<\/p>\n
\n\tSixteen years ago, WWE Superstar Sheamus shocked the wrestling world when he dethroned John Cena to capture his first championship. Back then, he was a brash upstart from Ireland, unapologetic and unrelenting. Over the years, he has evolved from a boisterous brute into a respected fan favorite. Known for his strength and ring IQ, the Celtic Warrior once thrived as a heavy-hitting heel \u2014 and today, he still delights in punishing opponents with raw brutality, but now carries himself with the perspective of a battle-tested leader.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI love what I do. I love being in that ring and I love the physicality of this sport,\u201d Sheamus tells Billboard<\/em> ahead of Monday Night Raw in the UK. \u201cAfter all these years, I\u2019m even more passionate now than I\u2019ve ever been in my career. I get more and more addicted to this. I love fighting.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThat passion fuels his boiling-hot feud with friend-turned-foe Rusev, which will come to a head this Sunday (Aug. 31) at Clash in Paris. The bruisers once stood side by side in the League of Nations before Rusev\u2019s departure to AEW. Now, years later, their paths collide again \u2014 this time on foreign soil, with the world watching.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThis is a war,\u201d Sheamus declares. \u201cWe\u2019ve had a couple of battles, but the main course is this Sunday at Clash in Paris. He\u2019d better be ready, because I\u2019m ready for anything and everything.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tFor Entry 011 of Mic Drops and Elbow Drops<\/em>, Sheamus reflects on his favorite John Cena memory, the band he\u2019d love to see perform his WrestleMania entrance, and which celebrity he\u2019d most like to put through a table.<\/p>\n \n\tYou and Rusev go all the way back to the League of Nations. Now that he\u2019s back and you\u2019re on a collision course at Clash in Paris, what kind of fight should fans expect when two powerhouses like you guys finally link up?<\/strong><\/p>\n With Rusev, we had the League of Nations, which tested our friendship a little a bit back in the day. We\u2019ve been great friends. I moved to Nashville because of him. He was a groomsman at my wedding. Christmases we spent together. Then, we lost that kind of friendship when he left WWE. <\/p>\n \n\tTo see what he did when he left, he didn\u2019t do anything. To me, it was a wasted opportunity. He never rose to the levels he should have. I know what he\u2019s capable of in that ring. I know how aggressive he can be. Then, when he came back, everyone was excited, including me. What does he do? He goes after low-hanging fruit like [WWE Superstars] Tozawa and Otis. That\u2019s how you wanna come back? That\u2019s how you wanna test yourself?<\/p>\n \n\tI spoke to him about it. That\u2019s what friends do. Friends call you out, right? They say it to your face. I did the same thing to him and he didn\u2019t wanna hear it. It soured our friendship and when we had our match, he took the easy route again. The second match, he tried to take me out again, but I caught him. The third match, we just kept going because the hatred\u2019s been growing. At the Barclays Center, I went after him again because I\u2019m not letting him off the hook. I\u2019m not just gonna walk away. F\u2013k no.<\/p>\n \n\tYou\u2019ve talked about giving Drew McIntyre the famous \u201cburgers after burgers after burgers\u201d line. How did you take something as personal as your weight frustrations and flip it into humor that became both motivational and memorable?<\/strong><\/p>\n \n\tBecause it\u2019s entertainment, right? It\u2019s what we do. I can\u2019t take these things personally, because they\u2019re true. I saw a lot of stuff on social media and I\u2019ll be honest: when I was younger and Twitter came out in 2010, I got a lot of [comments] about favoritism like, \u201cI\u2019m Triple H\u2019s workout buddy\u201d and all that stuff. Everything I did was undermined. It really got to me. Even though I was a chubby ginger head kid in school, I was a little bit sensitive. But over the years, I just realized that you have to lean into things. You can\u2019t shy away. I took accountability for what it was. I pushed hard for the \u2018Mania [39] match with Gunther to end that trilogy for the IC title and then it didn\u2019t happen. <\/p>\n \n\tObviously, I was like, \u201cF\u2013k this. I\u2019m gonna do what I wanna do,\u201d especially after coming back from the potential career-ending injury that I had with my neck. Then, I came back and I could have made excuses. I have to take this on the chin. That\u2019s on me. That was my fault and I owned it. I gave Drew the line and said, \u201cIt\u2019s gonna be great. It\u2019s entertainment.\u201d We\u2019re all about getting reactions, telling stories and embracing things that happened.<\/p>\n