I have a relative who organizes WWE-style wrestling events. He started doing it while working on a Ph.D. in philosophy. Now that he's finished the degree, I'm pretty sure he's doing wrestling promotion full time. I asked him once if wrestling was connected to his dissertation. I didn't really understand his answer, but it has something to do with how we construct our identities. Who decides if you're a face or a heel?
Usually, you try a bunch of gimmicks until one sticks. By that time, it's usually clear by how the crowd reacts to you whether you're a face or a heel. Other considerations are whether one group is over or under represented.
Additionally, the most charismatic workers can turn face or heel as necessary to build heat for another or to advance a story line.
It is exactly the way it works in comic books and soap operas.
