4. Heels. Are. The Bad Guys
I know, we're not in the bad old days of Zeus and Isaac Yankem, where their cartoony antics and broad caricatures of evil would easily draw the audience to hate them -- or the stereotypical Sgt. Slaughter as an Iraqi sympathizer (though, that's a step in the right direction, if just a Saturday Morning cartoon villain, at least he gets a reaction). Remember that heels aren't supposed to sell merchandise. The best heels are competent, maybe, but more conniving and slimy. The top of the card, the World Champion level heel can be an elite type of wrestler who uses his ring prowess to cheat his foil, but we're talking the middle of the card. Put the Intercontinental Title on a coward, a physical specimen that is incapable of getting the crowd's respect. Focus on creating heels that can, in no way be respected once they get in that ring. And let them win. Constantly. This conceit is valuable in the mid-card. Because people will hate listening to the guy, and WANT to see some on fire good guy whip the crap out of the sniveler, conniver, or plotter. The problem is -- no one wants to be hated for being a villain. Everyone wants to be an anti-hero...But the great ones -- The Rock, Mankind, Kurt Angle, hell even Austin, played the despicable heel before gaining their full measure of respect from the audiences.