Twenty Years Ago, would the Real Americans be Faces?

[SixMovesOfDoom]

Hey all, throwing a question out there.

The other day I was reading about WWE's list of greatest entrance themes ever and Hulk Hogan's "Real American" was number one.

Listening to it on YouTube, I started to wonder. If we were back in the late 80s / early 90s, would Zeb Colter, Jack Swagger, and Antonio Cesaro be considered faces instead of heels?

Let's ignore the minor stuff, like the occasional heel promo or possible underhanded tactics during matches. I'm talking big picture here:

--Their name and the usage of such imagery as the Constitution, Don't Tread on Me, and We the People.

--Their build, as both Swagger and Cesaro have the muscular "throwback" wrestling style very popular twenty to thirty years ago.

--Some of the rhetoric wherein they call for saluting the flag, waking up America, defending the country, etc.

To say nothing of the fact that more often than not a portion of the crowd cheers for them.

So I wonder...a sign of the times maybe...changing social climate...would they be faces then and for that matter would it be hard to turn them face now?

 

[Matty~!]

Too many variables to really say would be my answer, if you take away the things you want to take away, you are essentially making them faces by proxy or at the very least tweeners. You may as well ask the question of a 1998 Steve Austin whether in 1978 he would have been a heel.

If anything I think 20 years ago the 3 guys would have been closer to, or used in the same role as Slaughter and Sheik as opposed to being faces. Simply because of Cesaro being foreign and Colter / Swagger being natural heels.

 

[MCMG]

In general yes, absolutely they would be face. They are, in principle, looking out for the best interest in their country. Obviously they would need to change their hatred of the public but overall the "Real Americans" would be a face tag-team, and a mighty fine one at that.

 

[The Butcher]

Oh, so just because a few misguided (and probably undocumented) fans boo them, that makes them heels all of a sudden. This country...

Kidding aside, it could go either way. It's all about how their message was spun and who they were put up against. As faces they could align with upstanding hero types like Hogan and use their rhetoric to put down and feud with teams like The Bolsheviks, The Fabulous Rougeaus, or The Orient Express. As heels they could align with devious villain types like Ted DiBiase and use their routine to insult and feud with faces like Strike Force/Tito Santana, or The Mega Powers/Hulk Hogan. Fans were more easily manipulated back in the day, and characters were less nuanced. The WWF wouldn't have made them so intentionally controversial, and one or a few good or bad actions would be enough to get them the desired reaction.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I'm leaning more towards yes in this case. During the 80s and into the 90s, the use of racial stereotypes and reliance on past prejudices of certain foreigners was not only common, but perfectly acceptable in pro wrestling. Everything from how certain wrestlers were portrayed to even some terminology. For instance, how many times did Gorilla Monsoon use the term "Pearl Harbored" whenever a babyface was jumped from behind by a heel, even if said heel wasn't Asian?

There are any number of various "foreign invaders" who made their way through WWE during the 80s and into the 90s. They either hated America, the American "way of life", saw themselves as being superior to Americans, etc. and "patriotic heroes" such as Hulk Hogan, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Sgt. Slaughter and others stood up against them. They were pretty hokey by today's standards, but it was just fine for that particular time & place. Even though the idea of the big strong American vs. the evil foreigner is outdated, you'll still hear fans using the "USA" chants every so often when a foreign heel is wrestling.

With a few minor tweaks, The Real Americans could easily be babyfaces during the 90s. Society as a whole was FAR less politically correct then than it is now, which is good in some ways and obviously not so good in others. It was a more socially conservative period in which minorities, whether based on race or sexual orientation, could be portrayed in a less than flattering light without nearly the same sense of outrage & backlash of today.

 

[Jstrike]

Well one's things for sure wwe may not be big on the real americans, but i believe their the iwc's fav tag team of today! i really like swagger and cesaro. i think they would be faces 20 years ago. i dont know why they aint. they could be the patriotic team that everyone loves and feud with a heel usos and a heel los matardores. i think the wwe universe would get behind them. heck they seem to be over as a face now!

