[YankBastard]

Heat. Plain and simple.

It's extremely hard these days to generate true heat. You like who you like and hate who you hate no matter what role they're playing. A problem with that is it elicits mixed reactions from the audience.

Heels have become more anti-hero heels that get as much cheers than boos from people. Modern examples of this are Kevin Owens and Alexa Bliss, with Steve Austin in the old days. This is the true reason for the emergence of Roman Reigns as a hated face, and now Jinder Mahal as champ. It seems that the only way you can get true old school heat on a wrestler these days is through the 'I don't think you deserve to be booked where you're at' heat.

People want Reigns to become a heel, but then he might actually get some cheers. He might become an anti-hero. But that's not what's trying to do. Smarks and other fans don't realize that he's doing what he's doing in order to generate heat from people that he won't get if he becomes a heel. And they got enough of those people, like the wrestlers I previously mentioned.

This is an excerpt from Stone Cold's podcast interview of Shane Helms(The Hurricane) about what I'm trying to explain.

 

[RavishingRickRules]

Maybe they should just flip it all on it's head. The cheesy "good guy conquers all" types are the new heels and the big badass dude who breaks people in half can be the faces. Works for me, Braun can be FOTC.

 

[MontyCora]

If go away X Pac heat is the only thing that works today as genuine heat, more power to them.

 

[Eliko]

In other words Vince wanted a younger John Cena. Now he got him.

 

[Irish Dude]

"It seems that the only way you can get true old school heat on a wrestler these days is through the 'I don't think you deserve to be booked where you're at' heat."

100% true

Back when kayfabe was alive, or at least not broken by WWE itself, the crowd booed the heels who: cheated to win, because they didn't deserve to actually win because they were cheating; were really bad persons, meaning they don't deserve anything at all; beat a fan favorite. Today is the same and that is why Reigns is so great. Everything Reigns does is calculated. The fans feel: he isn't that good - he is, everything by the way he walks to his booking is that way to make you think that and boo him; he cheats to win - the fake wellness violation; beat a fan favorite - Daniel Bryan and many others.

People will come here and say but Reigns is supposed to be face. Think. Is he or are you being worked? He has stated he isn't the good guy. A heel is someone who the fans hate, not someone who does bad things (remember, good, bad, right, wrong are all subjective). The commentary team portrays him as a face so you thing he is being overpushed.

Wrestling 101
Reigns is great.

 

[Bestiswaswillbe]

"It seems that the only way you can get true old school heat on a wrestler these days is through the 'I don't think you deserve to be booked where you're at' heat."

100% true

Back when kayfabe was alive, or at least not broken by WWE itself, the crowd booed the heels who: cheated to win, because they didn't deserve to actually win because they were cheating; were really bad persons, meaning they don't deserve anything at all; beat a fan favorite. Today is the same and that is why Reigns is so great. Everything Reigns does is calculated. The fans feel: he isn't that good - he is, everything by the way he walks to his booking is that way to make you think that and boo him; he cheats to win - the fake wellness violation; beat a fan favorite - Daniel Bryan and many others.

People will come here and say but Reigns is supposed to be face. Think. Is he or are you being worked? He has stated he isn't the good guy. A heel is someone who the fans hate, not someone who does bad things (remember, good, bad, right, wrong are all subjective). The commentary team portrays him as a face so you thing he is being overpushed.

Wrestling 101
Reigns is great.

You're insane if you actually believe that.

 

[Irish Dude]

You're insane if you actually believe that.

What? That wwe wants to work the fans? They tried to make Roman the face of the company, didn't work. They're making him the heel of the company, otherwise why do you think they booked him to BEAT The Undertaker and RETIRE him at WRESTLEMANIA?

When my friends in school told wrestling was fake I also called them insane.

 

[EdgeheadStingerfan]

When did the trend of cheering heels and booing faces begin?

Cena?

Before?

 

[AmWolves10]

Heat is the easy thing to get. Just pick any talentless scrub off the street and have him beat John Cena, AJ Styles, Undertaker, etc and they will get heat. It's cheers that are difficult to get.

 

[Laughable Chimp]

Heat is the easy thing to get. Just pick any talentless scrub off the street and have him beat John Cena, AJ Styles, Undertaker, etc and they will get heat. It's cheers that are difficult to get.

