Note: This isn't a full summary but this is a good start to basic ring psychology. Please leave any helpful comments or feedback.
Any one can be a jobber at any time. To job, you simply have to lose. Intentionally or against your will. To create a real dynamic, you need to think about whether you're going to play the good guy (face) or the bad guy (heel).
As I've said before, there's a spectrum to both sides. You don't have to be 100% one category or the side you pick can help shape the story of the match.
Being a true babyface has advantages and disadvantages. These can effect your movesets and how you fight. This also work as a way to make your matches more difficult. A babyface is supposed to be an angel. They want everyone to love them and be respected. They'd never really hurt their opponent. The babyface wants to have fun and make sure their opponent has fun too. They can be competitive but they'll also try to hold back to avoid doing serious damage. It's harder to win but the wins are more satisfying and the losses can be pretty devastating.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the monster heel. This person is an absolute beast. They want to win and they'll do whatever it takes. They don't respect the fans, the rings or any one in their way. They don't care if their opponent can walk out of the ring after the match. They don't care what the costs is. Victory must be achieved. It can be easier to win but the losses don't go down easy.
You can find your balance in the two extremes to decide what kind of fighter you want to be. This can also determine the intensity of your match as well as your difficulty. A babyface might never stoop to using low blows and cheating. A tougher face however, might not be afraid to get even with someone who thinks they're above the rules. An extreme face might be able to justify to stop the bad guy, they'll have to do whatever it takes. Might makes right.
A softer heel might resort to low blows and cheating when necessary but usually fights fair. A tougher heel might resort to using distractions, bribing the ref, using their sex appeal and etc. A heel doesn't have qualms about how the fight is won as long as it's won.
An evil heel might try to corrupt the face. They might try to ruin the face's reputation or try to make them sink down to their level and prove they're not really that different. In the same vein, the face might try to challenge the heel to fight honest and try and prove that they're really capable of winning instead of cheating all the time. The face could see the good in them and try to convince them that they can be a champ and good at the same time.
A good heel who takes advantage of the face might try to point out how their way of fighting doesn't work or isn't good enough to defeat them. The face will have to act smarter and be more tactical to win. They'll have to dig deep to endure the pain and come out on top. Heels and faces can both be cocky. They can both be immature but they have a set way of doing business and they think they know the right way. Smart or dumb, they rely on instincts to guide the fight.
When working as a face, you should try to be charismatic, kind, friendly and popular. As a heel, you can also be charismatic but more mean, rude and even cruel. A face starting a match might comment positively on their opponent's assets. They might even be shy to face off against their new opponent. They might come off as green or new. A good face might try to shake their opponent's hand or wish them luck. A heel won't have any of that. A heel might not even wait for the bell. The heel will try to make the face insecure and feel inadequate. They might tackle something the face feels confident about.
The face doesn't have to take it lying down. They might say they're really going to kick their butt if they don't knock it off. They might warn that they'll lose control of they keep getting prodded and you don't really want to see them when their angry. The face tries to be calm and order on the surface. Underneath, they might be prone to violent outbursts and activities. They might want to avenge a friend who loss to the heel or saw something horrible the heel did to another person or thing.
The heel can be overwhelmed if the face is a good technical fighter or decides to fight on the heel's level. This escalation can change the outcome of the match drastically. The heel that thought the match was in the bag might be on the ropes, struggling to find a way out. The face who thinks they can always win by playing by the rules might learn that being good isn't enough all the time.
Heels and faces can develop with each match. A heel that gets their attacks thrown back at them might be more reluctant the next time to do so. A face who constantly loses to fighters who play dirty might try going an eye for an eye. You can even get an interesting dynamic where a face acts more and more heelish insisting he or she is still the good guy and they're merely trying to beat the competition at their own game. You could also get a battle hardened heel who believes if you don't escalate the fight, the other person will and you'll lose for not going hard.
Heels can face heels and faces can fight faces. These fights don't have to be boring. These can be good opportunities to showcase who's the better wrestler or who's the meanest of them all. A battle of faces will have both sides throwing out every move to try and overpower each other. Two heels will be hitting each other with every dirty move in the book to get the win. Dynamics can change in these fights. A face might decide they can't win fairly and try to win by cheating the rules. A heel might even try to use the rules against the other heel.
There can be levels of shame and embarrassment. A face might regret stooping to their opponent's level or feel bad they had to hurt their rival. A face might wonder if they've gone too far or if they haven't gone far enough. A heel who loses to a face might regret not being tough enough and decide to make up for it in their next fight.
While you'll never have to 100% be one or another, there's a lot of ways to develop your characters using these principles. By following them, you can make your character stand out and be more interesting. A babyface who believes in everyone or a heel who tries to bring out others inner demons has a lot going for them over the generic, bland wrestler. You can switch sides or slide in the spectrum. Don't be afraid to experiment and find the right dynamic for you.
