Arthur Ashe and The Omni

Corwo
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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about heels and how being a villain pertains to in-ring work in 2024. Too often, it seems antagonists in wrestling are more fixated on moves once the bell rings. Many of them wrestle the same way they would as a babyface, which creates a disconnect for me. While he isn’t the only one, a particular competitor comes to mind when I think of solid, recent heel work within a match: Nigel McGuinness.

Nigel McGuinness and Bryan Danielson rekindled a years-long rivalry on the September 25, 2024, episode of AEW Dynamite. Being the coward he is, McGuinness, clad in a shirt that reads: “Bryan Fears Nigel,” calls for the referee to count to ten and strip Danielson of the AEW World Title when Danielson doesn’t come out within the first few seconds of his music playing. Once “The Final Countdown” hits, McGuinness’ face is that of aggravation and seething hatred. He can’t even look directly at Danielson as he enters the ring. McGuinness’ pent-up emotion constantly gets the best of him. He tries to stand and trade with Bryan, only to get taken down by a single strike. McGuinness goes for a Lebell Lock, and gets caught in one from Danielson. It’s moments like these that make the match sing. McGuinness fully understands his task: be a conniving, yet clever, wrongdoer to Danielson’s consummate babyface.

That brings us to Bill Dundee. The WWE Vault recently uploaded a previously unavailable show from The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia. On that show, Dundee faced off against Dutch Mantell. It was a brief, five-minute affair, but Bill displayed more character as a heel than most wrestlers do in twice as much time. Dundee stalled, but never to the point that it got annoying.Every cutoff came from being underhanded, whether Dundee hit a low blow or gouged Mantell’s eyes. Amusingly, Mantell used a whip on Dundee’s legs, and Bill’s stooging for it was perfect. A good heel shouldn’t be afraid to be the butt of a joke or make themselves look bad. It all built to Dundee pulling the tights to steal the victory. Like McGuinness after him, nothing Dundee did here was redeemable. He was a nasty, low-down cheater who understood his role perfectly.

These wrestlers’ performances prove that traditional heel work is still in vogue. I’m not advocating for constant interference and shenanigans, nor am I saying there’s only one way to wrestle as a heel, but a little effort goes a long way in making someone stand out. Study the greats, for there are still lessons worth learning.

corwo


Corwo watches far too much wrestling. He may or may not be a robot.