Heel (professional wrestling)

In professional wrestling, a heel (also known as a rudo in Lucha libre) is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles. storylines. They are typically opposed by a babyface or more simply, face (crowd favorite). Some tweeners (not explicitly regarded as good or bad) exhibit heel mannerisms. Heels are often portrayed as behaving in an immoral manner, breaking rules or otherwise taking advantage of their opponents outside the bounds of the rules of the match. Others do not (or rarely) break rules, but exhibit unlikeable personality traits. No matter the type of heel, the most important job is that of the antagonist role. Heels exist to provide a foil to the face wrestlers. If a given heel is cheered over the face, a promoter may opt to turn that heel to face, or to make the wrestler do something even more despicable to encourage heel heat.

History

The term "heel" is most likely derived from a slang usage of the word that first appeared around 1914, meaning "contemptible person". Common heel behavior includes cheating to win (e.g., using the ropes for leverage while pinning or attacking with foreign objects while the referee is looking away), attacking other wrestlers backstage, interfering with other wrestlers' matches, insulting the fans (referred to as cheap heat), and acting in a haughty or superior manner.

Once in a while, faces who have recently turned from being heels will still exhibit some heel characteristics. For example, Kurt Angle, even after turning face for his feud with Mark Henry, used a steel chair, an exposed steel ring peg, and leverage from the ropes during his pin to secure his victory at the Royal Rumble 2006. John Cena, after his initial face turn, often used a steel chain to win some of his matches, such as the one against the Big Show at WrestleMania XX. Cena also used heel tactics at Extreme Rules 2010 in his Last Man Standing Match against Batista when he was a major face, as he had to put the turnbuckle beetween and tape Batista's feet to secure the victory. Finlay is also another example after his face turn as he continued to use his signature shillelagh to win matches illegally. Also certain wrestlers, such as Ric Flair or Eddie Guerrero, gained popularity as faces by using heel tactics.

Heel Types

While behaving as a heel is often part of a wrestler's gimmick, many successful heels fall into one or more categories:

• Crazy heel: A raging madman, dangerous and unpredictable - may attack others for no apparent reason, or blame others for being "held back" from championship opportunities and other privileges. Sometimes psychotic behavior is displayed. Examples of this would include Brian Pillman, Victoria (during her first heel run), Snitsky, Brock Lesnar (during his final heel run), Edge (after his initial heel turn in 2004), Mick Foley (when he debuted his Mankind persona), Randy Orton (in 2009) and most recently, R-Truth and Cody Rhodes. Certain foreign heels, such as Umaga, and The Great Khali, displayed these unpredictable tendencies due to poor (kayfabe) communication skill. Often, a wrestler who previously had a comic face gimmick will fall into this category after turning heel, such as Eugene's brief heel turn in late 2006.

• Comic heel: A heel character with comical aspects to his or her gimmick. Though the heel's mannerisms and overall character are silly, the comic heel can still be a serious heel contender, such as former World Champion King Booker or Edge and Christian, who would be featured playing kazoos and exercising in chicken suits. Examples include Simon Dean, Doink the Clown, Melina (with her screaming gimmick), Jillian Hall (with her "awful singing" gimmick), Santino Marella, Victoria, Chris Jericho (during his run in WCW) and R-Truth (with his' "Lil Jimmy" and fear-of-spiders gimmicks).

• Cowardly heel: A wrestler who, in addition to breaking the rules and displaying characteristics of other heel types, often runs from his face opponents when threatened or otherwise placed at a disadvantage. A cowardly heel who is champion may often intentionally get himself disqualified (through outside interference or deliberately breaking a rule in front of the referee) or counted out when he is clearly losing the match against a face, allowing him to retain his championship despite losing the match since championships usually do not change hands should the reigning champion lose by disqualification or countout. Cowardly heels will usually duck out of the ring whenever their most dominant babyface opponents make their theme entrance. One example of a cowardly heel is The Honky Tonk Man during his run as WWF Intercontinental Champion in 1987-1988. A recent example is John "Bradshaw" Layfield during his feud with Eddie Guerrero in 2004. Another example is Edge in his 2006-2008 heel run. And both Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes during their time in Legacy. Also, Randy Orton during his feud with John Cena. The Miz also used this tactics during his feud with Randy Orton in late 2010 to early 2011. Canada is the worst at everything. To put it plainly, Canada S U C K S. 94 C Gateway.

• Traitor heel: A face who has turned a bad leaf. In addition, this character may usually go to such limits as to making a disrespectful remark in the ring which will not please the crowd, to making a brutal surprise attack on one of the crowd's favorite face wrestlers. Reasons of the attack may be over that face holding the title, or more fame and glory that the face receives. Bitter feuds are usually started after this act of betrayal which may go on between these two character for weeks, possibly even months. Chavo Guerrero in 2004 was a traitor heel, after he watched Shaniqua and the Basham Brothers attack his uncle Eddie Guerrero, and then attacked Eddie himself. An example for a women's feud is the feud between Trish Stratus and Mickie James, with James constantly attacking Stratus's protege Ashley Massaro and turning on Stratus weeks before WrestleMania 22, claiming Trish never appreciated Mickie's 'love' for her. At the 2009 Royal Rumble, Matt Hardy turned on his brother by hitting him in the head with a steel chair, costing him the WWE Championship. Most recent is Batista turning on Rey Mysterio at the 2009 WWE Bragging Rights PPV because Rey Mysterio "cost" Batista the World Heavyweight Championship in a Fatal-Four Way including The Undertaker and CM Punk.

