In a result that surprised practically everyone watching, Sheamus walked away with the briefcase in last night’s signature ladder match at WWE Money in the Bank (MITB). It gave the Celtic Warrior some much-needed momentum, especially after he made his return as a heel the day after Wrestlemania following a several month absence with an injury.
Sheamus then feuded with Dolph Ziggler for a couple of months and took part in the Elimination Chamber match for the Intercontinental Championship at the pay-per-view of the same name (ultimately won by Ryback), but was still relegated to upper mid-card and his future looked very undecided.
When it was announced that Roman Reigns would be taking part in the MITB ladder match, his winning and Sheamus being thrown aside again seemed all but a certainty.
Until now. Thanks to interference from Bray Wyatt, Reigns was robbed of his chance to climb the ladder and walk away with a title shot, paving the way for Sheamus to rise from the ashes and snag the briefcase for himself. His possibilities are now endless.
One thing does seem certain. If Sheamus is to cash in his contract and fight for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, it isn’t going to be in the near future. His heel turn is still new, as he was the United States Champion as a babyface for nearly six months last year, and chances are WWE will want to ride out the heel heat for the foreseeable future.
But it should also be noted that Brock Lesnar is set to come back soon after being “suspended” the day after Wrestlemania, and he’ll almost definitely come back as a babyface to challenge Seth Rollins for the belt. That bout isn’t likely to be until the SummerSlam pay-per-view in August and unless Sheamus decides to cash in then, my best guess is that like Rollins he will carry the briefcase for a long time.
That isn’t to say that Sheamus is unworthy of the MITB briefcase. He won it fair and square and WWE wouldn’t have had him win it if there weren’t plans for him in the future. It’s just that the immediate future has too much going on, what with Lesnar’s return, keeping Rollins as the champion and many other superstars like Randy Orton that must not be forgotten. If Sheamus does cash in his contract in the next couple of months, it will seem forced and rushed.
Instead, let him hang onto it for a little while and have his opportunity build value, maybe even have him fight somebody FOR the briefcase. No matter what happens, it’s a certainty that Sheamus is someone to watch going forward.
