When Jason Jordan was traded to Raw and revealed as Kurt Angle’s long lost son it appeared as if WWE was attempting to push him as a babyface. As it turns out, WWE was creatively building the biggest heel on Monday nights.
For the past several months Jason Jordan has been gifted high profile matches with established talent thanks to his relationship with storyline father Kurt Angle. While many of these matches have been competitive, in recent weeks Jordan has been tasting defeat regularly.
What makes matters worse, despite the losses Jordan keeps being booked in big matches weekly. Since a storyline knee injury sidelined Jordan from the WWE Survivor Series 2017 main event match the WWE Universe has been less than sympathetic with the former amateur wrestling standout.
Consistently Jordan’s knee has played a major part in the outcome of his matches on Raw. If there is one thing the WWE Universe respects it is toughness, but excuses and sulking mid-match are not qualities the fans are looking for.
While Jordan’s antics for pitty are subtle, that is what makes creative’s building of a future heel so captivating. In the same way CM Punk’s eye injury gave him a slow heel turn against Jeff Hardy in 2009, Jordan is making progress at the same rate.
A major concern has always been getting the WWE Universe on board with the direction that creative wants to take the story. In this case a slow build for Jordan keeps fans from giving him a big pop compared to if he would have had an immediate heel turn.
Right now the WWE Universe is moving from “Hating Jason Jordan 101” to a 200 level class. In the case of John Cena and Roman Reigns, some adult fans are entering graduate studies for hating those superstars. Both Reigns and Cena were gradually disliked more and more throughout the years to the point where some fans just boo out of instinct.
The difference between both of the previously mentioned superstars and Jordan is that the latter is intended to be a heel by creative. Isn’t one of the most annoying parts of a WWE show hearing the narrative by the announce team be contradicted by the fans in attendance?
Back in the Attitude Era Jim Ross would cheer on Stone Cold with the crowd, and in the same breathe berate Triple H as the fans boo with disgust. The hate Triple H received from both the announce team and fans is what took him to another level, and while Jordan has a long way to go that same combination is what will give him a boost that other heels are not getting.
The final part in this equation is who his eventual opponent will be, Angle. As fans there is a certain nostalgia for Attitude Era wrestlers and a superstar of Angle’s level will ensure that Jordan will not receive cheers from fans wanting to go against the grain.
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Will Jordan be the next great heel in the WWE? Nobody has that answer, but he does have the look, athletic ability, and the heat to accomplish that task.