Heat (professional wrestling)
Encyclopedia
In professional wrestling
, heat refers to both crowd reaction and real-life animosity between those involved in the professional wrestling business. In terms of crowd reaction, heat is usually either cheers for a babyface
or boos for a heel
. The amount of heat a wrestler generates is often an accurate gauge of his popularity.
Although the term can in some contexts refer to either positive or negative crowd reactions, "heat" can otherwise be used specifically to mean a negative crowd response (booing etc.); its opposite being a "pop
" or positive reaction (cheering etc.).
Heel wrestlers can also draw cheap heat by referring to a mainstream news event as part of their promo, especially if the event has strongly emotional or political ramifications (e.g. a natural disaster), although they sometimes do not mention it by name. One example of a wrestler using cheap heat was Sgt. Slaughter
, who often delivered anti-American promos during the Gulf War
(and Operation Desert Shield immediately before it) as part of his Iraq
i sympathizer heel gimmick; one of those promos came at Survivor Series 1990
, where Slaughter insulted servicemen stationed in Iraq for Thanksgiving
. In 2003, The Rock used the Lakers-Kings rivalry to gain a lot of heel heat, when he was singing a song about leaving Sacramento
. The last words of the song were "I'll be sure to come back when the Lakers beat the Kings in May."
Historically, another common practice of heel wrestlers to draw cheap heat involves using racial and ethnic slurs to offend the collective sensibility of wrestling fans. In 1972, as the American Indian Movement
was gaining momentum, Baron Von Raschke
was known to refer to Native American
WWA World Heavyweight Champion Billy Red Cloud as a "dirty low down Injun" as a means of drawing cheap heat. Rowdy Roddy Piper
also used racist terms when promoting his match against Hulk Hogan
and Mr. T
for WrestleMania I when calling T's fans "porch monkeys", calling T a "monkey" and feeding his poster bananas, and threatening to "whip him like a slave". In 2004, while in Germany, JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield
) used Nazi
salutes and was booed heavily by the crowd.
, the crowd often made derisive chants such as "Boring!" or "This Match Sucks!". This was often done deliberately, booking an opening match to draw dead heat then sending out a main event star to beat down all the wrestlers in the match (usually 911
with chokeslam
s). Many "dead heat" chants had been heard during the early days of World Wrestling Entertainment
's ECW brand (mostly in matches involving established WWE superstars), with the fans starting chants like "Change the channel!", "You both suck!","Where's our refund?" and "Same Old Shit". Some smart marks who are familiar with the fact that crowd reactions are the bread and butter of the business will sometimes use dead heat in place of legit heat when a wrestler does something they do not like, in hopes that the lack of an audible reaction will do more to cause the wrestler to stop than booing will.
However, in some countries, fans will stay silent as a way to show respect to the wrestlers. Japan is well known for doing this (so much so that during a SmackDown show that was filmed in Japan, Michael Cole had to inform American viewers that the silence of the Japanese wrestling crowd in the arena that night was normal).
in his early WWF years, Bret Hart
during his "Canadian
hero" angle), and a negative crowd reaction generally means that the fans are interested in the wrestler and will pay money to watch him out of hope he will lose or be humiliated by the babyfaces. However, for a wrestler drawing go-away heat, the crowd ignores face or heel alignment and boos the wrestler because they are actually bored with or have disdain for the performer (not the character) and would rather watch someone or something else.
"Go away" heat is generally not acknowledged by announcers as it indicates that an element of the product is failing to go over with fans. However, at WrestleMania XX
, the fans booed Brock Lesnar in this manner, and the heat got so intense that Jim Ross actually had to mention the fact that it was to be Lesnar last WWE match since he was looking to try out for the Minnesota Vikings NFL team. Lesnar's opponent that night, Goldberg, despite being a face, was also booed.
The term "[Wrestler name] heat" has been used to describe the kind of heat directed solely at an individual wrestler; for example, "X-Pac
heat" was used commonly during the Invasion storyline when X-Pac was booed and his opponents cheered despite X-Pac being a face at the time, simply because the fans disliked X-Pac as a wrestler.
