5 pro wrestling heels that garnered heat even with smart fans
CM Punk was one of the industryâÂÂs best heels of all timeHeels make the world go round in professional wrestling. Some fans love the bad guys as they are considered to be not only cool, but often times, trendsetting. However their main appeal lies not in how much they can pop a crowd with an unexpected positive reaction, it’s more about the work they put in while in character. The truth is without strong heels, pro wrestling companies would simply not be in business for very long.The most important element of any promotion is its ability to draw fans. That is accomplished primarily by the stars and the feuds they are involved in. The more intense and more believable a rivalry is, the more likely fans are to pay good money to see the action unfold in the ring. Heels are at the center of it all.There is no drama in babyface wrestlers constantly coming out on top and never being legitimately challenged for their championships or their spots on the roster. Fans may cheer them for a while but it would not last long; guys need rivals to push them, to make them work to be better wrestlers and bigger stars. Nothing can do that the way a strong rulebreaker can.Solid antagonists make for solid protagonists and everyone wins in that scenario. When the antagonist in question is so good he’s hated despite how ‘smart’ some fans claim to be, even that’s better. Those heels blur the lines between fiction and reality, making it virtually impossible to know what the truth is. Drawing heat is essential for good heels and drawing heat even when they are not in the ring can be considered an art form indeed.
#5 CM Punk
CM Punk speaks his mind and that generates heat like no pro wrestling storyline ever could. Punk’s insistence on being himself and pushing the envelope when it comes to his character has put him in a very small class. He did it his way and had major success doing it.
As the Straight Edge Saviour, he parodied Jesus Christ. The Straight Edge Society were his apostles and the ring was his pulpit. He spewed forth hate and vile toward everyone in his way and he did so with a devilish smile on his face. He worked fans like any old school wrestler would and he managed to put them in a rage filled frenzy; they called him the devil and he loved every second of it.
Even the famous pipebomb moment on Raw drew heat for Punk, as many fans believed he was doing nothing more than complaining. His storyline with The Undertaker brought down controversy and hate thanks to the notorious urn spot in which The Deadman was supposedly covered in Paul Bearer’s ashes. Even though fans knew this was not the case, it did not stop Punk from heeling out even more and provided him with more detractors than he perhaps ever had before.
Punk’s departure from WWE brought heat as well. Instead of trying to understand where he was coming from, many fans called him a quitter and turned on him for it. His arrival in UFC was met with criticism and anger from two separate fanbases that wanted nothing to do with him. The fact is no matter where Punk goes, heat follows. Even the smartest of fans can’t help but join the chorus and Punk surely loves it all.