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“The Heels is one of the best wrestling books out there, focusing on the guys we all love to hate.”
A look at a terrific new book about the history of heels in wrestling and how today's heels can improve.
It's nice for things to get back to semi-normal after the Benoit mess. You need distractions at times like this and a terrific wrestling book is the perfect way to do it. Luckily, such a volume just came out in stores, a hefty book that puts a great spotlight on one of the most important aspects of wrestling and how it's developed over the years.
Two years ago, Greg Oliver and Steve Johnson put out The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams a terrific look at the best tag teams in history from the 1940's to today. Now, the two have followed it up with The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Heels (ECW Press, $19.95). Like the earlier volume, this new HOF book is brilliant at focusing on workers, some famous to today's fans, others not but all of whom did their best to entertain. Coming just under 400 pages, with photographs, it's a thick volume but it needs to be with such subject matter and they make every page count. Unlike other wrestling books, which seem delayed for months, this one came out on time and is pretty up to date, even noting the deaths earlier this year of Ernie Ladd and Bad New Allen.
The introduction is by Rick Martel, who knows all about face and hell stardom, ironic as he's not in the book. But Martel admits that's because he's more familiar as a face (and hints Oliver & Johnson are doing a book on the best faces next, which I can't wait for) and is glad someone is putting the bad guys over. The introduction points out the importance of heels in the book and how so many wrestlers feel being a heel makes them less limited than a clear babyface. There's talk of how heels use heat (with distinctions for "cheap" heat like flipping the bird or insulting a city and "real" heat of threatening fans and being joyful of the pain to a babyface) and how important using the referee is. A nice bit is how the heels generally are the ones to add blood to a match and that, in the days where matches were made up on the fly in the ring, they generally directed things.
It moves to a brief history of heels with Clarence Whistler basically recognized as the first heel, eating glass while wrestling opponents in the 1880's. The coming of the storylines pushed the likes of Joe "Toots" Mondt and Ed "Strangler" Lewis over. It's interesting that even Oliver & Johnson can't quite figure out exactly when "heel" became the inside term for bad guys, that it just sort of popped up and stuck on. As they discuss the heels through the wrestling boom of the 1980's, the authors introduce a theme that will be discussed frequently in the book: that the classic heel who could get fans into near riots, has faded away with the more cartoonish aspects of wrestling brought by WWF and WCW. It has also faded by the advent of workers who use heel-like characteristics but are cheered wildly by fans. The break of kayfabe and that so many fans know these guys aren't that bad off-camera has also spoiled the illusion and hurt how real their behavior can be. It also seems that too many newer wrestlers are working on developing a character rather than just being themselves which so many heels did. Oliver & Johnson seem doubtfully heels can return to that feeling of "real" where fans were so ready to rip them apart and truly hate them.
Like the Tag Team entry, the book opens with a listing of the 25 greatest heels ever. The authors note that, like any "best of" list, there will be debate and complaints over their listings. But however you feel about the ranking, you can't fault the presentation. Each entry does an incredible job detailing the wrestler's life and career, their major accomplishments and their impact with their heel behavior. In each case, they're explained in either their own words or by those who knew them well, an incredibly in-depth showcase that makes each one equally important.
Leading off the list, to no surprise, is Buddy Rogers whose heel mannerisms have influenced virtually every heel of the last 40 years from Ric Flair to Vince McMahon. Gorgeous George is next, the first to use TV as a way to sell his heel style, bringing in the flamboyance and arrogance that would also be a major influence for years to come. The other names on the list are a nice mix of some who are quite famous like Harley Race, the Shiek, Mad Dog Vachon, Fred Blassie and Nick Bockwinkel. But there are others who aren't quite as famous today like "Wild" Bill Long Longson, who was the first to really maul and batter opponents from the opening bell on and then using a piledriver, which was so rarely used then that it was banned in Missouri because of its danger. There's Boris Malenko (Dean's father)who would manipulate fans with his intricate moves and Hans Schmidt, a rare German who didn't play up Nazi characteristics but was still hated for his brutality.
I won't give away the list (have to leave a reason to buy, right?) but it's a great focus on heels. Some might be surprised that Ric Flair is all the way down at number 18 but it's pointed out that even as a heel, Flair would get cheers from fans and that it's almost impossible for him to go back to his full heel height when he's a respected elder statesman, much the same with Roddy Piper.
The rest of the book is a bit different from The Tag Teams. Instead of dividing it up by eras, Oliver & Johnson separate the heels into different categories. "The Pioneers" looks at the early heels, the ones who really paved the way in the 1930's and ‘40's. There's Chief Chewacki who was using weapons like tacks, steel wool, coat hangers and cattle prods before any of the ECW alumn were born and who was suspended by just about every athletic commission in the country. Ted Cox would pull the microphone above the ring down (ala Mr. Kennedy) and then, after running down his opponent, ripped it from the ceiling. KO Koverly would have such power in his fists, he'd often legitimately break opponent's jaws. Lord Lansdowne created the character of the arrogant elitist with a manservant that would influence Rogers and Flair while Frederich von Schact was the first to use Nazi mannerisms, two years before WWII, which created a full sale riot in Philadelphia. Heat is one thing but being truly afraid for your life every time you go to work is another.
