IMPACT Wrestling executive vice president and New Japan Pro Wrestling commentator Don Callis took to his podcast, Killing The Town, to reflect on All In weekend.
Callis admitted that he enjoyed catching up with all his buddies in the wrestling industry. He did touch on one thing, however, that bothers him about the business. It’s about heels staying in character around fans nowadays. The business is so exposed thanks to the dirt sheets and social media that talents don’t really attempt to stay in character anymore.
Callis feels that “monster heels” with characters such as Su Yung or an Undertaker shouldn’t be getting chummy with fans:
“I think there’s too much familiarity, in my opinion, between fans and wrestlers,” said Callis. “But I also see why it’s good for business, so I don’t have a quote-unquote ‘problem’ with it. I’ll tell you one of the things I don’t like, and it’s not anyone specifically, but I think there are characters in wrestling.
“Like if you’re a heel, if you’re a strong heel, if you’re a monster heel, like a Su Yung or an Undertaker, or those sorts of characters, I don’t think you should be out selling gimmicks, signing autographs without your gimmick on.
“Your facepaint, or your hair, or whatever you do to yourself to get in this monster heel gimmick, I don’t think you should be out there signing autographs and being nice to the fans.
“Because, I think now the fans will like it, but you’re actually doing them a disservice, because if you’ve protected your gimmick as a heel properly…if you are an actual heel and you have actual heat, why would you want to screw that up by meeting [fans].
“Like if you meet 100 fans over the course of a weekend, why would you want to spoil all the hard work that you’ve done and spoil what the fans have been enjoying about you by being a babyface to them? I just don’t understand that.”
H/T Wrestling Inc. for the transcriptions
