14 WWE Wrestlers Who Were Always Better As Heels

Publish date: 2024-05-05

Every "good guy" needs a "bad guy" and some wrestlers were just born to be the "bad guy." Although few superstars ever go an entire career without jumping on either side of the "heel vs face" spectrum, some stars work better one way. Imagining Rey Mysterio turning his back on the fans or Cena tossing "the bird" at fans instead of his sweatband would be strange.

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The inverse is also true. Some wrestlers are so good at being bad many fans prefer them as a heel. These WWE wrestlers will always be best remembered as "bad guys" that made wrestling good.

UPDATE: 2022/08/31 15:30 EST BY Tevon King

In professional wrestling, the babyfaces are the good guys and the heels are bad. Some wrestlers have been cast in both roles throughout their WWE careers, and some managed to master both roles. The likes of Big Show and Kane have turned babyface and heels, more times than fans can remember. Being a good heel is having the crowd dislike you and receiving a chorus of boos. Moreover, heels get more freedom than babyfaces in matches as they take the lead. Nonetheless, there have been several wrestlers who have done an exceptional job as a heel compared to being a babyface."

14 * Yokozuna

Yokozuna was pushed as soon as he joined WWE in late 1992. He quickly won the 1993 Royal Rumble match, and he became the first heel to clinch the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 9. Although his WWE Championship run was short-lived with Hulk Hogan beating him for the title. However, he recaptured it from Hogan at the 1993 King of the Ring.

Mr. Fuji was his manager and they were the perfect double act. Jim Cornette came on board as the American spokesperson for Yokozuna. Moreover, Yokozuna's best work came as a heel, and he was a babyface in 1996 but it didn't work especially with Yokozuna no longer functioning at the peak of his powers. His awful fitness at that time also played a major part in that.

13 * Christian Cage

Christian Cage has had success as both a babyface and a heel but he's a natural heel. Captain Charisma betrayed Edge in the fall of 2001, and he did an exceptional job as a heel. Christian hosted the Peep Show, and he had consistent alliances with the likes of Chris Jericho and Trish Stratus.

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Christian has the gift of the gab, and he is a very good speaker on the mic. In AEW, Christian debuted as a babyface but he has finally turned heel. Some of the promos he's been cutting have been savage with Christian taking no prisoners.

12 * Michelle McCool

Michelle McCool is a sure-fire WWE Hall of Famer with what she's achieved in WWE. McCool was the first-ever Divas Champion, and she'd hold the title two times. She also held the WWE Women's Championship twice, and she was the first woman to hold both of those championships.

McCool was a natural heel, and being alongside Layla as LayCool and Vickie Guerrero who'd work alongside them, made the trio hated. McCool can back it up inside the squared circle, and some of her comments were insensitive in her feud with Mickie James but she gained a lot of heat.

11 * The Miz

The Miz may be the self-proclaimed "Most must-see superstar" in WWE, but he does a consistent job to rub the crowd up the wrong way. Miz is the only two-time Grand Slam Champion in WWE history which is a phenomenal achievement.

It's cringe when Miz is a babyface as it feels forced and fans are accustomed to seeing him be a heel. Furthermore, Miz is one of the best in-ring talkers that WWE has on their roster, and he receives a lot of hate from the fans for some of his catchphrases and demeanor.

10 Edge

The "Rated R Superstar" was one of the best heels of the entire Ruthless Aggression Era. Before he was a seven-time World Heavyweight Champion, Edge mostly leaned towards babyface territory with his tag team partner, Christian.

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Even in those days, his time with The Brood, a faction Edge and Christian formed with Gangrel, was of particular note where Edge worked well as a heel. The "Ultimate Opportunist" rose to his greatest heights as a heel and despite his babyface run in 2019, it wouldn't compare to the man that was turning his back on everyone around him.

9 Roman Reigns

Roman was once the most hated person in the WWE...as a babyface. Although he was well received with The Shield, his solo career was plagued with hatred. It was clear he was the man Vince McMahon wanted to be "the future" of the WWE, unfortunately, no fan wanted it.

