Hi Scott,
Can I ask what your thoughts are on modern-day heels?
I know that the consensus seems to be that Shane McMahon and Baron Corbin are "Boring", but I feel it's far more complex. I believe we are in a new era that WWE is surprisingly aware of.
Back in, let's say 1998 and 1999, Shawn Michaels was able to be a funny, cocky bad-ass and Triple H was a wise-cracking, ass-kicking heel. They each had great lines, likable charisma, and were a joy to have on TV. However, we were able to have this because the babyfaces they opposed were Stone Cold and The Rock. As funny as Shawn and HHH were, they couldn't hold a candle to the charisma and popularity of those 2.
This day and age, whether it's the fault of the superstar or the writing, there's no way I am getting behind bland AJ Styles or Seth Rollins when Kevin Owens is throwing out golden one-liners and Samoa Joe is a phenomenal and compelling bad-ass.
If a heels job is to get the babyfaces cheered, is it fair to say that "Boring" Shane and "Boring" Corbin are effectively doing their jobs? I mean, we had "Roman" chants on Raw this past week, for crying out loud.
Also, can I please throw in a cheap plug for my new blog: https://jobbertothestars.blog/
I've been a fan of you since you were jabbering back and forth with CRZ in the RSPW days.
Thanks,
"Cowboy" Bob
I think the problem is that the fanbase is so different now that they're not booing the heels, they're actually resentful against the promotion for booking them. Which is why it's so baffling that Corbin and Shane would continue to be pushed as top heels while the ratings for both shows are actively dropping to record lows. It's a pretty clear correlation that people don't particularly want to tune in for Kofi and Seth getting treated like second-class guys to the owner's fat son and his personal waiter.