TPFKATL The Submission Position: Cool Heel Material?
May 27, 2005 - 10:34:00 AM
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Paul Madavi, Torch Team Contributor
So this past ROH Chicago Ridge was pretty excellent. I just have one bone to pick. The Chicago Ridge crowd needs to come with more than they did. It was a pretty shameful showing for the usually raucous crowd. People sat on their hands, and generally did not put in for the wrestlers, what the wrestlers put in for the fans. If you’re going to the show, you might as well come rowdy.
RE: Luther Reigns
Hi folks. We got some responses to the last SP about Luther Reigns . . .
I think Luther should come back to WWE, but not as a wrestler, as an announcer. Listening to the Audio Talk with Mr. Keller, it became clear that Luther can talk. He could be that "straight shooting" guy, that makes you wonder if his comments were a shoot or a work.
--Adam Gutheil
I most definitely agree with Adam. Reigns would make a great color commentator. It would just require Tazz to do the play by play, which I’m confident he could do well. At least, he could do it better than Michael Cole. Reigns would be a dynamite announcer.
The few chances he was given to talk I was asking myself why he was never given the chance before, he talked smooth and clearly and was able to keep my attention. WWE really should have used his real life experiences for his character long before they did, nothing is more dramatic than the truth . . . He has great Potential to do a lot of things if and when he chooses to come back, but when he does want to come back I hope WWE allows him to.
--Tim, from Wisconsin (holla)
It kind of seems like a no-brainer, right? I mean, you hear the audio update, and you wonder if those writers were even listening to what he was saying. How could you not just immediately give him a microphone and let him work it? He’s got a built-in gimmick. Perhaps they were worried he’d get over as a face if his microphone work got too good.
He in fact, could be used well again someday in the near future if creative gets off the acts together any time soon. I mean, the draft is coming up! Reigns would have benefited greatly by a fresh crop of babyfaces to clobber on. I had thrown around the idea of Luther appearing in TNA and how that would benefit both parties with Luther's injuries and his wanting to slow down his travel schedules, TNA's environment would fit him perfectly (i.e. Jeff Hardy). All in all Luther, in my opinion, did well while he lasted in the WWE.
--Just Another Wrestling Mark
TNA would indeed do well with TNA. However, he’s no fool. He intentionally kept himself in good light with WWE for an eventual return. He’ll make significantly more on WWE than he would on TNA.
Regarding bringing Luther back, since the focus of the articles right before your column on Luther were about Shelton Benjamin, how about bringing Luther back and having him “manage” Shelton Benjamin. Now I know at first examination this might look like a Diesel/Shawn Michaels redo but if you are going to turn Benjamin into the “wrestling T.O.” he is going to need an additional mouthpiece. With T.O.’s current contract situation with the Eagles, who do you see on TV doing most of the talking? Not T.O. but his agent Drew Rosenhaus …Perhaps Luther could act as Benjamin’s “obnoxious agent” and be the negotiator with Bischoff on “what Shelton needs.” That way Luther gets to use his verbal skills and his size can serve as a written ‘additional intimidator” for Benjamin and his incredible athletic skills.
--Dan Leite
I definitely like that angle, Dan. I think it’s a solid angle for Shelton. It’s something he can portray with his current skill level, and not have to stretch himself on the microphone. Luther Reigns could then deliver the money promos for him, like any good agent does, and help him win matches via cheating. Ideally, Shelton would pick up microphone skills from Luther, and Luther would pick up wrestling skills from Shelton.
Thanks to everyone who wrote in.
Cool Heel Material?
TV has not been kind to WWE of late. Once sweethearts, WWE has now become something of a spurned lover. Spike TV said openly that they did not plan to renew their Raw contract. More recently, UPN has announced that Smackdown will be moved to Friday night, because they needed something more competitive for Thursday night. Ouch. WWE for a time was cutting edge. There was a time, you’d expect new and exciting things to happen on Raw and Smackdown. Of late, WWE has been in a creative slump. They’ve gone to the well too often, and the product has stagnated as a result. John Cena and Batista are fairly popular champions. However, they have yet to take rating out of the 4.0’s, where WWE has been sitting for far too long.
In the Attitude Era, WWE fans could expect their product to intrigue them, excite them, and surprise them. The same cannot be said now. The only manner in which WWE can seem to elicit emotion now is with base sexual angles like Lita and Edge, and Kurt Angle and Sharmell. WWE needs to think of something that will shake up the audience, and grab their attention. They need something that will, in the same way Steve Austin and the Rock did, allow WWE to break the rules and get away with it.
What WWE needs right now is to re-introduce the cool heel persona back into their product, but they need to put give to two dynamite heels. What would happen, for example, if they kept Hassan and Daivari heel, but allowed them to try to get themselves over as cool. An anti-American cool heel duo; could it happen? I think it can.
As far as I can tell, being anti-American is the one heel trait that is truly unforgivable. It ensures you will never get pop. It’s the line in sand, when it comes to heel gimmicks. If you’re anti-American, you can’t turn face. What if WWE intentionally blurred the lines of this boundary? What if they gave their anti-American heels a strong push, and the freedom to try to get them over as cool? If nothing else, it would elicit some buzz around the product. Symbolic of a change of pace, and a willingness to look outside their usual bag of tricks, the move would spark interest in casual and lapsed WWE fans. It would also provide audiences, live and television, the ability to make their own decisions regarding the characters. There is no real precedence for what the reaction will be like. It’ll be something new.
