Sheamus’s signature mohawk and braided beard became one of his most recognizable looks, defining his character for a significant portion of his career as a ruthless heel. The former WWE Champion recently told the full story behind the change in appearance, revealing that he did it without asking for permission, a move that left Vince McMahon “pissed big time.”
In 2015, after some time away with an injury, Sheamus felt his character had become “stagnant.” He decided he needed a significant change to reinvent himself and come back with a renewed edge. This led to the creation of the mohawk look, a decision he made on his own without consulting WWE management.
No Permission Given
Speaking with Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast, Sheamus confirmed the long-standing rumor that he did not get the company’s approval before shaving his head into a mohawk. He knew the move would likely anger the “brass,” but he felt it was a necessary risk for his character.
“The great thing about that was I pissed the brass off on that one, because I didn’t ask for permission, I just did it. I think I’ve been off with an injury, and I just kind of felt stagnant, and I’d done that babyface. I was just like, I need something different and cool, right? So I did it, and I think Vince was pissed big time because I didn’t tell him I was doing it.”
“You Look Stupid!”
Sheamus recalled being excited about his new look, thinking it made him look like a “bleeding ass kicker.” He expected an intimidating reaction from the crowd upon his return. Instead, the WWE fans in Chicago immediately greeted him with a thunderous “You look stupid” chant, a reaction that he was not expecting but one that he immediately embraced to get heat.
“But I did all this stuff, my beard and all the braids and everything, and I thought man, I look cool, dude. I look badass. I look like a bleeding ass kicker again. I’m gonna go out there… I looked badass and I thought people are gonna go, this guy looks cool. I walked out, and then some bollocks in the audience started a ‘You look stupid chant’, and that was it. It just carried across all the arena. I was like this is not what I was expecting. It was not the reaction that I was going for. It was great, you know, I leaned into it, and it was class. It was fun.”
If you use any portion of the quotes from this article please credit Chris Van Vliet with a h/t to WrestlingNews.co for the transcription.
