How do you feel about threads where the OP takes a part of wrestling and claims how it was much better in the old days? You know the ones. The tag division used to be so much better. Mid card champions used to be so much better. The hype going into PPVs used to be so much better. If youre tired of threads like that then this thread might not be for you. Ive grown tired of discussing the topics above even though I do agree with them but one thing I dont see discussed here often that I think used to be handled so much better are face/heel turns in WWE.
Other than a title change a wrestler turning from face to heel or vice versa used to be the biggest angle that could take place on a wrestling show. Often the turn was a slow one that built up over several weeks. I think most fans saw Randy Savages heel turn in 1989 coming a mile away but that didnt make it any less exciting or impactful when it finally happened. Once in a while there was a turn that came out of nowhere. Twenty years ago today Crush returned to Monday Night Raw after being absent for a few months from an injury and shocked the fans by aligning himself with Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna and attacking Randy Savage. Whether we saw it coming or not a change in character was a big deal in those days.
This seems to be something the creative team cares little about today. What was nice about the heel turns I mentioned, along with most others from back then, was the wrestler that was turning had a logical motive. As fans we may not have agreed with them but I could see why Orndorff, Andre, Savage, and Sid turned on Hogan. I could see why Martel turned on Santana. I could see why Savage turned on Crush. There doesnt seem to be any motivation or storyline when it comes to face and heel turns today. Wrestlers just gradually become more obnoxious or likeable.
Why did Miz turn face? Why did Del Rio? Why did Ziggler, Mark Henry, or the Prime Time Players? Nothing happened with these guys from a kayfabe perspective to cause us to go from hating them to suddenly cheering them. WWE just started putting them against heels to communicate the message that they were now face. Vince may as well have just picked up a microphone and said Were going a different direction with Miz now so wed appreciate it if you started to cheer for him now instead of boo him. A turn used to be filled with drama and emotion. It just seems we have little to no reason to care about a turn these days.
Maybe this is just another example of how Im stuck in the past when it comes to certain things. Maybe the creative team thinks it is unrealistic for someone to go under a personality change as a result of one event. Realism usually doesnt get in the way of wrestling very often so I dont think that should be the case here. What do you think? Do face and heel turns need more motivation and story behind them or is it just another thing that has become less relevant in wrestling today? Or maybe Im exaggerating and there are still a lot of good turns. If you believe that to be the case please list some examples. I know it still happens once in a while but there seem to be more turns for no reason than ones that have a story behind them.
Other than a title change a wrestler turning from face to heel or vice versa used to be the biggest angle that could take place on a wrestling show. Often the turn was a slow one that built up over several weeks. I think most fans saw Randy Savages heel turn in 1989 coming a mile away but that didnt make it any less exciting or impactful when it finally happened. Once in a while there was a turn that came out of nowhere. Twenty years ago today Crush returned to Monday Night Raw after being absent for a few months from an injury and shocked the fans by aligning himself with Mr. Fuji and Yokozuna and attacking Randy Savage. Whether we saw it coming or not a change in character was a big deal in those days.
This seems to be something the creative team cares little about today. What was nice about the heel turns I mentioned, along with most others from back then, was the wrestler that was turning had a logical motive. As fans we may not have agreed with them but I could see why Orndorff, Andre, Savage, and Sid turned on Hogan. I could see why Martel turned on Santana. I could see why Savage turned on Crush. There doesnt seem to be any motivation or storyline when it comes to face and heel turns today. Wrestlers just gradually become more obnoxious or likeable.
Why did Miz turn face? Why did Del Rio? Why did Ziggler, Mark Henry, or the Prime Time Players? Nothing happened with these guys from a kayfabe perspective to cause us to go from hating them to suddenly cheering them. WWE just started putting them against heels to communicate the message that they were now face. Vince may as well have just picked up a microphone and said Were going a different direction with Miz now so wed appreciate it if you started to cheer for him now instead of boo him. A turn used to be filled with drama and emotion. It just seems we have little to no reason to care about a turn these days.
Maybe this is just another example of how Im stuck in the past when it comes to certain things. Maybe the creative team thinks it is unrealistic for someone to go under a personality change as a result of one event. Realism usually doesnt get in the way of wrestling very often so I dont think that should be the case here. What do you think? Do face and heel turns need more motivation and story behind them or is it just another thing that has become less relevant in wrestling today? Or maybe Im exaggerating and there are still a lot of good turns. If you believe that to be the case please list some examples. I know it still happens once in a while but there seem to be more turns for no reason than ones that have a story behind them.