Roman was despised until his heel turn in 2020. He's since gone on to be much more interesting as "the Tribal Chief" and even has a huge fan base as a heel. There is no debate that Roman is much better as a heel.

8 The Rock

The Rock's first heel turn that changed the star from "Rocky" to "The Rock" is one of the reasons he became a cultural icon. His over-the-top character and promo skills are the main reason he served the audience much better as a heel. Yes, Dwayne Johnson is extremely likable, but "The Rock" could get pretty annoying and that's why fans loved him.

He was a menace in all the best ways. His portrayal of "the bad guy" helped him shine on television and also likely helped his push to stardom outside the ring.

7 Kurt Angle

Kurt Angle turned heel shortly after he debuted in the WWE. Although he was supposed to be "an all-American" face, the fans turned on Angle setting up a great heel run for the former gold medal winner. He flipped back and forth between face and heel, but his days as a "bad guy" were far better than his "good guy" days.

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Angle was always the best wrestler in the ring, and his heel "goofball" persona always contrasted well making him an interesting character. His most memorable promos were all during his heel runs and even the iconic Angle "you suck' chant was a product of his heel days.

6 Chris Jericho

Jericho is undoubtedly one of the most likable superstars to ever wrestle for the WWE. He's so likable that fans forget he spent most of his career as a heel. Some of his best rivalries and promos were all products of his heel runs. His feud with Shawn Michaels was one of the best of his career and happened while he was a heel.

A feud with CM Punk later in his career was also a heel battle that was one of his best. With a career as long as his, of course, he's had some great runs as a babyface, most of them never compared to him as a snarky heel.

5 Ric Flair

"The Nature Boy" is one of the most famous heels in wrestling history. He established what he became known best for in WCW, but during his WWE tenures, he was plenty resourceful and impactful as a heel.

His first run included a great feud with Randy Savage where he doctored photos to add fuel to their fire and later on in WWE he became a member of Evolution, showing a new generation why he was known as "the dirtiest player in the game." Flair grew more lovable as a face the longer he was in the WWE, but it never put him in the limelight the way all his heel tenures did.

4 Lita

Although Lita is one of the most respected wrestlers in the history of the WWE women's division, not enough can be said for how she raised the bar for heels in the women's division. Her real-life love triangle between Matt Hardy and Edge set up a heel turn for Lita that continued for a large part of her career.

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She was evil but could have great wrestling matches, a rarity for most women wrestlers before Lita. Her antics, like her live sex show with Edge, were staples of the Ruthless Aggression Era and the story of that era cannot be written without Lita as a heel.

3 Triple H

Triple H is one of the most successful heels in the history of the WWE. Almost all of his most famous moments, from the establishment of DX to Evolution, to his time as a suit are all remembered as times when "The Game" was the enemy. He was a big man married to the boss's daughter, so it was hard not to hate Triple H in his prime.

His babyface turns didn't get near the same heat as his heel turns. Triple H was the face of the WWE for almost a decade and most of those days the "H" stood for heathen not hero.

2 Randy Orton

Randy Orton has been a heel pretty much since his debut. His time in Evolution set the tone for how big his career would be, but his babyface turn, while he was with the stable, received a small reception from the fans.

If anyone was born to be a wrestling heel, it's Randy Orton. From punting people's heads left and right to saying Eddie Guerrero is in hell, Orton has etched out a future Hall of Fame career as a heel and fans would not want it any other way from the Viper.

1 Mr. McMahon

For fans who stopped watching wrestling in the Attitude Era, it might be hard to believe that Vince McMahon has had a few storylines in the WWE where he wasn't a complete monster. He helped wrestling become a household name, not only by owning the company but also through his intense feuds with Steve Austin.

McMahon is the ultimate wrestling heel and no babyface turn will ever change that. No matter how the story of McMahon is portrayed, he will always be remembered as one of the best "bad guys" in the history of television.

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