Do Monster Heels Have Trouble Getting Heat?

[Mexican Mark Henry]

I noticed something in the WWE. I started watching since 2004, stopped watching at random times because of a lack of a good storyline, like in 2007 and 2009, and now I am into it again.

I noticed that monster heels have trouble getting heat. Like Sheamus and Kane. Sheamus was a monster heel on his first run as champion, but didn't gather much heat. On his second reign as champion, he started to be booked as a cowardly heel. This gimmick worked for him because it gathered very loud heat. Kane wasn't really a monster heel. Sure, he beat Undertaker on 3 consecutive PPV's, but they weren't clean. His first win against Undertaker was clean, but that was because Undertaker wasn't 100%. The second time he beat The Undertaker, Paul Baurer betrayed him. The third time he beat The Undertaker, Nexus helped him. I can understand why WWE would tweak Sheamus and Kane's gimmicks. They have trouble gathering heat as monster heels.

Monster heels rely on clean wins. But how can they gather heat with clean wins? They can't gather heat on the mic because they're supposed to talk psychotic on the mic, like Kane. It won't gather heat, it will gather FEAR instead.

For example, if you were robbed, would you be scared of him or would you hate him? You would probably hate him, but you would be way more scared of him to hate him. It's hard to explain, but I know this from experience. When I was little, I liked all the faces, especially John Cena. When I saw a monster heel like Big Show, I wouldn't hate him, I would FEAR him.

Monster heels are also usually turned face. Like Undertaker and Kane. The fans like strong people, like Randy Orton and John Cena, so why wouldn't they like monster heels?

Cowardly/opportunistic heels usually stay heels for a very long time, but monster heels don't stay heel for very long. They usually get their gimmicks tweaked or turn face.

I will now ask you some questions.

1. Did you notice that monster heels have trouble getting heat?
2. What do you think of this?
3. Do you think WWE should keep having monster heels?
4. Do you hate or enjoy monster heels?
5. Did you like Sheamus and Kane's tweaked characters?

 

[Mr_billy]

If you have a quiet monster heel, have one who can talk, or have them have a manager they can get heat. Also if the don't just have clean wins, but just squash faces, the heat is easy to get. The issue with monster heels is that they cannot just keep the destruction going. When they lose, it is necessary to have the faces beat them out of no where and by the seat of their pants, and no super heroism, or it just kills the monster momentum.

 

[Tattooed Jesus]

I think it was easier to get a monster heel over with legit heat back in the old days because of jobbers. The bump guys that were paid to get destroyed. You could have a monster heel build a lot of heat by destroying these guys week in and week out, without making anyone look bad.

Now you can't have a truly monster heel that destroys everyone in his path because it makes the faces look to weak. I absolutely agree that now they become to popular to quick because people like to see the big bad ass dudes that are the strongest and kick the most ass. Thats why Taker, Kane, and even HHH all became bigger faces.

I enjoyed Sheamus when he was just whipping ass more than I did as the cowardly heel champ, but the cowardly heel champ can work. I would really like to see a strong ass kicking heel champ, but like you said it would more likely turn the crowd into him instead of against them.

That all being said I would love for Sheamus to have a go as a monster ass kicking face right now.

 

[H33LTurn]

The thing with "monster" heels is that everyone is just looking foward to when they'll be defeated. Guys like Umaga (RIP) and Khali stayed on for a very short time because what made them special, theyre undefeated streaks, where living on borrowed time. As soon as their streaks went, their uniqueness went with it. Its hard for WWE to create a credible monster heel to stay on for a long time because that usually means that a large part of the roster has to suffer a loss at the hands of them. And no, I dont think that WWE should have any more monster heels. The concept is becoming ridiculous in a world that consists of large amounts of personality, especially on the mic. In this past year alone we've seen Undertaker humanized more than at any other time in his career (excluding ABA). Theres no place for monster heels or anything unreal in WWE's current reality oriented programing.

 

[I_got_bant_for_idiocy]

Getting monster heat in wwe is VERY EASY.. All you got to do is talk shit about America and that is it.. Drawing major heat on a wrestler like sheamus is easy all you got to do is have him trashing america and he becomes public enemy number 1.. all the wrestlers in the past who done this drew the most HEAT!!!!

 

[CraigThe13th]

Getting monster heat in wwe is VERY EASY.. All you got to do is talk shit about America and that is it.. Drawing major heat on a wrestler like sheamus is easy all you got to do is have him trashing america and he becomes public enemy number 1.. all the wrestlers in the past who done this drew the most HEAT!!!!

Thats cheap heat not monster heat your referring to. Monster heat is when you have a virtually unstoppable guy who cuts through the roster defeating lower placed wrestlers in quick time, selling sparsely to give them an aura of invincibility. The monster gets his or her heat not by trashing the crowd on the mic or putting feet on the ropes, but through being brutal and damn near unbeatable.

It normally never lasted long for any big or vicious wrestler keeping this heat. As the OP has already put, people will cheer strong individuals who steamroll the competition and look convincing whilst doing it. It's harder to draw any heat as a monster now than it used to be. I'll try and give my theory for why I think that is.

When I started watching wrestling you had Andre the Giant, The Twin Towers and Zeus around that time. Even though Zeus was terrible and didn't last long he had all the basic tools to sustain monster heat that he shared with Akeem, Andre and Bossman.

They sold attacks like it barely phased them, one clothesline wouldn't drop these dudes. They looked unbeatable and even Hulk Hogan would half kill himself to get the narrow victory.

Take Zeus, he couldn't wrestle for shit, but you couldn't hurt him or take him off his feet unless you poked him in his bad eye. It looked like it was impossible for Hogan and Beefcake together to take him out.

