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There have been plenty of top-quality Irish wrestlers over the years. Fitt Finley worked the circuit for years before his move to WWE, and Danno O’Mahoney literally invented the Irish Whip. In recent years, a whole new roster of talent has emerged from the country, with wrestlers such as Finn Balor and Becky Lynch. Yet this Celtic wave was kickstarted by one man: Seamus.
Stephen Farrelly was born in Dublin in 1978. His school life saw him lay out a path as a gifted athlete who played Rugby and Gaelic football. He then took up a career as a bodyguard and worked for celebrities such as the rock band U2. As a child, he also sang in a choir which gave his first glimpse of television, as he appeared on several Irish television shows.
Yet it was the live action wrestling he had watched on television that captured him. Devouring a mixture of World of Sport, a British television show syndicated in Ireland featuring classic wrestling, and WWE beamed via satellite from the US, Seamus knew where his path lay. After speaking to icon Bret Hart, he travelled to Larry Sharpes Monster Factory to begin his training.
Within six weeks Seamus made his debut under the guise of Seamus O’Shaunessy. Yet the path was not to prove that smooth. A botched move would give him a serious neck injury. It would keep him away from the ring for two years, but would also be a recurring issue throughout his career.
In 2004 Seamus returned home and joined the Irish Whip wrestling school in Dublin. He would remain here until 2006, becoming involved in a range of storylines and rivalries. One of his biggest accolades was becoming the first IWW International Heavyweight Champion. One of his greatest rivalries would come when facing another future WWE star Drew Galloway.
By 2005 Seamus was making a name for himself and wrestling around Europe, particularly in the UK and its many independent promotions. Here, he managed to continue his rivalry with Galloway and wrestle British legends like Robbie Brookside.
In a November taping of Raw in Manchester, England, Seamus was asked to be part of the security team who would throw DX out of the ring. He was then given tryouts as the company travelled Europe, and was eventually asked to move to the US to follow a developmental contract. Stationed in Florida Championship Wrestling he quickly gained a reputation as a great singles wrestler. He was soon crowned champion but later lost to his old rival Galloway. Soon called up to WWE, he worked a series of dark matches and house shows.
In 2009 WWE was still using the ECW brand name and it was where Seamus would make his debut. He had an entertaining rivalry with Golddust and followed it by battling Shelton Benjamin, quickly building some huge momentum and becoming a fan favourite, despite being a heel. This rivalry ended abruptly as he was moved to RAW where his heel antics continued when he assaulted a timekeeper, beat Jerry Lawler and ended Jamie Noble's career.
Ascending the ranks quickly, he was then in a battle royal for wrestlers who had never held a WWE title. Winning, he was granted a title shot against John Cena. In a table bout at the December TLC event, he beat the top face in the company and became the first Irish champion of all time.
Seamus held the title until February when he would lose it at the Elimination Chamber. This would lead him into a rivalry with Triple H. This started his run as a top contender, where he would lose and regain the title several times.
However, he was also to win several other accolades. In 2010 he became King Seamus after winning the King of the Ring tournament. After this, he would get into a feud with Daniel Bryan and manage to claim his first United States Championship. This, along with the World Heavyweight Championship, were two titles WWE would alternate him with over the next few years.
Over the next few years, WWE would struggle to know what to do with Seamus, as it did many of its wrestlers at that time. Having peaked extremely early in his career, he was relegated to an upper mid-carder and was looked on unfavourably by fans. Yet Seamus made some very lacklustre storylines interesting, notably his time with The League of Nations. He was given a long and successful tag team run with Cesaro, which saw him revitalised and delivered some of the best matches of his career.
In later 2023 and 2024 Seamus was absent due to a shoulder injury. However, he had recently gained his second 5-star match rating from Dave Meltzer when in a Triple Threat with Drew Mcintyre and Gunther. While Seamus may be injury-dogged, this showed that he is far from done and is still a force to be reckoned with in WWE.
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