Heels Review: 10 Ups & 1 Down For Episode 1: 'Kayfabe'

4. Alexander Ludwig Is A Great D**khead

Heels Kayfabe Alexander Ludwig
Starz

In the nicest possible way, Alexander Ludwig makes for a great d**khead here in this first Heels episode.

To fans of the Duffy Wrestling League, Ludwig's Ace Spade is the golden boy of the company. If looking to construct a classic babyface of years gone by, the flowing locks, chiselled torso and boyish good looks of Ludwig's all-energy Ace tick plentiful boxes for what wrestling promoters so often dream of.

The thing is, Kayfabe quickly shows us that Ace is a bit of a prick away from the squared circle. Arrogant, selfish and downright mean at times, the youngest Spade sibling is far from the all-smiling hero when it comes to his everyday life. In particular, one Kayfabe scene in the local store showcases just how much of a cruel man Ace can be when he wants to be.

Full of high aspirations and entitlement, Ace is far more focussed on his own future rather than the future of the DWL promotion that his father created. And to an extent, one can respect elements of that. It's just the way that Ace carries himself that really sours you on the character.

Babyface wrestler, heel of a person, and Alexander Ludwig is great at making Ace Spade come across as a total jackass.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.