The Hero Dies, The Villain Rises
He had all the tools. A former college football player at an elite program with athleticism to spare. A body like a superhero. Matinee idol good looks with a beaming smile. A third generation wrestler whose father and grandfather were wrestling royalty. In short, he was a can’t miss prospect on a rocket ride to the top.
Until he walked through the curtain to the reaction of the fans.
The young wrestler did all the things a good babyface was supposed to do. He high-fived the fans. He found the camera with his million-dollar smile. He showed off his physique and athleticism in the ring. He was in every action and movement a man of the people.
But the people were having none of it.
From his very first appearance, the young man was booed lustily, even as the ringside announcers attempted to sell the illusion of a positive reaction to viewers at home. What they were trying to sell as heroic, the fans saw as hokey. What was being marketed as a superhero, the crowd saw as pandering. In trying with all his might to be instantly loved, he unwittingly encouraged the fans to respond with unbridled hate.
Sometimes the story you want to tell, isn’t the story your fans want to hear.
The Fans Tell The Story
In the 1960s, a stocky, barefoot beast of a man ran roughshod over the New York wrestling territory. “High Chief” Peter Maivia was a Samoan warrior with a cinder block head and body to match, and he was beloved by the Big Apple crowds. With a puka shell headdress and Pacific Islander toughness, he made a name for himself in the employ of Vince McMahon, Sr. and his promotion, the World Wide Wrestling Federation.
In the late 1970s, Maivia’s son carried the torch for his family, wrestling as Rocky Johnson. With a bodybuilder physique and movie star looks, Johnson was one half of the first black championship tag team with partner Tony Atlas.
When Johnson’s son opted to join the family business instead of pursuing stardom in the NFL, he was taking on the mantle of a lineage of superstars, hoping to take it to the next level under McMahon’s son Vince Jr., who had taken the World Wrestling Federation to mainstream success.
The creative team got to work on creating the younger Johnson’s persona and presentation. Like any good marketing firm, they created a color scheme, ring gear, a theme song and a brand name. Borrowing from his father and grandfather’s ring name, the young hero -to-be would be branded The Blue-Chipper: Rocky Maivia.
Rise of the Antihero
In theory it should have worked. A third-generation hero with movie star looks is easy to market, and pushing Johnson quickly to the top of the card would allow for merchandising opportunities, where he would be presented as a hero to kids, and a champion for the people.
The problem was, the mood of the fans was beginning to change. The old storyline of the All-American good guy vs. the dastardly bad guy was beginning to age. Antiheroes with ambiguous morality were becoming the order of the day in the popular culture. Young men - the WWF’s typical audience - were choosing shades of gray instead of black and white. They wanted scowls and ass-kicking, not high fives and grins, and Rocky Maivia was exactly what they were beginning to reject.
As Rocky Maivia tried in vain to earn the love of the fans, the creative team behind him doubled down. His interviews were cloying and full of golly-gee positivity. His handshaking and baby-kissing routine got the fans even more riled up. Eventually they began a chant when Maivia would take to the ring. Normally having the fans chanting your name is a sign that your gimmick is working. In this case, the chant was stark evidence that the fans were rejecting the young hero. As Maivia hopped over the ropes into the ring each night, the fans chanted in unison:
“Die, Rocky, Die.”
On This Rock
He was the right product. Young, good looking, athletic. He had the right pedigree. Son and grandson of wrestling royalty. But he had the wrong story, and it could no longer be ignored. Eventually the message was received, and the creative team had to make a change.
In his interviews, the young babyface began to demonstrate a different side of his persona. He turned slightly away from the camera, as if he was beginning to turn his back to the fans who had rejected him. He wore mirrored sunglasses that hid his eyes and delivered his words with a brittle delivery. He was beginning to show an edge.
His matches delivered the same edge. Instead of playing to the crowd, he began to taunt them. Instead of dropping an elbow on a downed opponent, he dropped two, then three, until the referee put a stop to it. After winning a match, he climbed the turnbuckles and looked out at the fans with condescension, not a smile. You want a bad guy, he seemed to say with his ever-growing sneer? You’ve got one.
It worked. The fans who had already turned on Maivia, reacted even more loudly. But this time, they were more engaged. They wanted to hate him, and he was giving them what they wanted. The boos got louder until he was getting one of the strongest reactions on the card.
As Maivia’s character became more egocentric and cocky, he even began referring to himself in the third person, the way a prima donna football player might in a postgame interview. In doing so, he shortened his name to one more catchy than Rocky Maivia, and one that would become legendary in the sport:
The Rock.
Your Fans Tell Your Story
Being willing to change what wasn’t working and listening to the fans created one of the most iconic and successful characters in wrestling history, and made Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. In the same way, listening to your fans can save you wasted effort and wasted brand equity.
The way your fans perceive your brand through your actions, and how well you deliver on your promises, will determine your reputation. Are you communicative? Do you underpromise and overdeliver? Do you make every fan feel as if they are getting so much value from you that they want to share their experience with everyone they know? These are the features of a strong brand.
Building a strong connection with your fans means constantly listening to their feedback, addressing their needs, and evolving in response to their desires. The stronger your connection with your audience, the more loyal they will become. And that’s how you create a long-term relationship with your brand.
If you allow your personal tastes and style into your brand, you are ignoring your audience to satisfy your ego. When you don’t have a solid grasp on the persona of your ideal customer, you risk rejection or worse, being ignored. If you try to force a story your fans don’t want to hear, they will go elsewhere for the story they want told.
Having the right brand story is more than what you do or how you do it. It is how the customer feels and thinks about you. Asking the right questions and spending time thinking about those thoughts and feelings is critical to getting your story right.
Are You Planning A Speaking Event?
What can the legends of the squared circle teach about making your organization a champion? Learn about The Four Corners - the four principles that will take your company to the main event. It’s an engaging, interactive presentation designed to get leaders thinking - and ACTING - on their drive to take their brands to the top. If you’re planning a speaking event in 2025 or beyond, find out how to make The Four Corners part of your event.
Are You Trying to Discover Your Brand Voice?
Learn the secrets of a championship brand story. Through guided conversations with key stakeholders, you will discover the Four Corners developed specifically for your organization. With this roadmap to a unique Brand Vision and a set of guiding principles, your entire team will operate under a unified vision and voice, and your organization will be on the path to becoming a Main Event Brand.