Professional
wrestling terminology.
If a wrestler is a
babyface, then his
face pop is the most important key to his continued
push/
employment.
If a wrestler is a
heel, then his
heel heat is the most important key to his continued
push/
employment.
In the second case, there is one phenomenon which is often mistaken for heel heat, but is not a good thing.
Triple H is the best heel in the business, and that's reflected in the crowd reaction that accompanies his
promos - booing, chants of 'asshole' aimed at him - general mad heat. The fans hate him, but only as a character, only as the man who is telling them that they and the wrestlers they idolise (
The Rock being the shining example) are nothing.
Now let's look at
X-Pac. No offence to
Sean Waltman, but he is the shining example of 'get out of the arena' heat in the WWF at the time of writing. When X-Pac is announced as a participant in a match, the fans boo. When X-Pac enters the ring, the fans boo. No matter who X-Pac is fighting, even (as in the current storylines) WCW or ECW stars, when X-Pac is meant to be the WWF babyface, the fans boo. This isn't mad heel heat. This is because the fans legitimately hate X-Pac the gimmick, Sean Waltman the worker, and especially
X-Factor's
Uncle Kracker entrance theme.
'Get out of the arena' heat is even worse than complete 'you're not
over with us at all' silence. Woe betide any wrestler who combines it with being a worker in the 'class' of
Billy Gunn. Happily for Sean Waltman, he hasn't fallen that far. Yet.