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In my blog earlier this week on Rick Steamboat's reception at WrestleMania 25 and Raw, I commented that it could (should be!) interpreted by WWE brass as a sign that wrestling fans are ready for more altruistic, admirable babyfaces rather than the rebellious, anti-authority babyfaces that ruled in the late-90s and have hung over now nearly through the entire first decade of the 2000s. Most reader comments via email and in the comments area of the free and VIP version of PWTorch seem to agree.
"Alongwaltz" writes: "Great read. In the past month alone, the top face on Raw blackmailed his way into a title match while the top face on Smackdown broke into his opponent's house with a weapon and terrorized his wife and family. The supposed top heels on their shows, who we're supposed to hate - Edge, Big Show, Jack Swagger, etc. - haven't really done anything as bad as the stuff Cena and Hunter are doing."
I think WWE and TNA bookers should take a step back and look at the values and constitution of their characters and coincide how their top stars act with whether they are portrayed as heros or villains. There was a fear in the 1990s of being booed out of the building if you stood up for "what was right" because we had been through the Hulk Hogan, Bob Backlund, Bruno Sammartino, Verne Gagne, Von Erichs eras where babyfaces had grown stale, predictable, and boring. In today's world, which has changed dramatically in recent years since the late-'90s ECW/StoneCold/NWO boom period, and pro wrestling hasn't yet.
"A" writes: "Excellent points, especially contrasting the joylessness of Triple H with the charm and enthusiasm of Steamboat. I was thinking about another eight-man tag from a few years ago fondly the other day, remembering when faces actually LIKED each other. I think Show (a face at the time) got the pin on Edge, then Cena piled on top, Matt Hardy jumped on top of him, and HBK leapt to the top of the pile and counted along with the ref. They celebrated together afterwards, Show carrying Shawn around on his shoulders and everyone just generally seeming thrilled. Honest, upstanding faces would be awesome. Faces who help each other out when heels are ganging up on one of them would be pretty fantastic, too."
Triple H does seem "joyless." That's a great description of him. The contrast between Triple H's demeanor, seemingly weighed down with a massive ego that he can't quite live up to or overvalues, compared to the appreciative, likable, smiling, friendly yet determined and motivated Ricky Steamboat is remarkable, and fans saw that contrast this weekend.
"Kansas Kid" writes: "And don't forget his in ring ethics....when he tagged out, he went out, and at the end Monday night, he rolled under the bottom rope while the count was going down....instead of standing there gloating like todays stars."
I pointed this out in my live Raw report on Monday. It just leaped out at me even though it was almost off camera. Steamboat left the ring so that his partner's pin would be legal. It was a show of respect for the rules of the ring. What was once rebellious is now commonplace, and what was once commonplace now stands out as a rare small gesture of respect toward the rules and the referee.
"Proper" writes: I enjoyed this article. I think your President - whether you agree with his policies or whatever - showed that you want heroes to believe in. Remember when Bret Hart went to India and how the children reacted. If Vince is serious about gearing his product to children then he should start building new heroes with good moral compasses - and keep his family off TV they are tarnished. Get that right and it can be fun for all the family with decent matches and decent action for all. The coarse style is tired and old. The funny thing is the last time the WWE was told the truth was at the 1st two One Night Stand ECW events and what did they do?.Ran a mile. Out of the newer lot, Evan Bourne has this quality... so far. The tide is turning and certain wrestlers style look old, not old school, and the old school wrestlers who were great all along have showed the door to be opened in the future. Will the true Backlash begin? Time will tell.
Well put and good example with Evan Bourne. Bourne is the type of character who might have been booed 15 years ago at ECW arena. He might have been relegated to a Kidman-type role in WCW and eventually turned heel prematurely just to "fit in," undercutting the potential of his character as a noble babyface. Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, heck, even Big Show could be strong moral babyfaces who stand up to bullies. Obviously the Bourne and Rey types would be the underdogs, representing the underdogs (hard working blue collar 9-to-5ers who played by the rules) battling and winning over the bullies and cheater (the Wall Street "heels"). Big Show could be the type where when all else fails, he steps up to enforce some law and order. With his personality and vastly underrated or underutilized promo ability, he could stand up to the best of heel talkers.
"Bojan" writes: This was a great article. I agree with Keller on this one. The time of Stone Cold and The Rock is over. Every single main eventer is trying to copy these guys, without having the right storylines or charisma to do it. It's like in sports, if you don't have the skills, keep it simple! Stick to your role as a face or as a heel. A face turn or a heel turn is successful when people don't expect it's going to happen. In the attitude era it's been done so many times, over and over again. I just can't get emotionally involved anymore... WM25 said it all, Taker - HBK and Steamboat... that's it. KEEP IT SIMPLE."
Bruce Mitchell wrote a great article a couple months ago in the PWTorch Newsletter pushing the "keep it simple" concept for babyfaces and heels. The short of it is that babyfaces should be stand-up guys who are better than the heels in the ring, but the heels are bitter about their shortcomings and cheat to win, and the fans cheer for the better wrestler with values that match theirs ultimate wins, and they'll pay to get the satisfaction of seeing it happen. The Rock and Steve Austin were perfect for their time. I sense what the WWE target audience wants now is a feel-good product that has a simple to understand clear division between good and corrupt, noble and evil, and a chance to escape into a world where that which deserves to come out victorious does come out victorious. Every boom period results from a sharp turn from whatever worked during the last boom period, and whenever TNA and WWE powerbrokers stop trying to recreate what worked 10 and 15 years ago and respond to what the public wants today, they'll have a chance at instigating another boom period. Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
