Yeah, here's the thing, homie... it's not a real combat sport. It's professional wrestling.
I'm well aware. But, even with that restriction, I do expect a bit of basic logic in my entertainment. Also, I even began my other post with that disclaimer.
It's designed on story lines, and more than often on classic heel/face story lines which says that good guys act good and bad guys act bad, so no, a face (good guy) would not look to take the fast route by clipping another face opponent with an injured knee.
Except that she didn't "look to take the fast route." If she had, she would have targeted Velvet's knee the entire match. But, she didn't. She took advantage of an opening. And, (with the complete understanding that professional wrestling is staged) given the fact that professional wrestling is presented, in-universe, as a combat sport, why shouldn't she?
Am I saying that wrestling is real? Of course not. However, it's presented as such, during the show. If it weren't, it would become a complete farce. I've often equated that with why we never see Daryl Dixon stop everything he's doing, look directly into the camera, and say something like "Don't worry. That's just a guy in make-up." Why? Because, in the context given in the show, it's supposed to be real. (I really can't believe that I have to explain this to a wrestling fan.)
The fact she did is what has us questioning whether or not it's actually a heel turn or not because it's a heel-ish tactic, but she didn't really go full heel either by using a chair or beating her down after the match like you noted.
No. It's simply not a "heel-ish tactic." It was a completely logical reaction to an opening in a fight. And, again, since it's being presented as real, in the context of the show, anyone who wouldn't have done the same, in a similar circumstance is just plain stupid. Exactly what was she supposed to do, in that situation: Lay down for Velvet?
The way it turns her heel to me is pretty simple. This establishes a riff between the two. Mickie feels she did nothing wrong in taking advantage of an advantageous moment where her opponent, who she knew was injured, couldn't defend herself from what most would consider a "cheap shot". Velvet feels slighted and wants a re-match. She'll likely get one and lose for a second time, and again in a manner where Mickie takes the short route. This slowly but surely pushes Mickie heel, or at the very least to tweener-heel and escalates the story between the two.
Or, it pushes Velvet heel, because she begins to do absolutely nothing but bitch and moan about how she "got screwed" out of her title, up to, and including, claiming that Mickie cheated in the match. She gets a re-match, and Mickie wins clean, causing Velvet to snap.
Roger Ebert, in his review of the movie "I Am Sam," wrote ""You can't have heroes and villains when the wrong side is making the best sense." Nothing about what Mickie James did violated a single rule, of any kind. Or, did I miss the "If your opponent has an obvious injury, go out of your way to completely ignore it" part of the rulebook?
Again, even in my escapism, I expect some logical progression. It doesn't have to make sense in everyday life. It does, however, have to make sense, within the world established in the medium. And, given how closely the world portrayed in professional wrestling is to the real world, in most cases, real world logic should prevail.
The thing is, though, that while turns, either face or heel, generally have a bit of build-up, there is always a single overt act that completes the turn. Mickie simply hasn't done anything to show a turn. Am I saying that she won't? Not at all. I am, however, saying that she hasn't done anything wrong yet.
Rhetoric and irrelevant. What do you say we keep the dumb ass pot shots away from actually having a debate, yeah?
Damn right, it was a dumb pot-shot. It was just me taking the piss on both companies. Thank you for noticing.
And, Lowdown, logic should never be "left out of the equation." "Leaving logic out of the equation" is exactly why people like Vince Russo are remembered as black marks on the history of professional wrestling.
