CM Punk, a new breed of heel?

[Schoolboy-Chris]

I was posting in a thread about CM Punk earlier and it got me thinking about his character, and how he has adapted it from his real life choices. I cannot think of another heel who has adopted a tactic similar to this, as heels mostly tend to be exaggerated, aggressive and cowardly figures so that it is easier to see their bad qualities and root for their opponents. While Punk shares some of these traits, he also has many redeeming qualities but expresses them in a manner that is forceful and condescending, causing the crowd to react negatively. What I am wondering is if Punks success with his character will herald the arrival of a new type of heel, one that uses real life issues to get underneath the skin of the audience. Straight edge is a movement that has been around for some time, but it is currently reaching something of a peak in society and the WWE seem to be capitalising on this by pushing Punk and his Straight Edge Society as they are now.

Examples of real life issues for a character could be involve any number of issues, and would not necessarily have to be the refuge of heels exclusively. It is just that heels could use these issues to strike a chord with the audience, invoking real emotion and making them that much more emotionally involved with the character. This added heat would benefit everyone in a feud, as the crowd would cheer for the face as much as they boo for the heel, so reactions could potentially increase for both. While the PG rating could potentially impact on some ideas there are still some real life issues that could be brought into wrestling characters. Religion would be one of these, if a religious character was used I feel that it would have the potential to be huge. If someone like Punk was cutting promos talking about how much people live consumer driven lives and have abandoned religion, how many people are a religion on paper but do not practise it in reality. Many people do not have the time or motivation to actively practise religion, and if prodded correctly by an effective heel I think this could be a winner.

I know that some issues such as racism or radical politics would be too volatile to draw upon, so it would naturally only be real life issues applicable to the PG era, and also ones that would not cast a negative light over wrestling or the performers. So the question I put to you is, using CM Punk as an example, do you think that it could be successful to adapt more real life character traits and scenarios into a heel persona?

 

[Ambiguous Turd]

I was posting in a thread about CM Punk earlier and it got me thinking about his character, and how he has adapted it from his real life choices. I cannot think of another heel who has adopted a tactic similar to this, as heels mostly tend to be exaggerated, aggressive and cowardly figures so that it is easier to see their bad qualities and root for their opponents. While Punk shares some of these traits, he also has many redeeming qualities but expresses them in a manner that is forceful and condescending, causing the crowd to react negatively. What I am wondering is if Punks success with his character will herald the arrival of a new type of heel, one that uses real life issues to get underneath the skin of the audience. Straight edge is a movement that has been around for some time, but it is currently reaching something of a peak in society and the WWE seem to be capitalising on this by pushing Punk and his Straight Edge Society as they are now.

Examples of real life issues for a character could be involve any number of issues, and would not necessarily have to be the refuge of heels exclusively. It is just that heels could use these issues to strike a chord with the audience, invoking real emotion and making them that much more emotionally involved with the character. This added heat would benefit everyone in a feud, as the crowd would cheer for the face as much as they boo for the heel, so reactions could potentially increase for both. While the PG rating could potentially impact on some ideas there are still some real life issues that could be brought into wrestling characters. Religion would be one of these, if a religious character was used I feel that it would have the potential to be huge. If someone like Punk was cutting promos talking about how much people live consumer driven lives and have abandoned religion, how many people are a religion on paper but do not practise it in reality. Many people do not have the time or motivation to actively practise religion, and if prodded correctly by an effective heel I think this could be a winner.

I know that some issues such as racism or radical politics would be too volatile to draw upon, so it would naturally only be real life issues applicable to the PG era, and also ones that would not cast a negative light over wrestling or the performers. So the question I put to you is, using CM Punk as an example, do you think that it could be successful to adapt more real life character traits and scenarios into a heel persona?

This really isn't as new a concept as you might think, depending on how long you have been watching wrestling.

Keep in mind that Edge and Lita's sex-capades was brought to the fore-front for all the public to see.

The Big Boss Man's character was a brutal prison guard, when he was a prison guard in real life.

Paul Bearer was a Funeral Director for a Funeral Home and he assumed the same type of character in the wrestling world when he managed The Undertaker.

Bob Backlund was a stark Conservative and then portrayed that type of character as Mr. Bob Backlund.

Manager Clarence Mason of the Nation of Domination, who played an attorney for Jim Cornette before he assumed the role of a manager, was a real-life attorney.

So many times in wrestling, the WWE will use people's real-life experiences and incorporate them into their characters ... as it makes for more interesting television ... especially for those that are aware of the performer's real-life backgrounds. But yes, I do agree that if people have something interesting in their past, it would be great to see it brought to the TV screen in an angle or character of sorts as it makes it more compelling for the audience.

 

[Big Daddy Fool]

This really isn't as new a concept as you might think, depending on how long you have been watching wrestling.

Keep in mind that Edge and Lita's sex-capades was brought to the fore-front for all the public to see.

The Big Boss Man's character was a brutal prison guard, when he was a prison guard in real life.

Paul Bearer was a Funeral Director for a Funeral Home and he assumed the same type of character in the wrestling world when he managed The Undertaker.

Bob Backlund was a stark Conservative and then portrayed that type of character as Mr. Bob Backlund.

Manager Clarence Mason of the Nation of Domination, who played an attorney for Jim Cornette before he assumed the role of a manager, was a real-life attorney.

So many times in wrestling, the WWE will use people's real-life experiences and incorporate them into their characters ... as it makes for more interesting television ... especially for those that are aware of the performer's real-life backgrounds. But yes, I do agree that if people have something interesting in their past, it would be great to see it brought to the TV screen in an angle or character of sorts as it makes it more compelling for the audience.

To go even further, Kurt Angle was an actual Olympic Gold Medalist and Steve Austin was really an abrasive redneck.

Wrestlers are best when they portray characters that are much like themselves. They are more comfortable with the character they are playing and usually leads to great results.

Steve Austin is the perfect example of this. When he entered in the WWE he was brought in as the Ringmaster, are horrible character that placed many restrictions on him. It didn't feel right and it showed. The character didn't get over and back to the drawing board they went. They decided to let Austin become himself and you know what happens.

That has been one of the problems with the WWE when it comes to developing characters and the reason why up until recently they have struggled to create new stars. They forced these gimmicks on their talent and gave them a script to read. It comes off unnatural and it limits the wrestler. If a wrestler is allowed to be himself he is more natural and has a much better idea of what his character should be.

This is why The Second City Saint is able to get over so well. Punk has perfected his heel persona during his time and the indies. He plays the character so well because it's a slight exaggeration of what he is really like.