Post by Snowman on Sept 10, 2010 8:24:23 GMT -5
Sometimes things aren't simply black and white. People use labels to feel comfortable about the world. If a tweener is someone inBETWEEN a face and a hell, then I classify Orton as a tweener as he does some things a face does (stand up to Nexus) but also does some things a heel does (attack an innocent Darren Young who just provided the distraction for Orton to win his match). Don't fear the grey areas.
Ah, but here's the thing. Face/heel/tweener aren't (so far as I believe the terms are generally used) directly equivalent to good/bad/ambiguous as far as morality goes. In fact, I don't think the terms really have any connection to the implied morality of the pro wrestling characters at all: they're descriptions of the characters' places in the booking angles and the reactions they're intended to inspire from the audience.
A babyface is a guy who the fans like enough that they buy tickets in the hopes of seeing him win and kick ass. Sometimes, the character is rendered likeable by being presented as an upstanding person, but a character can also be cheered for other reasons, like being just plain cool.
Is it a "bad" thing when Orton RKOs a guy who just helped him like Bourne or Young, or a heroic guy like Cena? Yes, it is. But it isn't a heelish thing, because the commentators and the crowds sell these as "OMG Orton is so badass he's ready to take everyone out" moments.
Since his turn against Legacy early in the year, I can't think of a single segment Orton's been placed in where the intent has been to make him look unlikable, or to make us want to see the other guy beat HIM up. He's done plenty of amoral things, certainly, but those are sold as part of his appeal rather than as a reason to boo him.
And it's not just Orton, or Austin. Plenty of babyfaces are assholes. Undertaker is f***ing horrible person who steals peoples' souls and sends them to hell for hitting him with a chair or costing him a championship match or some petty s*** like that. What makes them faces is that they're pushed as guys who we're supposed to cheer for and want to see win.
The thread should have ended after this post. You won't find a more perfect post on the subject than this one.