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/wrestling /guests /Pitbull3 |
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/wrestling /guests /Pitbull3 |
| Guest Columns | Pitbull 3 |
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Workrate vs. Heatrate There is a popular misconception in the internet wrestling world that workrate should be the standard bearer for who gets pushed and who does not. And coupled with that is the idea that guys who have never, or are simply not capable of putting on four or five star matches should not even be allowed anywhere near a ring. I believe that the most important input a wrestling company can listen to is that of its marks. The biggest demographic of every promotion is the group of people who believe, or at least don't know about all the behind the scenes action. If a promotion started to run itself to give in to the whims of the smarts, then it could possibly lose a large chunk of its fan base. And it all comes down to the question of which is more important, workrate or heatrate? Let's start with heat. The majority of fans base their preferences on heat. If someone is cheered, then they are a face. If they are booed, then they are a heel. It is as simple as that, always has been, and always will be. And how successful a character is, is based on the loudness or severity of the heat they receive, rather face or heel. The largest amount of heat usually goes to the top guys (Austin, 80's Hogan, Rock), the up-and-comers (IC Champ HBK), the hometown heroes (Bob Holly in Mobile, British Bulldog at Summerslam 91 in England), or the freakishly popular (Chris Jericho in WCW). These people were cheered/booed for a variety of reasons. And they got the biggest pops from the crowds. I defy anyone to try to argue that they were cheered for their workrate. Of that crowd, the only ones that are beloved by the net for their workrates are HBK, and Jericho. These two were heels. They did not receive any pops for being such good workers. It was because they got on the stick and created that heel heat with their personas, attitudes, mic abilities, and by choosing their opponents. The rest are solid workers (with the exception of Hogan), but are still some of the biggest heat machines in wrestling today. Even Holly is getting great support and heat for his current gimmick. Let's take a huge internet darling, Chris Benoit. I am a big fan of his. I loved him in ECW, and have been a big fan of his work for a long time. He was over huge in ECW because of the fans' (as a whole) appreciation for hard work, and his association with the Triple Threat. Like Arn Anderson for the horsemen, he and Malenko stood ominously in the background as Shane Douglas ranted and raved on the stick, because Shane is good at that, and neither of the other two were really proven to be. Basically, he was over and he didn't do interviews because he didn't have to. In WCW, the fans are much different, and Benoit never did interviews. And the ones he did do were very boring or not believable. He got some heat when he was with the horsemen, and he has some now. But why? He has developed some personality and given some good interviews. He has a very defined feud and even has one person he is focused on. Sure, in the past he had that great series with Booker T, but where they really feuding? Not really...they were just two guys out there fighting for a certain end, but they respected each other, and never really had any heat between them. Anyway, Benoit has heat right now because of the dynamics of his character, not for his workrate. OK... I mentioned workrate, so let's talk about that for now. Largely popular in Japan, well respected in ECW, but mostly overlooked by American fans. And HEY! I am an American; I watch American wrestling, Benoit has chosen to wrestle in America...that's what matters for this talk. Nothing else does. I will give ECW its due, but pay no attention to any Japanese cares. Workrate is based on how well a wrestler does in the ring, telling stories using psychology, mixing and matching moves, selling, etc. Usually, a well worked match takes at a minimum 10 minutes to fully develop a story. They can't be the high-flying spotfests that Sabu or Rey "Mini-Konnan" Jr. put on. They certainly can't be the garbage matches put on by ECW, WCW, or WWF. Those types of matches are just not conducive to they style that makes a well-worked match. But, a great "old-school" wrestling match is not often met with good heat when put onto TV. As a result, guys like Benoit play to silent crowds. That's they way it is, and to some, that is a huge injustice. Fine. I agree that it should be that guys who work that hard should be rewarded. But, should a promotion go against its main fan base to do so? Should a promotion forsake the people who pay the most to them to put over a hard worker? Of course not. As a result, we have guys at the top who may not be able to put on the best worked match, but get massive heat, and we have guys who can work great matches, but are stuck in the mid-card because they are not very over with the crowd. The workrate cru may go to a show and either boo or ignore the top guys with the hopes that the promoters may here their pleas. But what happens, they get drowned out by the vast majority of fans who paid just to see Austin come out, give his Thesz Press, fist o' fire, stunner, drink beer, and flip off the crowd. They get drowned out and no one hears them except the few around them who think they are dumb or weird for not liking Austin. Then, they cheer like crazy for a Benoit while no one else cares. Those lone voices in the silence are heard, and what happens? Maybe a few others pick up on it and cheer him because he seems to be a face if others are cheering for him. Maybe some others do too, and maybe, just maybe, it slowly builds. If 10 people cheer Benoit for his skills and those cheers cause 50 others to cheer just on the basis of the other cheers, then who wins? If enough people start to cheer, then he gets a push. But why the push? Is it because of the 10 who cheered his workrate? No. Is it the 50 others who cheered because of the other cheers? Yes. The point is that someone will not be pushed if 10 people are cheering for him and no one else cares. If there are 10,000 people cheering, while 10 others are silent or negative, then a wrestler will most likely get pushed. A promotion will likely push someone who has the potential to be hugely popular, and not someone who does not posses those skills or charisma. It is good business, and that what wrestling is all about. Pitbull 3 freelance P.S. I forgot to mention last week, but I really like CRZ's hidden text. But Silver King? C'Mon... Mail the Author |
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