PWP’s Zak Fellows takes a deeper look at the decision to place Sheamus in the Authority.
In the lead up to Survivor Series and the aftermath of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship tournament most wrestling fans eyes were geared towards one subject matter: The Authority. After several months of being defocused, it resurfaced in the wake of losing its handpicked champion Seth Rollins as speculation was shifted to who will join the group as the THIRD world champion. Perhaps this would be the moment where WWE listens to the mood swings of their fan base by turning Roman Reigns, maybe they would shoot one of their most over babyfaces in the foot with Dean Ambrose and nay this could indeed have been the opportunity for Mojo Rawley and get people hyped over…something.
Sadly, none of the above was the answer, even though Mojo Rawley as the Authority’s mascot writes itself, as Sheamus would cash in his Money in the Bank to become the world champion for the fourth time and join the Authority in the process. To go briefly into my opinion on that whole scenario I do feel that it serves as a pinnacle example as to why I think the Money in the Bank concept has run its course and why I think it should be scrapped entirely. Now that that’s out of the way let’s move on:
Perhaps it’s par for the course what with wrestling having played out in this manner since the Monday Night Wars really turned up the quantity of faction/authority figure based storylines and characters but it is very telling when one of the most common topics of discussion within an audience is a turn in connection with the long played out storyline that is the Authority. Don’t get me wrong: I do have some form of an understanding as to why people have been thinking in the manner that has been shown because it’s a basic concept: attach a name to something everybody already knows and they get reception by association.
So if Sheamus, Roman Reigns etc join the Authority than that surely means they are set by amplifying their heat by also being seen with established heels Triple H and Stephanie McMahon correct? Well tis the question: Is Sheamus joining the Authority brilliant or lazy?
Naturally, Sheamus joining the faction is through usage of a prop to assist him. If you aren’t currently aware of what I mean by prop here’s a refresher: In short it’s something that is associated with a wrestler in order to make them more recognisable and elicit a reaction accordingly. It could be a manager, could be a weapon, could be a group, entrance music etc. All you need to do is look at Triple H’s ascension into the main event to get a good idea of what props he used to successfully get there.
Sheamus did, in actuality, have a prop in the form of the Money in the Bank by tying him to that over gimmick but as was seen during his run with the briefcase the prop isn’t a guarantee of success. Granted, this is perhaps a sign of greater complications that go into the recurring problems with the MITB as a whole but a prop in wrestling is only a starting point not the formula to instant success. That’s not to discourage the usage of props there are so many bland and lifeless characters in wrestling that could do with the extra recognition piece but some have become so relied upon in a short span of time that it feels…forced for lack of a better word.
With that said, if putting Sheamus in the Authority is to give him a starting point for his heat then great but it is just that…a starting point. WWE cannot now just rest on “boo Sheamus because he’s with Triple H” as a booking mentality for his heel title reign. Just having him associate with more over heels is not enough: He now needs to do something to cement that heel heat and make it his own. This could be through many means archetypical of the heel wrestler: Could be a promo explaining a new gimmick, attacking a weakened and beloved babyface etc.
A more infamous example comes from TNA: In 2010, Jeff Hardy would turn heel as the world champion and join Hulk Hogan’s new heel faction. Naturally, turning Hardy heel was dumb enough to begin with but he was placed in a faction with Hogan, Eric Bischoff and Jeff Jarrett in the hopes that he would become a heel and be treated as a heel by the fans because he was with three over heel heat magnets. But he, to an extent, attempted to cement his status as a heel by attacking Mr Anderson albeit accidentally giving him a concussion.
My point being, that at time of writing I view Sheamus having done nothing of real note to help make the Authority’s heel heat his own. Adding Wade Barrett and Rusev is nice and all but I view that as more for their benefit as opposed to Sheamus himself. Very few things in wrestling are set as a rule etched in stone hence why there are no quick fixes to any problems that can emerge with booking wrestlers and getting reactions. It can get you started but it is up to the booker to keep them on the road to success.
I like Sheamus; I think he is suited for the role as much as I have come to despise the method for which he got there and even if his role in WWE’s grand design is just to act as the face of what Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, and Kerwin White etc will overcome than there is nothing inherently wrong with that. But that doesn’t mean we can’t get a credible heel out of it in the process…and smother the Money in the Bank concept to death.
[Zak Fellows does it out of love he promises]
Why does every European style faction need William Regal anyway?
