PWP Nation’s Zak Fellows talks about the recent heel turn from the Dudley Boys and the possible face turn of the New Day.
I confess that, since they started finding their own identity, the New Day has sparked something of a reinvested interest in seeing the WWE Tag Team Division for me.
Not to say that the division has been flat out unwatchable and terrible before the New Day arrived to save the day (tee hee) but rather it never reached that elusive sweet spot where it became one of the big selling points of the show such as it was with the TLC three way, the Smackdown Six and, for me personally, Paul London and Brian Kendrick…Yes I am saying that they were that good.
Now, we as fans have reached the point where a segment with the New Day can be considered must-see because of their overall entertainment factor.
The return of the Dudleys last August can also be considered a big turning point in bringing acknowledgement to a stacked division. The veterans of tag divisions across the wrestling scene, they add the credible veteran team that the tag division has been lacking with the influx of new talent.
With that said, I personally am seeing a problem with the dynamics currently being shown with the New Day that has manifested itself in the forms of reactions to their opposition
Because of this, I believe that, with the recent heel turn of the Dudleys and the New Day’s continuing run which isn’t ending any time soon, a new dynamic could be established to benefit the New Day to greater reactions and the Dudley’s to greater heat.
You see, The New Day is so ridiculously over for a heel act that the audience loves them as opposed to loves to HATE them. I’m fully aware that something being too over is one of the best problems that a company can oppose (I mean just look at Daniel Bryan not saying he was a problem at any stretch) but as we have seen, people have transitioned from loving to boo the New Day to actively cheering for them as if they were the protagonists in most of their matches.
And, with the Dudley’s recent heel turn and declaration of ‘No Tables’ I follow the idea of shifting the dynamic of the New Day to suit the Dudleys new role as Antagonists.
Fellow PWP Writer John Dimiceli recently wrote a piece on the New Day undertaking a potential babyface turn to fully capitalize on the positive reception their characters have seen, a natural occurrence to suit the booking to what the audience has accepted as their norm. Aside from being placed in a new position to face the heel teams, it presents ample opportunities to build up an ever bigger fan following.
While I do understand the main woes and worries that comes into turning a popular and over heel babyface to suit the reactions, as there have been instances where the newly turned lose most of their appeal, as long as the New Day remains as close to their current incarnation as possible people will be on board for them being the babyfaces. People WANT to cheer for the New Day regardless of their alignment at this point, in fact people want to cheer for them OVER who the promotion intends for them to so best to suit what the people want without trying to force it.
Which brings us to the Dudleys: With their recent heel turn on the Usos and their subsequent declaration of ‘No Tables’ the current idea behind their direction seems to be to strip them of elements that made them popular in the first place. The tables are a starting point but to me? Barely scratching the surface.
In the promo in question, which you may view here if you so wish, the name for the sake of comparison that sprung to my mind was Chris Jericho specifically his heel turn in 2008.
For our younger readers who may not be aware, Jericho turned against Shawn Michaels and suddenly Jericho was no longer dressing like a rock star, acting “cool” and ecstatic: In the place of the Ayatollah of Rock n Rolla was a man dressed in suits, with an almost vacant face of remorselessness and using an extended vocabulary telling his disgust for the liars and hypocrites. It was the exact opposite of his established character, a reinvention that allowed him to progress further up the card and stay there as the top heel on the show.
That’s what I would like to see the Dudleys become in a way. While the New Day can be the embodiment of fun and excitement getting the fans into a frenzy their main antagonists and the ones that get under the fans skins will be the “conservative” Dudleys’ for lack of a better word. Dressed up to the nine, proclaiming family friendly values (very much like the Right to Censor), they can be the “stop having fun” guys to the New Day’s overall entertainment. Purely armchair booking I know but honestly, if the Dudley’s proceed as they normally did except no tables for this latest heel turn I would be disappointed.
Let me close out this article by saying that there is nothing inherently wrong with the New Day as I’m sure some of you will get the impression: they still remain the highlight of most WWE shows and people are, obviously, into their work as am I finding a smile on my face every time they show up. But at this point in their run, people are cheering for them even when they are supposed to be heels and not in a love to hate manner where the audience is playing along.
The Dudleys, meanwhile, have ample heat opportunities and the New Day can be their natural opponents and pave the way for some more, investing and heated matches. But seriously: the Dudleys in suits, talking about how violence is bad gives the most hilarious mental images.
[Zak Fellows does remember the Main Event Mafia. Thanks for asking.]
Even have them wrestle in a shirts and ties, come on.