How About A "Monster" Face?

[pharrison0scorpion]

Ok so people keep talking about monster heels, but has anyone ever thought of having a monster face? The closest thing I can think of this is Sheamus at the minute. He is a good-natured guy and friendly, but when people piss him off, he loses it and destroys them. I thinkk this could be done better with someone like Brodus Clay, especially now because he is the Funkasaurus. He can come out and dance and be entertaining, but like he did in his match with Curt Hawkins, once Curt slapped him, he destroyed him. I think he should do this more, so that he can be the Funkasaurus, but then when he gets pissed off, he can destroy his opponent and leave as a heel would, not high fiving the crowd, not dancing and not being the Funkasaurus really.

What do people think of the idea of a monster face?
Would this idea be suited to Brodus Clay? Or someone else?

 

[Khalifa]

Ok so people keep talking about monster heels, but has anyone ever thought of having a monster face? The closest thing I can think of this is Sheamus at the minute. He is a good-natured guy and friendly, but when people piss him off, he loses it and destroys them. I thinkk this could be done better with someone like Brodus Clay, especially now because he is the Funkasaurus. He can come out and dance and be entertaining, but like he did in his match with Curt Hawkins, once Curt slapped him, he destroyed him. I think he should do this more, so that he can be the Funkasaurus, but then when he gets pissed off, he can destroy his opponent and leave as a heel would, not high fiving the crowd, not dancing and not being the Funkasaurus really.

What do people think of the idea of a monster face?
Would this idea be suited to Brodus Clay? Or someone else?

Haven't/Aren't Kane,Undertaker and Big Show been monster faces? Well somewhat monster faces? It is hard to call them a monster face though because when you hear monster (or when I hear monster) I automatically think of someone that does heel things. Like attack people backstage or throw someone threw a table for no reason. That would make no sense for a face to do. So I guess the closest thing you can have to a monster face is Undertaker, Kane and Big Show because they are monsters and are faces. Well when they are faces. Same goes for Batista as well and I'm sure plenty of other WWE superstars.

 

[pharrison0scorpion]

when you hear monster (or when I hear monster) I automatically think of someone that does heel things. Like attack people backstage or throw someone threw a table for no reason. That would make no sense for a face to do.

This is what I meant. As in, they can be a face, but when they get pissed off, they do heel things, but to heels. They dominate after they lose their temper, but they are like normal faces before they get annoyed.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

WWE already has a monster face. His name is John Cena. He no sells and goes over pretty much everybody. He occasionally shows weakness but for only a few minutes at a time. Then he's happy again. The fella who mentioned The Undertaker is right although the last few months he's spent on TV since SummerSlam 2010 he's been presented as being weak.

 

[Khalifa]

This is what I meant. As in, they can be a face, but when they get pissed off, they do heel things, but to heels. They dominate after they lose their temper, but they are like normal faces before they get annoyed.

Hmmm, I can't really see it happening hey. To me it just seems like they are about the turn heel. the closest I can relate to this is Brock Lesnar, yet he was a face for a whole 2 seconds. It would definately be an interesting thing but I really can't see it happening without the face turning heel. I suppose Kane somewhat did it back in 2001 when he was in the Royal Rumble and during the course of 2001/2002. Especially when he was teaming with RVD as he still had that "heel" side in him, but then again to me it all seems the same, they all turn back to a heel and become the monster heel again.

 

[SimonH82]

Hmmm...they should of booked Batista as a monster face...
They ruined his character when he started pandering for the crowd...

Was Samoa Joe a monster face?

 

[TheLoneCharles]

By "monster" face, the first guy to come to my mind was Ken Shamrock.

At the time, Shamrock was billed as an octagon fighter before UFC took off and attained the popularity it has today. When he was a face, Shamrock would have a match, and when he got pissed during the match at his opponent he would flip out and maul his opponents in a savage way that would make the fans go crazy. Here you had a guy that was a legitimate tough guy, and watching him explode on his opponents was nothing short of epic.

