Every major title will be on the line when the WWE returns to the Allstate Arena on Sunday, September 19th for the “Night of Champions” pay-per-view. The main event will be a “Six-Pack challenge” where 6 superstars will be competing to take home the WWE Championship Belt. Among the six competitors will be Stephen Farrelly AKA Sheamus, the current reigning WWE Champion. I spoke to the 32-year old superstar from Dublin, Ireland to talk about his return to Chicago and his meteoric rise to the top of the WWE.
Good afternoon sir.
Elliott, how are you doing? What’s going on?
I’m doing really good. This is an honor and a pleasure for me. I’ve spoken to a lot of WWE Superstars but this is the first time I’ve gotten to speak with the reigning WWE Champion. Thanks for taking the time.
My pleasure, fella, my pleasure. I’m pretty excited; actually, to come in to Chicago for a pay-per-view because Chicago itself is great for wrestling and fervent for the WWE. The fans are electric, really loud, very passionate. It’s one of the best atmospheres to work in in the United States right now. I’m pretty pumped to go in there as champion, and also in a major pay-per-view like “Night of Champions” so I’m looking forward to it.
Awesome. Now you’re in a “six-pack challenge” with John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge and Wade Barrett. I know you’re a man short right now, but what are some of the challenges you have as a WWE superstar in trying to put together the best match that you can?
I think for me, champion or no champion, it’s always every WWE superstar’s goal to draw the best match and that’s what makes our shows so good. I mean at the same time we’re working together, all the matches are working together to create a great show. But also the fact is that we are also competing to put on the best match of the show, whether you’re champion or not. There are a lot of elements in my match, especially as the WWE Champion, it’s very important for me to try and hold on to it. There are a lot of guys and a target on my back. When you’re #1 you hold on to the most coveted prize in the WWE and everybody wants it. It always gets harder each and every month.
So the general manager’s got me in there with 5 other guys and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t like pasty white guys from Ireland ‘cuz he seems to be having a go at me every single turn I do, so obstacle after obstacle so it’s going to be interesting, (it’s) Wade Barrett’s first pay-per-view, I mean he’s kind of seen as maybe the rookie of the show. But he’s not a rookie either; he’s been a huge impact. And there are the likes of Edge and Chris Jericho – well not Chris Jericho, he’s gone so — John Cena, Randy Orton and myself, and whoever else. Knowing our general manager, he’ll probably put Kali in there, or something, probably Mark Henry or Ted Debiase, something like that. So it’s a lot of guys and lot of competition and it’s going to make for an interesting bout, but I’m sure we’re gonna put on the match of the night. Then again, there are so many matches it’s going to be a quality night of entertainment. And I’m pretty sure, like always, that the crowd is gonna go home happy.
You talk about how being the WWE Champion makes you a target and especially in your case where you have been able to attain the pinnacle of the industry in a relatively short amount of time. How does that feel knowing that you’re so successful so quickly? I know you’ve been wrestling for at least a decade and had some setbacks from injury along the way but you really shot to the top really quickly in the WWE. How do you feel about that?
Oh, I feel great about it. But actually my career started in ’05, I did a little bit of training in ’02 but that doesn’t count for me cuz there’s a 5-year gap there between that and when I started. But ’05 is when I re-started so that’s 5 years. It’s crazy, I mean like the last year has felt like 5 years, you know? And not in a bad way, a good way, because basically I always knew when I got an opportunity I’d step up to the opportunity. I knew that if I was given any type of chance for a championship I’d take it. A lot of people work years to get that opportunity. I’ve always been confident in myself. I mean I left my family; I left my country, my whole way of life at home to come here to chase a dream in the WWE. It’s something that I’ve thought of since I was a wee child, you know?
The reason I say it feels like years is so much has happened in that year. I’ve had to step up to the plate and its one thing to get there but to stay there is completely different ballgame. I think I’ve been doing that quite well. Already I kinda feel like one of the senior guys; I feel like don’t wanna be going anywhere (else), I wanna be in the mix; to be the best or the greatest WWE superstar of all time.
So, it’s funny that people say that to me, you know for a great year. It’s weird, it happened so fast. Everything keeps going, the machine keeps moving forward and forward and forward. You don’t get a chance to look back; you just get a chance to look forward. It’s an incredible experience. I’m living my dream every day. I just got back from Japan and China, Puerto Rico and it’s just non-stop.
