priest
07-15-2010, 05:48 PM
The Lord’s Lowdown V: The Holy One’s Time To Shine
13th? 13th? Is this some kind of joke? You “Pros” have ranked The Holy One 13th? Do you guys have any idea who you are dealing with? Enough time wasted playing, this is where I start to shine, and there aint a damn thing any of the Rookies can do to stop me. Years ago God may have sent a flood to wipe out humanity; this time he’s sent The Holy One to wipe out the LOP NXT competition.
Almost every superstar will play the heel at some point in their career. Some are more successful than others; it depends entirely on what kind of superstar they are and personality they possess. But, naturally, there are different kinds of heels. We have the monstrous heel that was so expertly portrayed by Kane during the late 1990’s, and more recently by The Big Show. We have the intelligent heel, one who preys upon any given opportunity, a role to which Edge, ‘The Ultimate Opportunist’ has made his own. But the one that has always captivated me is perhaps the toughest heel type for a superstar to master.
The cocky heel.
The cocky heel has to have everything. Charisma, mic skills, ring presence, and the talent in the ring to back them up. Even when they are over with the crowd, they must be able to instantly draw heat again. It’s the details that make a great cocky heel stand out from a mediocre one. The stance, the postures, the psychology. These are all essential elements in the complex world of a cocky heel.
An important aspect of portraying yourself with the belief that you are better than anyone else is to give yourself a nickname. This will tie in with your gimmick, as we are seeing at the present minute with Drew McIntyre and his constant help from Vince McMahon leading him to be labelled ‘The Chosen One’, and even with “Dashing” Cody Rhodes and his new gimmick, proclaiming how physically attractive he is. This gives the commentators the chance to call you by something other than your name so the superstar doesn’t appear stale. It’s also useful in reminding the audience of your gimmick even when you are wrestling and not necessarily as in character mode as other times. Perhaps the greatest example of how a nickname can help get you over with the crowd was Curt Hennig. ‘’Mr Perfect”, as he referred himself to, was one of the greatest nicknames in the history of wrestling. It is one thing when the heel boasts that they are good, but it really generates heat when they can back it up in the ring. And Hennig did this.
He is one of the best technical wrestlers the WWE has ever seen. But his gimmick and personality created a sense of respect from the crowd, and even perhaps jealousy. They knew that despite his show off persona, the guy could entertain, whether with a mic in hand or in the ring. And his nickname, “Mr Perfect”, told its own story; he truly was the perfect superstar. His vignettes revolved around his adopted nickname. He would boast relentlessly about his looks and physique. He would boast about his sporting prowess. In fact, he would boast about pretty much anything, all delivered in a reassuring yet intimidating way. Hennig’s nickname complemented his character and gimmick so well he was not referred to as ‘Curt Hennig’. He is simply known as ‘Mr Perfect’. This simple device can instantly boost a superstar’s character or gimmick, and allow their true personality to flourish; becoming the cocky heel they are desperate to be. Curt Hennig did this to perfection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Jh_dN-7_I
When you’re looking for a LOP NXT winner, you look for a guy who has it all. Linguistic expertise. Writing ability. Presentation prowess. Well, The Priest has it all, and come September, it’s The Holy One who will be crowned the first ever LOP NXT winner.
If you want to master the art of the cocky heel, one thing is a must: you have to entertain when delivering a promo. It’s no good proclaiming you are something special if the crowd loses interest in you early on. But in order to entertain on the mic, you have to be able to be comfortable when talking to live audiences and be prepared to improvise depending on the response from the crowd or the other superstars. But to really set you apart from your peers, you have to be able to put down your opponents in an entertaining and humorous manner. This obviously works more as a face, but depending on the characters involved, it can easily work as a heel and can help the face get even more over when they are able to deliver some back and forth material. Whilst you obviously need the help from the creative team and a gimmick that allows you to do so, the onus is on you to make this happen. If you do not have the charisma and wit to pull it off, the whole segment will fall through and your character will lose any credibility you have worked hard to build.
