So why did "X-Pac heat" begin anyway?

[wildojinx]

We all know about the term "X-Pac heat" but what caused X-Pac to start getting that heat in the first place? He was extremely popular in 98-99 after all, so when and why did the fans turn on him?

[Deleted]

From this blog wallsofjerichoholic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/x-pac-heat-is-myth.html:

"The term originated back when X-Pac had temporarily split from D-Generation X (or the group had been temporarily dissolved) and was a good guy. He didn't get cheered like most good guys of the time did, even though he was part of a really cool team with Kane at the time. The fans booed him, which caused certain people on the Internet to say that it was because they wanted him not to be on TV anymore. That made sense at the time, but then people started applying the term to actual heels, like you could f***ing tell the difference between a chorus of boos a guy got for, say, kidnapping Stephanie McMahon and rape-marrying her at a drive-thru chapel and the one gotten just for being a greasy little shit."

So yeah, probably originated with a forced face turn. The same happened with Randy Orton in 2004, he turned face after Evolution ditched him, but nobody wanted to cheer him because he was a horrible little twerp. He was turned heel again about 4 months later.

[What?]

Personally, I was more apathetic towards him more than anything.

But for others, I believe it had to do with DX ending while he never really progressed from that role. He even had a DX-exclusive name "X-pac." The other thing was that he was a smaller guy that played the role of an obnoxious heel. People loved him as a face for the most part (I think), because he was always underdogging it. But when he turned heel, it kind of worked against him in a lot of ways. I'd also say that being in the Klique hurt his image too, because he was the physically inferior one in the group.

I don't know. I never had this hate for him, but these are just a few of the reasons that I've seen mentioned over the years.

[A damn road sign]

Edge put it best. "1998 called and they're sick and tired of you. So feel free to join us in the year 2001 any time you want."

[xCompackx]

May 3, 2013 10:18:40 GMT -5 What? said:

Personally, I was more apathetic towards him more than anything.

But for others, I believe it had to do with DX ending while he never really progressed from that role. He even had a DX-exclusive name "X-pac." The other thing was that he was a smaller guy that played the role of an obnoxious heel. People loved him as a face for the most part (I think), because he was always underdogging it. But when he turned heel, it kind of worked against him in a lot of ways. I'd also say that being in the Klique hurt his image too, because he was the physically inferior one in the group.

I don't know. I never had this hate for him, but these are just a few of the reasons that I've seen mentioned over the years.

I never fully noticed him getting boo'd until rewatching his stuff, but I'd say X-Pac never moving on was a big reason. I remember X-Factor and how out of place he always looked.

[keepinitreal365]

I actually liked X-Pac better than HHH. Never understood the hate towards him.

[thecrusherwi]

May 3, 2013 10:22:57 GMT -5 xCompackx said:

May 3, 2013 10:18:40 GMT -5 What? said:

Personally, I was more apathetic towards him more than anything.

But for others, I believe it had to do with DX ending while he never really progressed from that role. He even had a DX-exclusive name "X-pac." The other thing was that he was a smaller guy that played the role of an obnoxious heel. People loved him as a face for the most part (I think), because he was always underdogging it. But when he turned heel, it kind of worked against him in a lot of ways. I'd also say that being in the Klique hurt his image too, because he was the physically inferior one in the group.

I don't know. I never had this hate for him, but these are just a few of the reasons that I've seen mentioned over the years.

I never fully noticed him getting boo'd until rewatching his stuff, but I'd say X-Pac never moving on was a big reason. I remember X-Factor and how out of place he always looked.

I love how the crowd basically cheered for all WWF guys when the invasion started, even jerks they despised like Vince, William Regal, and Edge and Christian, but everyone still booed X-pac. Everyone must've hated him. He was a heel, but the Allance wouldn't take him so he was the only WWF guy fighting WWF guys! Apparently he didn't care about the threat if the Alliance putting the WWF out of business or his friend leaving X-factor to join the Alliance. He just wanted to defend his light heavyweight title. And then he took it with him and disappeared.

