So i was wondering...over the past few years Heels tend to get a better reaction from fans and it seems as every week goes by the heels get louder cheers. So what happens when nobody is interested in 'The Good Guys' no more? Where can the buisseness go from there? Do you think that we will get to a stage where people just automatically cheer for the 'The Bad Guy'? and do you think that faces need to be booked a whole lot differently in order to keep them on the fans good side?
Cheering The Heels...Where do we go from here?
- Thread starter mikde_
- Start date
I always liked the idea that faces were legitimate badasses, not smiley little pretty boys (Kingston and Morrison). Look at Randy Orton, that's a pretty good example of the way a face ought to act these days... maybe not acting like a convulsing snake, I hate it when he drops to his fists and pounds the ground, he looks like an idiot doing that. But his overall gimmick is pretty damned good. They should also be getting clean wins.
Heels on the other hand should (IMO) only win cleanly if they're actively being pushed to a new bracket (development->openers->midcard->main eventers) otherwise they should lie cheat and steal their way to victory. It's the classic method and I've always preferred it that way, otherwise they take all the popularity from the faces, and make it VERY hard for a face to get over unless they become a tweener.
These days top faces are usually heels that get over in spite (not because of) their gimmick, like Austin and CM Punk, or have been consistently good for years and years and years, like Angle or HBK or HHH.
Being a rookie face is an almost impossible job now. Anyone remember The Lightning Kid? Yeah, maybe you'll remember who that is if I told you he got a new name after he pulled a upset on Razor Ramone? Remember the 1-2-3 Kid? Still kind of a tool but at least you should know who that is. But remember Sixx-Pac and X-Pac? ... Kinda reminds me of Evan Bourne.
Seriously, who was the last rookie face to get over with the fans? Is there ANYONE that debuted as a face and stayed face to get over with the fans since Bill Goldberg? I suppose you could sort of argue Daniel Bryan.
In the end, I think it's not the faces that need to be booked differently so much as heels that need to be booked differently.
Heels on the other hand should (IMO) only win cleanly if they're actively being pushed to a new bracket (development->openers->midcard->main eventers) otherwise they should lie cheat and steal their way to victory. It's the classic method and I've always preferred it that way, otherwise they take all the popularity from the faces, and make it VERY hard for a face to get over unless they become a tweener.
These days top faces are usually heels that get over in spite (not because of) their gimmick, like Austin and CM Punk, or have been consistently good for years and years and years, like Angle or HBK or HHH.
Being a rookie face is an almost impossible job now. Anyone remember The Lightning Kid? Yeah, maybe you'll remember who that is if I told you he got a new name after he pulled a upset on Razor Ramone? Remember the 1-2-3 Kid? Still kind of a tool but at least you should know who that is. But remember Sixx-Pac and X-Pac? ... Kinda reminds me of Evan Bourne.
Seriously, who was the last rookie face to get over with the fans? Is there ANYONE that debuted as a face and stayed face to get over with the fans since Bill Goldberg? I suppose you could sort of argue Daniel Bryan.
In the end, I think it's not the faces that need to be booked differently so much as heels that need to be booked differently.
The problem is the way that people are booked because tha causes the heels to look cooler. Faces do not have to be happy all the time. Faces do not have to be "nice". Heels are booked better than faces these days. That is why they get cheered. If a face seems nerdy next to a heel who is booked like an antihero then fans are GOING to root for the heel. Faces need to be booked like heroes and warriors, not happy go lucky guys who just come out to do flips for fans.
Mustang Sally
Sells seashells by the seashore
Well put. When a heel is being cheered, it doesn't mean the fans are weighing in on the side of evil; it just means they're seeing an interesting, charismatic character in front of them and are expressing their approval of that.
It's been said repeatedly: most wrestlers want to portray heels because it's easier to generate fan reaction by doing evil stuff to their opponent than it is to be a face and try to gain their approval.
The OP asks what happens when fans aren't interested in good guys anymore? Well, there's no worry there because it would mean that professional wrestling had come to an end, anyway. If there are no good guys, then there is no one for bad guys to play off, thereby meaning the end of the sport.
Not to worry; pro wrestling has always found good guys we can get behind and this will continue. After all, it's often the most dastardly of the heels who winds up making the best face. A good example?......John Cena. Early in his career, I didn't think there was any way he could ever become a fan favorite......and look at him now.
Dagger pretty much nailed it. The reason heels are cheered often is because of the way they're booked: more realistically. WWE tends to book babyfaces with very cliche, cookie-cutter personalities that just aren't believable to the average fan over the age of 10. Heel's have depth to their characters which make them easier to interact with, and more fun to watch develop.
ih8myusername94
*insert clever catchphrase here*
I wouldn't worry, there will always be some cheers for the faces. Maybe one day it will only be the kids or females in the crowd, but for now they still get some cheers. I do see where you're coming from, but its been like that for a couple of years now. Some heels will just always be over. The reason some faces get booed in WWE is because of how stale their characters are. You can't get into someone with an un-unique personality. On the other hand, seeing a fresh heel seeking heat just seems more fun to cheer. That's just my opinion.