Madison Jones (deleted member)
2022-02-06 17:48Thank you for another excellent write up. I feel like not enough people understand what a Face is. Here are some examples of famous Faces:
Faces:
Bret Hart
Steve Austin
John Cena
Daniel Bryan
Dwayne Johnson (The Rock)
Heels:
Million Dollar Man
Doink the Clown
Kane
Seth Rollins
Rusev
DRP 119
2022-02-06 07:05Note: This isn't a full summary but this is a good start to basic ring psychology. Please leave any helpful comments or feedback.
Any one can be a jobber at any time. To job, you simply have to lose. Intentionally or against your will. To create a real dynamic, you need to think about whether you're going to play the good guy (face) or the bad guy (heel).
As I've said before, there's a spectrum to both sides. You don't have to be 100% one category or the side you pick can help shape the story of the match.
Being a true babyface has advantages and disadvantages. These can effect your movesets and how you fight. This also work as a way to make your matches more difficult. A babyface is supposed to be an angel. They want everyone to love them and be respected. They'd never really hurt their opponent. The babyface wants to have fun and make sure their opponent has fun too. They can be competitive but they'll also try to hold back to avoid doing serious damage. It's harder to win but the wins are more satisfying and the losses can be pretty devastating.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, you have the monster heel. This person is an absolute beast. They want to win and they'll do whatever it takes. They don't respect the fans, the rings or any one in their way. They don't care if their opponent can walk out of the ring after the match. They don't care what the costs is. Victory must be achieved. It can be easier to win but the losses don't go down easy.
You can find your balance in the two extremes to decide what kind of fighter you want to be. This can also determine the intensity of your match as well as your difficulty. A babyface might never stoop to using low blows and cheating. A tougher face however, might not be afraid to get even with someone who thinks they're above the rules. An extreme face might be able to justify to stop the bad guy, they'll have to do whatever it takes. Might makes right.
A softer heel might resort to low blows and cheating when necessary but usually fights fair. A tougher heel might resort to using distractions, bribing the ref, using their sex appeal and etc. A heel doesn't have qualms about how the fight is won as long as it's won.
An evil heel might try to corrupt the face. They might try to ruin the face's reputation or try to make them sink down to their level and prove they're not really that different. In the same vein, the face might try to challenge the heel to fight honest and try and prove that they're really capable of winning instead of cheating all the time. The face could see the good in them and try to convince them that they can be a champ and good at the same time.
A good heel who takes advantage of the face might try to point out how their way of fighting doesn't work or isn't good enough to defeat them. The face will have to act smarter and be more tactical to win. They'll have to dig deep to endure the pain and come out on top. Heels and faces can both be cocky. They can both be immature but they have a set way of doing business and they think they know the right way. Smart or dumb, they rely on instincts to guide the fight.
When working as a face, you should try to be charismatic, kind, friendly and popular. As a heel, you can also be charismatic but more mean, rude and even cruel. A face starting a match might comment positively on their opponent's assets. They might even be shy to face off against their new opponent. They might come off as green or new. A good face might try to shake their opponent's hand or wish them luck. A heel won't have any of that. A heel might not even wait for the bell. The heel will try to make the face insecure and feel inadequate. They might tackle something the face feels confident about.
The face doesn't have to take it lying down. They might say they're really going to kick their butt if they don't knock it off. They might warn that they'll lose control of they keep getting prodded and you don't really want to see them when their angry. The face tries to be calm and order on the surface. Underneath, they might be prone to violent outbursts and activities. They might want to avenge a friend who loss to the heel or saw something horrible the heel did to another person or thing.
The heel can be overwhelmed if the face is a good technical fighter or decides to fight on the heel's level. This escalation can change the outcome of the match drastically. The heel that thought the match was in the bag might be on the ropes, struggling to find a way out. The face who thinks they can always win by playing by the rules might learn that being good isn't enough all the time.
Heels and faces can develop with each match. A heel that gets their attacks thrown back at them might be more reluctant the next time to do so. A face who constantly loses to fighters who play dirty might try going an eye for an eye. You can even get an interesting dynamic where a face acts more and more heelish insisting he or she is still the good guy and they're merely trying to beat the competition at their own game. You could also get a battle hardened heel who believes if you don't escalate the fight, the other person will and you'll lose for not going hard.
Heels can face heels and faces can fight faces. These fights don't have to be boring. These can be good opportunities to showcase who's the better wrestler or who's the meanest of them all. A battle of faces will have both sides throwing out every move to try and overpower each other. Two heels will be hitting each other with every dirty move in the book to get the win. Dynamics can change in these fights. A face might decide they can't win fairly and try to win by cheating the rules. A heel might even try to use the rules against the other heel.
There can be levels of shame and embarrassment. A face might regret stooping to their opponent's level or feel bad they had to hurt their rival. A face might wonder if they've gone too far or if they haven't gone far enough. A heel who loses to a face might regret not being tough enough and decide to make up for it in their next fight.
While you'll never have to 100% be one or another, there's a lot of ways to develop your characters using these principles. By following them, you can make your character stand out and be more interesting. A babyface who believes in everyone or a heel who tries to bring out others inner demons has a lot going for them over the generic, bland wrestler. You can switch sides or slide in the spectrum. Don't be afraid to experiment and find the right dynamic for you.