches, with no additional money .
Mick went on to tell stories of when WWE promoted his book while he was with TNA Wrestling. Foley claims former TNA/IMPACT President Dixie Carter was not too big on that because of how it came off. He then shared that while he was hosting a fundraiser for RAINN, Carter gifted him $10,000 to go the fundraiser. Mick had received another $10,000 donation from Vince McMahon.
I don’t know if we’re gonna get to this but I get this strange call from Kevin Dunn. ‘Mick, we understand you have a book coming out. We wanna promote it for you’ very, very generously donated $10,000. I said, ‘Uh, Dixie, I’ve got another $10,000 donation.’ She goes, ‘That’s great Mick. Who’s it from?’ I said, ‘Vince McMahon.’ Look, if Dixie’s listening, I am so sorry that I made her life — because I’m supposed to be the easy guy to deal with, right?
** In Sports Illustrated’s ‘This Week in Wrestling’ column, there’s an interview with Juice Robinson. Robinson stated that he is no longer representing New Japan Pro-Wrestling and is ‘totally free’. This past May, Robinson told the same outlet that he signed a contract extension with New Japan.
I’m no longer representing New Japan, and I want that to be clear. I carried that New Japan flag for seven years. I’ve got no unfinished business there. I sang that song and I danced that dance, and we’ve gone our separate ways. That’s in the rearview mirror. I’m totally free right now. I’ll fight whoever, wherever and whenever I want as long as it’s the right match against the right opponent on the right night of the week. Dynamite is the hottest show, and I’m wrestling their champ on the hottest night of the week in wrestling. This is the biggest match of my career, and I’m ready for it.
** To promote the 9/28 AEW Dynamite, Tony Khan returned to Busted Open Radio. He spoke about The Acclaimed (Max Caster & Anthony Bowens) winning the AEW World Tag Team Titles at Dynamite Grand Slam. Khan expressed how proud he is of Bowens and Caster and said their win is one of AEW’s best moments.
Absolutely and new World Tag Team Champions The Acclaimed.
I was so proud when The Acclaimed won. I was so happy. Keith have been great, great tag team champions. Swerve In Our Glory, two of the biggest free agent signings we’ve ever had in AEW. But, The Acclaimed winning last week in New York City was such a great moment.
It was amazing and I felt like the crowd at All Out in Chicago really wanted The Acclaimed to win and they were totally behind The Acclaimed, they had this great support and I think the momentum carried over for about 17 days from All Out to Grand Slam and it led to this amazing moment with The Acclaimed winning, hometown heroes on worldwide TV, over a million people watching it live and a record audience watching in person there in New York. It was just one of the best moments we’ve ever had in AEW.
** Earlier this week, Malakai Black took to social media to address his status with AEW. He stated that he’ll be back with the company soon and was just given time off to handle personal matters. Eddie Kingston was interviewed by Bleacher Report and wished well for Malakai and Zelina Vega and hopes they are happy.
Well, first of all, I do see him doing big things. I’ve known Malakai for about 15 years, maybe more. I don’t know. Yeah, I first met him when I was doing tours out in Germany. He’s going to be a star when he’s ready and when he wants to. And I wish him nothing but the best and I wish him all the happiness in the world, him and his wife , because I know them as people.
I don’t know them as just performers or whatever, or pro wrestlers, but as a human being I know him and he’s gonna be OK. And I know that and he has a good support system around him.
** Episode #80 of Out of Character with Ryan Satin featured Kayla Braxton as the guest. She was asked about her role on The Bump now that she is in Los Angeles, California. The show is filmed in Stamford, Connecticut and Braxton said she does plan on staying on the show. She added that there are additions and expansions laid out so people will have to stay tuned. Kayla was not in-studio for The Bump on 9/28.
You know, TBD. I’m not gonna get into too many details about the plans for that but I do plan on staying on the show. It’s just going to be in what capacity. Again, being out here in Los Angeles, it’s a great way to expand, expand The Bump. Matt Camp and Ryan Pappolla are holding the fort down in Stamford, Connecticut every week and having me out here and we have WWE talent out here who they’re happy because they wouldn’t have to travel all the way to Stamford, Connecticut to appear on my show. It makes them like me a little more. But yeah, I think there’s going to be a lot of really cool additions and expansions to come so, stay tuned.