Another type of "go-away heat" is an infamous chant. The fans, if they are not enjoying a match or segment, will sometimes begin a "boring" chant (as they did in the Lesnar vs. Goldberg match mentioned above). Though this is usually ignored, it's sometimes acknowledged, and it's sometimes even encouraged as part of a wrestler's gimmick (in 2003, Lance Storm received the boring chants, though this was a work due to Stone Cold Steve Austin came out with a pillow and blanket during a match on Raw and proceeded to use the chant as a way to enrage him to do something exciting within kayfabe).
and Shawn Michaels
, Chris Benoit
and Kevin Sullivan
, Jacques Rougeau
and Dynamite Kid
, Ric Flair
and Mick Foley
, Sable and Luna Vachon, Edge and Matt Hardy
, Melina
and Candice Michelle
, Batista and Booker T, Kurt Angle
and Jeff Jarrett
, CM Punk
and Randy Orton
, and Melina
(and John Morrison) and Trish Stratus
has consistently received heel heat whenever he wrestles in Canada, due to the events of the infamous Montreal Screwjob
in 1997, regardless of his on-screen persona's alignment.
Hometown heat is a specific kind of regional heat, in which wrestlers are cheered while wrestling in their home towns. They may receive more cheers than they normally would, or have the fans cheer them even if they're working heel. One example of this was Kurt Angle
's appearance in a WWE show in his hometown of Pittsburgh, where he was completely unable to get the fans to boo him, even after insulting the local sports teams. Another example of this is when Randy Orton fought Shawn Michaels during WWE Judgment Day 2007
, which was held in Orton's home town of St. Louis, Missouri.
Also heel wrestlers may be booked in the babyface role whilst in their hometown, one example of this practice is whenever William Regal wrestles in England, whilst he may be a heel normally he is booked as the babyface for the night.
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, heat refers to both crowd reaction and real-life animosity between those involved in the professional wrestling business. In terms of crowd reaction, heat is usually either cheers for a babyface
Face (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a babyface or face or in simple words, a fan favorite is a character who is portrayed as a heroic relative to the heel wrestlers, who are analogous to villains...
or boos for a heel
Heel (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a heel is a villain character. In non-wrestling jargon, heels are the "bad guys" in professional wrestling; the term heel coming from the term take to you heels, which means to run away which heel champions tend to do to avoid losing their titles.storylines...
. The amount of heat a wrestler generates is often an accurate gauge of his popularity.
Although the term can in some contexts refer to either positive or negative crowd reactions, "heat" can otherwise be used specifically to mean a negative crowd response (booing etc.); its opposite being a "pop
Pop (professional wrestling)
In professional wrestling, a pop refers to the reaction of the crowd, often integrated into the show. It is measured by the amount of cheers or derision a wrestler gets during his entrance, interviews, and in-ring performance . There are many kinds of pops...
" or positive reaction (cheering etc.).
Canned heat
"Canned heat" refers to playing a recording of cheering or booing through the arena's sound system or adding it to a taped show. This serves to either amplify a crowd reaction or to mask silence from the crowd. Pre-taped crowd reactions from other events are also spliced in with the programming to make it look like the crowd is more energetic than it actually is, or if promoters want a storyline to go in a particular direction. Some examples include:- In early 1992, the World Wrestling Federation was attempting to push Sid JusticeSid EudySidney Raymond "Sid" Eudy is an American professional wrestler, best known as Sid Vicious in World Championship Wrestling, and as Sid Justice and Sycho Sid in the World Wrestling Federation...
as a heel. Toward the end of the 1992 Royal RumbleRoyal Rumble (1992)Royal Rumble was the fifth annual Royal Rumble professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by the World Wrestling Federation . It took place on January 19, 1992 at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York...
's main event, Justice — who had become popular — was loudly cheered when he eliminated Hulk HoganHulk HoganTerrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
; commentators Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby "the Brain" Heenan picked up on this as a fair act. However, the reaction was edited in future television replays, with Sid being booed heavily and Monsoon describing him as a jerk.
- WCW was once accused of pumping in crowd chants for Bill GoldbergBill GoldbergGoldberg earned a scholarship to play for the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team where he served as a defensive tackle. He was taken in the 11th round, with the 302nd overall selection, in the 1990 NFL Draft....
. On the February 8, 1999 edition of WCW Monday NitroWCW Monday NitroWCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
, held in TorontoTorontoToronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Bret HartBret HartBret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
's derision of Goldberg was cheered overwhelming by the audience, and Goldberg was heavily booed when he came to the ring. Still, loud "Goldberg" chants played during his entrance, and ended abruptly when his entrance music stopped. When WWF wrestler Duane GillDuane GillDuane Gill is an American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stint in the World Wrestling Federation as Gillberg, a parody of then-rival promotion World Championship Wrestling's top star Goldberg. During his tenure in the WWF, Gill became a one time Light Heavyweight Champion...
was repackaged as Gillberg, who used Bill Goldberg's wrestling moves and mannerisms, his entrance was accompanied by over exaggerated and clearly recorded chants of "Gillberg". The announcers also commented on how none of the fans in the arena were chanting to make it clear to viewers that canned heat was being used.