• Delinquent heel: A troublesome and disrespectful character who verbally and visually displays uncivilized conduct such as profanity, vandalism, violence and associated "criminal" behavior. Sometimes the wrestler will harass or bully opponents and rebel against authority. An example of this would be the original D-Generation X in 1997 and 1998. Other examples include Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hollywood Hogan and the New World Order, Edge and Lita during their Rated-R gimmick, Randy Orton during his feud with Triple H in early 2009, The Undertaker early in his "Big Evil" gimmick, Tazz during his feud with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler in mid-2000, and most recently The Nexus. However, in some instances, these traits are also possessed by popular faces.

• Egotistical heel: An obnoxious and self-important character who is arrogant or cocky; some wrestlers play roles on their own fame, achievements, or good looks and usually will continue to gloat non-stop despite the boos of the crowd. Examples include Ric Flair (with his wealthy and flamboyant ladies' man gimmick), Triple H, Hollywood Hogan, Austin Idol (who also had a "ladies' man" gimmick), Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian, JBL, Vince McMahon, Trish Stratus, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, Mr. Kennedy, MNM, John Morrison, Cody Rhodes, The Miz, Rick "The Model" Martel, MVP, Rick Rude, Shawn Michaels, and Alberto Del Rio.

• Female heel: Female heels have traditionally tended to display unpleasant, prima donna-like personalities towards fans and opposing divas and wrestlers, and often excessive obsession over their image and looks. They have often interfered in matches and attacked opponents from behind without provocation. Female heels in recent history have shown jealousy towards her opponents, especially one that is receiving high-profile recognition. In response, the heel will try to prove her superiority over her opponent. Traditionally, female heels in wrestling have tended to lean toward the stereotype of a woman with loose morals, both in style of dress and in attitude (this was particularly true of the heel divas in ECW, such as Francine and Dawn Marie), and are often mocked or insulted by male faces for their supposed sexual immorality. Other female heels may look down on female faces, calling them "sluts" for playing to the crowd.

• Foreign heel: In United States wrestling, these are heels who stir up the crowd by expressing strong anti-American sentiments. They may also refuse or be (kayfabe) unable to speak English, preferring instead to render their tirades through an interpreter. Often these characters would be topical, playing off global events and crises current at the time. Examples include the La Resistance tag team, Yokozuna, The Iron Sheik. In Mexican wrestling, Americans are often portrayed as heels. Alternatively, there is a variation on the foreign heel gimmick - a wrestler who is actually an American, but has turned his back on his country in favor of an (ostensibly superior) one (called a traitor heel). Muhammad Hassan is a unique example of the "traitor heel," having turned his back on America, not in favor of another country, but as an act of protest demanding respect as an American citizen. Another example is when Sgt. Slaughter turned on America and sided with Iraq during his feud with Hulk Hogan. The Un-Americans are another example of a stable with Canadian wrestlers Christian, Lance Storm and Test, who would hold an upside down American flag as they made their entrance. Normally, foreign heels are regional heroes in their native countries.

• Monster heel: An unstoppable juggernaut who squashes his opponents. Sometimes, monster heels violently "injure" other wrestlers (sometimes through rule breaking tactics), terrorize valets (injuring them on occasion), and commit other heinous acts in order to set up a feud with a promotion's lead face. Notable examples include The Undertaker, Abyss, Kane, The Great Khali, Big Daddy V, Mark Henry, Umaga, Sid Eudy, Earthquake, Yokozuna, André the Giant, The Big Show, Vladimir Kozlov, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Chris Masters, and Brodus Clay. Female monster heels, as they tend to be more physically imposing compared to the average woman, are often portrayed as Amazon-like warriors, capable of even holding their own against male wrestlers. Notable examples include Jazz, Victoria, Shaniqua, Chyna, Kharma, Nicole Bass and Beth Phoenix. Some monster heels tend to show some cockiness due to their size. Kharma is a unique case as she acts in a similar manner to the male monster heels. They will also often feud with a face close to their size. These faces are known as Juggernauts. A current example of this is the now-heel, Mark Henry feuding with now-face, Big Show. Another example of this is Brodus Clay squashing various jobbers on WWE Superstars.

• Popular heel: Certain heel performers are known to receive enthusiastic cheers from the fans instead of heel heat, in spite of their heelish antics. These heels display confidence, toughness, coolness, and bravado that set them apart from more cowardly heels, almost to the point that they become tweeners and, eventually, babyfaces. Examples include Stone Cold Steve Austin, CM Punk, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Demolition (circa 1988), Randy Orton, Edge, Chris Jericho, Hollywood Hogan, The Rock, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Kane, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle, Matt Hardy, Mr. Kennedy/Anderson, Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Samoa Joe, Beer Money, Inc, Nexus, and The Miz. A lot of legendary heels like Ric Flair, Roddy Piper and Hollywood Hogan get cheered by using certain manners that are used by the heels.