Hassan and Daivari seem to have the skills required to attempt such a gimmick. They are both very effective on the microphone, whether speaking English or Farsi. I have no doubt that they could not cut some very effective cool heel promos. They already have an impressive pedigree to them, having bested some on the major players on Raw. They could become a raising force in WWE. Young, articulate, funny, cunning radicals. What if there was a threat of other wrestler’s succumbing to their rhetoric?
The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin used heel characteristics to get over as faces. Could Hassan and Daivari use face characteristics to get over as heels as effectively? It certainly seems possible, and definitely worth a shot.
Have some reactions or thoughts to how WWE can shake up their product? Send your thoughts here.
True or False.
1.) Having Lita turn on Kane in order to align herself with Edge is poor execution of a good idea. People have not forgotten about what Kane originally did to Lita, and will not accept him as a face.
SP Regular, Matt Roberts writes: True. The only way I see this as a "good idea" is that it allows the WWE to manipulate the fan reactions. If the fans continue to chant negative comments towards Lita and "The" Edge then it could be considered legitimate heel heat. On the other hand, if the fans see this as a cheap tactic, they may rebel by not chanting anymore at all, which would remove the stigma of back-stage politics being brought front stage. The problem is that it could cause a portion of the "smart" fans to be offended; and during this crucial time of transition and the potential of fresh competition the last thing the WWE needs to be doing is alienating customers.
Michael Smith elucidates: False. Kane is being dragged down by Lita, who right now may be the second most hated person in WWE after Triple H. Add the fact that that story line is pretty old and has been ignored for months, most fans really don't care that Kane raped Lita.
2.) You are very upset that Triple H has “left Raw.”
My Homeslice, Jason Palumbo writes: True. H isn't my Olympic hero or the best there is, was, or ever will be or the great one or the rattle snake, but he is the game, and he is that damn good, and he is (apparently) the cerebral assassin. I gotta feel bad for him. Losing his title to some walking steroid who never beat Mick Foley nearly to death or paid Rikishi to hit Austin with a car. How can you expect the game to live in the shadow of that animal?
Iconoclast 316 rebukes: False. Think about it, for a while at least, no more 15 minute cookie cutter promos, no more hot dogging the spotlight, no more him being the face of Raw. They now need to build up the champion to be the face of Raw. I would love it if while Trips was away, he got traded to Smackdown. That would be awesome.
3.) CM Punk has been seen working some dark and C show matches for WWE. If they do sign Punk to an extended contract, he won’t last more than sixth months.
Jeff Van Solkema writes: False. CM Punk obviously has a love for the business, and he has enough wrestling ability and mic skills to be a main eventer for many years. After watching his Heat match with Val Venis, and his battles with Samoa Joe, it's clear that Punk can tell a believable tale in the ring. His size might be a drawback, but I don't see it getting in the way of a potential push. Punk looked fine standing next Val, who is a standard size WWE wrestler. Lately, WWE has brought in a ton of fresh faces. If they bring CM Punk in, with an actual deep persona that fans can relate too, then maybe he can turn things around for the sport we all love.
Sebastian Klussmann writes in from Berlin: False. I think he could last more than six months. But the question is where he will be at the time. There is a good chance that he would be on Heat or Velocity (Well, Velocity won’t exist at that time anymore), just like Paul London or Charlie Haas. WWE just can’t capitalize on good talent that is too small in their opinion. There are some exceptions like Rey Misterio, but normally the have so much talent. M impression is that this will be the exact case with C.M. Punk.
He is a good and talented talker, which would help him at WWE, he can wrestle pretty good, but can’t use the hard ROH Style in WWE, which could be a problem. But the main Problem would be his stature. He isn’t exactly small but isn’t so muscular and in WWE almost everyone, except the cruiserweight, are bodybuilders. I have seen one his matches at Heat and looked a bit small in the ring compared to his opponent. He should gain some weight and muscles to get a better position than most of the cruiserweights. When he is only competing on a C show he should leave the company and should continue to work independent, because there he has got the chance to work without any restrictions.
4.) Kevin Nash would be able to make an impact as the new booker for TNA, now that Dusty Rhodes is gone.
Marvin D. Taylor reflects: True. The question should not be whether Kevin Nash will make an impact as TNA booker, but will this impact be positive for TNA in the long run? I don't remember for sure, but wasn't Kevin Nash once a booker for WCW before they closed shop? If so, his ideas didn't save the company but sped WCW to its' death.
Nick Wagener delivers with conciseness: False. Nash didn't revolutionize WCW and TNA is in need of a revolutionary booker to gain serious competitive advantages over WWE.
5.) If you had to listen to somebody yell at you for 90 straight minutes, you’d pick Michael Cole over Don West.
Most people who wrote in picked Michael Cole. Others, said I was a moron for posting such a question. Other still, asked me about sending cheese and beer to them. It’s all part of having a column, I guess.
Big Finish
Hey suckaz, make sure to check in next week for brand, spanking new True or False, and (I promise) a much better column.
The Draft Lottery is coming soon to Raw! Who do you think will be chosen? Predict ten "Superstars" to be chosen for the draft (with a brief rationale for each) and email your picks here! The deadline is 11:59 pm EST on Sunday June 5th, and the winner will have his/her name and choices printed in every participating Lounge column for a week.
Paul Madavi posts the Submission Position every Friday. He hails from Madison Wisconsin, where the beer is fresh and the cheese is aged. If you’d like to respond to any of the content above, please email him and make eventful his otherwise boring existence.
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