Wrestling's Biggest Heel

This past week on Ring of Honor, #1 Contender Tommaso Ciampa was knocked unconscious during his world championship match against ROH Champion "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin.  Following the match, Ciampa regained consciousness to learn that the referee had stopped the bout (and I learned that the term "referee stoppage" is a legitimate term) and awarded the victory to Elgin  After refusing a respectful handshake from Elgin, Ciampa proceeded to take his frustrations out on anyone in sight: from the ring and production crew, to commentators and ring announcers.  Yet, even as Ciampa continually drove his knee into Bobby Cruise's skull, the crowd cheered wildly.  This got me to thinking:

What does it take to be a real heel in professional wrestling, anymore?

Now, I realize that Ring of Honor tends to skew toward the more "hardcore" fanbase (we're not talking tweens with foam fingers), but if a man can beat up innocent bystanders and still have the crowd behind him, then how can a man be truly hated in wrestling, and is being truly hated really even an option anymore?  It's not simply about "cheap heat".  Knocking the local city's sports teams won't get you the kind of venomous jeers a true bad guy is looking for.  It goes deeper than that.

If we assume that Ring of Honor fans enjoy cheering Ciampa because they're Ring of Honor fans, then we also have to consider why a man like WWE's Rusev, with his tried and true anti-American gimmick, is so universally reviled.  After all, we know it's a gimmick, but we feed into it, anyway.  We can also ask why Dean Ambrose, who displays no clear allegiance to anyone but himself, is so identifiable and why John Cena, who professes to do all things for love of the business and the fans, is adored only by those who are young enough to wear his t-shirts and still sit at the Cool Kids Table.

On the surface, these answers seem simple enough: Rusev is against our country, and to cheer him would be unpatriotic.  Dean Ambrose has that "devil may care" swagger we all wish we had, while John Cena's the boy scout we all cringe to be (even if most of us are at heart).

So this leads to a bigger question: How did we get to a point where the bad guys are the fan favorites?

Before I answer that question, I'm going to answer this question:

Who's the biggest heel in professional wrestling?

I'll give you some hints:

It's not Brock Lesnar or Paul Heyman.

It's not Triple H or Stephanie McMahon.

It's not MVP or even Dixie Carter.


Nope.  It's this guy:

That's right: the father of modern-day professional wrestling is also the most hated man in the industry.

Now, before we get our collective trunks in a bunch, I know what you're going to say.  You're going to say things like, "Are you kidding?  Dixie Carter gets a much more hated reaction than Vince McMahon!  In fact, if Vince McMahon showed up on Raw this Monday, we'd have 20,000 fans standing on their feet and applauding!  WWE would be so much better if Vince came back to TV!"

I could spend an entire column talking about all the great things Vince McMahon has done for the product that is professional wrestling.  Wrestlemania, Monday Night Raw, The Attitude Era, etc.  That's great, and I, along with the entire wrestling community, are forever indebted to Vince for taking pro wrestling out of bingo halls and throwing it up on the grand stage alongside the world's greatest showcases.

Unfortunately, Vince McMahon is also single-handedly responsible for coining the phrase "sports entertainment" and making "wrestling" a dirty word in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world.  As his vision for his empire grows, he slowly begins to distance himself from the industry that helped make him a success.  One need look no further than the fact that Dean Ambrose will miss a month's worth of television to film a low budget WWE Studios film to realize that the priorities within WWE are shifting -- or perhaps have already shifted -- drastically.

But, just as many accuse George Lucas of spurning the fans that made him a billionaire, Vince McMahon can be seen as the man who took the "attitude" (a word that was once his company's cornerstone) out of WWE.  While it's true you can have fun reminiscing about all the unpredictable mayhem of the late 90's on WWE Network (for just $9.99 a month), don't look for too much of it in today's product.

In his effort to appeal to a younger fanbase (and the parents of that fanbase along with the shareholders keeping his company afloat), Vince traded middle fingers and beer chugging for rainbow-colored t-shirts and a squeaky clean image.  Most fans like to blame John Cena for all this, but even he had to undergo a makeover, renaming his finishing moves from the FU and STFU to the AA and STF, respectively.  That's right: WWE even took the attitude out of the golden child.

That's not to say WWE hasn't bred some great stars and given us some great moments in the decade-plus following the close of wrestling's last "golden age", but I wonder how much more intriguing those stars would be if they were taken off their leash.  Apparently, I'm not the only one who's asked that question, because other promotions have picked up where Vince McMahon left off.

Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling have long since lauded themselves as "alternatives" for the hardcore wrestling fan.  They highlight the fact that there is less talking and more wrestling.  They tell you their wrestling is better.  They're not even afraid to use the word "wrestling".  But, most importantly, they do what Vince doesn't.

Anybody remember this?

For those of you who may be too young to remember (or old enough to forget), this was an ad campaign run by videogame juggernaut Sega back when they made home consoles and were attempting to topple the dreaded empire of Nintendo.  They touted that their console, the Genesis, would do all the things Nintendo's wouldn't...including providing users with the choice to play grittier, edgier games that Nintendo shied away from.

