How to become a 'Heel' character in the WWE

Disrespect legends

There is nothing more exciting than seeing a WWE legend return to the squared circle. Fans would pay anything to watch these yesteryear legends return to the WWE in any capacity and give them all a feel of nostalgia.

So, how does a young breakout star manage to get some heat and some recognition in the big bad world of WWE? Simple, attack someone that everybody loves, a WWE legend. Stars like Chris Jericho, the legend killer Randy Orton, Mark Henry etc did just the same and catapulted their ‘bad boy’ image to greatness. The casualties range from Ric Flair, Roddy Piper, Sgt Slaughter, Jimmy Snuka to even Hulk Hogan.

The WWE has often used this as a launch pad to put over young stars and it has certainly worked wonders for them.

Attack a babyface

Another easy way to be marked out as the bad guy is to simply go out and attack the good guy. With or without motive. The scenario includes three steps.

Step 1 – identify the good guy. For this, look for a superstar that the crowd loves. Someone with characteristics similar to a Rey Mysterio or John Cena should fit the bill.

Step 2 – Find the right moment to attack. When the babyface guy accomplishes something and is celebrating or is on the verge of accomplishing, go ahead and spoil it for him. Make a name for yourself when the crowd least expects it. Nothing like doing it on Wrestlemania though.

Step 3 – Go out the next night on RAW and owe an explanation. Thus begins a feud leading up to the next PPV. Easy and effective.

Play second fiddle to the top heel

You need not necessarily be ‘the bad guy’ to attract some heat. Being one among them too will fit the bill. For example, look at J&J security in the recent times. Two guys dressed in tuxedos who just offer protection to the champion Seth Rollins. They don’t mean harm, but they are a hated bunch indeed. Every time they get beat up, the fans love it and nobody argues.

This concept kickstarted somewhere in the attitude era when a lot of factions came into existence. All those siding with DX were deemed good and all those guys who aligned with the corporation were the bad guys. Despite Vince McMahon and the Rock being the top heels at the time, superstars like the Big Bossman and Ken Shamrock too faced the heat.

So, here ends the list of five fool proof ideas to get over as the bad guy in the WWE. Echoing Razor Ramon’s words, ‘Bad times don’t last, but bad guys do’.