Sheamus Credits This WWE Legend For Helping Him Get An Early Push

WWE star Sheamus has credited John Cena for his first world title win in the company, claiming that plans changed on the day of the match, thanks largely to Cena's inputs.

The three-time WWE Champion was a recent guest on "Virgin Media Sport Stories," where he was initially supposed to lose the WWE Championship match at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs show in 2009.

"Up until that day, I was losing that match, and then things changed. Cena had a lot to do with it. Cena had a lot to do with what happened that day," Sheamus said.

Sheamus added that Cena felt that he deserved the push and that the 16-time world champion also believed that Sheamus was someone he could work well with.

"Also, [Cena felt] this is someone I can do business with, someone who's believable, believable foe to John Cena, which is what John needed," said the Irish star. "Every good babyface or hero needs is a good villain, and he saw that in me. People did not like me. People hated me."

The WWE star had disclosed a few years ago that people backstage weren't excited about him becoming world champion, and that he had "heat" with his peers who felt they deserved a world title over him.

Sheamus has four world title runs — three WWE Championships and one World Heavyweight Championship — in his 18 years in WWE. His first world title run was the aforementioned match against Cena, where he won a tables match. He won the title once again a year later, this time defeating Cena (who had by then regained the title), as well as Randy Orton and Edge in a fatal four-way match. In 2012, he won the World Heavyweight Championship from Daniel Bryan at WrestleMania 28, followed by one last run with the WWE Championship in 2015, cashing in his Money in the Bank contract to defeat Roman Reigns.