wrestling / News

Sheamus On the Backlash He’s Received Over Jeff Hardy Feud, How It’s Helped Him Improve His Promos

July 7, 2020 | Posted by Jeremy Thomas
Jeff Hardy Sheamus Smackdown Image Credit: WWE

Appearing on the latest After the Bell, Sheamus discussed the fan reaction to his feud with Jeff Hardy and how the storyline has helped him work on his promo skills. Sheamus’ feud with Hardy has been controversial among some fans because it delves into Hardy’s real-life past with drug and alcohol addiction, and he noted that the feud has gotten him a lot of hate but said he’s been reveling in it.

Sheamus also talked about how he used to consider promos his biggest weakness and said that the current storyline has helped him really improve and grow his skills in the mic. Highlights and the full audio are below:

On the backlash from fans for his feud with Hardy: “Oh yeah. I think I’ve got a serious amount of backlash. A lot of people really, really, really hate me right now … You know, listen, when we’re in WWE man, talk about blurred lines. I actually read an interview with Bobby Lashley talking about the situation with him and Lana, and how he had to like, talk to his kids about what was going on. And somebody will blur the lines, you know what I mean? And it is! And listen, at the end of the day man, we’re characters. And my job is to be the most hated character ever. And I thrive in that situation. And this current environment is giving me a great opportunity to delve into that.”

On how he used to consider promos his weakness: “I remember there was a time mate, when I first started. I don’t know what it was. Obviously this was what I wanted to do my whole life. And the aggression part of the ring has always been easy for me. But I always felt like, promos and stuff in the ring, I definitely fell short. I was not where I needed to be. And you know, I’d trip over words and trip over things I had to say, because I had to get this promo absolutely right, you know? And it definitely held me back quite a lot in my career. My look was so unique, my shape. You know, I was a big, pasty, Irish dude. And aggression, no one would match me with aggression in the ring. But when it came to the stick, you know what I mean? I just, I left a lot to be desired.”

On working on his promos when he came back: “And I feel like when we talk about coming back with passion, I feel like I am. I knew there were certain things in my game that had to be worked upon. Because, when I was with Cesaro in The Bar, we weren’t really challenged in that situation. You know, we’d share promos together. But you’re in a tag team, you’re sharing a lot of things. You’re sharing the load. But I knew coming back into a singles competitor, Corey? I was like, there are certain things in my game that need to be tightened up.

“One was my physique which, I wasn’t happy where I was. And I put like, train twice a day and getting stuck on my diet. And training and being religious with that. But also the other side was like, you know, nailing my promos. And making sure nobody could touch me in that area. And I feel like especially in the last couple of months, I feel like I’m just in a whole new, different world, different league, when it comes to that. And I’m enjoying the stuff with Jeff because it’s given my character a lot of opportunity to play with words. And really like, just watch the reaction, especially on social media, to how much people hate me the more I enjoy sticking the knife into Jeff.”

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit WWE’s After the Bell with a h/t to 411mania.com for the transcription.

article topics :

Jeff Hardy, Sheamus, WWE, Jeremy Thomas