Great Heels

[dxbang]

Professional Wrestling has changed. A "great heel" nowadays ends up being cheered because of how good/cool they are. I remember in the mid/late 80s and early 90s some of these heels were amazing. Maybe it's because I was a kid and never even thought about cheering for a "bad guy," but things were so different.

"Ravishing" Rick Rude: This guy was such a D-bag...it was perfect. I love watching him now, but only because he was so good at what he did. His look, his facial expressions, his mannerisms...he may have been the ideal heel.

Mr. Perfect: Speaking of perfect...it was so annoying when this arrogant a-hole would beat some of my favorite wrestlers because he made me believe that he may have been as good as he thought he was. Great heel.

Ted DiBiase: A millionaire that thought he could buy his way into or out of anything...and he was almost right. An amazing cowardly heel that could still beat some top guys due to the help of his bodyguard.

The Honky Tonk Man: This annoying Elvis impersonator was able to hang on to the IC belt longer than anyone else. Somehow kept holding on the to the title until the Warrior came out and destroyed him. What else do you want from a guy you love to hate?

There are many more, but these are just some of my favorites. Aside from JBL being a tougher Million Dollar Man, how can these types of heels be recreated? They worked...they'd probably work again. I think The Miz is great.

Who were your favorites? What would you like to see?

[auph10imitated]

Arrogance is one of the key ingredients it seems given those you listed, all four were arrogant in regards to different things, Rude the sexiest, Perfect the greatest at everything, Dibiase the richest, Honky the most talented singer. When you brag about what you have and your as arrogant as they come and think your better than anyone else then your a great heel.

I liked the first three but was never sold on Honky, I never liked his gimmick but he was a good heel.

[SmashTV]

Feb 29, 2016 9:56:44 GMT -5 dxbang said:

Professional Wrestling has changed. A "great heel" nowadays ends up being cheered because of how good/cool they are. I remember in the mid/late 80s and early 90s some of these heels were amazing. Maybe it's because I was a kid and never even thought about cheering for a "bad guy," but things were so different.

"Ravishing" Rick Rude: This guy was such a D-bag...it was perfect. I love watching him now, but only because he was so good at what he did. His look, his facial expressions, his mannerisms...he may have been the ideal heel.

Mr. Perfect: Speaking of perfect...it was so annoying when this arrogant a-hole would beat some of my favorite wrestlers because he made me believe that he may have been as good as he thought he was. Great heel.

Ted DiBiase: A millionaire that thought he could buy his way into or out of anything...and he was almost right. An amazing cowardly heel that could still beat some top guys due to the help of his bodyguard.

The Honky Tonk Man: This annoying Elvis impersonator was able to hang on to the IC belt longer than anyone else. Somehow kept holding on the to the title until the Warrior came out and destroyed him. What else do you want from a guy you love to hate?

There are many more, but these are just some of my favorites. Aside from JBL being a tougher Million Dollar Man, how can these types of heels be recreated? They worked...they'd probably work again. I think The Miz is great.

Who were your favorites? What would you like to see?

The Honky Tonk Man was the first heel I liked. I was 12 when he won the IC title, and although I didn't agree with it, there was something appealing about him happily taking DQ and countout losses. He knew how to work a crowd and gain heat, and also had some great one-liners.

'Honky Tonk Man, you just attacked Randy Savage with your guitar! What have you got to say for yourself?'

'He's lucky I don't play piano!'

This was when I realised that heels were actually more charismatic than a lot of the faces. I liked the others in the above list for the same reasons. DiBiase's laugh, Perfect's gum swat/towel catch, Rude insulting the crowd... all these little traits and mannerisms made them stand out from the crowd and gave them an identity. Top quality ring psychology also helped, of course!

[Deleted]

Dr D was a nasty fellow.
Jake the snake was terrifying as a kid, but I know older fans liked him either way.
Andre when he turned drew massive heat.
Andy Kaufman although not a full time wrestler had people so worked up in Memphis I'm surprised he wasn't shot.