We've been looking forward to this topic, and it's finally here. Our wrestle-talkers take on the topic of heels in pro wrestling. AND we brought friends! We have our first ever guest, Tom, who, as those of you who follow the podcast know, is responsible for Noell's wrestling birthday on July 5, 2019. 

You can’t have wrestling without a good heel. Heels are the original internet trolls, dating back decades before there even was an internet. They are the blueprint for knowingly saying and doing precisely that which they know you will hate. This careful knowledge of their audiences’ sense of justice and values can teach us a lot about the time periods when they performed.

We kick off with the question of what makes a good heel. While it's usually said that a good heel makes the babyface (the good guy), Tom inverts this and suggests that a likable face allows a heel to generate even more heat. Noell likens a particularly "punchable" heel to inconsiderate people in everyday life, the person who cuts in front of you in line, etc., prompting us to muse about what a wrestling character who just does annoying things in everyday life might look like. Chris connects the role of the heel to the figure of the troll.

We move on to talking about quintessential heels, including Ravishing Rick Rude, the Macho Man, Superstar Billy Graham, and the Million Dollar Man. 

Noell's History Corner takes us on a deep dive into the history of heels, and she focuses on the development of Gorgeous George's character in the 1940s and '50s.

Of course, wrestling characters are more complex than 100% good or 100% evil. In the modern era, the figure of the anti-hero prevails. We talk about someone like Stone Cold Steve Austin whose transgressions are precisely the reason he is beloved, and Britt Baker, where we conclude "heels can be more popular than faces."

We close it up with a discussion of the best heels to ever generate heat. Dave takes us to the Honkey Tonk Man, Noell brings us back to MJF, and Tom reminds us of how talented Stephanie McMahon was at getting a rise from the crowd. Chris reaches deep into the archive for his example.  

All in all, you won’t find a more important role in professional wrestling. And you can count on us teaching you jerks a thing or two about heels, on this episode on Reading Wrestling.