While Travis is the real Wrestling-head around the PDC, the drama of the (then) WWF and WCW were epic pillars of my upbringing. There was nothing quite like the thrill of seeing your favorite wrestler hit their finisher, no one cared that it wasn’t real (spoiler alert, there’s nothing “fake” about wrestling). The bad guys though, the real draw for most of the drama in the ring, are known as Heels.
Starz is taking that route on their new series, appropriately named Heels to take a look behind the curtain of the independent wrestling world. Anyone that’s followed the news knows that the world of professional wrestling can be a dark and brutal place, so it’s somewhat surprising that we’re just now seeing a TV show that looks to take us to the corner of powerbomb and shooting star press. Honestly, I expected to see a show like this shortly after the success of the Mickey Rourke comeback vehicle, The Wrestler.
Regardless of the timing, Starz has fulfilled those wishes and brought us a serialized dramatic take on a small-town wrestling promoter and his brother, and up and coming wrestler in his own right. Heels stars noted fan and some time wrestler Stephen Amell as Jack Spade and perennially on the cusp of superstardom Alexander Ludwig as his brother, Ace Spade. While Amell’s performances are always hit or miss for me, you can tell the love he has for the sport seeping through what he’s delivering on screen. Starz keeps releasing shows that look super-interesting, but I’ve yet to dive deep on one (Outlander has been in my queue for literally years). Heels, from what I’ve seen in the trailer below, is going to jump onto that list, unlike the rest of the list I think I’ll be making the effort to give this one a go.
Heels premiers on Starz August 15th, 2021