Kayla recounted several moments from her time in WWE that she considers ‘embarrassing’. One of those moments was when she got flustered at a house show and forgot what she was supposed to say. The crowd began to clap for her and helped her do the introduction. There was another occasion when Braxton blanked during a live interview with AJ Styles, but Styles covered for her.
I was so new and so flustered. I got in the ring and I’m about to cry because now I’ve forgotten everything that I was supposed to say. But what was really cool was like, one of those small house shows, the crowd started clapping for me and then they know the stats because our fans, they know everything. They did my ring announcement for me. It was really cute. One time, I was newer on the main roster, I had to interview AJ Styles. Going live, blacked out. I have no idea. I just see red and black… and AJ’s such a professional, he sees me tense up and he just takes it and goes. No one knew anything. But that was terrifying. No one said anything. It was like business as usual.
** Ahead of wXw ‘Femmes Fatales’, Wrestling-Infos.de pushed out their chat with Killer Kelly. She expressed her interest in competing for STARDOM and joining the Donna del Mondo faction.
I would love to go to STARDOM and face Donna del Mondo. And then join them at some point. But my goal is to team with Suzuki or Shibata in an NJPW ring. That would be THE DREAM.
On the IMPACT Wrestling front, one name that Kelly is looking forward to mixing it up with is Masha Slamovich. She thinks there’s potential for a tag team as well. Kelly was asked who she would pick as a partner for wXw’s World Tag Team Festival and she named Slamovich.
I think me and Masha have potential … I can see us crossing paths in the future and maybe even teaming up.
Definitely Masha Slamovich . So if a team is eliminated, I’m pretty sure she’d be in.
** All Elite Wrestling ring announcer Justin Roberts guest appeared on Chris Jericho’s ‘Talk Is Jericho’ podcast. He mentioned that Cody Rhodes suggested that he be more of an M.C. opposed to a ring announcer. Rhodes presenting Roberts with that idea made it easier for Roberts to come into AEW and do what he has done.
WWE, I’m a ring announcer. Here had said, ‘If you could be more of an M.C. than a ring announcer. Use your voice and use your volume and do what –’ Cody was the one who really made it easy to just jump in here and do what I did and I was never an M.C. in WWE so commercial breaks, I would stand there with my hands folded. I couldn’t talk to the crowd because we’re on a commercial break and they played video packages or whatever they did. They didn’t want the arena reacting, they didn’t want noise. They might be shooting pre-tapes in the back.
While speaking about some of the bigger names he introduces in a special manner, he talked about Sting’s introduction. There was a certain way that Sting was announced in WCW and Roberts wanted to pay homage to that without copy and pasting.
When I’m introducing Sting, everybody’s waiting to hear, ‘This is Sting!’ Right? That’s somebody else’s introduction and I don’t wanna take that away. That was Penzer did but I think Cappetta kind of started that, so I don’t wanna take that away from Sting. I also don’t want to steal Cappetta’s thing. I want to pay homage to that so, when I do it, I wanna go into, ‘This is Sting’ but you don’t give it to them right away so I just came up with my own. ‘This!’ And the crowd’s expecting, ‘Is Sting’ and you go, ‘Is the legend.’ ‘This!’ And they start to pop, ‘Is the icon. This is!…’ And then you get there and I’m not saying they’re popping because of my introduction. I’m giving the appropriate introduction.
** Tyler Breeze and Big E are appearing on The Bump on 10/5.
** Former Dark Order members Alan Angels and Stu Grayson are competing against each other on October 21st for C4 Wrestling.
** IMPACT World Champion Josh Alexander is going one-on-one with Katsuhiko Nakajima on November 12th for ‘New Evolution Wrestling’ in Queens, New York.
** Episode four of WWE x G4 Arena featuring Kofi Kingston and Big E:
** ‘Last Word on Sports’ has an interview on their site with C.J. Perry (Lana).
** Johnny Gargano guest appeared on El Brunch de WWE.
** William Regal returned to the AEW Unrestricted podcast.
** As a part of Keiji Muto’s retirement tour, Hiroshi Tanahashi will be competing for Pro Wrestling NOAH in October. NOAH pushed out an interview with Tanahashi.
** Tokyo Sports published Akira Maeda’s latest column.
** September 28th birthdays: Jado.
** JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield) guest appeared on Brian Hebner’s Refin’ It Up podcast.
** There’s an interview on the FOX SPORTS Australia website with Rhea Ripley.
If any of the quotes from the following podcasts or video interviews are used, please credit those sources and provide an H/T and link back to POST Wrestling for the transcriptions.