Growing up in Ireland, one of the first memories Sheamus has of watching WWE is the Intercontinental Championship.
He remembered seeing ‘Macho Man’ Randy Savage’s reign in the 1980s and all the people who held the title afterward. He saw it as ‘the worker’s title,’ with wrestlers consistently putting it on the line instead of only occasionally defending it. If he made it to WWE, he hoped he would be able to one day claim the championship.
Flash forward to 2025 and after a 15-year career filled with multiple championship reigns, the Intercontinental title is one the soon-to-be 47-year-old still is chasing. He’ll get one more opportunity to secure it when he challenges champion Bron Breakker at Saturday Night’s Main Event in San Antonio.
And he is as hungry as ever for it.
‘It’s something I need, and it’s something that I want,’ Sheamus told USA TODAY Sports.
‘Ultimate’ Grand Slam champion
It’s hard to forget the quick rise to success Sheamus had when he joined WWE in 2009. He won the WWE Championship less than five months after his debut and captured more accolades in the following years. Yet since those early years, he has chased the Intercontinental Championship, only to fall short on each occasion.
Since 2011, Sheamus has competed for the title on TV nine times, all ending in defeat. That doesn’t include the plethora of house shows and tournaments he’s been in to contend for it. He’s hoping the 10th time will be the lucky charm.
‘I’ve been so close so many times to getting this,” Sheamus said. ‘It’s been a focus for over five years.”
Describing his time at WWE as ‘the perfect career backwards,’ Sheamus also has a chance to make some rare history if he’s finally able to capture the elusive title. With the win, he would be the 25th Grand Slam champion in company history – with WWE, both tag teams and a United States title already on his resume.
However, he would be the second ‘ultimate” Grand Slam champion because in addition to the titles, he has also won the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank and King of the Ring. Edge was the first person to do it, but Sheamus likes to point out Edge won the United State title when it was part of WCW. So, he would consider himself the first to do it all in WWE.
‘I want that moniker of the first ever ultimate Grand Slam champion,” he said.
‘I thought I was done’
Achieving the milestone would be remarkable given Sheamus came so close to ending his career less than two years ago. After facing Edge in August 2023 in what would be the WWE Hall of Famer’s final match in the company, Sheamus suffered neck and shoulder injuries that sidelined him the rest of the year. During his road to recovery, he tried taking bumps in the ring and would get stingers. He wouldn’t be able to move for about 15 seconds each time, something you can’t afford to happen when in a match.
It felt like it was ‘pretty close to being the end” for Sheamus, but he remembered his past conversations with WWE legends who felt they retired too soon. He didn’t want to be the next one regretting that decision. Luckily, he had a neck ablation that was critical in alleviating the stingers and getting him back in the ring.
He returned to competition eight months after his last match.
“I thought I was done, so every time I go out there now, I feel as a blessing,” Sheamus said. “I got a second chance, and I’m gonna make the most of that second chance, no matter how long that lasts.”
Making the most of it would be defeating Breakker at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Sheamus has some history with the young champion. The upcoming match will be the fifth time they’ll go up against each other, and third time it will be for the title. A guy he loves to get in the ring with, Breakker was also one of the special guests of Sheamus’ Celtic Warrior Workout YouTube series.
‘He’s very intense,” Sheamus said of his upcoming opponent. ‘Kind of reminds me of a younger me. Physical and a lot of attributes I had when I first started.
‘He’s an unbelievable athlete. It’s like somebody genetically engineered him.’
Defeating Breakker would culminate a long trek to the Intercontinental Championship, but don’t think that would be the end of the road for the ‘Celtic Warrior.’ Feeling better than ever, he wants to be like the champions he grew up watching and consistently defend it – putting on banger after banger.
Sheamus isn’t afraid to work, and he has no plans of stopping soon. After all, he did just sign a contract extension in September.
“I might as well just keep going until the wheels fall off,” he said.