When Sheamus arrived to WWE in 2009, it wasn’t long before the World Heavyweight Championship was wrapped around his waist, as he captured the gold in just six months when he defeated John Cena at Tables, Ladder & Chairs. That said, many often forget that “The Celtic Warrior” was primarily a member of the ECW roster for most of the year until he was assigned to “WWE Raw” that October, and during an interview with “OTB Football,” Sheamus reflected on how quickly he was given the opportunity to be world champion.

“Yeah, it happened really fast. One minute I was on ECW, the next minute I was switched to ‘Raw.’ Literally happened over night,” he said. “I was going to debut on ‘Raw,’ it was literally like the day before I was told you’re switching over to ‘Raw’ and that was it. And then, I’m in the Breakthrough Battle Royal … it came up to me and Kofi [Kingston], who was also brand new. And then all of a sudden, wrestling John Cena TLC. My second pay-per-view ever. I’m wrestling the World Heavyweight Champion. And then a couple hours later, I’m holding the title, my foot on John’s chest and the title on my left arm … It just blew everyone away. Shocked the world. It was phenomenal.“

Since November, Sheamus has been out of action due to a shoulder injury, but he stated that he’s determined to continue his quest of becoming a Grand Slam Champion when he returns, as the Intercontinental Title has eluded him his entire career.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit “OTB Football” with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.