As a result of this past week’s Raw episode, it has become apparent that WWE is out of touch with how some of the fans think about various members of the active WWE roster.
While it can be argued that the days of “good guys” and “bad guys” is over with, it cannot be argued that better character development can help WWE fans get more emotionally-invested in storylines.
Here are some switches that could potentially help creative, which in turn could potentially help sagging ratings:
– Brock Lesnar – Brock Lesnar was in a heel-less Summerslam main event with Randy Orton a few months back. While the ending of that match confused a lot of people, it reinforced Brock as a legitimately-tough competitor, which is what a lot of Brock’s popularity is rooted in. Therefore, building him up to be a heel against Goldberg is entirely unnecessary. He and Goldberg can both get strong babyface reactions without Paul Heyman heeling it up.
– Roman Reigns – For nearly two years, Roman Reigns has been booed more often than not. Whether this is due to the fans being petty, or the common belief that Roman did not take all of the steps needed to be the face of the company, it is obvious from the live crowd reactions that Roman simply needs a heel turn. Three to nine months of him destroying competitors as a heel could then provide the organic babyface reactions that the McMahons have been seeking all along.
– Chris Jericho – No one on the active WWE roster has more catch phrases or gimmicks that are over than Chris Jericho . The list, the “it,” calling Tom Phillips the wrong name, the “sparklecrotch” chant, the “best friend” angle, the tacky scarf, “drink it in man”…All of this from a wrestler that already had plenty of trademarks (e.g. the light-up jacket, the “EVER” emphasis). The crowd cheers almost everything he does, even though it is supposed to get heat. Perhaps the answer is turning him babyface, but to have him continue to act the same way.
– Bray Wyatt – For a long time it has been discussed that Bray Wyatt has the potential to be the next Undertaker. This is both in terms of his “face of fear” character and his ability to be cheered while being a dark, serious character. Bray is often cheered when he is not supposed to be, and his firefly/lantern-oriented entrance is not the sort of thing that a true heel would have. Now that The Wyatt Family has an injured member and Braun Strowman is not a Wyatt, there is not much tying Bray to the idea of him being a heel.
– Carmella – In NXT, Carmella had heel-like tendencies to her, but in being paired with Enzo Amore and Big Cass, she was a babyface by association. While her Iggy Azalea-esque theme song can go either way, her showing off by doing The Moonwalk is something that a babyface would do. She is not with Enzo and Cass on Smackdown, but she is still offering up the same character that gets Enzo and Cass cheered on Raw.
– Dolph Ziggler – Dolph Ziggler has been both a babyface and a heel while holding the Intercontinental Title. Prior to capturing the title from The Miz this time around, he showing seriousness in his promos, focusing on how people had not believed in him. Since he has the acting chops, why can’t he change his character to being mad at the people who did not believe in him? Furthermore, he has the word “heel” in his Twitter handle and his nickname is “The Showoff.” Arguably the most miscast babyface in the company.
– Dean Ambrose – Dean Ambrose’s record-breaking run as the United States Champion was done as a heel, while his reign as the World Champion was done as a babyface. Always known for his work on the mic, Dean Ambrose has charisma and is believable when speaking. Currently, he is floundering without the title, challenging for it but not seeming to be angry by how he lost it. This leaves room for a justified heel turn. On top of that, his trademark is that he is “unstable,” which is not a common trait in a hero.
