The year was 2005. The location was Trabolgan Holiday Centre, Cork.
As was the nature of these shows, houses in Trabolgan were revolving. New holidaymakers each week ensured a full house, but one not necessarily interested in the nuances and backstage drama of the Irish Whip Wrestling shows they'd sit down to enjoy for a couple hours on a Tuesday afternoon. So nobody here knew how close to the cusp of something special, something truly historic in Irish wrestling, they were.
Stephen Farrelly was a full-time IT consultant, part-time nightclub bouncer and also happened to be the Irish Heavyweight Champion. He was then known as Seamus O'Shaughnessy ('SOS' for short) but would later find world fame under the simpler moniker Sheamus, with added H so Americans wouldn't refer to him as Sea-mus.
Whereas Sheamus had been bullied in school for being overweight (and turned to bodybuilding as a way to combat this - both physically and psychologically), if Fergal Devitt had attended high school in America, he'd have been referred to as a 'jock'. He'd probably have hung out with the kids who picked on Sheamus, but you suspect from his natural, respectful demeanour that he'd have backed off and tried to befriend him on the quiet as a pick-me-up. Fergal played on pretty much every sports team that time would allow, until he was 18 and decided to drop the more fashionable soccer and GAA for a pursuit of a childhood dream to become a wrestler.
Fergal and Sheamus were, and still are, like chalk and cheese. Fergal is tanned, good-looking, naturally athletic, probably good with the girls, laid back, cool, aspirational. Sheamus is pasty white, a bit shy at times, can be clumsy (though not in the ring), is so committed to his craft he brings a protein shake if he gets dragged into a club so he doesn't miss a meal and, in all my time knowing him, I never saw nor heard of him romantically involved. You'd like Sheamus, but leave him to his own thing while you try and figure out what exactly his deal is. You'd want to be, or at least be friends with, Fergal.
The only thing the two of them seem to have in common is that, it just so happens, they're the best two pro-wrestlers Ireland has produced to date. And they both came up in the same generation, round about 2005. You'd think that they know each other inside-out, then? That the 32 counties would all tell a different, if similar, tale of their now-legendary bouts across their homeland.
You'd think that, but you'd think wrong. They've never even wrestled once.
See Fergal was an NWA-Ireland guy, while Sheamus was an IwW guy. Independent pro-wrestling in Ireland isn't a huge scene, today 200 fans constitutes an amazing house and pints on the promoter, but for whatever reason there's always been an inflated amount of promotions running shows for the 50 or so guys and girls who've wrestled more than 10 matches. And, for whatever reason, those promotions have always found new and creative ways to dislike each other. Back then NWA guys would tell you it's because IwW were arrogant and wouldn't let their lads work with others, while IwW guys would claim that NWA were just jealous of their TV show and international recognition. In truth, it didn't matter. What mattered is that the in-ring talent didn't get to lock horns, didn't get to learn off each other, improve and make this small scene overachieve even more than it should've on paper.
Then, for a brief moment in time, in August 2005 it seemed like those barriers were about to come crashing down. For the dozens that followed along with this kinda stuff, it was exciting. It began with a worked-shoot fight between Adam Abz and Dave Zero at a Gym War event, that ended with Zero splitting blood all over the Baldoyle Industrial Estate. It ended with a classic match between Red Vinny and Sean 'Maxer' Brennan at a later Gym War. In between was a scathing shoot promo from Ross Browne (who was recently seen on 'The Fear' on RTÉ) laying into IwW for its commercialist instincts. Paddy Morrow and Vic Viper took part in a bruising affair too. That was all fun, playing out real-life tensions between the promotions for people's entertainment, but the cross-promotion would have real world implications with the appearance of one Fergal Devitt at an IwW show.
I always compare Devitt to Eddie Guerrero. A couple of months ago, I wrote about how Guerrero liked to keep his matches unpredictable by introducing some kind of exciting hope spot (like going for a finisher early into the match) so fans were always on their toes. His matches were high-intensity, high-octane and always engaging as a result. Devitt is similar: with some wrestlers you kinda know when the finish is coming and check your phone until then, with Devitt you're never quite sure what to expect. He wrestles at 100mph but not in a typical indie way; his matches tell a story and get you emotionally involved too. He hits hard, but that's to be expected where he's come from, and I've never personally heard of anyone getting hurt as a result of carelessness or the like. So he's safe, entertaining, effective, innovative AND exciting. Not bad for a kid who grew up watching World of Sport with his grandfather in Bray.
