What defines a "tweener"?

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

Okay, I have been a wrestlehead since 1997, but this has always confused me.

Basically, as you guys all know, a wrestling roster is divided into faces and heels, or as I called them in 97, the 'good guys and bad guys'.

Now I am still having difficulty on those in between and whether or not they are tweener. Some even say Stone Cold was a tweener because he'd beat on other faces and not give a damn, but in my mind Austin was more of an anti-hero face, compared to a truly 'heroic' Cena or Hogan.

In my mind, someone like Kane is a true tweener, but all this really means is that Kane's character is established as such that his being a heel/face depends on his opponent's status rather than his own actions. But I'm still not sure if I'm right.

So I need your help. Tell me, what do you think the proper definition of tweener is? Who's the best example you can think of a tweener? Also, if you like to use examples like I do, then go for it with any promotion from any time, no matter how obscure. I put this in the General Discussion for a reason.

 

[D-Man]

Tweener can best be defined as someone who plays on "both sides of the fence" when it comes to their persona on television and their "side" isn't clearly determined by the crowd. After all, the crowd ultimately chooses which side a character plays on.

Stone Cold was in this category because he would constantly play the heel, yet the crowd went absolutely apeshit over him in a positive way. So, he was a babyface who acted 100% like a heel.

On the flip side of the coin, CM Punk has always been a mega-over heel who does things similar to that of a babyface. But we won't call him a tweener because he still gets more heat from the crowd than cheers. Once the crowd begins to mostly cheer for him, he'll he in tweener status.

 

[Ellye]

I believe the word tweener has two different meanings:
a) A character with gray morality, that can't really be classfied as heel or face. I don't think I ever saw this get really developed on WWE (I don't watch other promotions).
b) A wrestler that is so popular with the crowd that, even when he's a heel, he's still cheered on.

Right now, I don't think there's any tweener on WWE, but there's potential to be a few:

At times, WWE seems to want to direct Randy Orton to be a tweener. He's undeniably a face now, and he'll get crowd support no matter what he do - and every now and then he acts in a quite heelish way. He could, potentially, become a tweener by either of the above definitions.
Kane is another good example of a possible tweener. CM Punk could be one too, but it would be a bit harder.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

I think to a degree Randy Orton could be labeled as a tweener. There isn't many people who play a face yet go around freely punting people in the head like he's bored.

Eddie Guerrero would be considered a tweener. Cheated to win, but was still loved by the fans. He had the "Lie, Cheat and Steal" gimmick. His fans loved him, he could put on the face act and put on the heel act.

 

[Ellye]

Just remembered, I believe The Rock right now might classify as a Tweener.
Interfering in a Championship Match like that is a very heelish thing to do - but no matter, he'll be cheered as a face nonetheless.

 

[Good Golly It's Ollie]

Tweener can best be defined as someone who plays on "both sides of the fence" when it comes to their persona on television and their "side" isn't clearly determined by the crowd. After all, the crowd ultimately chooses which side a character plays on.

Stone Cold was in this category because he would constantly play the heel, yet the crowd went absolutely apeshit over him in a positive way. So, he was a babyface who acted 100% like a heel.

On the flip side of the coin, CM Punk has always been a mega-over heel who does things similar to that of a babyface. But we won't call him a tweener because he still gets more heat from the crowd than cheers. Once the crowd begins to mostly cheer for him, he'll he in tweener status.

I understand your points D-Man and agree with them ... but by your definition, does this make Cena a tweener? When Austin plays a heel he gets a face reaction. When Cena plays a face he gets a mixed reaction that varies depending on location. Your answer would suggest this if we go on pure logic, but I'm not quite sure. The circumstances are different surrounding Cena to be sure.

I'm curious.

 

[D-Man]

I understand your points D-Man and agree with them ... but by your definition, does this make Cena a tweener? When Austin plays a heel he gets a face reaction. When Cena plays a face he gets a mixed reaction that varies depending on location. Your answer would suggest this if we go on pure logic, but I'm not quite sure. The circumstances are different surrounding Cena to be sure.

I'm curious.

I'd go with the majority crowd response. If there is an overwhelming heel response to Cena, I'd say he was a tweener. But there never really is. Cena's crowd responses are normally mixed but the majority is always a face pop. But crowd aside, Cena does NOTHING to even insinuate that he might be a heel. Austin & Cena are really polar opposites.

 

[GrandSword]

Cena is definately an anomaly.. haha. I think the tweener is someone who does not interact with the fans.

The heel for example Triple H walks out and not only does all the heel stuff, but talks shit about them, and their town etc. The face talsk about the bad guys and how they are bad, and suck up to the crowd. If they talk about their opponent it will be how they will beat them and not really that they'll hurt them (unless its some revenge feud).

The tweeners ususally walk in and take care of buisness and let the crowd decide. they ususally don't talk to the audience but if they talk about the opponent it usually that they will hurt them (heelish in nature).