It’s really interesting because way back I think I opened the door for a lot of these (newer) superstars too. You know this huge youth revolt we’ve got going on right now with “The Miz” coming through; the NXT guys, the Nexus are pushing; (unintelligible) Drew McIntyre, Jack Swagger became champs. So I feel personally that I helped open the door for the youth revolt and I think it’s working quite well. It’s gotten to the “WWE Universe,” it’s really gripped them. New storylines, fresh WWE superstars, and I can certainly guarantee you from the last time we were in Chicago for a pay-per-view to this time now, there’s going to be a whole lot of new faces there. It’s gonna bring something fresh to the audience, and not watching the same stuff over and over again.
You talk about all this news talent that’s coming up — you were involved or you’re still involved in a feud with John Cena for the WWE Title– but is there anybody -
I can’t get rid of that fella! This cage match was supposed to be the last time. The Purple Ronny or Purple Warrior or whatever it is he calls himself [laughs]. I don’t know what it is. He and those colors, first it was orange and blue and now it’s purple. Purple Ronny, the character name is called Purple Ronny [laughs] that’s what I call him. Yeah just he keeps poppin’ up, I just can’t seem to shake him. He’s always going to be in the mix. He and Randy Orton, of course, who I have an equal disliking for so it will be great to prove to everyone that I’m still the greatest. I’m sure a lot of people are going to be hoping that either one of them will take the WWE Championship home, but at the end of the day it’ll be me, I guarantee it, to be walking out of the Allstate Arena WWE Champion.
Who else would you like to lock horns with?
You know [laughs] (I’ve spent) a lot of time with a lot of tough superstars, John Cena, Randy Orton, tied with Edge and of course Chris Jericho – obviously (I had a match) with Edge in a “Fatal Four Way” – honestly, I think personally I’m so confident in myself I believe I could easily take The Undertaker’s undefeated streak away from him at “Wrestlemania.” That’s if he has the nerve to go with me down there. Maybe he’s scared of me? Maybe he feels like he knows I could take him, you know?
But he’s in action too, against Kane for the World Heavyweight Championship; and Miz against Daniel Bryan – there you go, Daniel Bryan, not new to the scene in the WWE but coming to his first major pay-per-view – that’s why the “Night of Champions” is so good, Elliott, all the championships are on the line, (so) the audience gets to see a lot of top matches, important matches, title matches of course. The Undertaker, definitely, at “Wrestlemania” I know I can take him, it’s only a matter (of time).
You make reference to yourself growing up a pasty, pale kid. Any thought about contacting Conan O’Brien and saying that you want to join his “Pale Force”?
[laughs] I’ve seen pictures in the audience with Conan O’Brien’s head pasted onto my body in signs all over arenas all over the country. The thing is I grew from a pasty white kid to a pasty white man, so Conan O’Brien’s got nothing on me. I guarantee you he uses a spray tan or something. [laughs] He’s probably tanning the face and the hands but the rest that’s covered by his shirt and tie is probably as pale as me. [laughs] So I won’t go into that.
Last question: the “Mystery GM” on RAW…it’s Betty White, isn’t it?
Betty White?
Yeah, she’s everywhere!
I’ll tell you a funny story about Betty White. My parents were very young when I was born. I grew up in Dublin city in an old Georgian house that was turned into a flat. I grew up with my grandmother and my grand aunt, you know because my parents were both working. And I swear to God, I was forced – I had a very bad childhood that was basically brought on from having been forced to watch episodes of “Mattlock” and “The Golden Girls” which is probably one of the reasons I’m so angry in the ring. And “Murder She Wrote” as well; don’t forget that Jessica Fletcher bird either. So a combination of all those shows I was made to watch by my grandmother, they’re responsible for my aggression in the ring right now. So you mention Betty White that makes me angry, I don’t care for those questions.
Awesome.
[laughs] God, nightmares though. You’ve brought up some – what do they say?
Repressed memories?
Repressed memories. Yeah you brought up those repressed memories there. Hope you’re proud of yourself, Elliott. This interview had gone so well until you took that road. Boy, oh my god. Well there you go.
Thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it.
Elliott, no problem. It’s gonna be a kicking pay-per-view, fella. I’m well psyched about it. The star power on the show is off the hook; the mixture of old and new. And I said the great matches: they’ve got the “lumberjill match” as well for all the red-blooded males out there. Pretty much all the top Divas are going to be a part of the match. The Miz and Daniel Bryan for the U.S. Title, which is just a really hot storyline; there’s also going to be Kane and The Undertaker which is a feud that spans over 15 years, and of course the “six-pack challenge” or “five-pack challenge”, maybe the general manager can’t even count. I don’t know whatever matters, I’m gonna walk out WWE Champion. You can count on that.
Source