The Miz recently showed us an example of this by mimicking R-Truth’s entrance music. This worked because of his character as a confident, egomaniac. He wanted to take R-Truth on at his strengths and prove he is better than him. But perhaps the greatest superstar at putting down his opponents was The Rock. The Rock was able to gain the best reactions when he worked as a face, making the crowd laugh with his jock character and his ribbing of Jonathan Coachman during backstage interviews. But his work as a heel should not go unnoticed. He spent much of his career working as a heel, which the vast majority of which was successful. When part of the Nation of Domination, The Rock began to make a name for himself, delivering popular promos. The back and forth dialect with superstars such as Triple H allowed both characters to evolve. It eventually led to The Rock becoming a household name, and him capturing his first WWF Championship. Whilst The Rock’s in ring abilities were not to be sniffed at, his ability to entertain and to engage in verbal confrontation with other superstars was certainly the platform he needed to springboard his way to the top of the company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4VWrnki5WM
You jabronis at the top of the rankings think you’re all better than The Holy One? Well The Priest says this, not only is The Priest gonna win Round Two, but when it’s all said and done, The Priest guaran-damn-tees that he’s gonna be the one that wins the LOP NXT.
We have talked about the importance of a nickname and how it can add an extra dimension to your character, but that is just a small slice in the pie. A nickname is nothing without a gimmick. If a superstar wants to generate a response from the crowd, a gimmick is a sure fire method of doing so. It allows your personality to shine through, and be the exact cocky heel you desire to be. A gimmick is more than just a name. You have to conduct it through your mannerisms and your actions. You can’t just say you are something; you have to show it. We have seen some interesting gimmicks in recent years, from CM Punk’s Straight Edge gimmick to MVP’s flash persona when he debuted on Smackdown. But the master of portraying a gimmick and the whole psychology behind it is Ted DiBiase Sr. ‘The Million Dollar Man’ gimmick was hugely successful for DiBiase. But this wasn’t just because a superb gimmick was created for him and then cleverly booked by the creative team, but down to the final detail that DiBiase was so adept at portraying. The laugh. Shoving $100 dollar bills in his opponent’s mouth after the match had finished. It all contributed to his character, an arrogant millionaire who believed he could buy anything. The gimmick even led to DiBiase ‘buying’ the championship belt off Andre the Giant (though this is not recognised by the WWE as an official title reign), and ‘buying’ the coveted #30 spot for the 1989 Royal Rumble. A gimmick such as this allows the superstar to conduct heel behaviour such as these, and be successful in doing so. But what really made ‘The Million Dollar Man’ were the traits and psychology that Ted DiBiase brought to his character, which is why his son has even been blessed with the same gimmick in the modern era, proving what a successful gimmick it was in and a superb example of the cocky heel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td9i6-oa4Kw
The fact is, when it comes to The Priest, he has something none of you other rookies have. God. And that makes me blessed with this natural ability to write, and will lead to a baptism of hell for all of you rookies. With God on my side, there isn’t anything any of you can do to stop me, because what I say is gospel. Hahahahahahaha!
Your gimmick and ability to deliver an entertaining promo are essential if you want to be successful as a cocky heel, but it is no good proclaiming you are the best if you are not booked to do so. This is where most wrestlers fail. In order to truly generate heat from the crowd, you must be able to promote yourself as God’s gift to wrestling, and then prove it in the ring by leaving your opponent on his back. The consequences of repeated losses are obviously terminal; all your kayfabe credibility will be gone and your character won’t be able to evolve and work up the wrestling ladder. One man who proved this was Brock Lesnar. ‘The Next Big Thing’ introduced himself by dominating any wrestler that got in his path. Though Paul Heyman did most of his talking, he was still in essence a cocky heel. His character was that of he arrogantly thought he could do whatever he wanted to anybody anytime he liked. Instead of developing a gimmick or inventing catch phrases, Lesnar took out his opponents. And despite his limited experience, it was all believable due to the sheer size and strength of the man. The intensity of his character and the destruction he left shocked the WWE fans initially. The creative team realised he didn’t have the promo skills of The Rock, or the gimmick of Ted DiBiase, but knew he couldn’t be matched for strength. And that’s what allowed him to get over as a cocky heel during his tenure with the WWE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjlHTf2bOYM
For those of you who do not know me, I am Mazza, professional representative of the N.X.T. Big Thing, priest63. This is the man that is going to obliterate and annihilate every rookie and pro that steps in his way our quest to win this tournament. There is not a damn thing any of you can do about it, but if the rest of you pros are good to me, I may just tell priest to go easy on your rookie.
