Professional wrestling and WWE has always been a story of good vs bad, which has given birth to great heroes and possibly even better villains.
For so long, WWE focused on the good guy always overcoming the odds, no matter how insurmountable, from Bruno Sammartino to Hulk Hogan. In fact, there was not a heel winner in the main event of WrestleMania until its 16th iteration when Triple H retained the WWE title.
It was during this time that wrestling changed, the lines were blurred and the audience did not want the stereotypical good guy. This led to being a villain, a bad guy, a heel being often the preferred role for some wrestlers. So many wrestlers are simply better suited to playing the role, whether it is due to their in-ring style, their natural personality and so on.
For the purpose of this discussion, only WWE work will be included which largely excludes many of WCW’s top talents of the 1990s, and managers will be excluded.
With that in mind, GiveMeSport takes you through the 10 greatest heels in WWE history…
10. Roman Reigns
Image Copyright: WWE
The latest addition to the list of great heels, Reigns’ generational run as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion and leader of The Bloodline has cemented his status as the No. 1 guy in the business. His in-ring psychology, facial expressions and character work is top tier. It makes it all the more baffling that WWE resisted turning him heel for all those years.
9. CM Punk
To many in the wrestling industry, Punk is a villain in real life. While that is heavily disputed, on-screen it cannot be. Having already been a brilliant heel in Ring of Honor, his WWE career fully lifted off when he became a bad guy in 2009.
He taunted Jeff Hardy’s substance issues, he created the Straight Edge Society and he even led The Nexus rather bizarrely. He was an anti-hero for the rest of his WWE career outside of an excellent heel run alongside Paul Heyman where he took aim at The Rock, The Undertaker amongst others.
8. Randy Orton
Randy Orton has won 21 titles in WWE
His RKBro run saw him become one of the hottest babyfaces in the industry but Randy has always been more suited to playing heel. His career kickstarted in Evolution, where he became the disrespectful, arrogant “Legend Killer” – the man spat in Mick Foley’s face!
A brief face run failed before he became an even more dastardly villain – he tried to “murder” The Undertaker and mocked Eddie Guerrero’s death while feuding with Rey Mysterio. He later punted Vince, RKO’d Stephanie and nearly “ended” John Cena’s career.
After Evolution and Legacy, Orton once again was part of a villainous group in “The Authority.” Further heinous acts have been seen in his battles with Jeff Hardy and Edge.
7. Edge
The bad guy of the mid-to-late 2000s. The Ultimate Opportunist. The Rated R Superstar. Every hero of the time was deceived by Edge at one point or another, whether it was Money in the Bank cash ins on John Cena and The Undertaker or taking World Titles from Batista and Jeff Hardy.
That his on-screen heel character was amplified by real-life events between himself, Matt Hardy and Lita showed how the best performances are often a reflection of real life or when the dial is turned up to 100.
6. Ted DiBiase
Ted DiBiase
“Everybody’s got a price!” The Million Dollar Man was one of the best heel characters of the WWE 1980s boom. He had bought the services of other wrestlers, the 30th spot in the Royal Rumble and even the WWE Title. He had poisoned the mind of Andre the Giant for the latter.
His WWE career also saw him manage the likes of “Stunning” Steve Austin as part of The Million Dollar Corporation and introduce the “Million Dollar” belt. He later left the WWE for WCW, where he became the storyline financier of the NWO. Born to be bad.
5. Triple H
The Game was the perfect heel foil to Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock in the Attitude Era. Jim Ross’ pure disdain for him on commentary a perfect reflection of this. He married Stephanie McMahon, he masterminded Austin’s hit and run. He even made Vince sympathetic.
His peak heel run was from 1999-2001 where nothing seemed too far for the Cerebral Assassin but he was a “cool” bad guy. His time in Evolution saw him become the opposite of that, despised by the audience for his “reign of terror” over the World Title.
4. Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels
For many fans, Shawn Michaels is one of the best babyfaces of all time. While that might be true, he is an even better heel. Just take a look back at his run until his injury-enforced retirement in 1998. He executed one of the best turns when he super kicked Marty Jannetty through Brutus Beefcake’s Barber shop window, and then became the most arrogant and cocky character in the business.
His off-screen antics often moved on-screen, particularly in his infamous feud with Bret Hart which culminated in the Montreal Screwjob. He claimed later he was “Attitude before it was a catchphrase” and he was not wrong – he created DX after all.
After changing his ways and returning to the company in 2002, Michaels was a perma-face outside of an epic six-week run against Hulk Hogan where he rolled back the years.
3. Roddy Piper
The perfect villain to confront the ultimate hero in Hulk Hogan in the mid-1980s. Piper teamed with Paul Orndoff against Hogan and Mr. T in the inaugural WrestleMania main event.
Piper is also arguably the greatest trash talker in WWE history, “Piper’s Pit” becoming the location of some of his best work, leading to further feuds with Jimmy Snuka and Bruno Sammartino. Piper’s heel act was so popular that he was turned face just two years later.
After a run with WCW, Piper returned to WWE during Hogan’s WrestleMania 19 match with Vince, where of course he reverted back to his old ways and assaulted his long-time rival. Legendary.
2. Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Wooooo! Flair might have done most of his best work in the NWA and WCW but his two stints in WWE saw him show off the heel character that made him one of the biggest stars in WWE history. In 1991, he appeared on WWE TV alongside another legendary bad guy, Bobby Heenan, kickstarting a brilliant 18-month run.
He cost Hulk Hogan the WWE Title, won it himself in the Royal Rumble match and then engaged in a feud with another top face, Randy Savage, trying to woo his wife. Classic Flair behaviour. He later returned to the company in 2001, eventually forming Evolution with Triple H et al. where his antics were often cheered such was the crowd’s reverence for an all-time great.
1. Mr. McMahon
Who else could it be? The transition from Vince McMahon the commentator to “Mr. McMahon,” the tyrannical owner of WWE is one of the most important moments in modern wrestling history. Occurring after he claimed “Bret screwed Bret,” it led to arguably the most famous feud ever, between himself and Stone Cold.
Hulk Hogan, The Rock, The Undertaker, Triple H, Shawn Michaels and John Cena also felt the wrath of the chairman of the board, as did both his children and wife. The greatest heel of them all.