They followed from that, Taker,Vader,Yokozuna all the way to IMO the last of that kind Brock Lesnar. Suppose the late Umaga fits the bill too

Heres where the problem lies, every single of of them I listed had a despised heel mouthpiece as his manager who would talk for him, cheat for him and help garner heat for him.

So the near dead art of wrestling manager I think relates directly to monster heels having to mix it up with cowardly heel heat now. Sheamus shouldn't be running away from people, He should have to be pulled away by a manager for fear the babyface wont make it the ppv.

Without a manager or cowardly tactics, if he just kicked people's heads off every week the crowd would turn him face which is no good for heat either. Kane has lost all his through being somewhat of a utility player for the past decade. Just look at him in 1997 compared to now it pretty much sums up the decline in monster heat power.

 

[Mac Attack]

Originally Posted by Mexican Mark Henry
1. Did you notice that monster heels have trouble getting heat?

No I have seen a problem with this. I think if promoted properly and given the right scenarios they do not have problems getting heat.

2. What do you think of this?

I think that monster heels have a necessity in the WWE as we need the heels who don't do anything but destory people. They are easily used because they do not need to hold the title rather they want to hurt people.

My classic example of a monster heel is the late Umaga. He rarely said anything but found pleasure in being massive and destroying people. I think he adds to the true entertainment value of the WWE.

3. Do you think WWE should keep having monster heels?

Yes because they add to the overall markability of the show. They are the ultimate test to a face, and they provide the best beatdowns.

4. Do you hate or enjoy monster heels?

Enjoy simply because the reason I started watching wrestling was to see monster heels kick ass and that is what they do.

5. Did you like Sheamus and Kane's tweaked characters?

I liked their tweak characters however I would argue Sheamus was never a monster heel. I think thye both had/have the potential to be mega stars in the WWE if the WWE allows them to be great heel characters.

 

[hayyan11]

Well actually when Kane first came to the WWE he was a monster heel with NO FEAR AT ALL, yeah after that they F'D up his character but he was one of the best monster heels of all time, in 1998 only like 2 guys could beat him they were Undertaker and Stone Cold.. Kane has been a very very good monster heel in 2003 as well when he took of his mask..
After that they made him face they Undertaker at WM20 and that started the downfall of his character.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

heat is heat, cheap or otherwise. Shiek made a career out of it.

Have a foreign looking monster (just any minority really) and have a scrawney little fuck of a heel manager talking shit on America.

Like I say, wrestling fans are generally some toothless, wife beating, preggo 7 times before I turn 20, racist, amurkuh lovin dumb bastards.

Kane's character wasn't fucked up, it's just hard to sustain a one trick poney. Kane has a cycle, monster, loveable big guy, something makes him snap, monster, rinse and repeat.

Most monsters, as said, die after they lose. that's why it's sometimes hard getting them heat, because the crowd knows this.

I think they need to reinvent the monster. Make him destroy guys if he loses. Like, he's a monster, but have him get beat on a flash roll up or something. Then he destroys the guy. Even if he loses in a grueling battle, he still gets super pissed and destroys the guy. You make him more indestructible that way.

 

[deforty]

I don't think they have a problem getting over they just don't have anything to help sustain their heat. Like a poster above mentioned the majority of the big monster heels back in the day all had good managers and mouthpieces that could also generate good heat, Heenan, Hart, Fuji all good managers that did things that not only made you hate their wrestlers even more but also cheated to help them win. Michael Cole could fill this void right now with some of these new guys like Mason Ryan or with Husky Harris's TNMNT rip off of Casey Jones, or Brodius Clay (reminds me of a young King Kong Bundy or Earthquake). Let Cole do all the talking for them and help them cheat to win and bring in a couple of those guys from FCW and let them demolish them for awhile. Cole can say look since I am the best Journalist and announcer ever I now want to become the best manager ever. They could even bring in Heenan or Hart just for a one of to state that he will never be a better manager than him. Allow this to go on for a while and you have an instant Heel let these guys beat everyone for a while.

I believe he could do this with a good young tag team also which would help the tag team division too.

 

[Vinco Menz]

The problem is not that monster heels have promblem getting heat, but rather that the moster heels of today are being booked horribly. Monster heels are supposed to be going through the roster squashing everyone so that they look unstopable. That way when a face finally beats thm t gives them a huge rub. The reason why Sheamus is having problems getting heat is because he has never really ever looked unstopable. When he was th WWE Champion, not once did he look unstopable and make me think it would be impossible for Cena to beat him. Instead, Sheamus looked weak because he had always win by technicality. If they really wanted Sheamus to be a true monster heel, then they should have let him not only beat Cena, but squash him once if not twice, to make him look like an unstopable force, then have him lose in a come from behind victory in a last man standing match or something like that.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

The only reason why monster heels don't get heat today is because they aren't booked properly. Sheamus should be WWE champion right now and should be the biggest heel in the company, but instead they've wasted a 6'6" 270 pound worker for a cowardly role which makes him no different than the Miz.

Monster heels have worked tremendously in the past, just look at Yokozuna (probably the most successful one), King Kong Bundy, 1991 Undertaker, 1997 Kane, 1987 Andre the Giant, Bam Bam Bigelow, 2000 Big Show and many more who have just been booked as dominant destroyers wreaking havoc on legitimate contenders - not the heels today who destroy jobbers and then get destroyed by upper card faces

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I think the writing department tries too hard sometimes. Another reason they try so hard is that maybe they don't think a straight up monster heel will work. Maybe their logic is, how many times will people actually go with it? It's pretty predictable.

I would disagree with that logic if that was how they thought because like Al Snow said, the wheel still works, don't try to reinvent it, just put spinners on it or whatever else to dress it up.