But what is the perfect cocky heel? There have been many imitations over the years, with varying degrees of success. Certain personality traits are a must, such as arrogance, confidence and being secure with yourself. But whilst the cocky heels here I have mentioned were all great in their own respect, there is one more I have yet to mention who, in my mind, was the best of the bunch. He had everything you needed. He had the nickname, he had the confidence on the mic, he had the gimmick and he had the success.
Step forward, Ric Flair.
‘The Nature Boy’ is a WWE Hall of Famer. He is credited as having 16 World Title reigns, and has worked at the top of the industry for almost 40 years. But this is by no means occurred due to sheer luck. It is a shame that his return to wrestling with TNA has tainted his legacy somewhat, as I have no doubt if he had not done he would be recognised as the greatest of all time instead of Shawn Michaels like many now believe. The reason he has been such an inspiration is due to his whole demeanour. He has (or at least had) the looks and ability that led to his nickname and gimmick. Men idolised him. Whether he was cutting a promo, holding a backstage segment, or simply working his stuff in the ring, Ric Flair was worth watching. The flashy personality he conducted was so naturally and convincingly presented because it was probably a fair reflection on the man himself. And why wouldn’t he be; he knew how good he was. The saying ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ certainly was not about Ric Flair. He excelled in whichever department you look at. He may have been the first great cocky heel, but he is arguably still the best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuVlcwUd5LI&feature=related
His name is Ric Flair, and he is ‘the man’ when it comes to the art of the cocky heel.
To be the man, you have to beat the man, and The Holy One is the man you will have to beat to win the LOP NXT.
13th? 13th? Is this some kind of joke? You “Pros” have ranked The Holy One 13th? Do you guys have any idea who you are dealing with? Enough time wasted playing, this is where I start to shine, and there aint a damn thing any of the Rookies can do to stop me. Years ago God may have sent a flood to wipe out humanity; this time he’s sent The Holy One to wipe out the LOP NXT competition.
Almost every superstar will play the heel at some point in their career. Some are more successful than others; it depends entirely on what kind of superstar they are and personality they possess. But, naturally, there are different kinds of heels. We have the monstrous heel that was so expertly portrayed by Kane during the late 1990’s, and more recently by The Big Show. We have the intelligent heel, one who preys upon any given opportunity, a role to which Edge, ‘The Ultimate Opportunist’ has made his own. But the one that has always captivated me is perhaps the toughest heel type for a superstar to master.
The cocky heel.
The cocky heel has to have everything. Charisma, mic skills, ring presence, and the talent in the ring to back them up. Even when they are over with the crowd, they must be able to instantly draw heat again. It’s the details that make a great cocky heel stand out from a mediocre one. The stance, the postures, the psychology. These are all essential elements in the complex world of a cocky heel.
An important aspect of portraying yourself with the belief that you are better than anyone else is to give yourself a nickname. This will tie in with your gimmick, as we are seeing at the present minute with Drew McIntyre and his constant help from Vince McMahon leading him to be labelled ‘The Chosen One’, and even with “Dashing” Cody Rhodes and his new gimmick, proclaiming how physically attractive he is. This gives the commentators the chance to call you by something other than your name so the superstar doesn’t appear stale. It’s also useful in reminding the audience of your gimmick even when you are wrestling and not necessarily as in character mode as other times. Perhaps the greatest example of how a nickname can help get you over with the crowd was Curt Hennig. ‘’Mr Perfect”, as he referred himself to, was one of the greatest nicknames in the history of wrestling. It is one thing when the heel boasts that they are good, but it really generates heat when they can back it up in the ring. And Hennig did this.