 

[Spidey Revivey]

The Real Americans would have definitely been viewed as faces, as long as their opponent was giving them a reason to be prideful of America. I don't think it has anything to do with the time or place at all- if you have someone talking down about the country you were born in, and you let that person fight anyone wearing red, white, and blue...the guy in the colors of the American Flag is going to get cheered.

But since The Real Americans don't have anyone to fight who shows disdain for America, and their angle is that of people pissed off about their own country, then I think they would have been heels even back then. And Hogan would have adjusted their attitude.

 

[Mac Attack]

Hey all, throwing a question out there.

The other day I was reading about WWE's list of greatest entrance themes ever and Hulk Hogan's "Real American" was number one.

Listening to it on YouTube, I started to wonder. If we were back in the late 80s / early 90s, would Zeb Colter, Jack Swagger, and Antonio Cesaro be considered faces instead of heels?

Let's ignore the minor stuff, like the occasional heel promo or possible underhanded tactics during matches. I'm talking big picture here:

--Their name and the usage of such imagery as the Constitution, Don't Tread on Me, and We the People.

--Their build, as both Swagger and Cesaro have the muscular "throwback" wrestling style very popular twenty to thirty years ago.

--Some of the rhetoric wherein they call for saluting the flag, waking up America, defending the country, etc.

To say nothing of the fact that more often than not a portion of the crowd cheers for them.

So I wonder...a sign of the times maybe...changing social climate...would they be faces then and for that matter would it be hard to turn them face now?

I don't have a long winded response for you cause this answer is really simple, but first let me point out that those "minor details" in bold are where the crux of your question can be answered.

It doesn't matter if it was 5, 10, 20, 30, years ago, Professional Wrestling is a scripted entity where the man in charge dictates what side of the morale coin everyone is on. Not once in my memory could I tell you an event where WWE has ever given a guy just a gimmick and said "do nothing, but just be this gimmick and what people do they do." You're actions in the gimmick decide whether you're heel or face. Sure people would cheer the concept of Real American but at the same time Hogan did go heel right? It's all about the actions the wrestlers do, and not the gimmick itself to get a reaction.

 

[George Steele's Barber]

I wish The Christian Post would do an article on this.

20 years ago it is unlikely the WWE would have done a team that went by the name Real Americans. If they did and had a Swiss guy, a speech impediment guy, and a slob manager with a handlebar mustache I would have to believe the point is to mock Americans patriotism from the The Gulf War and Hogan in general. Pulling off face status in 1993 would have been disengenious. The fans would not approve.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Without Zeb Colter, the Real Americans would already be faces. They get a huge face reaction at live events without Zeb. The crowd wants to cheer them for their wrestling ability (and because Vince wants them booed), the only thing preventing it is Zeb Colter.

 

[matman8540]

No they wouldn't be faces; for 2 reasons. 1. The use of a manager like Zeb Colter. He would still interfere and distract, and his rhetoric would still be viewed as inflammatory, especially since the United States is made up of immigrants, except for the Native Americans. 2. There was another tag team about 20-25 years ago that did the same thing, they were called the Rougeau Brothers. They used to come to the ring waving little American flags, proclaiming "We Love The USA". And, of course, they were managed by WWE Hall of Famer, The Mouth of the South; Jimmy Hart.

 

[SixMovesOfDoom]

There was another tag team about 20-25 years ago that did the same thing, they were called the Rougeau Brothers. They used to come to the ring waving little American flags, proclaiming "We Love The USA". And, of course, they were managed by WWE Hall of Famer, The Mouth of the South; Jimmy Hart.

Good point. Still more proof that I suffer from not having a good knowledge of pro-wrestling before the year 1993.

Definitely agree with what I have been hearing, the issue regarding WWF being less PC, more willing to have the foreign anti-American villain as a stock character.

It also sounds like people agree that a couple little details to alter and the Real Americans could be faces. So to build on that, does anyone think that such an effort will be made in the near future?

I for one think it would work only if they could continue to use Zeb Colter in some form or fashion. He is an excellent heat-maker, but I wonder could he also be a good face manager.

And for those who are knowledgeable of Colter's 20th century contributions and recall him being a face at one time, please step forward and inform.