Cheap heat
Heels draw "cheap heat" by blatantly insulting the fans, a local sports team, or the town they are performing in. This is called "cheap" because it is an easy way for heels to receive boos. Faces will sometimes do the equivalent, referred to as a Cheap pop, by referring to the town or promising to "win one for the fans".Heel wrestlers can also draw cheap heat by referring to a mainstream news event as part of their promo, especially if the event has strongly emotional or political ramifications (e.g. a natural disaster), although they sometimes do not mention it by name. One example of a wrestler using cheap heat was Sgt. Slaughter
Sgt. Slaughter
Robert Remus , better known by his ring name Sgt. Slaughter, is an American former WWE personality and semi-retired professional wrestler. From the late 1970s to the early 1990s, Slaughter had success in the National Wrestling Alliance, American Wrestling Association, and World Wrestling...
, who often delivered anti-American promos during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
(and Operation Desert Shield immediately before it) as part of his Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i sympathizer heel gimmick; one of those promos came at Survivor Series 1990
Survivor Series (1990)
Survivor Series was the fourth annual Survivor Series pay-per-view professional wrestling event produced by the World Wrestling Federation...
, where Slaughter insulted servicemen stationed in Iraq for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
. In 2003, The Rock used the Lakers-Kings rivalry to gain a lot of heel heat, when he was singing a song about leaving Sacramento
Sacramento
Sacramento is the capital of the state of California, in the United States of America.Sacramento may also refer to:- United States :*Sacramento County, California*Sacramento, Kentucky*Sacramento – San Joaquin River Delta...
. The last words of the song were "I'll be sure to come back when the Lakers beat the Kings in May."
Historically, another common practice of heel wrestlers to draw cheap heat involves using racial and ethnic slurs to offend the collective sensibility of wrestling fans. In 1972, as the American Indian Movement
American Indian Movement
The American Indian Movement is a Native American activist organization in the United States, founded in 1968 in Minneapolis, Minnesota by urban Native Americans. The national AIM agenda focuses on spirituality, leadership, and sovereignty...
was gaining momentum, Baron Von Raschke
James Raschke
James Donald Raschke is a retired professional wrestler best known as Baron von Raschke.-Career:...
was known to refer to Native American
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
WWA World Heavyweight Champion Billy Red Cloud as a "dirty low down Injun" as a means of drawing cheap heat. Rowdy Roddy Piper
Roddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
also used racist terms when promoting his match against Hulk Hogan
Hulk Hogan
Terrance Gene "Terry" Bollea , better known by his ring name Hulk Hogan, is an American Semi-retired professional wrestler, actor, television personality, and musician currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
and Mr. T
Mr. T
Mr. T is an American actor known for his roles as B. A. Baracus in the 1980s television series The A-Team, as boxer Clubber Lang in the 1982 film Rocky III, and for his appearances as a professional wrestler. Mr. T is known for his trademark African Mandinka warrior hairstyle, his gold jewelry,...
for WrestleMania I when calling T's fans "porch monkeys", calling T a "monkey" and feeding his poster bananas, and threatening to "whip him like a slave". In 2004, while in Germany, JBL (John Bradshaw Layfield
John Layfield
John Charles Layfield is a former American professional wrestler, a former commentator/host for mixed martial arts promotion Vyper Fight League and financial analyst for Fox News...
) used Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
salutes and was booed heavily by the crowd.
Dead heat
"Dead heat" refers to the absence of crowd reaction during a match or promo. In the original ECWExtreme Championship Wrestling
Extreme Championship Wrestling was a professional wrestling promotion that was founded in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992 by Tod Gordon and closed when his successor, Paul Heyman, declared bankruptcy in April 2001...
