I was thinking about this last night watching the Terry Funk/Shane Douglas Straight shootin series. I was wondering what most of us in the "smart" community say about this. Do you think you'd be able to get over if you were a wrestler? How would you go about doing it? What would you feel are effective methods for getting over as a heel or face? Do you think you're theory would be effective in EVERY wrestling company?

I'm hoping that this can drum up some discussion.....

I could not get over. maybe on a fluke, but in the non-kayfabe world of pro-wrestling, I have no clue how a guy is supposed to get over. If you play a classic heel now, you get cheered. There really are no traditional babyfaces anymore.

Honestly, you can play a heel and get booed, but you can't wrestle like a babyface and you HAVE to be consistant in interviews. Don't EVER play to the fans, and you have to either be a cocky prick or a chickenshit. Those are the only ones that work in this day and age IMO.

Who's the last bigtime heel who didn't get face pops? Steiner in WCW?

Edge.

Wait a second...now I'll agree with you, but during Edge's run YOU were constantly saying he wasn't getting the right kind of heat.

See, I think playing to the crowd is the best way to get heat. It's part of the reason that WWE sucks so bad. Nobody plays to the crowd. They're always playing to TV. If you look at the really good heels, like the Dudley Boys in ECW, they all played to the crowd. Sometimes you play to different degrees, like the Rock as a heel, but I think not playing to the crowd is a great way to get X-Pac Heat

I don't remember saying that once. I did say that I was sick of seeing him and Lita at that point, but he's definately someone that was ACTUALLY a heel.

It wasn't the right kind of heat when he was feuding with Matt Hardy, but otherwise, it's exactly what you are looking for with him. The guy is suppost to be a slimeball..........and it works.

I'll agree that right before he got the belt, he was a GOOD heel. It was mostly because he's not afraid to let people hate him

That and the fact that he is constantly raggin on the fans. One thing heels in wrestling NEED to do is stop the fans from cheering for them. Once the fans start the cheering start blasting them for it.

Exactly. So many guys have no clue what to do when they get cheered. I'd just flip them off, tell them to suck my cock, and get back to work

I take that back DK. Cena got a few pops during that period and you pointed out that it was only cause he was going against Edge. My mistake.

But yeah, you're dead on about Edge. Now what are specifics that get him over as a heel?


(Edit: Y'all beat me to the punch.)

he's not afraid of getting pure heel heat.

Somebody wrote about this and made the great point that a lot of workers are afraid of getting legit heat because they always know there's a chance that they could be turned face right out of the blue.

If anyone EVER wants to learn how to be a heel................watch what Terry Funk did in the 70's and 80's. Watch his memphis shit.........it's fucking genius. Otherwise, being a heel is EASY. Just be a horrible human being.............lie, be a dick to everyone, and never EVER admit to losing to anyone.

Only thing is, that stuff doesn't work anymore. People know it's an act. Normally, if you do a good job playing an old-school heel like that, you get cheered.

I sure as shit can't. In general, I'm not a good talker, and get serously nervous in front of crowds. It just isn't me. Maybe I could get over being a stool pigeon. :D

NOT if you are consistant with it. Nobody ever is, so basically..........that's why it's not currently working.

Plus, in the Funk/Douglas shoot I was watching Terry made a great point. You have to use "reality based" stuff to get heat these days. He sited when he was feuding with Lawler this past summer in Memphis and how he called him a baby toucher and ragged on the amount of facelifts that he's had. That certainly would work in this day and age................they drew insane numbers for a practically dead territory.

I hope Funk was supposed to be the face?

Nope. Lawler in Memphis is god. From what I've read and heard some of Funk's promo's for that feud are incredible.

I think I could be reasonably over. I'd need a solid gimmick, but I could be a decent face. I have a natural charisma that would make the fans love me even as I proceeded to get stomped in the ring.

I wouldn't have the look to get over as a wrestler. Although if I were to, I'd get over with the "undying, inspirational underdog"-type of gimmick, and would most likely be a jobber, minus that brief time I get a run with the CW title. But then I'd turn heel to get over and play a cocky and arrogant heel that the fans would love to hate, a perfect turn.

