5 classic heels Sheamus should study to be more effective in his new role

Sheamus has embraced a new look to set his heel turn on the way

“You look Stupid!” was the chant that the fans on the fallout episode of Raw after Wrestlemania 31 serenaded the returning Sheamus with, upon sighting his newly acquired mohawk that signified that he had “turned”. It’s not exactly rocket science that the WWE did have him turn “heel”, what with a slight dearth of top-level heels in the company off late. Seth Rollins is admirably carrying the mantle, but physical intimidation is a unique characteristic that Sheamus brings to the table.

A good heel persona exhibits a multitude of facets, with psychology, believability, charisma and delivery all holding relevance in how well-received the persona is with the WWE Universe. Indeed, WWE history has been peppered with a good range of wrestlers who have excelled as heels with each one of them proving unique in their own respective right. With Sheamus about to embark in his new role, the following is a quick purview of 5 classic heels who have each handled the role differently but astutely in order to possibly aid the Celtic Warrior in his quest to be as effective a heel as he can be.

Jake “The Snake” Roberts

Jake “The Snake” Roberts had initially held a marked distaste for snakes before his persona in the WWE dictated that he overcome his aversion for the creatures. It is an ode to his professionalism and an indication of the presence of a shrewd wrestling brain that he later came to be characterized by them, and Roberts remains, arguably, the greatest Superstar to never hold a major title belt in the WWE till date.

In the discussion of who was the greatest ever on the microphone, similar perhaps to the consideration of superstars who could potentially hold title belts in the WWE, Jake “The Snake” Roberts found exclusion uniform, although a tad undeserving perhaps. His propensity on the microphone was ahead of his times and he displayed rare mastery over in-ring psychology. Roberts was truly one of a kind in that his grasp and calculated usage of psychology often times inspired the best out of his opponent.

In the 80s, for a good period of time, he served the WWE as a stepping stone for other wrestlers en route to Hulk Hogan, who was the top star then. After a feud with Jake “The Snake” Roberts, the WWE knew that a wrestler would have evolved into truly main event material. Of course this notion was never officially set in stone, but akin to all his other achievements in the WWE, it just didn’t need to be.

Superstar Billy Graham

Watching Superstar Billy Graham reel off rhyme and rhetoric on the television inspired a young Jew boy into following his dreams and the benefit that we reap in the industry today because of that, is Paul Heyman. Perhaps if Sheamus wanted to take notes, he should look no further.Billy Graham was a revolutionary who changed the way in which the concept of “good vs evil” or “babyface vs heel” was perceived by the audience then. Wrestling programming in the 70’s was heavily tipped towards the good defeating evil ideology, as promoters needed a psychological hook with which to foment audience interest surrounding the then upcoming industry of wrestling. As a result, heel champions were viewed as transitory options, only to be Champion when exchanging the title from one babyface to another, both of whom would not generally fight one another for fear of splitting the audience support.

Billy Graham though, held the WWWF Title for a whopping 296 days during the above mentioned period, and effectively established “the underdog” persona as a babyface in wrestling thanks to the fact that he was a physical specimen of a heel who just could not be portrayed to be “weaker” than a dominant babyface within the confines of realism. Having won the title from Bruno Sammartino, he later dropped it to Bob Backlund but not before orchestrating numerous title defences against other top stars in wrestling then. Through all of this, the trend-bucking precedents that were set in Billy Graham’s career just further serve to confirm his status of one of the greatest heels of all time.

Classy Freddie Blassie

In wrestling it is hard to come up with absolute comparisons between wrestlers. A wrestler is not only qualified by his talents, but also by the tendencies of the era that he performs in and other factors that are very much subject to the change that time entails. That being said, certain notions have stood the test of time in wrestling, and one such concept is the role a heel has to fulfil.

Irrespective of the means, a heel has to figure out a way to earn the ire of the crowd and more often than not, his success is judged by how convinced the audience is in their contempt of him. Solely judging by audience contempt, few would dispute then if Classy Freddie Blassie took the honorary title of “The Greatest Heel Ever”.

Apart from being involved in the industry for a mind-numbing stretch of half a century, Freddie Blassie suffered it under some of the most trying circumstances that a wrestler could possibly encounter. He endured 20-odd attempts by fans to bodily injure him, countless occasions of having trash and other objects thrown at him from ringside, raised more disquiet and riots amongst fans than any other wrestler and also lost his right eye thanks to a hard boiled egg that was chucked at him by a fan.

Blassie’s secret though lay in his mentality. Cheating to win is a technique heels use regularly, but he cheated even when he could have pulled off the victory without doing so. The fans knew this and this compounded their ill-will directed towards him. Classy Freddie Blassie was a master of getting under the audiences’ skin and Sheamus might find that attribute highly useful for the enhanced execution of his heel persona.

Triple H

Undoubtedly one of the most believable heels in the WWE over the past two decades has been its Chief Operating Officer, Triple H. Maybe owing to his marriage into the McMahon family, he has always been naturally viewed as a power-hungry and entitled heel persona. Throw in the rumours about his backstage politicking and manoeuvering and you have an easily detestable character. Full credit must go to Triple H for running with the idea and establishing himself as a marquee wrestler in WWE history.

As part of the hugely successful Attitude Era posse, Triple H has rubbed shoulders with some of the best in the business and has showcased creativity and in-depth understanding of the business in the many entertaining storylines that he has been a part of over the years. With 13 World Titles adorning his trophy cabinet, apart from 10 other championships to boot, he has undoubtedly distinguished himself as one of the most successful heels to grace the WWE.

His tenacity in procuring victory by any means necessary has often stood him in salient stead with respect to conveying his heel persona to the audience, and he is also recognized as one of the more credible and bonafide heels in the industry. Believability is one of the more understated yet imperative qualities that a heel should possess and Triple H’s character has evolved admirably over time without losing out on that aspect.

Roddy Rowdy Piper

Any interview/talk-show that is hosted by WWE Superstars nowadays is inevitably compared to the infamous Piper’s Pit, the brainchild of Roddy Rowdy Piper. Piper is known best for his ability on the microphone and while he might not have been technically as sound a wrestler as someone like Bret Hart, he was certainly no push-over in the ring. In fact, If Hogan is credited with being the top babyface in wrestling’s boom period in the 80’s, the plaudits should be equally shared by Piper, his antithesis.

Roddy Piper didn’t possess the build that some of the monster heels maintained, nor did he possess the in-ring technicality required to make him stand out amongst a talented group of grapplers but he did possess wit in generous measure. He got under the skin of opponents, gained a psychological edge on them almost always and managed to get on the wrong side of audiences while doing so.

Even more important, sometimes, than accentuating one’s strengths is preventing one’s weaknesses from being exploited. Piper was a master at that, owing to how often he would contribute to an “edge” in proceedings; a vital aspect of his persona as it drew attention away from his relatively smaller physique and perhaps a touch unremarkable in-ring ability.

His infamous catch-phrase, “Just when you think you have all the answers, I change the questions!” encapsulates the psychological warfare that Piper used to wage on his opponents and serves as a prime example of a wrestler who clearly knew how to present his persona effectively.