• Heel stables: A large gang of heels that usually create an advantage through numbers. The concept of the heel stable was largely innovated by the Four Horsemen. Such groups commonly self destruct due to an inability to work together or selfishness of the group's leader. Other prominent heel stable examples include the New World Order, the Corporation, The Right to Censor faction, various incarnations of Team Canada, the Dangerous Alliance, Evolution, The Age of the Fall, and more recently, La Familia, The Nexus or The New Nexus, Straight Edge Society, Awesome Truth, The Main Event Mafia, The Legacy, Immortal and Fortune, and The Corre.

• Celebrity heels: Are celebrities who act like a heel and would start a major feud with the top face (or in some cases, other heels). Examples include former professional boxer Mike Tyson when he was with the first heel run of DX and was feuding with Stone Cold Steve Austin. Rapper, Kevin Federline is another example when he was feuding with then WWE Champion, John Cena. This also makes the storyline more interesting to the fans. Floyd Mayweather, Jr. is the most recent celebrity heel, getting negative reactions from the crowd by bragging about his wealth, despite the fact he was feuding against another heel, The Big Show.

• Figure of authority: A heel in a position of power. He/she often abuse their powers, books face wrestlers against seemingly impossible odds, such as handicap matches or matches against monster heels. Figures of Authority often feud with the top face, rarely interacting with other wrestlers. Examples include The McMahons, Eric Bischoff, Paul Heyman, Jonathan Coachman, William Regal, Vickie Guerrero (during her run as SmackDown General Manager), Armando Alejandro Estrada, Hulk Hogan, Kurt Angle, John Laurinitis and to a lesser extent, the Anonymous RAW General Manager.

• Moralistic heels: A heel who in his or her own mind is a babyface, and takes every opportunity to lecture the fans and other wrestlers about their perceived lack of values. They make it their mission to "clean up" the world of wrestling and eliminate elements the fans love, but they see as distasteful. Despite their high moral standards, they will often express their beliefs through terroristic threatening and radical, violent behavior. They often feud with outlaw, degenerate faces. Moralistic heels include Bob Backlund, Bret Hart, Owen Hart (as the Blue Blazer), Irwin R. Schyster, the Right to Censor stable, CM Punk (in Ring of Honor and WWE), JBL, Alberto Del Rio, Matt Striker, Molly Holly, Kurt Angle and, most recently, Chris Jericho during his recent "Save Me" gimmick.

• Young heel: A younger wrestler who believes that he is the "future of wrestling" and spends much of his time antagonizing older, more established wrestlers. They believe that these older wrestlers should simply retire and "make room" for the younger talent. Notable examples include Randy Orton's "Legend Killer" gimmick and the Natural Born Thrillers stable. The most recent example is the tag team of Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, Jr., also Trent Baretta and Caylen Croft when they were a tag team, and The Nexus.

• Control Freak heel: A variation of a crazy/monster heel, the wrestler uses brainwashing and domination to control (sometimes recruit) either his/her stable members, valet, or adversaries. Sometimes the control freak will be an figure of authority at some point. Examples include The Undertaker, X-Pac, Mike Knox, Jinder Mahal, and Shane McMahon. TNA Knockout Winter is a recent example where she has "hypnotized" Angelina Love to attack her opponents. Raven is a very notorious Control Freak Heel, as he's brainwashed wrestlers in WCW (The Flock) and TNA (Serotonin). This type of heel, however, is rarely used.

• Commentator Heel: A commentator in a wrestling organization that while does not wrestle, takes the side of heel wrestlers and is often critical of the faces. They may support illegal methods of heels and will often argue with the face commentator. Some classic examples of commentator heels include Bobby Heenan and Jesse Ventura. A recent example has been Don West in TNA in 2009 or to a lesser extent, Matt Striker. Commentator heels are nearly always accompanied by a face commentator. Michael Cole is the more recent example of a heel commentator as he always supports heels like The Miz and dislikes faces such as Daniel Bryan, and even betrays faces, especially during his feud with fellow face commentator Jerry Lawler (and also Jim Ross), which started in Nov. 2010 and ended in May 2011.

Use outside wrestling

The term has seen occasional use outside of wrestling to describe a similar phenomenon. One recent example was in an ESPN.com story after the quarterfinal match between the United States and Brazil in the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup:

But Marta herself led the descent into the dark side of the ugly game. Niggling, heckling, faking injuries and flopping to run out the clock. Her performance stooped so low, she achieved a rare feat — the heckling of the Brazilian jersey. Neutrals in the crowd whistled her every touch. The world's finest female soccer player transformed herself into a wrestling heel.

See also

• Face
• Glossary of professional wrestling terms

References

• Mick Foley (2000). Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins. p. 511. ISBN 0061031011.