He is one of the best technical wrestlers the WWE has ever seen. But his gimmick and personality created a sense of respect from the crowd, and even perhaps jealousy. They knew that despite his show off persona, the guy could entertain, whether with a mic in hand or in the ring. And his nickname, “Mr Perfect”, told its own story; he truly was the perfect superstar. His vignettes revolved around his adopted nickname. He would boast relentlessly about his looks and physique. He would boast about his sporting prowess. In fact, he would boast about pretty much anything, all delivered in a reassuring yet intimidating way. Hennig’s nickname complemented his character and gimmick so well he was not referred to as ‘Curt Hennig’. He is simply known as ‘Mr Perfect’. This simple device can instantly boost a superstar’s character or gimmick, and allow their true personality to flourish; becoming the cocky heel they are desperate to be. Curt Hennig did this to perfection.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q8Jh_dN-7_I
When you’re looking for a LOP NXT winner, you look for a guy who has it all. Linguistic expertise. Writing ability. Presentation prowess. Well, The Priest has it all, and come September, it’s The Holy One who will be crowned the first ever LOP NXT winner.
If you want to master the art of the cocky heel, one thing is a must: you have to entertain when delivering a promo. It’s no good proclaiming you are something special if the crowd loses interest in you early on. But in order to entertain on the mic, you have to be able to be comfortable when talking to live audiences and be prepared to improvise depending on the response from the crowd or the other superstars. But to really set you apart from your peers, you have to be able to put down your opponents in an entertaining and humorous manner. This obviously works more as a face, but depending on the characters involved, it can easily work as a heel and can help the face get even more over when they are able to deliver some back and forth material. Whilst you obviously need the help from the creative team and a gimmick that allows you to do so, the onus is on you to make this happen. If you do not have the charisma and wit to pull it off, the whole segment will fall through and your character will lose any credibility you have worked hard to build.
The Miz recently showed us an example of this by mimicking R-Truth’s entrance music. This worked because of his character as a confident, egomaniac. He wanted to take R-Truth on at his strengths and prove he is better than him. But perhaps the greatest superstar at putting down his opponents was The Rock. The Rock was able to gain the best reactions when he worked as a face, making the crowd laugh with his jock character and his ribbing of Jonathan Coachman during backstage interviews. But his work as a heel should not go unnoticed. He spent much of his career working as a heel, which the vast majority of which was successful. When part of the Nation of Domination, The Rock began to make a name for himself, delivering popular promos. The back and forth dialect with superstars such as Triple H allowed both characters to evolve. It eventually led to The Rock becoming a household name, and him capturing his first WWF Championship. Whilst The Rock’s in ring abilities were not to be sniffed at, his ability to entertain and to engage in verbal confrontation with other superstars was certainly the platform he needed to springboard his way to the top of the company.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4VWrnki5WM
You jabronis at the top of the rankings think you’re all better than The Holy One? Well The Priest says this, not only is The Priest gonna win Round Two, but when it’s all said and done, The Priest guaran-damn-tees that he’s gonna be the one that wins the LOP NXT.
We have talked about the importance of a nickname and how it can add an extra dimension to your character, but that is just a small slice in the pie. A nickname is nothing without a gimmick. If a superstar wants to generate a response from the crowd, a gimmick is a sure fire method of doing so. It allows your personality to shine through, and be the exact cocky heel you desire to be. A gimmick is more than just a name. You have to conduct it through your mannerisms and your actions. You can’t just say you are something; you have to show it. We have seen some interesting gimmicks in recent years, from CM Punk’s Straight Edge gimmick to MVP’s flash persona when he debuted on Smackdown. But the master of portraying a gimmick and the whole psychology behind it is Ted DiBiase Sr. ‘The Million Dollar Man’ gimmick was hugely successful for DiBiase. But this wasn’t just because a superb gimmick was created for him and then cleverly booked by the creative team, but down to the final detail that DiBiase was so adept at portraying. The laugh. Shoving $100 dollar bills in his opponent’s mouth after the match had finished. It all contributed to his character, an arrogant millionaire who believed he could buy anything. The gimmick even led to DiBiase ‘buying’ the championship belt off Andre the Giant (though this is not recognised by the WWE as an official title reign), and ‘buying’ the coveted #30 spot for the 1989 Royal Rumble. A gimmick such as this allows the superstar to conduct heel behaviour such as these, and be successful in doing so. But what really made ‘The Million Dollar Man’ were the traits and psychology that Ted DiBiase brought to his character, which is why his son has even been blessed with the same gimmick in the modern era, proving what a successful gimmick it was in and a superb example of the cocky heel.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=td9i6-oa4Kw
The fact is, when it comes to The Priest, he has something none of you other rookies have. God. And that makes me blessed with this natural ability to write, and will lead to a baptism of hell for all of you rookies. With God on my side, there isn’t anything any of you can do to stop me, because what I say is gospel. Hahahahahahaha!
