#HWETW Top 10 – Heat

6. “Chicken Salad” Heat – Jeff Jarrett

Although your mileage may vary with J-E-Double F J-A-Double R-E-Double T — we at JMS LOVE him — but there’s no question that he plays the role of “chickenshit heel” with every ounce of energy has. The goal of a chickenshit heel is to have no redeeming qualities, which seems easy, but to not veer into the aforementioned “X-Pac” zone where people just want you to go away.

It’s not talent, per se, but a measure of how redeemable your irredeemableness is. Jeff Jarrett, for instance, is the Lawrence Olivier of playing an obnoxious turd. You may hate obnoxious turds, but you have to begrudgingly respect just how obnoxiously turd-y he can be. The fact that he’s somewhere between a FANTASTIC and AMAZING worker with a genuinely clever (if mildly offensive) sense of humor helps to make him more of a cartoon character that you love to hate, which is the goal of any heel.

Other examples: JBL, Ric Flair, The Miz (who is such a chickenshit heel, he now has a body double who is also a chickenshit heel)

Join the Kayfabemetrics Institute on Patreon!