When you look at pro wrestling it’s easy to see that a lot of it is staged, faked and that it’s for entertainment purposes only. The promoters and the wrestlers often go to great lengths to make certain that people are given what they pay for and that the show is something that people will never forget. That’s why Heels might be one of the better shows concerning pro wrestling to come along in a while since it deals with what’s going on behind the scenes as well as what’s going on in the ring. Putting Stephen Amell and Alexander Ludwig into the ring as brothers that are attempting to take over the promotion and are set up as opposing forces already sounds like one of the many stories that’s been rolled out in the history of one promotion after another, but it’s one that fans are familiar with and should be able to recognize since this is part of how any wrestling promotion thrives, by finding an appropriate hook for each character and using it in an effective manner until it’s time to change things around. Stephen Amell has already been a part of the WWE, albeit briefly and for a promotional idea, so he has at least some knowledge of how the business goes. Alexander Ludwig might be a little less aware of the business, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be any less impressive.
Seeing past the fake punches and well-choreographed moves isn’t that hard since no matter how fake some of the action is in pro-wrestling, some of it is very real and can cause a great deal of damage, which is bound to be what Heels will show in part since breaking kayfabe has become a little more acceptable at times in the past couple of decades. It’s not supposed to happen, but there are those moments when something goes wrong, an unplanned accident occurs, or an overzealous fan decides to take it upon themselves to get involved in a match. Heels is bound to be something that will show more of the difficulty between the wrestlers and those backstage than anything else, but the understanding that things do happen in a pro wrestling promotion that are beyond the control of the stars and those running the show is necessary to really drive home the point that this show will be more than just another chance to see how impressive Amell and Ludwig can be on screen. After all, Amell is best known for his role as Arrow on the CW, while Ludwig made a big name for himself as Bjorn Ironside in the History Channel show, Vikings. The two men have made it known that when given a role that allows them to show off their acting abilities that they’ve become powerhouses for the camera, and it would appear that Heels is set to continue that reputation, but in a much different manner.
Personally, it already sounds like it’s going to be a fun show, but as far as calling it great or overall successful, we’ll have to wait and see just how things go since one has to admit that even Arrow and Vikings had moments when the story kind of faltered and didn’t feel like it was going anywhere. Wrestling is pretty much the same since certain storylines can get a bit stale over time, and the crowd generally allows the wrestlers to know it through their displeasure. One thing among the many when it comes to pro wrestling is that the crowd is far more important than people want to think. Kowtowing the audience isn’t always as necessary as some think it is, but convincing them that the show is in fact genuine, even if it’s not always realistic, is important since no matter how some people feel about wrestling fans, they’re intelligent enough to tell a fake from a real performer. That sounds like a contradiction, doesn’t it? Well, to be fair, it’s not. The reason for this is that people, many of them anyway, know that wrestling is staged, that it’s a show, and that what they’re seeing in the ring might be part of an actual feud, but is for the most part a performance that is taking place between two or more individuals that are getting paid to take the hits, to smash each other with various objects, and to lose or win when they’re supposed to. Those that break kayfabe are usually punished for it, as the release of several superstars over the years has been attributed to various reasons, the breaking of character among them.
If the show has one thing that needs to be done correctly, it’s showing the difficulties that go on backstage and how they can translate to the ring. If they can get that down, then the rest should be pretty simple.
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