Welcome to Heels and Babyfaces 101. Today, I will explain why the babyfaces get cheered and the heels get booed.
It’s simple: if people can connect with a wrestler, they will cheer him. When Steve Austin stuck it to Vince McMahon in the late 90’s, people could relate to him because they wanted to kick their boss’s ass as well. When Chris Jericho verbally dismantled Stephanie McMahon every chance he got in the early 2000’s, people could relate to him because they all knew that rich, spoiled daddy’s girl and wanted to give her a piece of their minds too. And when Mankind won the WWF Championship against all of the odds in 1999, people could relate to him because he was the wrestling fan, just like them, who achieved his dream. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that those three men are among the most over people to ever work for the WWE.
On the opposite side of the spectrum, people boo the wrestlers who are everything they aren’t. When JBL held the WWE Championship, he was arguably the most hated man in wrestling during that time. He was a rich, powerful, brash ex-badass who sold out for the Big Apple. Another example is Randy Orton in 2003, who was born into the business, and due to his family ties, thought everything should be handed to him on a silver platter. He was also quite the ladies man, and wasn’t afraid to let everyone know how much better looking he was than them. The common wrestling fan couldn’t stand him, and he was showered with boos every time he cockily sauntered onto the stage.
Now that I have explained to you why babyfaces and heels get the reactions they do, it’s time for a test, class. Put your notes away and read the following paragraph, and tell me if this hypothetical wrestler is a heel or a babyface.
He has long, flowing brown hair. In his free time, he thinks of nicknames for himself. He wears sunglasses indoors, which happen to be bedazzled. When on his way to the ring, he dons sequined pants and a sequined leather jacket to match. On the ramp, he stops to pose. Dramatically throwing his arm up in the air, the camera cuts to a slow-motion effect as colorful pyrotechnics explode behind him, hair blowing in the wind. When he speaks, it is in a monotonous tone that could put the entire Spirit Squad to sleep.
Wait… that’s not hypothetical. That’s John Morrison! And to those of you who yel
led, “heel!” you are wrong. But you shouldn’t be.
For some odd reason, many people on the internet and the WWE themselves seem to wonder why half the crowd doesn’t give a damn about him. Ever since he turned babyface in 2009, he has been put in situations that a normal crowd pleaser would thrive in. Multiple times deep into tournaments and some feuds with heavily booed heels have been thrown his way. Due to his ridiculously boo-able gimmick, The Guru of Greatness has been treated with a smattering of half-hearted cheers and a whole lot of “Who does this pansy think he is?”
Creative tried to make him somewhat cool with this whole Parkour stuff, but the attire that has been essentially the same since his days in MNM is hard to overlook and think, “Hey, he’s cool, he runs up walls on his days off.” This guy is the personification of a cocky, pretty boy, narcissistic wrestler who gets jeered out of the building. But when he fights the bad guys, hangs with the good guys, and never insults the crowd, it leaves them with a feeling of, “I cannot cheer for this guy. Look, he has fans blowing his hair. I’ll just be quiet.” Or in more simple terms, “meh.”
That, in a nutshell, is why I think that if Morrison doesn’t have a major personality change, he will NEVER get over as a face. His pretty boy, flamboyant gimmick simply won’t allow it. Shawn Michaels somehow pulled it off in the mid-90’s, but he was also one of the greatest and most charismatic performers to ever step foot into the squared circle. John Morrison is good, but he’s no Shawn Michaels.
Believe me, though, I’m not knocking Morrison on his in ring ability. Although his matches are a little too similar to gymnastics routines for my liking, he can do some pretty incredible things in the ring. There are moves that Morrison can execute that nobody else can. He may be the most athletically gifted superstar in the WWE right now, and from time to time puts on a damn good match. Too bad no straight man will cheer for him.
So, in conclusion, I believe that the WWE has to act fast on The Shaman of Sexy. They have lightning in a bottle with him, and if the writers turn the guy heel, that lightning can strike. Unfortunately, lightning in the wrestling business doesn’t last forever; it can be out in a flash. If they continue to have John Morrison portray this horribly thought out gimmick (at least for a babyface), the most die-hard Mofos might not even care anymore when they finally come to their senses.
Either that, or my lesson plan is messed up…
I think you hit a lot of things, but to me, Morrison wrestles like a babyface yet has a heel gimmick. That’s why Morrison can’t get over at all.
His overall persona is one that speaks out to be laughed at or jeered. While I can respect what he does in the ring and I think that is why he has his fans, I agree with you man that he needs a wardrobe overhaul. But also look at the time we live in. Metrosexual guys are all over the place so perhaps that is the crowd he is meant to cater to. Not saying I have anything against a guy like that but I do think it is a minority in the crowd.
I would be willing to bet that most wrestling fans do not fit that stereotype and if they are going to have a character like that, go for the home run. Have him be that cocky BS guy at the bar who most ppl can’t stand.
It is what it is.
Never should have turned face. But official WWE policy states that when a tag team breaks up, one has to be a face and the other a heel, and Miz was going to be the heel, so….