The entire professional wrestling landscape, as presently constituted, can be summed up in this exact idiom.  Everyone from ROH to TNA to the independent scene is marketing themselves to be the anti-WWE.  Not only is this how we perceive the individual promotions (you're either trying to be the next WWE, or you're trying to be everything WWE isn't), but it's also how we perceive each wrestler.

Let's go back to Wrestlemania 22 and that epic encounter between Triple H and John Cena.  We all remember that moment in the match where Cena and "The Game" are trading blows back and forth.  Remember how the crowd cheered Triple H and booed Cena?  Because Triple H was everything Cena wasn't, and we liked that, even if we'd spent the previous three years wishing he'd shut the hell up and put someone over for a change.  He was the anti-Cena: a vestige of the Attitude Era we loved so well come save us from the monotony of this new chapter of history.

This was the beginning of the modern-day heel: the bad guy who is actually the good guy.  Because it's the bad guys who are allowed to show the attitude.  These days the faces all come out and pander to the crowd and try very hard to make people like them.  It's the heels that come out without a care in the world for what people think about them and get to unleash all manner of hell on their more naive opponents just to get a check in the "Win" column.  And we respect that about them.

It shows a passion, and that is something that is sorely lacking in today's product, particularly in WWE.  Sure, there are a few exceptions, but everything is so tightly wound at this point that watching wrestling has become more habitual than enjoyable.  The faces get to win because they're the good guys rather than because they want it more.  Meanwhile, a man who beats up the ring crew is getting cheered by a few hundred people because his actions speak to a desire to succeed.  Even if it's just a character-driven point, isn't all of it?  Aren't the good guys just good guys because that's how you want us to see them?  And aren't the bad guys just bad guys because you told them to win in a sneaky fashion?  For all we know, some of our favorite stars could be complete jerks backstage.  We don't know that.  All we know is what we see.

So when we see a man get suplexed sixteen times, sure, we'll feel sorry for him.  We'll even feel sorry when he loses the match and his championship.  But secretly, we're cheering the guy who wanted that championship bad enough that he was willing to do anything to get it.

Repairing the Rumble: Can WWE Save Wrestlemania XXX?

The 2014 Royal Rumble will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest debacles in WWE history.  Everyone from WWE Superstars, Hall of Famers, and of course, the fans, have recognized and vocalized their displeasure with the outcome of the event: namely, that Batista has won the Royal Rumble match for the second time in his career and secured the main event spot at Wrestlemania XXX.

This comes as a huge shock, and one of the biggest upsets in Royal Rumble history as most fans fully expected to see Daniel Bryan, whose chants of "YES!" have been echoed to deafening proportions in arenas all over the world, to headline the "Show of Shows".  Bryan has been the most popular star on the roster for much of the past year, and fans have been frustrated with WWE's apparent lack of awareness to his star potential, and more importantly, championship potential.

Batista's victory has been received with vehement crowd reaction.  "The Animal" was almost booed out of the building upon winning the Rumble, and his appearance on Raw, even against the reviled champion Randy Orton, have been equally mixed.  Meanwhile, Daniel Bryan, even outside of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, continues to received the most passionate reaction from the fans.

Fans are not the only ones upset by this turn of events.  Almost immediately after the pay-per-view, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley tweeted that he was "disgusted" with the show, wondering if "WWE actually hate their own audience".

Later, it was also reported that former WWE Champion, and arguably the second most popular star on the WWE roster, C.M. Punk, reportedly "walked out" on WWE in protest of Batista's victory, and WWE's lack of recognition for himself or Daniel Bryan.

The almost universal frustration here is that Batista, who hasn't been in seen in the WWE for about two years, had only just returned six days prior to the big event.  "The Animal" was handed a victory that instantly undermined, in many people's eyes, the hard work of stars like Daniel Bryan, C.M. Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Bray Wyatt, The Shield, and countless other Superstars who have worked hard over the past year to earn respect as main event stars.  C.M. Punk had stated that it was his intention to headline Wrestlemania XXX, but that if he could not compete in the main event, he fully expected that spot to be given to Daniel Bryan.

As of this writing, WWE has yet to officially comment on the situation, and while the official @WWE Twitter account has unfollowed that of C.M. Punk, many fans speculate that this is simply a "work" or publicity stunt to garner attention for Wrestlemania.  Punk is technically under contract until July of 2014, but it would come as no surprise to anyone if Punk were to depart the company.

C.M. Punk is one of WWE's top stars, regardless of what your feelings about him may be.  His walk out has been compared to that of Steve Austin in 2002, but most expect that Punk will return once he and the company have had a chance to cool down.  WWE may be ignorant, but it is unlikely they will simply let C.M. Punk, one of their most popular performers, simply walk out without at least attempting negotiation.

