WWE's Sheamus 'frustrated' at matches booked so far for Money in the Bank
Recent international WWE pay per views have been notable for an electric crowd energy bought about by a card packed with local wrestlers coming back to where they started.
WWE Backlash saw the LWO get a starring role alongside the music phenomenon alongside arguably the best celebrity wrestler we've ever seen, Bad Bunny, with Zelina Vega making the most of the highlight of her career so far in heartwarming fashion.
Meanwhile, Clash at the Castle saw Drew McIntyre rock the Cardiff crowd as he tried to unseat Roman Reigns in an eventful match with multiple run-ins and a slightly surreal singalong with Tyson Fury to finish proceedings.
But with London's O2 Arena a fortnight away from hosting a two-night WWE spectacular culminating in the first Money in the Bank to be held outside of North America, the card announced so far is noticeably lacking in local talent.
The Brawling Brutes' Butch and former champion Becky Lynch have won spots in the high flying men and women's matches for the iconic briefcase and there's a singles match for Irishman Finn Balor against newly crowned champion Seth Rollins, but other British and Irish stars beloved by UK fans - like Sheamus, stablemate Ridge Holland and new NXT call-ups to the main roster Pretty Deadly, Alba Fyre, Isla Dawn and JD McDonagh - are all currently missing from the card.
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And in a recent exclusive interview with The Mirror, the Celtic Warrior himself was happy to talk freely about how things are shaping up so far - and he didn't mince his words.
"It's very frustrating," he told us. "Nobody wants to be sitting on the sidelines, especially when you're coming home with such a big show like this. So yeah, I used to kind of suck it up a bit, but now I don't care. I'm not afraid to show how passionate I am.
"WWE went to Puerto Rico a couple of weeks ago and the Puerto Rican guys and girls were highlighted in that show. It really should be the same. The people back home really want to see the guys and girls back where they started, their homecoming you know?"
Ridge Holland (left) teams with Sheamus and Butch as The Brawling Brutes (WWE)Sheamus paid particular tribute to his two fellow Brawling Brutes - Brummie Butch and Yorkshireman and former rugby league star Ridge Holland, saying fans haven't yet had a chance to see everything the pair can do.
"They're fantastic, they really are, but unfortunately they haven't had a fair crack of the whip yet. There's been a lot stop start stop stuff from a creative standpoint which has been very frustrating for them.
"They have a lot of natural talent. Ridge is strong, he's smooth in the ring and he's a great lad but we haven't really had a chance to show his personality yet, through no fault of his. And then there's Butch. He's got a great mind and he's years ahead of his time."
Sheamus has a reputation for producing 'banger after banger' of technically skilled matches with a brutal edge and while there may be no plans for a Money in the Bank match for him yet, he's got some ideas for what he wants to see at the event, which will happen in London on July 1 after a series of UK tour dates in June.
"So I want a marquee match. We are coming home. London is a stone's throw from Dublin and we are in the UK where we have a huge following for all the Irish, English, Scots, all the hometown guys and girls."
"It is frustrating, knowing what we can do and how good we are and knowing that if they give us an opportunity, we'll tear the place down."
At Clash at the Castle, Sheamus and Gunther did just that, not only stealing the show with an Intercontinental title match but also cementing themselves as contenders for Match of the Year. Fans in the stadium in Cardiff, rightly, gave the pair a deafening reaction, and Sheamus remains proud of the response.
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"That match was probably one of the greatest moments of my career, in my life actually," he tells us. "It was insane. Actually insane. I had no idea the crowd was going to react that way. After 16 years with the company, 14 years on TV, that's definitely been the highlight for me, it was unbelievable.
"It just shows why the UK and Irish fans are the best in the world, no doubt about it. It was an incredible atmosphere and probably one of the greatest wrestling shows in the UK ever.
"We stole the show one hundred percent. Sometimes I feel like we're excluded from certain things because they know we can do that, we can steal the show and take the limelight away from the guys that they've built up, or the guys that are in the main marquee matches."
If Sheamus gets his way he'll be in a marquee match, but for now fans will have to wait and see what happens with the star either on WWE programming or his Celtic Warrior Workouts YouTube series.
The show, which has hundreds of episodes including many of the most popular WWE wrestlers, sees Sheamus join his interviewees for a workout. Part fitness advice, part interview, it's a fascinating insight into wrestling life and some of the industry's larger-than-life characters.
He told us: "It's not just a fitness channel, but also an opportunity for that talent to open up who they are and garner a whole new set of fans. You find out their backstory, what they've overcome, what they're like, their favourite cheat meal, their favourite song. It's also inspiring so many people at home who want to make a brave change and watch their favourite superstar and and try and emulate that."
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WWE brings Money In The Bank to The O2 in London on Saturday 1st July, with Friday Night Smackdown coming live from the venue on the night before, Friday, June 30. Tickets are still available for all shows on Ticketmaster here.
BT Sport is the home of all WWE programming in the UK and will be showing Money in the Bank live. In previous years it has been shown on BT Sports Box Office 2 for an additional charge. It's also available to subscribers of the WWE Network as part of their existing deal.
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