In professional wrestling, a heel (also known as a rudo in Lucha libre) is a villain character.[1] In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to your heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.
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.
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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.[2]
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.[3] 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. CM Punk, after turning face after his infamous worked shoot promo berating authority figures such as Vince McMahon and Triple H continued to berate faces John Cena and Triple H in a heel-like manner as well as using an Eddie Guerrero-like tactic against Alberto Del Rio.
While behaving as a heel is often part of a wrestler's gimmick, many successful heels fall into one or more categories:
Color Commentator: A heel sympathizer, who thinks that he/she is the "voice of the fans" when in reality they are less. Though both are supposed to show neutral stance while announcing, the color commentator will support heels more blatantly about their stance than the play-by-play announcer.
Examples include Jesse "The Body" Ventura, Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, Jerry "The King" Lawler, John "Bradshaw" Layfield Mr. Perfect and more recently, Michael Cole.
Control Freak: This heel uses brainwashing and domination to control (sometimes recruit) either his/her stable members, valet, or adversaries. Sometimes the Control Freak will be a Dictator at some point or a Coward by tagging in his/her partner when he/she has taken little or no damage within the first minute of a tag match and lets the lackey do everything until he/she believes that it’s his/her turn to be in. This type of heel, however, is rarely used.
Examples include Bobby “the Brain” Heenan, The Undertaker, X-Pac, Winter, Mike Knox, Randy Orton during his role as leader of The Legacy, and Shane McMahon. Wade Barrett and Raven are very notorious Control Freaks. Barrett did his best to torture John Cena by making do anything he wanted while Cena was in The Nexus and when Barrett claimed there was no leader in The Corre, he was well known as the Control Freak leader. Raven has brainwashed many wrestlers into The Flock/Nest in ECW & WCW and TNA with Serotonin.
Coward: Majority of heels are this type that break rules and display characteristics of other heel types to act as a force to be reckoned with, but will often run from his/her face opponents when threatened or otherwise placed at a disadvantage. A Coward champion often intentionally get him/herself disqualified (through outside interference or deliberately breaking a rule in front of the referee) or counted out when he/she is clearly losing the match against a face, allowing him/her to retain his/her championship despite losing the match since championships usually do not change hands should the reigning champion lose by disqualification or count out. Cowards will usually duck out of the ring whenever their most dominant babyface opponents make their ring entrance.
Examples include “The Model” Rick Martel, Sid during his feud with Diesel, The Honky Tonk Man during his run as WWF Intercontinental Champion in 1987-1988, Andre the Giant’s legit fear of snakes as he feuded with Jake “The Snake” Roberts, and John "Bradshaw" Layfield during his feud with Eddie Guerrero in 2004.
Delinquent: A troublesome and disrespectful heel 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 Figures. Majority of these types of heels form a tag team.
Examples would be the original D-Generation X in 1997 and 1998, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the New World Order (n.W.o.), Justin Incredible, Edge and Lita during their Rated-R gimmick, Jake “The Snake” Roberts, Demolition, The Impact Players, The Undertaker early on in his "Big Evil" gimmick, and Tazz during his feud with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler in mid-2000.
Dictator: A heel in a position of power. He/she often abuses their powers and books faces against seemingly impossible odds which include handicap matches or matches against Monsters. These heels often feud with the top face and rarely interact with other wrestlers.
Examples include The McMahons, Eric Bischoff, Hulk Hogan, Paul Heyman, William Regal, Vickie Guerrero as Raw and SmackDown! General Manager, Armando Alejandro Estrada and Kurt Angle.
Falling Star: These heels are famous in one section of media and are well hated by the majority of the public. They act like heels and would start a major feud with (mainly) the top face (or in some cases other heels). This also makes the storyline more interesting to the fans.
Examples include Andy Kaufman’s legendary feud with Jerry Lawler, former professional boxer Mike Tyson when he was with the first heel run of DX as they were feuding with Stone Cold Steve Austin, rapper Kevin Federline and actor Jeremy Piven are examples when they feuded with John Cena. Even boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. received negative reactions from the crowd by bragging about his wealth, despite the fact he was feuding against another heel, The Big Show.
Foreign Invader: These are heels who stir up the crowd by expressing strong putdowns to the country they are working in. They may also refuse or be (kayfabe) unable to speak a certain language, 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. Normally, they are regional heroes in their native countries, but yet this type of heel is diminished thanks to the internet, but acceptations do occur.
Examples include the La Resistance tag team, Ludvig Borga,Yokozuna, and The Iron Sheik (best example). In Mexican wrestling federations, United States citizens are often portrayed as heels such as Los Gringos Locos.
Gang: A large group of heels that usually create an advantage through numbers. Eventually these groups commonly self destruct due to an inability to work together or the selfishness of the group's leader.
Examples include the New World Order, the Four Horsemen, The Cartel,The Corporation, Right to Censor, various incarnations of Team Canada,The Dangerous Alliance, Evolution, The Age of the Fall, The Alliance, The Corre, La Familia, The Main Event Mafia, The Legacy, The Nexus and The Hart Foundation whenever they were wrestling in the United States.
Household Name: These heel performers are known to receive enthusiastic pops from the fans instead of 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, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, Randy Orton, The Rock, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Kane, The Undertaker, Mr. Kennedy, Ric Flair, Eddie Guerrero, Samoa Joe, Roddy Piper and Hollywood Hogan.
Joker: A heel who tries to be serious, but ends up being laughed at, because of the comical aspects to his/her gimmick. Though the mannerisms are silly, this heel can still be a serious contender.
