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

For WWE's newest generation of monster heels, the past offers a plethora of lessons on dominance and destruction. Think of Big Van Vader, Ox Baker, Bruiser Brody, Umaga and Abdullah the Butcher as professors in an online course. 

Being a monster heel requires one to be an unnerving predator.

This is most often a larger wrestler, someone whose physique has fans thinking of the kind of massive beasts that stalk one in a nightmare. Size and power is only part of the equation, though. There's an ominous aura one must create to pull this character off.

Thus far, Luke Harper has done well to carry on the in-ring monster tradition. Bull Dempsey has shown promise at NXT. Both men, though, would be wise to spend time watching Baker, Brody and company at work.

Intensity 101

A gaze that haunts, a sneer that dismays: These are key tools for the greatest monster heels of the past. Looking into these beasts' eyes is to look at darkness personified.

That's a tough trait to teach. However, it should be goal for every would-be monster.

Brody was a master of that. His wild hair, trench-like scars above his brow and mammoth frame certainly aided him, but he was fearsome beyond those elements. When he yelled into the mic, calling out his foes, his animosity felt absolutely real.

In this clip from his time in St. Louis, he glared at the interviewer just as intensely as he did the camera.

One of Brody's greatest rivals wasn't nearly as skilled a talker as him. However, Abdullah the Butcher made up for that by infusing intensity into his every move.

The expression he wore on his way into the ring alone indicated that he was a monster.

And while WWE's grapplers can't rely on the shock value of stabbing a man in the head with a fork, they can take plenty from how he carried himself in matches.

In the following tribute video, one sees him stalk his foes as he closes in for a strike. His eyes get wide as he tortures his opponents. He bites ears and hands.

(Note: Video contains graphic footage)

There is no issue in believing that he is a madman.

That's not something that is exclusive to a time when kayfabe was alive and well. Years after Brody and Abdullah's heyday, Umaga emerged. He was a convincing rabid animal himself.

How The Samoan Bulldozer utilized facial expressions is well worth studying. The way he roared mid-battle or gritted his teeth exuded intensity.

Not every monster heel is going to be as much of a savage as Umaga, but all the up-and-coming monsters in WWE and NXT should include him on their must-watch list. He pulled off a gimmick that didn't seem to belong in the 2000s, proving that monstrosity never goes out of style.

Animal Influences

A monster heel approaches the mat game differently. He or she is not just another competitor, but a force that doesn't belong in a civilized physical contest. Calling upon a language much like an animal's helps make that distinction clear.

Ox Baker was not as big as Brody. That didn't matter, thanks in part to how he embraced being a beast between the ropes.

Travel back to the '70s to see him in action against Ron Martinelli. At one point, he grabs the poor man's neck in his taped hands and squeezes down.

Baker breathes heavily, snarls and growls, all the while sounding something other than human.

With TV technology better than it was in Baker's time, there's an added incentive to implement these nuances today. Microphones and cameras will pick up more.

Vader seemed to have watched a few Baker matches. The former WCW world champ had a similar animal-like air to him.

While a bear seems like a more appropriate zoological comparison, early on people referred to Vader as "Baby Bull."

Going up against Bobby Baker in 1993, Vader infused his short match with bellowing and barking. Before the bout begins, he bays at the crowd. He directs some noise toward Baker as well as he towers over him.

These added touches made him more memorable, more haunting.

Luke Harper has done some of this in the past, issuing a strange sound much like someone calling a pig. The bruiser would do well to bring that back and go even further with it. He can stand out from the roster by being more of a savage in the vein of Baker and Vader.

Unmistakable Viciousness 

A monster hits an enemy different than an egotist or a coward. With as much violence as fans see in a standard wrestling match, it takes an elevated level of aggression to stand out.

Few wrestlers have done that better than Aja Kong.

The All Japan Women's Wrestling legend made every move count, every blow dangerous. Her clotheslines, dropkicks and headbutts all had an extra level of nastiness to them.

Stan Hansen demonstrates that trait equally well.

The big Texan became famous for his devastating lariat, but there wasn't a move of his that didn't add to his aura as a monster. Watching him clobber somebody, it was hard not to sympathize with whoever was in the ring with him.

A 1991 bout against Dynamite Kid shows him pounding against the technician's back with hard forearms. He has extra oomph in his elbows. He even stomps on the poor guy trying to clean up the streamers in the ring.

Just as arrogant heels have to amplify their arrogance to be heard over the braggadocio of the wrestling world, the monster heel has to bring extra viciousness to stand out from all the violence that is standard in the business.

This is a lesson that Bray Wyatt has clearly taken to heart. He often whips his opponents with thunderous clotheslines and hard, echoing shots. Consider Wyatt the head of the class then.

His peers would be wise to follow his lead and that of Hansen and Kong.

Flesh drumming against flesh has a way of forcing the audience to pay attention. It's one of the most vital instruments in the violent symphony a monster heel conducts.

This article is part of an ongoing series. Be sure to also check out: "What Today's Stars Can Learn From the Greatest Arrogant Heels" which you can read here.