[H-Virus]

May 3, 2013 10:39:30 GMT -5 thecrusherwi said:

May 3, 2013 10:22:57 GMT -5 xCompackx said:

I never fully noticed him getting boo'd until rewatching his stuff, but I'd say X-Pac never moving on was a big reason. I remember X-Factor and how out of place he always looked.

I love how the crowd basically cheered for all WWF guys when the invasion started, even jerks they despised like Vince, William Regal, and Edge and Christian, but everyone still booed X-pac. Everyone must've hated him. He was a heel, but the Allance wouldn't take him so he was the only WWF guy fighting WWF guys! Apparently he didn't care about the threat if the Alliance putting the WWF out of business or his friend leaving X-factor to join the Alliance. He just wanted to defend his light heavyweight title. And then he took it with him and disappeared.

I can still remember a Mick Foley promo at that time, where he was talking about unifying all of the WWF belts with their WCW counterparts.

"I was planning on unifying the Cruiserweight Title with the Light Heavyweight Title; unfortunately, no one seems to know where X-Pac is, and quite frankly no one seems to care."

[WBL a.k.a. Mountie II]

May 3, 2013 10:47:41 GMT -5 H-Virus said:

May 3, 2013 10:39:30 GMT -5 thecrusherwi said:

I love how the crowd basically cheered for all WWF guys when the invasion started, even jerks they despised like Vince, William Regal, and Edge and Christian, but everyone still booed X-pac. Everyone must've hated him. He was a heel, but the Allance wouldn't take him so he was the only WWF guy fighting WWF guys! Apparently he didn't care about the threat if the Alliance putting the WWF out of business or his friend leaving X-factor to join the Alliance. He just wanted to defend his light heavyweight title. And then he took it with him and disappeared.

I can still remember a Mick Foley promo at that time, where he was talking about unifying all of the WWF belts with their WCW counterparts.

"I was planning on unifying the Cruiserweight Title with the Light Heavyweight Title; unfortunately, no one seems to know where X-Pac is, and quite frankly no one seems to care."

As a life-long X-Pac fan, that quote pisses me off still to this day.

[carp (SPC, Itoh Respect Army)]

Like many things from around that time, that term was a Scott Keith invention, wasn't it?

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

I always figured it started because his heel turn on Kane was really forced, and it sucked out all his momentum. problem was, after he turned heel he didn't do much to give anyone a reason to boo him, he was just sorta "there". it didn't help that he was a top midcarder at a time when WWE's midcard was stacked with guys who were just plain better than him but lower on the pecking order, like Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, William Regal etc.

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

May 3, 2013 10:14:58 GMT -5 @subtlemocking said:

From this blog wallsofjerichoholic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/x-pac-heat-is-myth.html:

"The term originated back when X-Pac had temporarily split from D-Generation X (or the group had been temporarily dissolved) and was a good guy. He didn't get cheered like most good guys of the time did, even though he was part of a really cool team with Kane at the time. The fans booed him, which caused certain people on the Internet to say that it was because they wanted him not to be on TV anymore. That made sense at the time, but then people started applying the term to actual heels, like you could f***ing tell the difference between a chorus of boos a guy got for, say, kidnapping Stephanie McMahon and rape-marrying her at a drive-thru chapel and the one gotten just for being a greasy little shit."

So yeah, probably originated with a forced face turn. The same happened with Randy Orton in 2004, he turned face after Evolution ditched him, but nobody wanted to cheer him because he was a horrible little twerp. He was turned heel again about 4 months later.

oh that explanation's a load of crock. fans LOVED the Kane/X-pac team. the X-pac Heat thing came later.

