WWE Star Sheamus Explains The Irony Of His Intercontinental Title 'Curse'

For much of his WWE career, Sheamus has had the luck of the Irish on his side, especially with championship wins. When it comes to the Intercontinental Championship, however, he's experienced more of a curse. During a recent appearance on "Insight With Chris Van Vliet," "The Celtic Warrior" explained the irony of this specific title eluding him.

"It's the IC curse of The Celtic Warrior. It's the one thing I can't win," Sheamus said. "The irony is that it's the first title I really became focused on because Macho Man was in a feud with [Ricky] Steamboat over it. So when I started watching, Macho Man was the first IC champion. So the one title that I was exposed to as a fan is the one I can't win, which has become this kind of crusade, but it's definitely an IC curse for me."

The feud in reference occurred in the later months of 1986 and into early 1987, in which "Macho Man" Randy Savage reigned as the Intercontinental Champion. At that time, Savage held the respective title for nearly 14 months, defeating the likes of George Steele, Rick Hunter, and Sivi Afi along the way. At WrestleMania 3, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat finally dethroned Savage, thanks to some help from Steele.

Fast forward to the 2010s and 2020s, Sheamus repeatedly pursued the Intercontinental Championship, but to no avail. His latest title shot came at the 2024 WWE Survivor Series: WarGames premium live event, in which he and Ludwig Kaiser challenged Bron Breakker in a triple threat. Breakker retained his title on this occasion, courtesy of a spear on Sheamus.