Given the fact that I don't have a wrestling look and might not be able to get over based on that, I think I do have the look of a good manager. I could probably get over well as a heel manager because I would get to play to the crowd and get the fans into the match, and hate my client.

Since I didn't really answer this I shall do so now....

I think that I WOULD be able to get over as a heel of some sorts. I'm a pretty good talker and I've never been one to get uptight amongst large amounts of people. Plus, I'm a pretty quick thinker.........so I think the heel persona would work out great for someone like me. Obviously I've had way too many injuries in my life to actually wrestle (Over 4 knee injuries) but sometimes I wish that shit never happened to me.......although I'm sure I would have realized REAL quick that the wrestling business is NOT the business for me.

I'm a natural heel. My best friend begged me to move to South Carolina and be his manager. But there's no way on earth I'd move there. Especially since I got married

I'm stealing this from Scott Keith I think.

I'd call myself Mr. Boring and do nothing but use headlocks during a match. When the crowd chant boring I'd act like they were chanting for me.

While I might not get over I'd be a legend after a disgruntled fan stabs me to death in the parking lot after a show.

Sounds like WWE booking Lance Storm.

I think I'd be a natural heel. Look what happened over on that other messageboard recently. I ratched up my irritatedness and pissed people off everytime I opened my mouth.


Did I mean what I said? Of course not

I think you'd be a mid-card heel to marks, but main event heel to the smarks in the audience.

DAVE couldn't intimidate a 2 year old with a soggy diaper.

You don't have to intimidate to be a heel - you just have to be hated, for whatever reason.

Then me and DAVE should form the New-2-Man Power Trip Minus the Power,

Yes, yes you should. :D

I'm a pretty large guy who played rugby in school for five years. I'd like to think i'm somewhat intimidating

Rugby? The sport where you wear skirts and kick around some weird shaped ball?

and lose teeth and break bones because you wear no protective padding.

Rugby's a rough sport. So is football.



And then there's soccer....

Foley actually came up with that.....

Rugby, the sport where you crouch down and push yourself into a big Sweaty Pile of Manly Mens.

I don't know if this would get over, but my idea would be the ultimate trivia smart aleck asshole. Sort of like early Kurt Angle, Chris Nowinski or Brainy Smurf. To start out, I'd walk into the middle of some lowcard dweeb's promo on Velocity (like, I dunno... Nunzio) and correct him on his grammar or incorrect facts. Like: "heh.. actually, the armbar was originally used as a submission hold and was quite effective. So your flagrant mis-use of it as a rest or transition hold is not doing it justice and is violating the move's intent". Then I'd take issue with him for saying something like "I don't got no mercy". "Then, by using that double negative, you're saying that you do, in fact, have mercy and that you're a big wuss".

During my debut match, I'd get pissed when my opponent improperly applies an armbar, then snap, pummel him and hit my Big Ass Finisher. It wouldn't be anything scientific or well-applied... just some big beatdown moves. I'd be wrestling pretty techincally up until that point. Stop and offer a handshake when he hits a good move...but as soon as he blows a move, the gloves are off and I snap.

I'd have a tag team match the next week, and turn on my partner when he blows a hiptoss. Then, as I move up the card, everytime someone does something wrong, I'd interrupt, bitch at them and point out to them HOW they're wrong.

For instance, during a Masterlock Challenge, I'd come out and display to Masters that he really needs to apply more pressure to occiputal perturbaral extuberance. In the middle of a John Cena match, I'd run in and bitch at him for fucking up an STF. When Flair talks about being a 15 time champion, I'd come out and tell him that he's not really a 15-time champ, since one of those reigns involved the WCW title and not the NWA Championship (or whatever the dispute is).

The gist is that I could back up every bitchy point with facts. Of course, the facts would be slanted to my agenda, but that's the punchline. It's probably an impossible gimmick, since it would involve EVERY wrestler on the roster to check their ego.

Excellent idea, and it's fool proof. I corrected RF'NS' grammar once a few months back and he's still pissed off. :D

Scrooge, don't fuck with people's grammar. It's a very personal thing to someone.

People's grammar isn't used good.