[Deleted]

May 3, 2013 11:47:32 GMT -5 EvenBaldobombHasAJob said:

May 3, 2013 10:14:58 GMT -5 @subtlemocking said:

From this blog wallsofjerichoholic.blogspot.co.uk/2012/11/x-pac-heat-is-myth.html:

"The term originated back when X-Pac had temporarily split from D-Generation X (or the group had been temporarily dissolved) and was a good guy. He didn't get cheered like most good guys of the time did, even though he was part of a really cool team with Kane at the time. The fans booed him, which caused certain people on the Internet to say that it was because they wanted him not to be on TV anymore. That made sense at the time, but then people started applying the term to actual heels, like you could f***ing tell the difference between a chorus of boos a guy got for, say, kidnapping Stephanie McMahon and rape-marrying her at a drive-thru chapel and the one gotten just for being a greasy little shit."

So yeah, probably originated with a forced face turn. The same happened with Randy Orton in 2004, he turned face after Evolution ditched him, but nobody wanted to cheer him because he was a horrible little twerp. He was turned heel again about 4 months later.

oh that explanation's a load of crock. fans LOVED the Kane/X-pac team. the X-pac Heat thing came later.

Yeah, possibly. As you mentioned, there was also the heel turn on Kane, and not long after that the Attitude equivalent of 3MB.

[EvenBaldobombHasAJob]

yeah except the 3MB are actually entertaining. I think the only way to make those guys even more obnoxious was if they were given X-factor's theme song.

[horsemen4ever]

I remember when HHH was a semi face before he revealed himself as the master mind of the hit and run attack on Austin, that very night when he had his famous turn "your search is over, you dumb son of a bitch", you had a DX reunion tag match against the Radicals, it dawned on me at the moment every ex member of DX were faces, the fans forgave them, they were even willing to forgive the most hated man in the WWF for the last year HHH, everyone except X Pac.

[Allie Kitsune]

May 3, 2013 10:53:24 GMT -5 WBL a.k.a. Mountie II said:

May 3, 2013 10:47:41 GMT -5 H-Virus said:

I can still remember a Mick Foley promo at that time, where he was talking about unifying all of the WWF belts with their WCW counterparts.

"I was planning on unifying the Cruiserweight Title with the Light Heavyweight Title; unfortunately, no one seems to know where X-Pac is, and quite frankly no one seems to care."

As a life-long X-Pac fan, that quote pisses me off still to this day.

I also remember Kidman actually coming out and cutting a short promo about how even though he was supposed to be the bad guy, the crowd hated X-Pac more (even referencing the X-Pac Sucks chant).

[Nickybojelais]

Didnt it seem to coincide with his never-ending apathy filled feud with Kane in late 1999/Early 2000?

[dicecasden]

Since WWE Classics hasn't caught up to late 1999 yet, from what I remember:

Starting from SummerSlam 1999 when X-Pac was the one pinned in a tag title match, his character started to have some whiny traits to him, which was egged on by 'too small to compete with the big boys' commentary, with Kane trying to reassure X-Pac. This lead to a four-way match at the October PPV involving the Acolytes which saw X-Pac cheapshotting Kane and eventually winning the match.

Then add on to it the reformation of D-Generation X as just glorified henchmen for Triple H a short time later, which saw X-Pac directly feuding with Kane, and having matches against each other on all 5 of the following PPvs (Survivor Series, Armageddon, both involved in the Royal Rumble, No Way Out and a tag match at WrestleMania). Fast forward to a night in early 2000 which saw four guys from WCW arriving who blew X-Pac out of the water in terms of being small and quick, all of a sudden X-Pac went from being pretty much the only mid-card guy on the WWF roster with heat and who stood out from the all the brawlers to looking pretty damn sucky in comparison.

Basically... the reason why 'X-Pac Heat' happened was just bad timing and a load of coincidences

[molson5]

I don't remember the X-Pac hate really ever being that overwhelming, though I haven't watched a lot of stuff since then.

And I always thought the whole concept of X-Pac heat was silly, and just off. When people start trying to interpret what fans "really mean" by their reaction, they're inevitably going to put their own opinions in. I think if the fans are making noise they care about you. Silence is the killer.

[SOR]

It's a really dumb term. X-Pac is crazy talented people shouldn't be disrespecting him like that.