- The Huffington Post’s Jon Chattman has an article up today covering Sheamus’ appearance at the Hall Neighborhood House in Bridgeport, CT last week. The WWE Superstar was there to talk about WWE’s new “be a STAR” Alliance anti-bullying campaign.
Here are some highlights:
JC: Anti-bullying initiatives like “It Gets Better” have been fully supported by the entertainment industry. Do you think WWE behind this helps raise awareness to a different audience?
S: We are a family product. There are kids everywhere at our arena. It’s what drives our business. We’ve moved away from the “Attitude” era. We try to be a positive image as best we can. What we do in the ring and with storylines is entertainment, but outside the ring, that’s the real world and we want to give back.
JC: Shifting gears, Summerslam is a big Pay-Per-View event for the WWE Universe. Are you psyched for you match?
S: I’m really excited — it’s the second biggest Pay-Per-View of the year next to WrestleMania. For a long time, the role for Mark Henry was a well-liked personality with a big smile. Something snapped. I guess over ten years of never having been World Champion, he feels he hasn’t been respected. I’ve seen how aggressive he is in the ring, and it’s not going to be a pretty sight. I’m always up for the challenge.
JC: Do you favor being a “heel” or “face”?
S: I don’t touch people’s babies or slap kids’ hands. I think in sports entertainment, the fans themselves decide who they like or who they don’t. Randy Orton never changed who he was. He’s still the same guy but fans knew he was so good, so they just started cheering for him. Everything we do for the WWE Universe if for the fans. They make our show.
JC: In terms of character development, it must be nice being cheered or booed every couple of months, no?
S: Here’s the thing, when I first came to WWE, all I did was be myself. You won’t find me doing moonsaults or flipping off the top. I’m not the most gracious so I take my strengths and hit people as hard as I can. When I first came here, people would tell me that I had to pay my dues but I went for the biggest dog in the park: John Cena. In a couple of months, I became champion. I always tell people that paying dues are for losers. I wasn’t ready to wait in line.
Here are some highlights:
JC: Anti-bullying initiatives like “It Gets Better” have been fully supported by the entertainment industry. Do you think WWE behind this helps raise awareness to a different audience?
S: We are a family product. There are kids everywhere at our arena. It’s what drives our business. We’ve moved away from the “Attitude” era. We try to be a positive image as best we can. What we do in the ring and with storylines is entertainment, but outside the ring, that’s the real world and we want to give back.
JC: Shifting gears, Summerslam is a big Pay-Per-View event for the WWE Universe. Are you psyched for you match?
S: I’m really excited — it’s the second biggest Pay-Per-View of the year next to WrestleMania. For a long time, the role for Mark Henry was a well-liked personality with a big smile. Something snapped. I guess over ten years of never having been World Champion, he feels he hasn’t been respected. I’ve seen how aggressive he is in the ring, and it’s not going to be a pretty sight. I’m always up for the challenge.
JC: Do you favor being a “heel” or “face”?
S: I don’t touch people’s babies or slap kids’ hands. I think in sports entertainment, the fans themselves decide who they like or who they don’t. Randy Orton never changed who he was. He’s still the same guy but fans knew he was so good, so they just started cheering for him. Everything we do for the WWE Universe if for the fans. They make our show.
JC: In terms of character development, it must be nice being cheered or booed every couple of months, no?
S: Here’s the thing, when I first came to WWE, all I did was be myself. You won’t find me doing moonsaults or flipping off the top. I’m not the most gracious so I take my strengths and hit people as hard as I can. When I first came here, people would tell me that I had to pay my dues but I went for the biggest dog in the park: John Cena. In a couple of months, I became champion. I always tell people that paying dues are for losers. I wasn’t ready to wait in line.