Sheamus’s mohawk and braided beard became one of the most defining parts of his image, giving the former WWE Champion a ruthless, unmistakable presence. Recently, he revealed the full story of how the transformation happened, admitting that he never asked for approval , a decision that left Vince McMahon “pissed big time.”

Back in 2015, after being sidelined with an injury, Sheamus felt his on-screen persona had grown “stagnant.” Wanting to make a bold return, he decided to reinvent himself with a completely fresh look. That decision resulted in the striking mohawk and braided beard combination, a move he made entirely on his own without consulting WWE management.

Speaking with Chris Van Vliet on the Insight podcast, Sheamus confirmed the long-standing rumor that he went ahead without telling anyone in the company. “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,” he explained. “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.”

Sheamus admitted he was confident the change would make him look like a “bleeding ass kicker,” expecting a wave of admiration when he made his comeback. However, his return in Chicago took an unexpected turn when the crowd erupted into a loud “You look stupid” chant.

“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.”

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