Sheamus def. Mark Henry (Strap Match)

ST. LOUIS — In a welt-inducing Strap Match at Extreme Rules, Sheamus reigned supreme over Mark Henry and avoided entry into the Hall of Pain.

With both Superstars tethered to one another by a leather strap bound at the wrist, victory would go to the first competitor to touch all four corners of the ring in succession. With each corner outfitted with a red light (to signify a Henry touch) and a green light (to signify a Sheamus touch), the rivals turned the squared circle into a canvas of struggle as they literally beat and dragged each other around the ring, giving new meaning to “tug of war.”

SHEAMUS AND HENRY ENGAGE IN FEATS OF STRENGTH | CELTIC WARRIOR'S BATTLE SCARS

Despite the fact that Henry outweighs Sheamus by nearly 200 pounds, the Irish Superstar entered the fray with a confidence befitting his Celtic heritage. But Henry put his uncanny strength on display, at one point hoisting Sheamus up over his shoulders and carrying his opponent to three of the four corners.

The fight inside Sheamus stopped Henry’s momentum, however, and a game of strategy ensued. The competitors took turns wielding the strap itself as a weapon, adding another layer of brutality to the already vicious battle.

Then, when Sheamus successfully reached three corners, Henry pulled out all the stops and attempted The World’s Strongest Slam. But The Celtic Warrior somehow reversed it into a Brogue Kick and advanced to touch the last of the four corners to ensure a huge pay-per-view victory!

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Sheamus and Henry have done battle before, but never to such extreme lengths. The rivalry between the two Superstars reignited in the weeks following WrestleMania when Sheamus and Henry traded vicious backstage assaults, then engaged in tests of strength wherein The World’s Strongest Man was twice embarrassed. Henry reached his absolute breaking point in a belt-induced beatdown administered by Henry to set the stage for an epic pay-per-view collision.

Sheamus and Henry have done battle before, but never to such extreme lengths, and the toll taken in this particular bout necessitated a visit to the trainer’s room for Henry, as later revealed on the Extreme Rules Post-Show. It was there that Matt Striker attempted to interview The World’s Strongest Man. The visibly disappointed powerhouse instead walked out of the room, and when a doctor asked where he was going, Henry simply stated he was “going home.”

Regardless of whether his intention was to literally send Henry packing, at Extreme Rules, The Celtic Warrior found a way to prevail, overcoming the unadulterated rage and ungodly power of The World’s Strongest Man and fulfilling a pre-match prediction that Henry would find out exactly what happens when The Celtic Warrior goes extreme.