WWE RAW commentator Wade Barrett spoke with AceOdds.com on a number of topics related to pro wrestling, including why he takes issue with the notion of fan-favorite heels or exciting heels.
Barrett said, “Exciting heel to me is an oxymoron. The problem with exciting heels is that people jump up on their feet and start cheering the second they walk out at which point they’re no longer heels. They’re getting cheered. They’re the good guy now. They’re the baby face. We’ve seen that over the years with several people. We saw it with the rock in the late nineties. I’m an old school fan and remember sitting at home watching the rock was trying his best to come out and insult towns and audiences, do the most heinous things and people would explode because they are so excited about seeing the rock and being entertained by him.”
On how WWE turned LA Knight when he got over with fans:
“I think more recently, if you look at an LA Knight, I think the original game plan was that LA Knight was going to be an antagonist. He was going to be mean to people but again, he was so exciting and everyone got electrified and buzzed the second he was on the screen. Hey, you aren’t the heel anymore, pal. Those are two classic examples of the pitfalls of being an exciting heel, which they both turned into their benefit, of course. They sell a lot of T-shirts as a result. But yeah, exciting heels don’t last long. They become exciting babyfaces instead.”
