Suits - The Dresscode of Premiere Heels?

[Ferbian]

There's always been one specific thing that has stood out for me when it comes to some of the big heels of a promotion. Be it Ric Flair, Fortune, Evolution, Randy Orton or Chris Jericho, hell even Big Show. They all wore suits.

Now it got me thinking. While certainly it doesn't do shit in terms of making one a bigger heel or anything. Yet it still makes them stand out from the crowd. You identify them in terms of being a great heel. Chris Jericho is one of the top heels of WWE right now, and in the past 2 years. Evolution was a top heel faction. Ric Flair is one of the top heels of all time, Randy Orton and Batista also had their moments of suit wearing (Batista also however did it while he was a face, Same with Randy).

And while there have also been great heels, as well as the above mentioned heels haven't always been wearing suits, or will always continue to wear suits.

However, is suits really the premiere choice of clothing for a big heel? Does it actually make them stand out like superior ones in terms of promoting themselves as cocky heels that thoroughly believes they are better than everybody?

Or is it just some thing for the sake of giving them something to wear so that you don't exactly have your heels promoting their own merchandise?

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I think suits do make heels stand out. Its like heels coming out with valets in yesteryears only a bit more subtle. Suits are usually worn by guys who belong to a more superior class than the ordinary people. Its also a sign of good dressing sense. So, in a way, the heels are showing off that they are better than the common people and its a pretty good way of getting heat. Think about it. If a guy comes out in a limousine you think "Man that guys' filthy rich". Its the same deal with suits. They are generally worn by people holding a pretty good position in the society.

Of course it has to fit in with your character though. Like I've usually seen that suits are reserved for a cocky guy. Thats the most generic gimmick you can think of for a heel. Sure some guys are great performers and they make it work, like Chris Jericho. But all the same its a generic gimmick. Look at someone like CM Punk. He has a different way to say the same thing: That he is better than the common guy. That is why he does not need a suit.

If you notice faces are the guys who generally have a pretty casual way of dressing. Like Cena. He wears a t-shirt and baggy pants. Like any guy does between the age of 20 to 25. So he is easily relatable. Austin was even more simple. Just black tights.

So in reply to your questions I would like to say that suits are the generic choice for a cocky heel because his character is a bit limited in a few ways. Its a simple non fussy way to show off cockiness.

Merchandising is a different deal. If the catchphrase or the antics of a heel wrestler become somewhat popular you will usually see the company release a t-shirt or something like that. But I guess merch is a part that depends on the wrestlers creativity. So suits are not exactly used so that the heel is not allowed to promote merch. Its used in case there is no merch to sell. Its the effect rather than the cause.

 

[Arkham Noir]

I think it depends on the character. I wouldn't be surprised if alot of heels rock the suit just because Flair did/does ,and his character is the god of all heels.

But as far as the charcter goes, I wouldn't buy heel Jeff Hardy wearing a suit.It just wouldn't make sense .And I would be brought to tears of laughter should heel Kane wear a suit on television.But I think that at this point it is just the standard dress-code in general. Whether it be WWE's official dress-code or the fact that it is the formal wear of the average person ,it would make sense that most on-screen characters would wear a suit.Faces most likely don't due to the already stated fact that they have their own merch.

I think it makes big time heels stick out, gives them a more credible feel. Like this guy means buisness.But again, depends on the character.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Wearing a suit [in general] has always been considered to be more of an advanced class---the upper class if you will. Stereotypes all over the world including in the film industry have shown that wearing a suit (tuxedo) means you are more formal and better presented than the average person. This is the very reason why you have movies such as 007, where just about everyone who has power or at least holds some importance wears a suit. Thus, showing they are superior to the average joe and are considered to be a part of an upper class.

Applying this to wrestlers is really not that much different from applying it to a film. A heel’s role is to get the fans to hate them. Now, the most common way to do this is to consider themselves superior to the crowd/fans. In a sense, they act as if they are from an upper class and that the fans aren’t worthy of being in the presence of them. Considering the fact that a suit is made to make you look superior, it’s common sense that a heel would wear a suit.

However, while a suit DOES make a heel look superior to that of the average joe, it should be kept in mind that not all heels can pull off wearing a suit. The simple reason is because it probably does not apply to their gimmick. An example would be someone like Kane. While it’s safe to say that Kane is a great heel, it should also be safe to say that it is very hard picturing Kane in a suit as it does not apply to the gimmick that Kane is sparring---the Devil’s child. Now, if you have someone like Chris Jericho wearing a suit, then it is very believable as Jericho’s gimmick is a narcisistical bastard---a person who believes himself to be better than everyone else. Wearing a suit is the perfect attire for him to be using.

All in all, a suit is a symbol that is used to show how superior you are in terms of class [or importance]. When applied to wrestling, it’s a sign of showing how much more superior a heel is to the fans and the crowd.

 

[Tech N9ne]

There is a snobby (better than you) significance to it I think. Usually when a Heel comes to the ring in a suit, it seems like they spend an awful lot of time bashing the fans or something like that. I think the OP was right on.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I think suits do make heels stand out. Its like heels coming out with valets in yesteryears only a bit more subtle. Suits are usually worn by guys who belong to a more superior class than the ordinary people. Its also a sign of good dressing sense. So, in a way, the heels are showing off that they are better than the common people and its a pretty good way of getting heat. Think about it. If a guy comes out in a limousine you think "Man that guys' filthy rich". Its the same deal with suits. They are generally worn by people holding a pretty good position in the society.

I agree, it is a status thing. Wearing an expensive suit is saying "I am better than you, I am at a higher level than the average man". It is so simple, and it works. It shows an arrogance that fits a heel character well.

I think the suits worn by Evolution fitted their persona perfectly and really made them look superior to the majority of the WWE roster, which was the point.

 

[Dagger Dias]

It's a coincidence if you ask me. An interesting one though. Wearing a suit does not make someone a great heel. They can still generate heel heat from their actions in the ring and what they say in a promo, regardless of if they wear a suit or their wrestling outfit. I can see the idea of not wanting to promote heel merchandise since that could generate a tweener turn, followed by a face turn. Aometimes the federation does not want to go in that direction. Nexus might go tweener someday due to that. It's happened to other heels before. The only two reasons for why so many heels wear fancy suits are either to not promote merchandise, or that it's just a coincidence. I think it's both honestly because while they aren't promoting merchandise at that moment they also could be wearing something other than a suit.