, the crowd often made derisive chants such as "Boring!" or "This Match Sucks!". This was often done deliberately, booking an opening match to draw dead heat then sending out a main event star to beat down all the wrestlers in the match (usually 911
911 (wrestler)
Al Poling is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, 911.-Professional wrestling career:He achieved his greatest national exposure in Extreme Championship Wrestling in the mid-1990s. He debuted in ECW as a "handler" to Sabu...
with chokeslam
Chokeslam
A chokeslam refers to a type of body slam in professional wrestling in which the wrestler grasps their opponent's neck, lifts them up, and slams them to the mat. It is common in televised wrestling because it is simple and relatively safe, yet looks powerful on camera...
s). Many "dead heat" chants had been heard during the early days of World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
's ECW brand (mostly in matches involving established WWE superstars), with the fans starting chants like "Change the channel!", "You both suck!","Where's our refund?" and "Same Old Shit". Some smart marks who are familiar with the fact that crowd reactions are the bread and butter of the business will sometimes use dead heat in place of legit heat when a wrestler does something they do not like, in hopes that the lack of an audible reaction will do more to cause the wrestler to stop than booing will.
However, in some countries, fans will stay silent as a way to show respect to the wrestlers. Japan is well known for doing this (so much so that during a SmackDown show that was filmed in Japan, Michael Cole had to inform American viewers that the silence of the Japanese wrestling crowd in the arena that night was normal).
Go-away heat
"Go-away heat" refers to heat drawn by performers in whom the fans are not interested in any capacity and do not want to watch. Heel characters are supposed to be booed (i.e. Roddy PiperRoddy Piper
Roderick George Toombs , better known by his ring name "Rowdy" Roddy Piper, is a Canadian semi-retired professional wrestler and film actor who is currently signed to WWE. In professional wrestling, he is best known for his work with WWE...
in his early WWF years, Bret Hart
Bret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
during his "Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
hero" angle), and a negative crowd reaction generally means that the fans are interested in the wrestler and will pay money to watch him out of hope he will lose or be humiliated by the babyfaces. However, for a wrestler drawing go-away heat, the crowd ignores face or heel alignment and boos the wrestler because they are actually bored with or have disdain for the performer (not the character) and would rather watch someone or something else.
"Go away" heat is generally not acknowledged by announcers as it indicates that an element of the product is failing to go over with fans. However, at WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX
WrestleMania XX was the twentieth WrestleMania professional wrestling pay-per-view produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on March 14, 2004 at Madison Square Garden in New York....
, the fans booed Brock Lesnar in this manner, and the heat got so intense that Jim Ross actually had to mention the fact that it was to be Lesnar last WWE match since he was looking to try out for the Minnesota Vikings NFL team. Lesnar's opponent that night, Goldberg, despite being a face, was also booed.
The term "[Wrestler name] heat" has been used to describe the kind of heat directed solely at an individual wrestler; for example, "X-Pac
Sean Waltman
Sean Michael Waltman is an American professional wrestler currently signed with WWE in their developmental program. He wrestled there under the ring names 1–2–3 Kid and X-Pac off and on from 1993–2002, World Championship Wrestling under the ring name Syxx, and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ...
heat" was used commonly during the Invasion storyline when X-Pac was booed and his opponents cheered despite X-Pac being a face at the time, simply because the fans disliked X-Pac as a wrestler.
Another type of "go-away heat" is an infamous chant. The fans, if they are not enjoying a match or segment, will sometimes begin a "boring" chant (as they did in the Lesnar vs. Goldberg match mentioned above). Though this is usually ignored, it's sometimes acknowledged, and it's sometimes even encouraged as part of a wrestler's gimmick (in 2003, Lance Storm received the boring chants, though this was a work due to Stone Cold Steve Austin came out with a pillow and blanket during a match on Raw and proceeded to use the chant as a way to enrage him to do something exciting within kayfabe).
Legit heat
"Heat" can also refer to legitimate personal animosity between people in the wrestling business. This is sometimes referred to as "legit heat" or simply "heat". Examples of legit heat were the feuds between Bret HartBret Hart
Bret Hart is a Canadian on-screen personality, writer, actor and Semi-retired professional wrestler. Like others in the Hart wrestling family, Hart has an amateur wrestling background, including wrestling at Ernest Manning High School and Mount Royal College...
and Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
, Chris Benoit
Chris Benoit
Christopher Michael "Chris" Benoit was a Canadian professional wrestler whose career and life ended in a murder–suicide...
and Kevin Sullivan
Kevin Sullivan (wrestler)
Kevin Francis Sullivan is an American professional wrestler and booker, perhaps best known for his role in WCW as "The Taskmaster" and his leading of the "Dungeon of Doom".-Early career:...
, Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau
Jacques Rougeau Jr. is a retired French-Canadian professional wrestler from Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, best known for his appearances in the 1980s and 1990s with the World Wrestling Federation under his own name, and as The Mountie. Rougeau has held fifteen championships during his career...
and Dynamite Kid
Dynamite Kid
Thomas Wilton Billington , best known by the ring name Dynamite Kid, is a retired British professional wrestler who competed in the World Wrestling Federation, Stampede Wrestling, All Japan Pro Wrestling and New Japan Pro Wrestling in the mid- to late-1980s...
, Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
and Mick Foley
Mick Foley
Michael Francis "Mick" Foley, Sr. is an American semi-retired professional wrestler, author, comedian, actor, voice actor and former color commentator. He has worked for many wrestling promotions, including WWE, WCW, ECW and TNA. He is often referred to as "The Hardcore Legend", a nickname he...
, Sable and Luna Vachon, Edge and Matt Hardy
Matt Hardy
Matthew Moore "Matt" Hardy is a semi-retired American professional wrestler. He is best known for his stints in World Wrestling Entertainment and Total Nonstop Action Wrestling ....
, Melina
Melina Perez
Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
and Candice Michelle
Candice Michelle
Candice Michelle Beckman-Ehrlich better known as Candice Michelle or just Candice, is an American model, actress, and professional wrestler best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment....
, Batista and Booker T, Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
and Jeff Jarrett
Jeff Jarrett
Jeffrey Leonard Jarrett is an American professional wrestler and wrestling promoter. He is currently signed to Total Nonstop Action Wrestling , an organization he co-founded along with his father and in which he holds some stock but not total control...
, CM Punk
CM Punk
Phillip Jack "Phil" Brooks , better known by his ring name CM Punk, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to WWE and working on its Raw brand currently serving his second title reign as WWE Champion....
and Randy Orton
Randy Orton
Randal Keith "Randy" Orton is an American professional wrestler and actor. He is signed to WWE wrestling on its SmackDown brand...
, and Melina
Melina Perez
Melina Nava Perez is an American professional wrestler currently signed to Women Superstars Uncensored. She is best known for her time with World Wrestling Entertainment under the ring mononym Melina....
(and John Morrison) and Trish Stratus
Trish Stratus
Patricia Anne Stratigias , better known by her ring name Trish Stratus, is a Canadian professional wrestler, actress and television personality currently signed with WWE. She is also a former fitness model....
Regional heat
Regional heat refers to a wrestler receiving a different reaction in certain locations than he normally would. This is most noticeable in Canada, as the fans tend to cheer all Canadian wrestlers, regardless of heel/face alignment. Inversely, Shawn MichaelsShawn Michaels
Michael Shawn Hickenbottom , better known by his ring name Shawn Michaels, is an American television host and retired professional wrestler. He presents the Outdoor Channel show MacMillan River Adventures, and is currently signed to WWE, where he has served in an ambassadorial role since December...
has consistently received heel heat whenever he wrestles in Canada, due to the events of the infamous Montreal Screwjob
Montreal Screwjob
The Montreal Screwjob was a controversial, purportedly real life professional wrestling event in which the owner of the World Wrestling Federation, Vince McMahon, double-crossed the defending WWF Champion, Bret Hart, during the main event match of the professional wrestling pay-per-view event...
in 1997, regardless of his on-screen persona's alignment.
Hometown heat is a specific kind of regional heat, in which wrestlers are cheered while wrestling in their home towns. They may receive more cheers than they normally would, or have the fans cheer them even if they're working heel. One example of this was Kurt Angle
Kurt Angle
Kurt Steven Angle is an American professional wrestler, amateur wrestler, and 1996 Olympic gold medalist. He is currently under contract with Total Nonstop Action Wrestling, where he is recognized as a 15-time World Heavyweight Champion...
's appearance in a WWE show in his hometown of Pittsburgh, where he was completely unable to get the fans to boo him, even after insulting the local sports teams. Another example of this is when Randy Orton fought Shawn Michaels during WWE Judgment Day 2007
Judgment Day (2007)
Judgment Day was the ninth annual Judgment Day professional wrestling pay-per-view event produced by World Wrestling Entertainment . It took place on May 20, 2007 from the Scottrade Center in St. Louis, Missouri...
, which was held in Orton's home town of St. Louis, Missouri.
Also heel wrestlers may be booked in the babyface role whilst in their hometown, one example of this practice is whenever William Regal wrestles in England, whilst he may be a heel normally he is booked as the babyface for the night.