X-Pac heat: A bit of a rarity.

[Clash, Never a Meter Maid]

One more WWE-related thing on my mind recently: Subtle heat.

There are a number of guys on the roster, both faces and heels (I'm not naming names) that some fans claim they're bored by, yet when they're beaten or their character is humiliated, they enjoy it- and continue to tune in, in hopes of seeing it again. I've encountered this both on the internet and in real life.

I think these folks are being subconsciously worked, and it makes me think that people in the wrestling business are correct when they claim that it's sometimes easy to make smart fans mark out. To me, X-Pac heat means that you change the channel when a wrestler shows up, or that you don't watch any WWE programming- meaning that you wouldn't know about their current storylines. When you sit there and boo for whatever reason, I believe that the wrestler has hooked you.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

[mrjl]

Jun 11, 2008 9:28:11 GMT -5 Clash, Never a Meter Maid said:

One more WWE-related thing on my mind recently: Subtle heat.

There are a number of guys on the roster, both faces and heels (I'm not naming names) that some fans claim they're bored by, yet when they're beaten or their character is humiliated, they enjoy it- and continue to tune in, in hopes of seeing it again. I've encountered this both on the internet and in real life.

I think these folks are being subconsciously worked, and it makes me think that people in the wrestling business are correct when they claim that it's sometimes easy to make smart fans mark out. To me, X-Pac heat means that you change the channel when a wrestler shows up, or that you don't watch any WWE programming- meaning that you wouldn't know about their current storylines. When you sit there and boo for whatever reason, I believe that the wrestler has hooked you.

Does anyone else feel the same way?

I suppose. Though there's a few guys I mute the TV for when they come around

[Robbymac]

I don't believe in X-Pac heat. I don't care for Jeff Hardy one bit, and when I'm at a show I don't boo him, I just sit there indifferent. Thats X-Pac heat. More like Conway heat.

[The Royal Our Herobaums]

I don't doubt that what you're describing happens to a certain degree. But there are people on TV that I don't care to watch, and so I don't. When Khali is on, I change the channel. I personally can't stand Maria (and couldn't before, even when she was ditzy). And I'm not particularly interested in anything Carlito does these days.

But I try to stay abreast of what these people are doing, in order to make it easier for me to avoid their work. For example, if I hear Carlito is injured, I don't take joy in it, but I do know that he probably won't be on my TV, which makes my viewing experience slightly better. I'm not interested in the wins and losses of these people. Just their on and off TV-ness.

EDIT: I just re-read your statements, and I think I now better grasp what you are saying. So, yes, I believe that people who actively boo people they claim to have X-Pac heat with are, at the very least, contributing to the problem they claim to have with a worker/character, and, at most, are being worked.

[bcbuster]

Being in the arena and watching on tv are two different things. If you are in the arena then you are basically stuck there. I mean you can go to the bathroom or whatever but you are still essentially limited to being in your seat. If you are watching tv then you have other options.

For instance John Cena. If he has a match or does an interview on Raw then my friend and I fast forward through it if we are watching on DVR delay. Or we just watch something else until he is done. He is so bad that one time we even watched Return to Chimp Eden instead of Cena vs Bradshaw. But if I was at the arena I would probably just boo him and complain.

[MGH]

The only person I have that kind of disdain for is Vickie Guerrero. I stopped watching Smackdown recently for weeks, thanks to her.

[Hart Foundation]

Jun 11, 2008 9:42:00 GMT -5 @bcbuster said:

He is so bad that one time we even watched Return to Chimp Eden instead of Cena vs Bradshaw.

There is nothing wrong with Escape to Chimp Eden. I hear it's a good show

[Ace Diamond]

Jun 11, 2008 9:45:13 GMT -5 MGH said:

The only person I have that kind of disdain for is Vickie Guerrero. I stopped watching Smackdown recently for weeks, thanks to her.

This. In fact I'd go so far to say that's really the only person that makes me want to shut off my TV, there are people who make me not feel like i'm missing anything if I happen to not watch (Orton), and people who agitate me with their Internet Hype being more overblown than most movies with viral campaigns (Morrision), but I'll still watch them, albeit with possible apathy.

Vickie on the other hand makes me vote with the remote.

[The Genesis of KoOS]

Yes, we are still marks.

[TheDarkestKnight]

Some wrestlers I can't even show any emotion towards. As much as this might shock people I have no care for John Morrison or The Miz. When they are on TV I don't dislike or like them I just simply can't see myself caring for anything they do.

[Deleted]

There's some people that I just have no interest in at all.

I can be pleased with them losing a lot only if it looks like they're being depushed and thus won't be used much anymore.

[the-gaffer]

I love hearing all those idiotic fans boo the crap out of Vickie, they complain that she is on yet give her the best reaction of the night, of course she is going to be kept on

[Jtre]

I think we're all marks, to a certain extent, even the ones who scour the Internet for dirt.

When most people talk about people they "legitimately" don't like, it's mostly because they take that person's character too seriously.

When those same people believe what they read about so-and-so from a backstage "source," it's because they are letting that person's on-screen persona influence them.

Something I have often wondered, though, because I don't visit sites dedicated to programs other than wrestling: Do viewers of other television shows change the channel when a character they don't like comes on the screen?

For example, I never liked Sinbad's character on "A Different World," but I didn't turn the show off when he would show up.

[OriasPool]

We are not amused at the lack of a Snitsky option....

[casualobserver]

To avoid confusion, there should be a 3rd type of crowd reaction to go along with cheers or boos. Instead of booing, which can be confused with heel heat, how about making something like a chicken imitation the official "you suck in a 'I wish I could fire you and burn your house down because you bore the hell out of me' way"

[Hiroshi Hase]

Jun 11, 2008 11:40:42 GMT -5 TheDarkestKnight said:

Some wrestlers I can't even show any emotion towards. As much as this might shock people I have no care for John Morrison or The Miz. When they are on TV I don't dislike or like them I just simply can't see myself caring for anything they do.

I'm pretty much like that towards those two as well. I don't hate either of them, but honestly I couldn't sit through a promo or a match that they are in.

[Cap'n Crud]

Jun 11, 2008 15:29:03 GMT -5 Jtre said:

When most people talk about people they "legitimately" don't like, it's mostly because they take that person's character too seriously.

Or they just plain don't like what they're watching. By this kind of logic Scrappy Doo is the Vickie Guerrero of the cartoon world. He sure got people to hate him. Problem is it's not the playing along with his character kind of hate it's the changing the channel kind of hate.

[wrestlecrapcrap]

I don't believe it when someone says 'they aren't getting good heat, they are getting X-Pac heat from the crowd' because you can never know. Even if a few people would change the channel for them, there may be more that will tune in because they are liking the face more, because of the heel, and this will make them tune in.

The heel IMO is never really the one that's supposed to make you tune in. If the heel was on top at the end of every Raw, and at the end of every segment, and you never ever got pay off, then of course you will tune out. If you make the heel so hated, but keep the face in the picture well enough that people realise there's a reason to stick around - the face may get the upper hand - then they've done well.

I mean even though Edge vs Batista was done at exactly the same time last year, I'm intrigued by it this year? Why? Vickie Guerrero. I actually like Vickie, and think she's an amazing heel, but I bet there's Batista fans out there, and also people that used to be indifferent to Batista but HATE Vickie, that start getting behind Batista when he overcomes Vickie's games. Now even though you may 'really hate Vickie and not in a good heel way' as long as she's getting more fans behind the face, she's doing her job.