 

[matthewchamilliard]

kane big show undertaker and the previous mark henrey all fit the description of "monster" face

 

[CaptainZaltan]

If you're talking about a face who beats the crap out of all of his opponents, gets cheered by the crowd, and yet still does heelish things, that would be Randy Orton. His face persona is only slightly tuned down from his full-on heel. For example, his 'punts' are considered heinous when he's a heel (a deliberate attempt to permanently injure his opponent), yet he continues to do them as a face. HHH also comes to mind (sledgehammer attacks, etc). In TNA, I think Samoa Joe could safely be called a monster face.

 

[UFOcalling]

I'm surprised to see that no one has mentioned Bill Goldberg yet, as his initial run in WCW was the absolute epitome of a "Monster Face" role. Goldberg went over just about EVERYONE in the company before he was finally beaten by Kevin Nash. What was his record at that point? I think it was something like 170something and 0. Granted, most of Goldberg's wins during his initial "streak" were over "jobbers"...but he did have some "real" competition with The Giant, Scott Steiner, Hollywood Hogan, DDP, Scott Hall, etc.

When Nash finally pinned him at Starrcade in 1998, I remember that it just "didn't look right" (LOL!). Seeing Goldberg flat on his back with his leg hooked by Nash, and seeing the ref actually make the three-count just seemed "wrong" (whatever that means).

Personally, I loved seeing Goldberg in the "Monster Face" role, and I think I would enjoy seeing another character debut in such a fashion. Obviously a carbon-copy of Goldberg's first WCW run (and subsequent "streak") would be panned by fans if it were to happen again in the near-future, much as how Crimson's current streak in TNA is/was (is he still technically "undefeated"?).

I don't really see how any "Monster Face" in the position that Goldberg was in could finally lose a match and not lose any steam...it's obvious that WCW didn't know how to end Goldberg's streak "correctly" either. The Monster Face role seems like a difficult one to end, without the character's career coming to a grinding halt. I'm sure there are exceptions to this "rule" that I'm missing...but to answer the OP's original question, yes; I'd love to see another Monster Face debut in the WWE and destroy everyone on the roster. Even if the gimmick ends poorly, it would be a fun ride down.

 

[UFOcalling]

This is what I meant. As in, they can be a face, but when they get pissed off, they do heel things, but to heels. They dominate after they lose their temper, but they are like normal faces before they get annoyed.

Sounds like you guys are describing some of Austin's behavior in the past, and HHH as well (to a lesser degree). HHH especially just a few years ago (and especially upon returning after a long absence). I've seen both of those guys do their finishers on people who didn't deserve it at all (babyfaces), guys who even ran down to the ring to help them out. Randy Orton, as well...the breakup of the Legacy faction comes to mind. The crowd seemed to love them even more after seeing that kind of "heelish" behavior (whether they were attacking heels OR faces).

Maybe these examples are only really able to get away with that kind of stuff because of how beloved they are/were by the crowd, though. A newcomer might not be able to get away with such shenanigans.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

honestly i think we have a monster face already in sheamus hes a good natured friendly guy who can joke around but if you piss him off hes going to beat the hell out of you (seriously though his move set is that of a heel sense about half of it is illegal anyway) and i think thats what wwe has built him up to be i just hope we see the celtic warrior (i HATE the term "great white" to describe him) getting a title run in 2012 as a face hes been dominant so i think it might be possible

 

[cm ben]

Johnny Savage's example of '97-'98 Goldberg is probably the best example of a monster face. Absolutely nothing could stop him; he had an intimidating "look," and an epic entrance; he dominated pretty much every opponent in the ring (except for Steven Regal, lol); his promos were short, effective, and to-the-point ("Who's next?"). But he did it all for good! He was WCW's shining bastion of hope against the NWO. That's a prime example of a monster face.

