What I've always found funny about wrestling is how a heel or "bad guy" could do the most vile and despicable things known to man, but once be becomes a “good guy” everyone forgets about these dirty deeds even if they were only a few months prior.
Steve Austin was the most vilified heel in the WWF in like ‘96/’97. He did things like break Brian Pillman’s leg and if that wasn’t enough, he even broke into Pillman's home, looking to commit even more mayhem on Pillman's person.
Austin even took on the company’s number one good guy: Bret Hart. They fought every week and the fans hated Austin and loved Hart. Stone Cold didn't care who he hurt or how much he had to cheat. He screwed Hart at every turn.
He was a no-good Texas rattlesnake and would flip you off just because he felt like it. He even wrote a poem: "Tall people. Short people. People with glasses. Bottomline is I'll whip all your asses." What a no-good son of a bitch.
Vince Mcmahon, at this point, was a neutral television announcer who was just starting to publicly acknowledge his real life role as CEO of the WWF. Soon, he started to create storylines that utilized his position in the company.
Strangely, over time, the fans started to cheer for Stone Cold and they saw Hart as a crybaby and whiner. The anti-hero was in style in the WWF.
Vince Mcmahon capitalized on this strange phenomenon by making the double-switch. The two wrestlers would change roles in the course of one match.
In the greatest wrestling match I have ever seen, Bret "The Hitman" Hart defeated Stone Cold Steve Austin in an "I quit" match at Wrestlemania 13. Hart never made Austin say "I quit." Austin passed out from the pain, but in doing so, he officially became the most popular wrestler in the industry. In-turn, Bret Hart, one of the most popular wrestlers on the planet and the standard for wholesome good guy wrestlers, became a heel after he attacked Austin when the match was over.
Eventually, Vince started to become a more vocal owner and Austin challenged his authority on many occasions and the fans loved every second of it. Eventually Mcmahon became “Mr. Mcmahon” the heel owner of the WWF and he made it his goal to screw Austin at every turn.
The two would go on to have one of the most memorable feuds in the history of wrestling.
Back in the spring, there wasn’t a more hated athlete in the NFL, and maybe even sports, than Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. We all know the infamous stories involving him; no need to rehash them. Let's just say Ben’s actions turned most Steelers faithful against him. The fans vowed to stop going to the games if he was still with the team and there was an outcry for the Rooney family to trade Roethlisberger.
Around this time, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, still a pretty neutral figure in the sports world, was deciding what punishment he should hand out to the Steelers' star quarterback for his off-the-field behavior. Ultimately, he decided on a conditional 4-6-game suspension to start the 2010 season.
Most fans were behind this punishment, and some still wanted him kicked off the team entirely.
Ben served his suspension pretty quietly and he even seemed to grow up a little. As the preseason turned into the regular season, the fans hatred for the quarterback started to lighten a bit. Now, instead of people wanting him gone, most of Steeler Nation was counting the days until his return and hoped that Goodell would lessen his suspension to four games and maybe even two.
And once he returned from his hiatus on October 17th, instead of boos, he got a mostly warm welcome from the Heinz field crowd.
Around this time, Goodell started to become more strict with his rules on tackling in the league and his number one target seemed to be the Steelers, and James Harrision in particular. Harrison was repeatedly flagged for questionable personal fouls, and was fined week after week. Harrison was so frustrated, he even considered retirement at one point.
The fans started to resent Goodell and looked at him as a power-hungry dictator.
In the meantime, since his return, Big Ben Roethlisberger has taken a severe beating. He’s had his foot fractured, his nose broken and has taken at least one questionable hit a game without once drawing a flag. When Ben complains to the refs, they just shrug their shoulders and say, “hey, he was just trying to tackle you.” Dangerous Danny Davis would be proud. This has earned Roethlisberger the respect of not only his teammates, but the fans and public.
Roger Goodell has effectively turned one of the most despised athletes in recent memory into a hero in a matter of months. And in turn, he’s become one of the most hated sports executives in recent history.
So, if this was a wrestling show, Ben Roethlisberger and Roger Goodell would meet in a Hell in the Cell match at Wrestlemania. But since it's a reality show, they could meet up on center stage if the Steelers win the Super Bowl.
If that happens, will Goodell actually give the Steelers the Lombardi trophy or will he award it to the runner-up on a technicality?
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