By this logic all the faces should be actual talented peformers and all the heels should be untalented nobodies. Would create a huge talent divide on the roster if you ask me and its hard to buy in that all these untalented average looking nobodies can act as bad guys to the actually talented good looking all conquering superheroes the faces will be.

 

[Bun Dem]

Heat is the easy thing to get. Just pick any talentless scrub off the street and have him beat John Cena, AJ Styles, Undertaker, etc and they will get heat. It's cheers that are difficult to get.

You only need to pay your dues in the indies and you'll get cheered for life. If heat was that easy many would not be having such a hard time getting it.

 

[Arsenal79]

Yeah heat is definitely not easy to get these days. The only guys who get legit heat now are Reigns, Mahal, Owens (sometimes), Miz (sometimes), and that's about it. Even Cena doesn't get the same heat now that he's in his proper role putting over new stars.

 

[CGS]

When did the trend of cheering heels and booing faces begin?

Cena?

Before?

Cena back in 05. Although the cheering heels phase started to only really started when the WWE embarked on their Indy journey a few years back. Before that it was mostly heels facing Cena who got mega cheers.

Heat is the easy thing to get. Just pick any talentless scrub off the street and have him beat John Cena, AJ Styles, Undertaker, etc and they will get heat. It's cheers that are difficult to get.

It's easy to play a heel over a face but it's much harder to actually gain pure heel heat. Miz is probably the last true real heat magnet around and a lot of that also hands itself to the fact that he didn't come from the indies so to an extent is automatically less respected by the modern fan. (Still respected just not as much)

I don't agree with go away xpac style heat being real heat. When Jinder gets merchandise (lol at your WWE champ not having merchandise) how much will he sell after the trolls are finished? I don't think the Reigns/Cena argument will work here.

 

[Laser Rey]

People want Reigns to become a heel, but then he might actually get some cheers.

I think cheers for a heel Roman would be very short-lived. "Cool heels" that a large segment of the fanbase gets behind almost always have great verbal skills. That's. . .not Roman's skill set, to say the least.

 

[JTB33b]

What? That wwe wants to work the fans? They tried to make Roman the face of the company, didn't work. They're making him the heel of the company, otherwise why do you think they booked him to BEAT The Undertaker and RETIRE him at WRESTLEMANIA?

When my friends in school told wrestling was fake I also called them insane.

But they are still booking him as a babyface. They have him compliment Balor by saying he has alot of heart. They show him backstage feeling depressed after he beat Taker. A heel would be gloating non stop about it. They have him feud with Strowman who is a heel and they don't do heel vs heel feuds. He never cheats to win. The WWE is most certainly portraying him as a babyface. They even teamed him up with Seth last week who is a babyface to take on Joe and Bray who are both heels. And his next rumored feud is the Miz who is obviously a heel. If Roman was a heel he would only be facing babyfaces.

 

[Irish Dude]

But they are still booking him as a babyface. They have him compliment Balor by saying he has alot of heart. They show him backstage feeling depressed after he beat Taker. A heel would be gloating non stop about it. They have him feud with Strowman who is a heel and they don't do heel vs heel feuds. He never cheats to win. The WWE is most certainly portraying him as a babyface. They even teamed him up with Seth last week who is a babyface to take on Joe and Bray who are both heels. And his next rumored feud is the Miz who is obviously a heel. If Roman was a heel he would only be facing babyfaces.

They book the heels to cheat, and be mean so the crowd boos them. They book Reigns the way they do because it makes the crowd boo him. Nothing more, nothing less. The overprotected superman is the new heel.

 

[Kratosx23]

LOL, heat. You think they want heat on Roman? They've done EVERY trick in the book to try and get him cheered. And yes, Reigns absolutely will generate heat as a heel, because he's completely unlikable. Fans don't just boo somebody as a face and cheer them as a heel, that's a myth.

Jinder is about business in India, Vince doesn't even notice if you hate it, he's not even paying attention because the reason for the push isn't about YOU, it's about Indians. If he cared about heat, he would've never given fans all these pushes that they actually want like AJ Styles and Kevin Owens.

 

[TheLapsedFan]

I have a feeling I know why Jinder's a champion now too! Two words: Brand Split.

 

[Victor Chaos]

In other words Vince wanted a younger John Cena. Now he got him.

Who's that? I don't see one on the roster.

 

[Super Hetero Male]

they could pull Reigns' push back completely and replace him with Rollins or Ambrose or Balor and Reigns would still get more of a reaction because people want to hate him more than they actually want to cheer someone else.