In December 2009, Sheamus shocked the WWE Universe by defeating John Cena in a Tables Match at TLC to become the first-ever Irish-born WWE Champion. Now, Sheamus has revealed the full story behind that career-defining moment, including the fact that the finish was changed on the day of the show.
Speaking on the Insight with Chris Van Vliet podcast, Sheamus explained that he had only been on the main roster for a few months and went into the match fully expecting to lose.
That changed when Vince McMahon, and Cena himself, decided otherwise just hours before showtime. “It was mental, because I didn’t know what was happening,” Sheamus said. “The day of TLC, I drove into San Antonio, and I fully expected I was losing. I was in the car with Arn Anderson and Scott Armstrong, and Scott was saying what an upset it would be if you won. Arn was like, ‘No, no, it’s too early.’”
Sheamus was then called into a meeting with McMahon, Cena, and Anderson. “Vince turned around to me and John and Arn and said, ‘John, what if we…’ and John goes, ‘Put the kid over?’ Vince is like, ‘Yeah, no problem.’ And that was it. He walked out, and I’m just sitting there like, what the f*** is happening?”
Sheamus praised Cena for selflessly suggesting the title change and immediately agreeing to lose clean to a newcomer on pay-per-view. “That was John, though. Right away, straight up, he was like, let’s do it.”
The victory would kickstart Sheamus’ main-event career, with the Celtic Warrior going on to become a multiple-time world champion.
The full interview is available below.