At the very least, the situation with Punk highlights a larger issue within WWE: the blatant ignorance of what fans want.  First, we wonder if the Royal Rumble victory was intentional.  Did WWE make a mistake, or was it planned all along?  Obviously, Batista was not signed overnight, which makes fans wonder if this was planned weeks or even months in advance.  Or was it simply decided, in a horrible last-minute decision, that Batista would win the Rumble?

As for Daniel Bryan, there are really only two explanations here:

1.)  WWE is truly ignorant of what fans are looking for from their product and believe that Batista is going to garner greater earnings for Wrestlemania than Daniel Bryan would.

2.)  WWE has some other plan to work Daniel Bryan into the main event of Wrestlemania.

In either case, the fans and Superstars alike have made it clear that unless something changes, this year's Wrestlemania, despite being the thirtieth anniversary of the most revolutionary show in professional wrestling, has potential to be the most disappointing show in recent memory, and that includes the horrendous ECW December to Dismember show.  It's bad enough that Daniel Bryan isn't even factored into the title picture, but with C.M. Punk's future with the company completely up in the air as far as we know, there's little incentive for fans who don't enjoy Orton, Batista, or Cena, to shell out their $54.95 for this show.  With the WWE and World Heavyweight titles now unified, gone are the days when we could have a "double main event".  We are now tied to one championship match each year, which makes Batista's spot in the show all the more baffling.

That's not a shot of disrespect to Batista so much as a question to the powers that be in WWE.  Batista is a fine athlete and a main event star for the company, but you have to question the impact that putting someone in that spot will have on the men and women who have worked so hard all year long in hopes of earning that spot.

Of course, WWE has plenty of time to make all the changes it wants to this main event, with with about nine weeks until the big night.  But perhaps their biggest opportunity to change the main event picture for Wrestlemania will be at the upcoming Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, where champion Randy Orton will put his title on the line against five other men.

This is the perfect opportunity for WWE to completely change the Wrestlemania landscape, especially since Daniel Bryan was immediately entered into this match.

WWE has a few choices here, but I have some specific scenarios in mind:

1.)  Daniel Bryan wins the WWE World Championship at Elimination Chamber

Obviously, this isn't the ideal stage for Bryan to win his title, but it does get him to the main event of Wrestlemania and gives fans the chance to chant "YES!" at 80,000 strong.  The downside is that we miss the moment where Daniel Bryan wins the title at 'Mania, which would go down in history with the title wins of Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin as some of the most memorable ever.

2.)  Batista in the Chamber, Bryan at 'Mania

This is a stretch, but a second scenario would be to make the feud between Orton and Batista a thousand times more personal than it already it is.  Let them take shots at each other every chance they get until Batista can't take it anymore.  Batista tells Triple H he can't wait until 'Mania, he wants in the Elimination Chamber so he can kick Orton's ass and then walk into Wrestlemania with Orton's title.  Daniel Bryan hears this, and offers to put his spot in the Chamber on the line in exchange for Batista's Royal Rumble victory spot.  I'm not sure how it would work, but the two could have a match on Raw to see if they do, in fact, switch spots.  Then, let Batista win the title in the Chamber and let Daniel Bryan walk in the underdog at Wrestlemania.  This gives WWE the Batista comeback story it's looking for, while still giving the fans what they fully expect from Wrestlemania.

3.)  A Fatal Four-Way for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania XXX

This is a bit more plausible, but almost as unlikely as Option 2.

In this scenario, Triple H, The Shield, or even Bray Wyatt screw Daniel Bryan out of the title in the Elimination Chamber, leaving Orton as champion.  When Daniel Bryan insists the next night on Raw that he be inserted into the Wrestlemania match for the WWE World Championship, Triple H refuses, but then Vince comes out to set things right (or perhaps Stephanie has a change of heart?)  Batista is infuriated by this, but vows to beat Bryan and Orton no matter what.

The next week on Raw, the three are having their contract signing for the match at Wrestlemania when C.M. Punk returns.  The "Best in the World" can cut one of his infamous "pipe bomb" promos, saying he left WWE after the gross misuse of talent, and he can criticize Triple H and Stephanie, which should be great for ratings and publicity.  Then Punk says he's drawn up a new contract that entitles him to a match for the title at Wrestlemania.  Before things can escalate, Triple H confirms that the match will be the biggest WWE World Championship match in Wrestlemania history, with Orton vs. Punk vs. Batista vs. Bryan for the title.

Of course, at Wrestlemania, Daniel Bryan would still walk away the champion, but at least this gives everybody what they want.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none, since Vince and the company have long been fond of Wrestlemania being a showdown between the two biggest (alleged) stars of the company squaring off, rather than simply trying to cram stars into a main event.

Of course, any of these would be an obvious ploy by the company to rectify the mistake of the Rumble, but at this point, it's inevitable that WWE is not going to admit they made a booking error, so we will simply have to accept whatever excuse we are given.

Assuming they decide to change things at all.