Impact (8/14/2008)

[King Cucaracha 0]

I don't agree with what Russo is doing here but I can see why he is. In real life, everyone is not really cut from one cloth or another. Everyone in life have their motivations, their strengths that endear themselves to others and flaws that might turn others off from them. The problem is, pro wrestling is supposed to be an escape from our real life problems or issues or whatever, and it's a release. To see people like ourselves on TV, but exaggerated, isn't going to fly.

 

'Shades of gray' isn't such a bad thing in that theory.

 

If you watch most good TV dramas, people are exaggerated moments of ourselves. They aren't just bad for the sake of being bad. The bad guys aren't going around killing people because somebody spilled coffee on them, you've usually got some sort of moment of empathy with the characters who are clearly not to be routed for, no matter how short it is, to give them a human element.

 

So I guess the arguement is, should wrestling be like other TV shows. Russo would say yes. Most people would say no (and you could argue that most people who watch wrestling need things dumbed down to 'this guy good, this guy bad, cheer the nice guy, boo the bad guy'). I don't mind a little shade of gray. The problem as HTQ said is, you can't have everyone playing shades of gray. Wrestling isn't like most TV dramas because you need someone to route for.

[cabbageboy 0]

The difference is that a regular TV show isn't trying to get you to buy a PPV. And generally all standard TV shows have a clear cut protagonist and antagonist.

 

Shades of gray is fine with me if you keep it within some feasible limits. The Attitude Era was well known for its "shades of gray" but it had its limits. Take a look at the WM XIV card for a minute and you'll see a fairly clear cut designation between heel and face in most of these matches:

 

Michaels (heel) vs. Austin (face)

Rock (heel) vs. Shamrock (face)

New Age Outlaws (heels) vs. Cactus/Funk (faces)

HHH (heel) vs. Owen Hart (face)

 

The only pushed match on that show that had a puzzling dynamic to it was the mixed tag with Mero and Sable, but even there Goldust and Luna were clearly heels. Sable was clearly face, Mero was the lone tweener and he later simply went 100% heel.

 

Now I will admit by the time WM XV rolled around the heel/face dynamic was really blurred with stuff like HHH vs. Kane and UT vs. Bossman. And guess what, that show sucked and the lack of clear characters was a major part of it.

 

 

[DarKnight 0]

In order to portray hate in a hell in a cell, you have to have blood. Hell, it should be a requirement for the match. I like WWE going to PG rating, since this will prevent them from doing tasteless angles like the Katie Vick crap, and McMahon's bastard son storyline.

[Detective Comics 0]

http://thecoolkidstable.net/archives/920

 

Good read about the possible Millionaire's Club angle.

[luke-o 0]

Russo has always stated that he doesn't book a character on being a heel or a face, he books a character to do what they would do in that situation.

 

Sting may be a face, but his character believes that these young kids should respect the older wrestlers who have paved the way. Joe is a face, but his character is pissed off at all of the old guys getting the spotlight over him.

 

Now both of those are traits of a heel, but both guys are still (at least in Joe's case - I've not really watched TNA in months, I'm just going from spoilers) faces.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Russo has always stated that he doesn't book a character on being a heel or a face, he books a character to do what they would do in that situation.

 

Unfortunately, the way Russo uses this philosophy means that wrestlers often do things that don't make a lot of sense based on what they've done previously and if we're meant to like or hate them.

 

Sting may be a face, but his character believes that these young kids should respect the older wrestlers who have paved the way. Joe is a face, but his character is pissed off at all of the old guys getting the spotlight over him.

 

Now both of those are traits of a heel..

 

Neither of those is the traits is that of a heel. The motivation? Maybe. But the trait itself isn't.

 

...but both guys are still (at least in Joe's case - I've not really watched TNA in months, I'm just going from spoilers) faces.

 

Sting turned heel at the last PPV. At least, that was the idea. But given how he was laying out a babyface who just did a heel act of attacking someone after the match, it's hard to figure out how that was meant to turn Sting heel, when he was in the right.