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GUEST EDITORIAL
By John A. O'Donnell, Jr., Torch reader

Last week on WWE Raw, something significant took place, as Sheamus became the #1 Contender to John Cena's WWE Title. I'm not sure people watching the show realized how shocking this development was in the World Title picture because Sheamus was the first legitimate new World Title contender at a Pay-Per-View in 2009.

Let's take a look at the Pay-Per-View World Title bouts in 2009 to truly appreciate this.

2009 WWE Pay-Per-View World Title Bouts

TLC PPV (December 2009):
John Cena vs. Sheamus - WWE Title
The Undertaker vs. Batista - World Hvt. Title

Survivor Series (November 2009):
John Cena (c) vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels – WWE Title
The Undertaker (c) vs. Chris Jericho vs. The Big Show – World Hvt. Title

Bragging Rights (October 2009):
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena – WWE Title
The Undertaker (c) vs. C.M. Punk vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Batista – World Hvt. Title

Hell in a Cell (October 2009):
John Cena (c) vs. Randy Orton – WWE Title
C.M. Punk (c) vs. The Undertaker – World Hvt. Title

Breaking Point (September 2009):
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena – WWE Title
C.M. Punk (c) vs. The Undertaker – World Hvt. Title

Summerslam (August 2009):
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena – WWE Title
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. C.M. Punk – World Hvt. Title

Night of Champions (July 2009):
Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H vs. John Cena – WWE Title
C.M. Punk (c) vs. Jeff Hardy – World Hvt. Title

The Bash (June 2009):
Randy Orton (c) vs. Triple H – WWE Title
C.M. Punk (c) vs. Jeff Hardy – World Hvt. Title

Extreme Rules (June 2009):
Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista – WWE Title
Edge (c) vs. Jeff Hardy – World Hvt. Title

Judgment Day (May 2009):
Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista – WWE Title
Edge (c) vs. Jeff Hardy – World Hvt. Title

Backlash (April 2009):
Randy Orton (c) & Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase vs. Triple H & Batista & Shane McMahon – WWE Title
John Cena (c) vs. Edge – World Hvt. Title

Wrestlemania XXV (April 2009):
Triple H (c) vs. Randy Orton – WWE Title
Edge (c) vs. John Cena vs. The Big Show – World Hvt. Title

No Way Out (February 2009):
Edge (c) vs. Triple H vs. The Undertaker vs. The Big Show vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov – WWE Title
John Cena (c) vs. Edge vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Chris Jericho vs. Mike Knox vs. Kane – World Hvt. Title

Royal Rumble (January 2009):
John Cena (c) vs. JBL – WWE Title
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. Edge – World Hvt. Title

Title Defense/Opportunity Statistics Totals for 2009:
John Cena – 11
Randy Orton – 10
Edge - 7
Jeff Hardy - 7
Triple H – 6
CM Punk - 6
The Undertaker – 6
Batista - 5
The Big Show - 3
Chris Jericho - 2
Rey Mysterio – 2
Shawn Michaels – 1
JBL - 1
Kane – 1
Vladimir Kozlov – 1
Mike Knox - 1
Shane McMahon - 1

Notes about Why Some Numbers Not Higher for these Stars:
Edge – Currently Injured
Batista – Injury Time
Jeff Hardy – Left Company (Semi-Retired)
JBL – Retired
Triple H – Time Off
Shawn Michaels – Time Off
Rey Mysterio – Suspended

The only names that I consider to be somewhat new to the title picture this year were C.M. Punk (even though he was in the title picture last year), Vladimir Kozlov (in Elimination Chamber match no one expected him to win), Mike Knox (in Elimination Chamber match no one expected him to win), Kane (in Elimination Chamber match no one expected him to win and not really a new person), Shane McMahon (in Backlash tag match that everyone knew he would not get the pin to be the World Champion).

The problem with Sheamus is that he just randomly appeared a few weeks back due to the magic rules WWE uses for some of its stars to switch brands when deemed convenient. His greatest accomplishment is most likely eliminating John Morrison (current WWE Intercontinental Champion) at Survivor Series while Morrison was facing a three-on-one scenario. Is this really a person that deserves a WWE Title shot?

Nevertheless, it’s a sacrifice the audience is going to have to endure if they demand fresh faces in the title scene, particularly for the Raw brand's title. When you think about how many times the trio of John Cena, Randy Orton, and Triple H have fought for the WWE Title this year and combine that with the quartet of Edge, Jeff Hardy, C.M. Punk, and The Undertaker for the World Hvt. Title, you have to admit that whether or not Sheamus deserves this chance, it's a welcome breath of fresh air. Hopefully, Sheamus is not the only change of face that gets a shot at the title going into 2010.

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