At the time, I was a part of the inner circle of guys involved in the running of IwW, and even I had to run around asking people, "What's going on?!" when Fergal rolled into Trabolgan. The entire deal was kept as hush-hush as it got, mainly I suspect because nobody knew where it was going to go. Was he going to go into business for himself and try and hurt one of our guys to set an example, like Abz had? Or was he here to finally put this madness behind us and show us all some cool stuff we could add to our repertoire (all any of the wrestlers really cared about, truth be told)? Devitt was pretty reserved, though you later learn that that's just his personality (he told me in a 'Low Blows' interview released this week, part 1 of which is below, that he likes to "blend into the background"), so no answers were forthcoming from him.
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He wrestled two matches that night, I refereed both of them. Backstage beforehand, he was nothing but professional and respectful when asked if there was anything he needed from me. His first match with Ballymun Bruiser (a comic relief bad guy who drank Dutch Gold en route to the ring; he'd later have his tough upbringing profiled in a TV3 documentary) left a few bruises and welts on Bruiser's chest and back, but hey, we knew NWA guys (who were trained with old school, British grit in the name of keeping the business a legitimate athletic endeavour) hit hard so it wasn't a sign of ill-will. His second match, a three-way to close out the show, ended as a bit of a clusterfuck thanks to that idiot ref messing up the finish. But there was no hard feelings about it from Devitt in the back afterwards, these things happen sometimes.
Sheamus was stuck in his day job that day. We worked Trabolgan on Tuesdays and he'd just about used up all of his annual leave on wrestling dates. No biggie, surely there'd be other opportunities for the two known best in the country to mix it up now that this barrier appeared broken down.
Except there weren't. For whatever reason, that was the last Irish Whip saw of Fergal. If in doubt, always blame dumb promoters' pride and nitpickings for travesties like this. Wrestlers just want to wrestle after all.
Sheamus would sign for WWE within little over a year. The rest is history there: he's a former WWE Champion, World Heavyweight Champion, King of the Ring, Royal Rumble winner and currently holds the US Championship while simultaneously being tipped to become the top babyface in the wake of Daniel Bryan's injury-enforced absence. Last week he sold out The O2 here in Ireland and stole the show with his title defence against Cesaro. Just another day on the job these days.
For his part, Fergal went another route to the same end. If you know pro-wrestling (not just WWE), you'll know his list of achievements are equally impressive and possibly even more unlikely. Japan was Devitt's destination of choice, where he worked his way up as a 'Gaijin', or 'outsider', a 'Young Boy' cleaning the New Japan Pro-Wrestling Dojo every morning, doing crunches until they got sick in the afternoon and, if they were lucky, performing in the legendary Korakuen Hall at night.
In 2006, he left Bray with just the clothes on his back and headed for 'The Land of the Rising Sun'. He didn't look back. They gave him the pseudonym Prince Devitt there because Japanese people have trouble pronouncing Fergal. Working his way up in their dojo from scratch, Devitt is now an icon who'll likely get swarmed if he walks down a Tokyo high street (yet he freely admits he can walk through Bray anonymously - life is weird sometimes). He's a 3-time IWGP Jr Heavyweight Champion (think the Intercontinental Title back when that title mattered a lot), 6-time IWGP Jr Tag-Team Champion, 2-time Super Junior Tournament winner and Super J Cup Finalist (the same tournament that launched the likes of Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, Dean Malenko and Ultimo Dragon to superstardom - the 1994 tournament is widely recognised as the best pro-wrestling event ever by many). I cannot even begin to describe to you how unlikely it is that Devitt would accumulate all of this success in Japan, because you wouldn't believe me. The truth is simply that he's just that good.
And yet, typically, we all know of Sheamus' global conquests and only wrestling's most dedicated know of Devitt's. It's like Ireland all over again: Sheamus is having a difficult time from certain fans who perceive him as bland, while still being pushed as the top guy and being on TV, while Devitt is the guy wrestling fans tip-off to their friends to make them look smart because they saw him down a local GAA hall (always a master of his craft, he still wrestles in GAA halls to this day and sees it as crucial he makes sure he gets a reaction from people who've never heard of him before).