As for the current product, I don't think we quite have a monster face ATM. Big Show's kind of close, but he loses too often to really be considered a "monster;" I'd say that more so than a monster, he's an experienced, war-torn ex-monster who learned what it means to be human. A monster face definitely wouldn't start crying after he knocked over a girl. I don't agree that Cena's a monster face, either--he wins all the time, but he seems too vulnerable to be a monster. The fact that his "Five Moves of Doom" occur after being beat down is very telling--Goldberg just flat-out wouldn't take any punishment during his matches.

I'd love for The Funkasaurus to become a monster face, though. I don't know why, but seeing a fat dancing man beat the shit out of someone makes me laugh and laugh.

Edit: I forgot to talk about Sheamus. Yeah, he's close, too. I don't think he's really had a formidable enough opponent to be considered a monster, though. Beating Jinder Mahal every week isn't exactly impressive. Yeah, Goldberg beat a bunch of wimps, too, but he had the storyline of "the streak" making it seem like a much more impressive feat (which, after a while, it definitely was).

 

[Kizzani]

This is what I meant. As in, they can be a face, but when they get pissed off, they do heel things, but to heels. They dominate after they lose their temper, but they are like normal faces before they get annoyed.

I am not sure what this guy wants, he is asking for someone who does heel things after they lose their temper...Like Triple H with a Hammer, Big Show and his close handed fist, etc etc. A Monster is not supposed to be a loveable thing, unless we are building off the New Version vampires and werewolves from twilight. Monsters are supposed to be the evil thing that scares children to bed, not the big furry thing that rocks them to sleep with a lullaby.

But the Big Show has already shown he is that guy and now the Brodus Clay the funkasuars aka Barney is trying to do similar things. This gimmick is lame Big Show, Rikishi, Mabel, godfather. they keep trying to get this crappy gimmick going and it is failing. The crowds want defiance, they want good guy rule breakers, CM punk, Shawn, Triple, Stone Cold.

 

[thadarksandman]

Goldberg is the best example I have seen. I think it could work to have a similar persona, but honestly do you want to see more squash matches? Other than that, you got Sheamus, and apparently the Funkasaurus........

 

[d3thRoW]

I see a lot of people mentioning Goldberg, and I just cringe at the thought of another character that follows that model. To me it's very boring having anybody, heel or face, flat out squash their opponents and no sell finishers...it seems bad for the roster as a whole just to get one guy over in an angle that obviously doesn't really have a good way to finish it. Remember Goldberg needed to be hit with that stun gun/cattle prod thing before he could lose lol, ridiculous. Then it seemed like the dude bought into his own hype, as if he really "beat" all those guys. They made him a monster all right. I think it's cool to have faces and heels both who are just flat out bad asses, but there is no need for another gimmick like that ever again.

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

this idea kind of made me cringe and then I saw a thread on Big Zeke. I thought to myself he could make a monster face work... hear me out though... He needs to disappear for awhile (6 months?) whether it be FCW or whatever... then needs to be repackaged ....maybe Goldbergesque not sure...Yes have him destroy undercard guys for a while then move onto destroying bigger names like Swagger, Del Rio, Christian, etc... Have him beat Cody to regain the IC. All in all he is displaying heel aggression to win, but winning the fans over with his infectious smile. Might be the only way to get him over as creative has been trying for a couple of years to make the fans buy him

 

[thebarber]

Ok so people keep talking about monster heels, but has anyone ever thought of having a monster face? The closest thing I can think of this is Sheamus at the minute. He is a good-natured guy and friendly, but when people piss him off, he loses it and destroys them. I thinkk this could be done better with someone like Brodus Clay, especially now because he is the Funkasaurus. He can come out and dance and be entertaining, but like he did in his match with Curt Hawkins, once Curt slapped him, he destroyed him. I think he should do this more, so that he can be the Funkasaurus, but then when he gets pissed off, he can destroy his opponent and leave as a heel would, not high fiving the crowd, not dancing and not being the Funkasaurus really.

What do people think of the idea of a monster face?
Would this idea be suited to Brodus Clay? Or someone else?

