7 Most Insane Things Happening In Wrestling Right Now (May 12)
Billion Dollar Peasant.
Who is the most over heel in wrestling today?
The Miz generates heat whenever he shows up on WWE television. His is a punchable face, and his in-ring work is just limited enough for fans not to turn him face as a gesture of respect. Kevin Owens evokes similar sentiments. His sociopathic, passive aggressive villain might be too exciting in the ring to truly resonate, but he's an arch audience manipulator, nonetheless. Neville, conversely, actively scales back the more spectacular moves in his arsenal to elicit jeers - but he's mostly marooned on the 205 Live island, and thus isn't as over as he damn well should be.
As if to prove that the heel art is effectively lost, Braun Strowman can attempt to murder the promotion's top babyface and still receive cheers at his expense. Heels can't be heels because the jig is up. It doesn't matter that Strowman tipped an ambulance over with Reigns inside of it. He holidayed with him at the Roman Coliseum weeks later, revealing that he was only play-fighting. Aww.
Pro wrestling in 2017 is polished, contrived and almost entirely removed from the real sports framework under which it used to operate. It's little wonder that the most over heel isn't even part of the business...
7. Stephanie McMahon: NOT A Beneficiary Of Nepotism
Stephanie McMahon appeared on This Morning, an insipid UK chat show, earlier this week - even though she isn't wrestling on any of the live events she was promoting.
She was asked by co-presenter Holly Willoughby if she gets hurt in the ring. Missing the crux of the question much like she misses the crux of what getting a talent over entails, she responded with "the slaps don't tickle, but slaps will never do any real damage". Putting aside for a moment the fact that she does the slapping, her slaps stigmatise the likes of Roman Reigns as impotent, belittled schoolchildren. The damage is real.
"I've always been a fan of wrestling, WWE in particular," she continued, as if she makes time to watch PWG between RAW appearances. Worse than the absolute drivel tumbling out of her mouth - did you know that WWE is really no different to the works of William Shakespeare? - was This Morning's social media marketing. "Thought wrestling was for men? Think again! Stephanie battled her way up from receptionist to CBO of @WWE, and she's here to tell us how!" read the Twitter publicity.
"Battled her way up" - as if there was never any doubt that the owner's daughter was going to escape admin hell. As if her storied rise through the ranks of WWE corporate is some rags to riches tale.
The name slate read "Wrestling Royalty Stephanie McMahon". Well, she is a parasitic product of nepotism unfairly ushered into a position of power, so you can't really argue with it.