Examples include King Booker, The Blue Blazer, Doink the Clown, Victoria, Simon Dean, Bobby “the Brain” Heenan, Santino Marella, Lance Storm, Santino Morella, Molly Holly wearing wigs after being shaved, Jillian Hall’s singing gimmick, Chris Jericho’s run in WCW, and Edge and Christian exercising in chicken suits while playing kazoos.
Lunatic: A rageful, dangerous and unpredictable person. They 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’s first heel run, Snitsky, Brock Lesnar’s final heel run, and Mankind. Certain foreign heels, such as Umaga, and The Great Khali, displayed these unpredictable tendencies due to poor (kayfabe) communication skill.
Moral Hypocrite: A heel who in his/her own mind is a babyface with loose morals, and takes every opportunity to lecture the fans and other wrestlers about their perceived lack of values both in style of dress and in attitude and are often mocked or insulted by babyfaces for their supposed contradictions. They do their best 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, radical, and violent behavior. They also contradict themselves by breaking the rules. Others will look down on the Anti-Heroes by calling them a negative word while they play to the crowd.
Examples include Bob Backlund, Bret Hart, Brother Love, The Blue Blazer, Irwin R. Schyster, Right to Censor, CM Punk, Matt Striker, Molly Holly, Ivory, Kurt Angle, Christian and Chris Jericho during his "Save Me" gimmick.
Monster: An unstoppable giant who squashes his/her opponents. Sometimes, they "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. Females 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. Some monster heels intimidate others with their size. Majority of them become a Hoss or Juggernaut when turning face.
Examples include The Undertaker, Abyss, Kane, Rhaka Kahn, Mark Henry, Umaga, Sid, King Kong Bundy, Yokozuna, The Great Khali, One Man Gang, Chyna, Giant Gonzalez/El Gigante, André the Giant, Awesome Kong/Kharma, The Big Show, Big Daddy V, Chris Masters, Shaniqua, and Beth Phoenix.
Narcissist: Majority of heels are this type as an obnoxious and self-important heel who is full of him/herself and will talk about nothing but him/herself. Some play roles on their own fame, achievements, or good looks and usually will continue to gloat non-stop despite the boos of the crowd. These heels traditionally tended to display unpleasant, prima donna like personalities towards fans and wrestlers. They often have excessive obsession over their image and looks. In recent history, they have shown jealousy towards their opponents, especially one that is receiving high-profile recognition. In response, they will try to prove their superiority over their opponent. Others will look down on the crowd by calling them a negative word.
Examples include Hollywood Hogan, “Dashing” Cody Rhoddes, Chris Jericho, Edge, Christian Cage, The Beautiful People during their heel run, Ariel, JBL, Vince McMahon, Dolph Ziggler, Michelle McCool, Trish Stratus, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, Mr. Kennedy, Joey Mercury, John Morrison, The Miz, "The Model" Rick Martel, The Million Dollar Man Ted Dibiase, Ted Dibiase Jr, Maryse, Alberto Del Rio, Evolution, “Ravishing” Rick Rude, Lex Luger, Shawn Michaels as a singles wrestler, and the females in ECW such as Francine and Dawn Marie..
Punk: A heel who believes that he/she is the "future of wrestling" and spends much of his/her time antagonizing older, more established wrestlers. They believe that these older wrestlers should simply retire and "make room" for the younger new talent despite their age.
Examples include Ariel’s brief feud with Francine, Randy Orton's "Legend Killer" gimmick, Chris Jericho belittling the “has-beens” at Wrestlemania XXVI and then feuding w DX’s brief feud with Sgt. Slaughter, and the stables of The Nexus,The New Breed, The Legacy Priceless, Natural Born Thrillers and CM Punk during his first reign as WWE champion when he did worked shoots.
Skilled Cheater: The second rarest of heels. These heels will always and rely on takedowns, reversals, and counterattacks before finishing off with a submissive or pinfall victory with illegal advantages such as usage of ropes. To prove their superiority of submission holds, they claim there is no way out, but eventually a face finds a way out.
Examples include Bob Backlund, Cody Rhodes, Bret Hart, Owen Hart, Kurt Angle, The Iron Sheik, Ric Flair, Mr. Perfect, Rick Martel, and CM Punk.
Traditionalist: A heel from the classic days of wrestling in today’s wrestling. They don’t care for new rules and regulations being made which did not exist during their glory days, but will align themselves with today’s top heels to get their points across. They also get physically involved in matches such as helping the top heel win or keep a championship. Despite all these heels are well respected by fans.
Examples include Ric Flair’s participation in Evolution, Roddy Piper attacking then-face Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania 19 and then teaming with Sean O’Haire, Bob Orton supporting his then-heel son Randy Orton, Mick Foley teaming up with then-heel Edge and Dusty Rhodes helping his son Cody Rhodes in his feud against Rey Mysterio.
Traitor: A heel who most of the times starts out a babyface and is actually a member of a certain country, but has turned his/her back on that country in favor of an “ostensibly superior” one, but yet this type of heel is diminished thanks to the internet, but acceptations do occur.
Examples include Rob Conway defecting from the United States to France (a nation that vocally opposed the U.S.'s "weapons of mass destruction" rationale for invading Iraq in 2003), Sgt. Slaughter as an Iraqi sympathizer during the first Persian Gulf War, United Steates citizens Brian Pillman and Jim Neidhart and the Englishman British Bulldog siding with Canadians Bret and Owen Hart in the pro-Canada Hart Foundation and Sgt. Slaughter was billed as an Iraqi sympathizer during the first Persian Gulf War. Alternatively, Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari were angry Arab-Americans who resent the U.S. for how they've been treated ever since 9/11, but not in favor of another country, but as an act of protest demanding respect as a United States citizen.