I think that's the distinct. In TNA Samoa Joe seemed to be a heel, but he never ran down the crowd, but he put some serious hurting on his oponents. They are a grey area and allow the crowd top decide further down the track what they will be.

 

[Dagger Dias]

A tweener is someone who acts like a heel but gets a face reaction from the fans. A common example would be the antihero, or a heel who suddenly begins getting popular even though his actions have not changed all too much. Orton was a good example of a tweener for a while. He went from being a mega-heel in 2007-2008 during his age of Orton title reign, to slowly building a positive reaction from fans when he returned to win the Royal Rumble. He became an antihero as he went after the McMahons and Trips. Although he was the heel in the feud, he got a face reaction, which after a long time led eventually to his face turn. Anyone who gets face reactions but acts like a heel is not a true face because they are actually a tweener. Faces do the right thing and get cheered for it. Tweeners will feud with anyone, regardless of the opponent's face/heel status, and get cheered for it.

 

[Blue Chipper]

A persona that is in between (hence the term "tweener"), being a face and a heel. Stone Cold is the best example. He had heel qualities, but was cheered. Therefore, he wasn't a complete face, but he wasn't a heel either.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I think that a tweener has much less to do with crowd reaction that most people are making it out to be. It is in general a wrestler who shows some characteristics of a face and some of the characteristics of a heel. I mean a tweener would be someone who participates in his matches fairly but is good friends with a heel and often helps a heel win matches or something of that sort. It could also be a guy who behaves as a face in certain situations and as a heel in other situations.

I don't think that a guy like Stone Cold was a tweener, or at least he wasn't one in 1998. Sure, he might have used foul language and done stuff that most heels do but he did them against only evil guys which made him a babyface. If he had done so against faces as well, which I do not think he did, it would have made him a tweener. Same deal with Orton. He might have gotten a few cheers when he feuded with HHH but he was definately a heel because his actions were definately those of a heel.

What generally happens is that when a babyface starts gettin booed or a heel starts getting cheered, the promoters generally turn him. That interim period when he the crowd does not react in accordance to the wrestler's alignment should not be confused with the definition of a tweener. A tweener is someone who deliberately tries to promote a mixed reaction from the crowd through his actions. He might also try to promote different reactions on different nights depending on his opponent. That is a tweener not a heel or face who is about to turn.

 

[wrestlingfan]

I think that a tweener has much less to do with crowd reaction that most people are making it out to be. It is in general a wrestler who shows some characteristics of a face and some of the characteristics of a heel. I mean a tweener would be someone who participates in his matches fairly but is good friends with a heel and often helps a heel win matches or something of that sort. It could also be a guy who behaves as a face in certain situations and as a heel in other situations.

I don't think that a guy like Stone Cold was a tweener, or at least he wasn't one in 1998. Sure, he might have used foul language and done stuff that most heels do but he did them against only evil guys which made him a babyface. If he had done so against faces as well, which I do not think he did, it would have made him a tweener. Same deal with Orton. He might have gotten a few cheers when he feuded with HHH but he was definately a heel because his actions were definately those of a heel.

What generally happens is that when a babyface starts gettin booed or a heel starts getting cheered, the promoters generally turn him. That interim period when he the crowd does not react in accordance to the wrestler's alignment should not be confused with the definition of a tweener. A tweener is someone who deliberately tries to promote a mixed reaction from the crowd through his actions. He might also try to promote different reactions on different nights depending on his opponent. That is a tweener not a heel or face who is about to turn.

I think with Tweeners is they'res different types of them such as the Anti-Heros or as I like to call Tweener Face and Tweener Heel. But what's common between all of them is that they're all in the gray. Even Stone Cold though I believe he's laid the Stunner to Faces such as Booker T at WM27 who is a face commentator.

 

[GrandSword]

A tweener is someone who acts like a heel but gets a face reaction from the fans. A common example would be the antihero, or a heel who suddenly begins getting popular even though his actions have not changed all too much. Orton was a good example of a tweener for a while. He went from being a mega-heel in 2007-2008 during his age of Orton title reign, to slowly building a positive reaction from fans when he returned to win the Royal Rumble. He became an antihero as he went after the McMahons and Trips. Although he was the heel in the feud, he got a face reaction, which after a long time led eventually to his face turn. Anyone who gets face reactions but acts like a heel is not a true face because they are actually a tweener. Faces do the right thing and get cheered for it. Tweeners will feud with anyone, regardless of the opponent's face/heel status, and get cheered for it.

What about areverse on that and there is someone who acts like a face but gets a heel reaction from the fans? Isn't that not a tweener also? The way you are saying it is that a tweener is the bad ass antihero and that's it... is that correct?

What about Mr Anderson in TNA. He definitely isn't a face, he's attacking the face Sting and RVD. He tells the company's top heel Hulk Hogan to go screw himself but gets many boos every week? Isn't that technically a tweener also?