WWE Film Study: What Today's Stars Can Learn from the Greatest Arrogant Heels

WWE heels looking to enrage audiences via arrogance need to seek out inspiration from men like Gorgeous George, Ted DiBiase and Chris Jericho.

In an era where kayfabe is dead, needling the crowd with one's narcissism is a more difficult task. Superstars of today have to be such convincing braggarts that fans get lost in the performance, forgetting they are watching a wrestler play a part.

Looking back at how many of the greats talked, suffered in the ring or carved their own niche, the past offers plenty of knowledge to absorb. 

Today's best self-absorbed heels include The Miz, who has turned his B-movie career into a powerful heat-generating tool. Seth Rollins is entertainingly full of himself. Tyson Kidd is beginning to find his voice.

Those men, along with the roster's other egotists, would be wise to reflect on the work of Nick Bockwinkel, Rick Rude, Curt Hennig and Ric Flair. Their promos and ring work act as textbooks, guides to goading the audience.

The Vocabulary of Condescending  

Bockwinkel's promos weren't the typical yell-at-the-camera fare. He spoke softly, disgust soaked through his voice.

Few men have talked down to the crowd so effectively. Attribute some of that to his use of vocabulary out of most of the audience's reach and a dismissive attitude that pops off the screen.

In a rant about Mad Dog Vachon, Bockwinkel talked about coming down to Vachon's level, telling him, "You can't come to my level of class and sophistication."

Among the word choices that make him come off as pompous here is "retrogress." 

It was hard not to resent Bockwinkel. He wasn't just full of himself; he was gratingly cocky. And he always looked as if he fully believed everything he said as well.

When Jericho transformed into a heel clearly influenced by Bockwinkel in the late 2000s, he managed to accomplish many of the same things.

Every time Jericho spoke during his suit-wearing, soft-spoken days, he felt genuinely disgusted by the audience around him. Like Bockwinkel, he chose high-level vocabulary for his verbal jabs, calling people things like "petulant, hypocritical tapeworms." 

Flair didn't dip into the thesaurus as much as Jericho and Bockwinkel, but instead, he divided himself from the crowd by way of economic status.  

He didn't just brag about wearing "alligators and Rolex watches from head to toe"—he contrasted himself to his opponents and fans. As he would tell anyone who listened, he was richer, flashier and had more taste than Dusty Rhodes or Magnum T.A.

That technique isn't used often enough today. Aggravating people by way of showing off how much better one has it than them can still work. The Miz, for one, could certainly turn the volume up on showing off his pricey possessions. 

Harnessing the Power of Pain

Satisfying the audience's desire to see justice served is central to the arrogant heel character. And so is pain.

After spending weeks listening to a wrestler brag about themselves and put everyone around them down, the payoff is the crowd watching him or her suffer. On the flip side, the heel reveling in how he puts the screws to his foe is mighty powerful as well.

The Million Dollar Man was a master of being an infuriating sadist.

Up against Roddy Piper in a match from 1991, DiBiase took great pleasure in whipping his opposition.

He towers over Piper, glaring at him. He slows the pace of the action, not looking for a pinfall but for punishment. At one point, when Piper is rolling on his back, clutching his knee, DiBiase looks over at Sherri Martel and grins. 

That kind of cruelty is key to getting the fans riled up, to setting up the eventual comeback from the babyface. When that happens, maximizing the blows heading one's way is crucial as well.

Travel back to 1989 for a great example of that in action.

Rude vs. Brutus Beefcake is no classic bout. It does pull the audience in with just how fun it is to see the bad guy get his comeuppance.

When Beefcake steps on his hands, Rude looks as if he is going to cry. He curls up in the corner, grimacing. An atomic drop has Rude's spine twist at an odd angle. The move seems to leave Rude in need of medical attention.

Today, Rollins is among the best on the roster at selling his opponent's moves. He doesn't, though, whine or cry as much as heels of the past. There's something to be said about not getting too cartoony in the ring, but getting back to the kind of over-the-top agony that Rude endured will make a hero's revenge mean more.

Be Distinct

To be noticed in the larger-than-life world of WWE, simple, everyday arrogance isn't enough. A heel's self-involvement has to be eye-catching based on volume and uniqueness.

That's a skill that Gorgeous George mastered.

At a time when wrestling had few gimmicks and flair was minimal, George Wagner found a way to rile up the fans before he even threw his first punch of the night. Decked out in outlandish robes, his hair styled in a feminine, haughty manner, the Hall of Famer took the audience by surprise.

Creating something so different elevated him. He was no slouch in the ring, but it was his previously unseen take on the world of heeldom that made him legendary. 

He has since influenced hosts of other wrestlers.

Rick Martel used the idea of spraying perfume on the mat. DiBiase had a butler just as George did. Randy Savage entered to the same song as George, the fitting "Pomp and Circumstance."

Rather than be tropes or generic characters, wrestlers in search of stardom need to find ways to rethink the role of a heel as George did.

Jim Ross talked about the need for standing out back in 2012, offering advice that applies to arrogant heels just as much as it does to every wrestler. In a speech at the Cauliflower Alley Club (h/t F4WOnline), Ross suggested watching some of the classic wrestling on YouTube, telling aspiring stars, "Draw on that, but create a unique style that is all you."

That's perfectly put. It's simple but powerful advice. Learn from the past, carve out a niche and success will follow. 

Long after George, CM Punk used his straight-edge lifestyle to upset audiences. Kurt Angle leaned on his Olympic pedigree to look down on folks. 

That's the kind of angle today's mat men and women need to find.

Kidd is in the process of has doing that. His version of the arrogant heel includes his obsession for his cats and him mistreating his wife. It's not enough, though.

Continuing to be creative will allow him to stand out more. That's something his cocky, villainous peers should strive for as well.