I already composed a thread like this a week or so back, but Mason Ryan was who I had in mind as a monster face. Hell my Wrestlemania 28 card has him being built up to then smashing through guys like Mark Henry and other big guys only to meet Mark Henry at Mania 28. Have Mason Ryan eliminate 7-8 guys at ther Rumble, the push starts there. Commentators could really elevate him, JR especially if on the team, then on Raw or Smackdown the following nights have him commence a 10-11 week run through some of the deadwood, getting bigger and more name prominent as he goes. About 4-5 weeks out, he comes up against Henry and they go from there leading to a Hall of Pain match at Wrestlemania 28.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Ok so people keep talking about monster heels, but has anyone ever thought of having a monster face? The closest thing I can think of this is Sheamus at the minute. He is a good-natured guy and friendly, but when people piss him off, he loses it and destroys them.

To me, that pretty much describes the character John Cena has portrayed for most of the past 6.5 years or so. Cena comes off as a good natured, likeable guy that's fun to be around. Once you get him pissed, he'll go at you tooth & nail, sometimes doing some heelish things to the heels that piss him off. He's a guy that's frequently dominated his opponents, goes over everyone almost all the time and usually winds up destroying his opponent in some feud closing gimmick match. We've seen that with the likes of Randy Orton, Edge, Big Show, Wade Barrett & others. And, you've seen what a tremendous backlash there's been against John Cena.

In some ways, those same qualities do apply to Randy Orton & Sheamus but to a lesser degree. Orton & Sheamus do lose sometimes and they lose clean. When I think of a "monster" face, I basically look at someone that runs roughshod over everyone that's put in front of them while generally remaining the ultimate babyface most of the time. Hulk Hogan fits that bill as well. He went over everyone, destroyed people when he got "Hulked up" and would even use a few heel tactics sometimes.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I'm surprised to see that no one has mentioned Bill Goldberg yet, as his initial run in WCW was the absolute epitome of a "Monster Face" role. Goldberg went over just about EVERYONE in the company before he was finally beaten by Kevin Nash. What was his record at that point? I think it was something like 170something and 0. Granted, most of Goldberg's wins during his initial "streak" were over "jobbers"...but he did have some "real" competition with The Giant, Scott Steiner, Hollywood Hogan, DDP, Scott Hall, etc.

When Nash finally pinned him at Starrcade in 1998, I remember that it just "didn't look right" (LOL!). Seeing Goldberg flat on his back with his leg hooked by Nash, and seeing the ref actually make the three-count just seemed "wrong" (whatever that means).

Personally, I loved seeing Goldberg in the "Monster Face" role, and I think I would enjoy seeing another character debut in such a fashion. Obviously a carbon-copy of Goldberg's first WCW run (and subsequent "streak") would be panned by fans if it were to happen again in the near-future, much as how Crimson's current streak in TNA is/was (is he still technically "undefeated"?).

I don't really see how any "Monster Face" in the position that Goldberg was in could finally lose a match and not lose any steam...it's obvious that WCW didn't know how to end Goldberg's streak "correctly" either. The Monster Face role seems like a difficult one to end, without the character's career coming to a grinding halt. I'm sure there are exceptions to this "rule" that I'm missing...but to answer the OP's original question, yes; I'd love to see another Monster Face debut in the WWE and destroy everyone on the roster. Even if the gimmick ends poorly, it would be a fun ride down.

Damm Sav, once again we think alike!

Goldberg was the first guy who jumped to mind when I thought of a "Monster Face"! His run in WCW was nothing short of phenomenal, he destroyed everyone and didn't need to resort to cheesy catchphrases, making fun of his opponents or appearing in comedy backstage skits. Goldberg simply came down to the ring through the smoke, snorting, spitting and looking jacked as fuck.

He destroyed the opponent in the space of a few minutes, then left without saying a word. He was simply a destruction machine. The crowd reaction for Goldberg was immense, I have seen very few wrestlers as over with the audience as Goldberg was in WCW. The fact that he became THE face of the company by playing this role shows that with the right guy, the Monster Face can definitely work.