Gone are the days when heels in the WWE meticulously kept up appearances to the outside world as well. Today, everybody knows that they are just nefarious characters being played on television, nothing more.
Even still, as faithful pro-wrestling fans, we get a teensy little kick when a heel actually breaks character and appears in the real world as any other normal person would do. It comes hand in hand with the realisation that the way we’re conditioned to view them, isn’t who they are at all.
Kane isn’t a maimed human being scarred by a terrifying past, Triple H doesn’t specialise in screwing over people just so that he can further his ends and Braun Strowman isn’t the monster that we make him out to be.
In fact, as people outside of the WWE, these pro wrestlers couldn’t be more different to their in-ring avatars. So much so, that it inspired us to come up with a list of 5 heels in the WWE today who are secretly adorable human beings in real life.
John Cena isn’t the only do-gooder in the WWE, you know.
#1 Kane
Kane, or Glenn Jacobs as he’s known in reality, is a behemoth in WWE whose whole gimmick was based on the horrendous fire accident that befell him when he was a child. Introduced to us as Undertaker’s disturbed and sadistic half-brother, Kane went on to terrify the WWE for years before his unmasking finally humanised him in the eyes of the audience.
In truth, however, he’s a family man who’s been happily married for 22 years and a stand-up citizen who’s now running for Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. He’s managed to steer clear of the pitfalls of drugs or sex scandals throughout his career, is the primary donor for East Tennessee Children’s Hospital and also an active sponsor of the Annual Food Drive in Tennessee.
And while you’re at it, also wrap your head around the fact that he’s been an English teacher in the St.Louis area. The deranged Big Red Machine...teaching children.
Golly! Now I’ve truly seen it all!
#2 Triple H
The King of Kings has always been associated with burying people and stepping on their broken backs to further his career. And while that may have been true earlier on, Triple H has been nothing but a gracious and supportive human being ever since he’s had one foot on the corporate ladder.
He enjoys a rapport with many Superstars that graduate from NXT and is directly responsible for their success on the main roster; Kevin Owens’ monster push, planting the seeds for the Women’s Revolution, booking Finn Balor win the WWE Universal Championship on his very first main roster outing and even the establishment of the Cruiserweight Division on Raw.
And he’s there backstage to celebrate their successes with them and console them if things do not go to plan. Many of the current crop of Superstars in the New Era have even spoken of the father-like influence of Triple H in grooming them into the WWE mould.
He may be a despised character on-screen as the Authority, but off it, he’s been singularly responsible for transitioning WWE into the New Era. And these WWE Superstars certainly know it!
#3 Stephanie McMahon
Triple H’s partner in life and business, few would argue that Stephanie McMahon is one of the most hated characters on WWE programming today. She plays an entitled, born-with-a-golden-spoon billionaire princess turned corrupt, power-mongering Authority figure.
Phew, felt good to get that out of my system.
Stephanie McMahon rubs the WWE Universe the wrong way because she abuses her power and yet, hardly ever gets cut down to size. It’s because of this that her Wrestlemania ‘bumps’ are heavily celebrated.
In any case, much like her husband, Stephanie is a completely different character behind the scenes when compared to her on-screen persona. She has been pivotal in establishing Conor’s Cure, a paediatric cancer trust fund named after Conor ‘The Crusher’ Michalek (god bless his soul) and is a cornerstone of the Be A Star! movement, an anti-bullying campaign.
#4 Braun Strowman
The Monster among Men is surely one of the most intimidating Superstars in WWE history to set eyes upon, but enough videos of him outside the WWE have leaked out to know that this man is all fun and frolic when the lights go out.
Just take a look at this video of some of his antics in his downtime and immediately, the giant strikes you as one of those guys that you’d want to hang out and share a few beers with.
See. When he’s not flipping ambulances over, Braun Strowman is just a country boy who...how to put it... likes “lifting weights and eating steaks!”
Also read: 5 Reasons why NWO was better than D- Generation X
#5 Luke Harper
The sinister looking former Wyatt Family member, would you believe it, is one of the nicest blokes going around in the WWE locker room. Apparently, there’s not been one instance of anyone beefing with him over anything and he’s as humble and grateful as they come, it would seem.
Not much is known or said about Harper because Bray hogs most of the limelight, but the oddity of a gimmick that he enacts on WWE programming completely peels away when you speak to Jon Huber.
He’s known for not turning down even a single autograph request ( heels don’t generally oblige to those) and has always been nothing but respectful towards to fans. For a better understanding of the type of person he is, do listen in to the episode of Talk is Jericho where Y2J enjoys an engaging tete-a-tete with the big man.
After all, as the old adage goes, never judge a book by its cover!
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