Forget about the fact that Sheamus can rock up to a Late Late Show taping and be recognised by 95% of the audience present instantly: these two men's achievements are equal. There's an established path to the WWE even from Ireland. Under current Executive VP of Talent Relations, Triple H, WWE are scouring the globe for talent and hold regular tryouts before each show. If you tick the boxes, you're in (though let's not diminish Sheamus' accomplishments - what he's achieved has been insane, those boxes are ridiculously difficult to tick). If you add a degree of difficulty for achievement, Devitt is on par. Nobody in Ireland had even thought of becoming a champion in NJPW before he went and did it. He's blazed his own trail and done it with style.
There is no good reason that you never got to see these two in the same ring at the same time on their way to the top. They were there at the same time, they were nationally recognised as the two best early on (the cream tends to rise on the indie circuit), hell Fergal was even an IwW competitor for a brief moment in time. It just so happened that Sheamus couldn't get the day off for that moment. They were like ships passing in the night. Their window to Irish folklore immortality was August 2005. And that window senselessly shut closed as soon as August turned into September.
Or did it?
Why would a man who achieved as much as Fergal did in Japan walk away from it all? Before he decided to call it a day with New Japan, Fergal's storyline involved him attempting to become the first man ever to hold the IWGP Heavyweight and Junior Heavyweight belts simultaneously. And, make no mistake about it, if he stayed he would've done so. Those aren't his words, he'd never admit to something that braggadocios even if it was blatantly obvious for all to see. They clearly thought that highly of him by putting him in that spot to begin with. In doing so, our boy done good Fergal would've surpassed just about every wrestling legend that had walked through NJPW's hallowed halls. He would've instantly been a legend in his own right.
And yet he left. Out of the blue (at least for those of us not in his loop). Staggeringly.
There has to be a compelling reason there, right?
Fergal is coy when discussing the rumours about his signing with WWE, refusing to either confirm or deny them outright. Yet they persist to the degree where certain insiders know details about his visa situation. They say he's due to report to NXT headquarters in Florida in about two months once his visa clears. Hmm... And he did confirm to me, on the record, that he was at WWE's house show in The O2 last week. I'm a gambling man - and I'd bet the house that he didn't buy a ticket and was there on official business. In part 2 of our interview for the 'Low Blows' podcast (due next week), he also chose of his own volition to speak about potential opportunities with WWE. Though he maintained his utmost professionalism in not stating it outright, you don't have to be a clairvoyant to see that they've at least talked. When asked outright on a conference call about the status of Devitt this week, Triple H refused to deny rumours and simply went with, "No comment."
In pro-wrestling, like rugby and boxing, Ireland for some reason tends to punch above its weight and churn out a decent amount of world-beaters for a country of our size. Maybe, just maybe, one of those original world beaters is on the verge of getting the worldwide recognition they're long overdue. In 2005, he was the guy only the most hardcore of Irish fans knew. Today, unless you're from Japan, you still have to be pretty hardcore to be au fait with his dealings with the likes of CTU and Bullet Club. And yet everyone who's seen him perform all agrees: this guy can be as good as Sheamus. Maybe even better. Who knows? He could follow the likes of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and (soon-to-be) Cesaro in becoming an indie lovechild turned main event player.
And perhaps, nearly a decade later, we're about to get that Devitt vs. Sheamus match that Irish fans have clamoured to see for so long.
(Part 2 of the Fergal Devitt interview on 'Low Blows' discusses his departure from Japan, a fun start to his time in Mexico, how he'd fix the Irish wrestling scene, the joys of wrestling in body paint and he opens up about his rumoured signing with WWE. Subscribe to 'Low Blows' on iTunes or any good podcasting app to get it delivered to your PC/smartphone as soon as it's released)
Rick's WWE Payback Quick Picks
6-man Elimination Tag: THE SHIELD over EVOLUTION
Last Man Standing: BRAY WYATT over JOHN CENA
CESARO over US Champion, SHEAMUS
Intercontinental Champion, BAD NEWS BARRETT over ROB VAN DAM
Divas Champion, PAIGE over ALICIA FOX (by DQ)
RUSEV over BIG E
Hair-vs-Mask: EL TORITO over HORNSWOGGLE (Kickoff Show)
Rick Nash is a former professional wrestler, the co-host of Balls.ie's official WWE podcast, Low Blows, and the founder of WWE Parties Ireland. He is also a DJ and terrible sports gambler, so feel free to share some tips with him on Twitter.