"The Madmen" looks at the wild guys of wrestling like Tim Brooks, George Steele, Bulldog Brower, King Curtis Iaukea (one of the few "wildmen" who was great on the mic too)and John Tolos. Of course, it's explained how pretty much all of them were actually nice and quiet guys outside the ring. By contrast, "The Egotists" could be pretty full of themselves outside the ring too. Edge is noted with how his affair with Lita gave him such genuine hatred with fans, he just decided to use it to stardom. The authors themselves admit that "Superstar" Billy Graham could be considered less a heel than he seemed, really the industry's first "tweener." Randy Orton is noted by how he wasn't ready to be turned face in 2004 as he's a perfect heel and Rick Rude is also cited for his incredible arrogance and drive. A fun entry is on "Exotic" Adrian Street with a photo of Street in full Goldust-like makeup, wig and furs, standing alongside his father who apparently just got out of a coal mine.
"The Monsters" focuses on the big men who managed to get over with their style like Crusher Blackwell, Eric the Red, Kane and Gorilla Monsoon. An interesting entry is on Vader as instead of blaming Hulk Hogan or promoters, the authors and those who knew him say it was Vader's own fault he fell from stardom so fast with his poor attitude. "The Technicians" looks at the guys who were still respected for their in-ring work even while hated like Don Fargo, Curt Henning, the Masked Superstar, Bob Orton Sr., Paul Orndorff and Pat Patterson. "The Connivers" is the chapter to feature the guys known for manipulating things on and off camera. To no surprise, it's this category that HHH and Jeff Jarrett appear, both put over well by the authors for their in-ring accomplishments rather than lambasted by keeping themselves in the spotlight. Also featured are Tully Blanchard, Jake Roberts, Eddie Gilbert, Chris Colt and Larry Zybsko, many of whom wielded some backstage power too. A great highlight is a focus on Andy Kaufman and how he managed to fool everyone into believing his feud with Jerry Lawler was real, getting over as arguably the most hated man in Memphis wrestling.
"The Tough Guys" talks about the heels who were best known for their hard-hitting in-ring style such as Bad News Allen, Mario Galenta (who has a photo of himself after a match bruised and bloody), Stan Hansen (who's said to have been so dangerous partly because he was incredibly near-sighted and so honestly had no idea how hard he was hitting an opponent), David Schultz, Dick Murdoch, Don Muraco, Dick Slater and Stan Stasiak. A nice bit is on JBL, who openly admits that the only reason he was given his big push in 2004 was because of injuries to the roster and acknowledges how fans didn't take to him leaping from mid-card to champion but he did his best to be an old-style heel. The final chapter is pretty self-explanatory: "The Foreigners" with the Iron Shiek, Ivan Kolloff, Toru Tanaka (best known as Oddjob from Goldfiinger who says that as bad as wrestling can be with ethnicity, Hollywood is worse), Fritz and Waldo Von Erich (no real relation), Baron von Raschke and Tojo Yamamoto. Of course, the authors note how so many of them were full-blooded Americans who used that simple anti-American flair to get some good heat from crowds.
As noted, the book is filled with great photos and an insert of several color photographs (one of which is the first photo I've ever seen of Ernie Roth without his "Grand Wizard" glasses and turban). Also littered are small focuses on such things as the original Dutch Mantell, a hated heel who promoted youth organizations; the legacy of Iron Mike DiBiase (Ted's father); the 1962 backstage confrontation between Buddy Rogers, Bill Miller and Karl Gotch with Rogers ending up badly beaten, with so many differing accounts, it's hard to know what really happened; and the shocking 1940 match where referee John Stevens was so brutally beaten by LaVerne Baxter that he died in the ring, leading to restrictions on heel behavior.
With its terrific focus, expert detail and lush commentary, The Heels is one of the best wrestling books out there, focusing on the guys we all love to hate and their importance to the business. It's also a great look at how wrestling has developed and changed over the decades, a great history piece that deserves attention. Highly recommended to any wrestling fan, especially those with a bit of a nasty bone in their bodies.
