Vince McMahon allegedly abandoned major storyline plans for 15-year WWE veteran
A WWE Superstar recently shed light on Vince McMahon allegedly being the mastermind behind nixing original plans for his first breakout in the company that happened fifteen years ago.
The veteran in question is Sheamus, who has been a four-time World Champion, a three-time United States Champion, a four-time RAW Tag Team Champion, and a one-time SmackDown Tag Team Champion.
The Celtic Warrior made his debut on the June 30, 2009 episode of ECW. He made a big impression by quickly defeating local wrestler Oliver John.
Speaking on the Virgin Media Sports Stories, The Brawling Brutes member mentioned he was initially supposed to debut in 2008 and team up with Finlay during his feud against Mark Henry and Tony Atlas.
However, the storyline arc of the four WWE Superstars fizzled out, since Vince McMahon and the creative team couldn't figure out the next move. Hence, the whole thing got buried in the archives of what-ifs.
"Mark Henry and Tony Atlas were in a feud with Fit Finlay, and they were going to bring me up with Fit Finlay at a pay-per-view. I'd been there about a year but it all got scratched. Vince [McMahon] asked what's the plans after that and they didn't have any plans after it," Sheamus said. [H/T: Wrestling Inc]
Listen to the full podcast below:
Sheamus revealed the critically well-received first major rivalry under Vince McMahon's regime
During the same conversation, The Celtic Warrior spoke about his first major rivalry after his WWE debut, which felt like a "sink or swim" moment to him.
The 45-year-old veteran began his feud with Dustin Rhodes (fka Goldust). The two men put on excellent bouts, and Sheamus described that feud against the current AEW star truly fell right into place.
"I went into a feud with Goldust, killed the feud, awesome matches, kind of reinvigorated Goldust. That was kind of the moment I knew I could bring something out of someone that hadn't been seen in a while, aggressive side. Because I hit hard," he added. [H/T: Wrestling Inc]
The former WWE Champion has been away from the ring due to a shoulder injury since August 2023, when he faced Adam Copeland (fka Edge) on a SmackDown episode.
A recent report suggested that The Celtic Warrior will be back in action within the next few weeks ahead of Royal Rumble 2024.
What did you think about Vince McMahon allegedly scrapping Sheamus' debut with Finlay? Sound off in the comments section below.