10 Ways WWE Can Fix Their Broken Face/Heel Alignment System
Evolving beyond the era of unsympathetic protagonists.
WWE's alignment system is broken.
Heels are frequently greeted by roars of approval, while babyfaces are booed out of the building. Guys like The Miz are exactly where they should be, but few wrestlers generate the desired crowd reaction anymore, making for a disjointed viewing experience.
The company's refusal to adapt to what their fans want from the product is largely to blame. Audience dynamics have changed, and today's smarter crowds are going to boo or cheer at their own discretion, rather than blindly accepting the company line. This makes the creative team's lives increasingly difficult, but it's their job to evolve in line with these changes, and they're failing to do so.
It's not as simple as turning Roman Reigns heel or Kevin Owens babyface, though. WWE's problems are too deep for a handful of cosmetic changes to fix, and righting the wrongs of an era in which the supposed villains are often smarter and more relatable than the heroes would be a colossal task.
Regardless, it's something WWE must do if they're ever going to create the kind of authentic characters required to drag their product from its current malaise, and address their chronic lack of star power.
10. Deeper Characterisation
A strong personality is the biggest asset a WWE Superstar can have. A performer can be one of the best wrestlers on the planet, but they're not going to get over without a compelling, believable character that invites fans to invest themselves in their journey.
It's no longer enough to saddle a wrestler with a paper-thin character concept, throw them on television, and expect them to get over. One-note gimmicks are out, and fully formed, three-dimensional human beings are in. This is one of the main reasons why guys like Jinder Mahal and Jason Jordan aren't as over as they should be: one is a generic 'evil foreigner,' while the other is a babyface so vanilla he'd make 1980s' Bob Backlund blush.
People aren't going to cheer Jordan because he's been paired with a beloved wrestling legend, smiles a lot, and throws a nifty suplex. He needs well defined traits that viewers can relate to, or he's never going to turn the audience to his side. Such shallow characterisation has buried many a wrestler over the years, particularly on the face side, and until WWE address this issue, they'll never build the kind of heroes and villains their fans want from the product.