As noted, a theme running through Oliver & Johnson's book is how heels aren't as huge today as they once were. Oh, they exist, of course, but it's no longer the "ready to cause riots" type that actually did exist only a few decades ago. The coming of the IWC and the breaking of kayfabe has taken away some of that as has the gray lines growing in wrestling so there are more "tweeners." I also think the 80's brought change but not quite the way Oliver & Johnson think they did. Yes, WWF making things a bit more cartoonish robbed heels of some of their edge. But another factor was the rise of guys like the Freebirds and the Road Warriors who, while heels, still got over with fans because of their style, their presentation and their ring work. Heels just come off as tougher and wrestling fans do enjoy the tough guys so it's no wonder heel to face changes are so common. The ‘90's really changed things with guys who'd be acting like heels (Austin, the Rock, DX) but getting cheers by fans so the classic heel who could incite a crowd to a frenzy isn't as common as it once was.
I know so many workers claim they like being the bad guys and it's easy to see why. The heels are the one who can really go all out, not having to play fair and really take it to the faces. Quite often, they'll hold titles longer as fans would gladly pay for the chance to see these guys they hate drop the strap (see Flair's long-term ride as NWA champion). They may sell less merchandise than the faces but they do seem to have somewhat longer runs at the upper card and thus more money. Of course, it's not like the old days where they could go from territory to territory and boost their fame and thus cash. Their reputation alone could mean a heel got a good payday and I think a lot of workers miss that time.
But the heel still has a role to play in wrestling and I do think there are still guys who can make it work. Far and away, the best heel WWE has right now is Edge. When he did heel stuff in 2000 and 2004, it was always with a goofy style to it, more for laughs. But when his affair with Lita became public and the fans began to rake him across the coals, he played it up to the hilt, letting out his incredible arrogance that's really old-style and gets terrific heat. Randy Orton is much the same way. Yeah, the guy's a big jerk backstage but that actually helps as he just oozes out smugness and arrogance and is pretty good in the ring. Pretty much the only thing keeping him from really breaking through is his own attitude as it prevents him from that one final push to the top. If he can temper that, I'm convinced that, like Edge, he can be a great heel champ. King Booker has really gotten over as a heel with his mix of "street attitude" and royal bearing and his awesome mic work makes sure fans boo him on.
I think a key problem is that there aren't as many influences for new wrestlers as there once were. A nice bit on the recent Four Horsemen DVD was Shawn Michaels talking about how Tully Blanchard was the first cool bad guy he saw and it's clear that much of Shawn's early "Boy Toy" act was influenced by Tully's cool heel persona. Flair, of course, has influenced slews of heels over the years but we don't see as many of the great monster types like Vader or even Yokozuna. The "big guys" who do have are pretty uncoordinated (ala Khali). Umaga is good as a monster but not really talkative, a skill a great heel really needs.
True, there are guys who seem to be getting over with heel style. Kennedy has that great arrogance but losing the Money in the Bank briefcase hurt his standing a bit. MVP was majorly helped by his series with Benoit and his "pampered pro athlete" character is terrific so he has a chance of rising as a heel star. I also think CM Punk has great heel potential, which he showed in ROH. Problem is, the guy is so over with ECW fans that a heel turn is highly unlikely. At least ECW has Johnny Nitro, whose arrogant style makes him a nice throwback to the "glory days" of superstar heels. Sadly, too often, WWE has guys doing the "cheap heel" tactics of insulting crowds like Matt Striker. Also, I think there is too much work on making guys create characters for themselves because, as the old saying goes, the best characters are just the real persona taken to the tenth power. Let guys be themselves more and the results can be better.
At least WWE does better with heels than TNA does. Don't get me wrong, TNA does a good job with some guys as Jarrett proves. But his turn to face, not to mention his forced absence, has robbed them of that face everyone hated so much. At least TNA has corrected that by turning Christian heel. I've always felt TNA dropped the ball making him a face when he debuted as this guy was just born to be a heel. As of late, he's been able to show that great "Captain Charisma" presence more and has even improved it with this "Instant Classic" bit that really hypes up his ego.
Sadly, the rest of TNA is suffering from a dearth of good heels. I think that comes from the fact that Vince Russo has always been a "shades of grey" guy and doesn't really want to present classic good guys and bad guys. AJ Styles, I always thought would make a great heel with his arrogance but he's been reduced to the goofy comic relief of Christian. Christopher Daniels has great heel tendencies but his current bit just doesn't come off as sinister as it should. James Storm has a nice rough attitude that could carry him if they make the right moves but Robert Roode just comes off as a poor man's Ted DiBiase, too bad as he does great heel interviews. Of course, even TNA seems to have no idea if Kurt Angle should be a heel or a face, making it harder for fans to care about his direction.
To be a heel is a lot harder than it looks, to direct the fan heat and make the match flow well. Even more than faces, you have to know how to work a crowd and make sure you know how to take it just far enough to rile them up without it getting out of hand or over the top. As I said before, using ones' real persona can do wonders for manipulating the crowds and help make your opponent look better. Heels are a mainstay in wrestling of course but they have lost a bit of their shine. Still, as long as wrestling's around, there will always be guys who know that sometimes the boos are even better than the cheers and can make stars even faster.
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