Your gimmick and ability to deliver an entertaining promo are essential if you want to be successful as a cocky heel, but it is no good proclaiming you are the best if you are not booked to do so. This is where most wrestlers fail. In order to truly generate heat from the crowd, you must be able to promote yourself as God’s gift to wrestling, and then prove it in the ring by leaving your opponent on his back. The consequences of repeated losses are obviously terminal; all your kayfabe credibility will be gone and your character won’t be able to evolve and work up the wrestling ladder. One man who proved this was Brock Lesnar. ‘The Next Big Thing’ introduced himself by dominating any wrestler that got in his path. Though Paul Heyman did most of his talking, he was still in essence a cocky heel. His character was that of he arrogantly thought he could do whatever he wanted to anybody anytime he liked. Instead of developing a gimmick or inventing catch phrases, Lesnar took out his opponents. And despite his limited experience, it was all believable due to the sheer size and strength of the man. The intensity of his character and the destruction he left shocked the WWE fans initially. The creative team realised he didn’t have the promo skills of The Rock, or the gimmick of Ted DiBiase, but knew he couldn’t be matched for strength. And that’s what allowed him to get over as a cocky heel during his tenure with the WWE.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjlHTf2bOYM
For those of you who do not know me, I am Mazza, professional representative of the N.X.T. Big Thing, priest63. This is the man that is going to obliterate and annihilate every rookie and pro that steps in his way our quest to win this tournament. There is not a damn thing any of you can do about it, but if the rest of you pros are good to me, I may just tell priest to go easy on your rookie.
But what is the perfect cocky heel? There have been many imitations over the years, with varying degrees of success. Certain personality traits are a must, such as arrogance, confidence and being secure with yourself. But whilst the cocky heels here I have mentioned were all great in their own respect, there is one more I have yet to mention who, in my mind, was the best of the bunch. He had everything you needed. He had the nickname, he had the confidence on the mic, he had the gimmick and he had the success.
Step forward, Ric Flair.
‘The Nature Boy’ is a WWE Hall of Famer. He is credited as having 16 World Title reigns, and has worked at the top of the industry for almost 40 years. But this is by no means occurred due to sheer luck. It is a shame that his return to wrestling with TNA has tainted his legacy somewhat, as I have no doubt if he had not done he would be recognised as the greatest of all time instead of Shawn Michaels like many now believe. The reason he has been such an inspiration is due to his whole demeanour. He has (or at least had) the looks and ability that led to his nickname and gimmick. Men idolised him. Whether he was cutting a promo, holding a backstage segment, or simply working his stuff in the ring, Ric Flair was worth watching. The flashy personality he conducted was so naturally and convincingly presented because it was probably a fair reflection on the man himself. And why wouldn’t he be; he knew how good he was. The saying ‘jack of all trades, master of none’ certainly was not about Ric Flair. He excelled in whichever department you look at. He may have been the first great cocky heel, but he is arguably still the best.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuVlcwUd5LI&feature=related
His name is Ric Flair, and he is ‘the man’ when it comes to the art of the cocky heel.
To be the man, you have to beat the man, and The Holy One is the man you will have to beat to win the LOP NXT.