"You're So Vain..." Cody Rhodes & the top Five Cocky Heels of all Time

Calm down, nobody's ready to put Cody Rhodes in the same class as some of the very best self-absorbed, self-centered heels of all time, many of whom reside comfortably in the highest of regards in pro wrestling lure.

However Cody Rhodes' "Dashing Cody Rhodes" promo did get me to thinking, just who were the greatest cocky heels of all time?

Granted, most heels, by nature, are cocky. However to stand out as a "cocky heel", one must be all about themselves all day every day.

They must be consumed by themselves. Constant preening, self-enhancement accessories like mirrors, and more preening are a must for one to earn such a distinction, and five six individuals did it better than anyone else has.

Pardon me while I kiss myself.

Big Nasty is the editor of The Big Nasty Athletic Dept. Log on to twitter at twitter.com/bignasty247 and follow him until he presses charges!

T-5: Mr. Perfect

How could you not be considered among the greatest cocky heels of all time with a name like "Mr. Perfect"?

The essence of what it is to be an unlikeable narcissist, Curt Hennig ditched his once beloved workmanlike approach that was part of a persona that earned him the distinct honor of being a former AWA Heavyweight Champion.

Curt Hennig bypassed championing the blue collar mentality of his father and carrying on the legacy of Larry "the Axe" Hennig in its truest form.

Instead, while with WWE, Curt Hennig was given a towel and a stick of gum, and the role of Mr. Perfect, a narcissistic heel who (with the help of manipulative camera work) was seemingly infallible, was born.

And to think, they almost slapped the Red Rooster gimmick on this guy.

Hennig's excellent in ring work and ownership of the Mr. Perfect role is what made this character work for so many years during the mid-to late 80' and early 90's in WWE.

And if you didn't believe that he was absolutely perfect, just ask Felton Spencer of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Hennig's perfection ceased in 1999 with the debut of "Rap is Crap" by the West Texas Rednecks.

Rap hates you too, Curt.

Big Nasty is the editor of The Big Nasty Athletic Dept. Log on to twitter at twitter.com/bignasty247 and follow him until he presses charges!

T-5: "The Model: Rick Martel

It would have simply been wrong to leave Rick Martel, or the aforementioned Curt Hennig, off of the list of the greatest cocky heels of all time. And it's not like I'm going to make a "top six" list. Who does that?

Rick Martel was an over-the-top, over-accessorized mound of Canadian swagger.

Aptly nicknamed "The Model", Rick Martel donned an assortment of "bells and whistles" as part of his cocky heel gimmick without being Zack Ryder (which is a good thing, especially these days).

Like Curt Hennig, Martel was a tremendous babyface worker, who reigned as AWA champion. Martel carried his hard working reputation into the WWF as a member of the oft-under appreciated good guy duo Strikeforce alongside Tito Santana.

Martel's career really took off when his :"Model" gimmick was born in 1989. Equipped with what would become his trademark perfume, Arrogance, Rick Martel sprayed himself to the top of the WWE midcard, feuding with the likes of former partner Tito Santana, Jake "The Snake" Roberts, and fellow cocky heel Shawn Michaels (they actually had a "no punching in the face" match!).

Can you imagine what a nice run with Sensational Sherri would have done for his career?

With no WWF singles titles for the Model to punctuate what was an underrated WWF run as a heel, Rick Martel spoke with his work ethic in the ring matched only by his charisma and memorable promos.

But all is not lost when it comes to titles. In my opinion, Martel earned the title of "Best theme music of the 1980's." Listen, and wipe your tears before anybody walks in.

Big Nasty is the editor of The Big Nasty Athletic Dept. Log on to twitter at twitter.com/bignasty247 and follow him until he presses charges!

4. "Ravishing" Rick Rude

...Cut the music!

What I would like right now, is for all you fat, ugly, dirtbag bleacher report readers to take a look at what a real cocky heel is supposed to look like!

"Ravishing" Rick Rude had all the tools necessary for being a great heel world champion...aside from good timing.

Unfortunately, his prime came during the (very lucrative yet opportunistically limited) Hulkamania era.

Rick Rude was one of the few strong talking heels in pro wrestling history to also have a manager in tow. But not just any manager, only the greatest manager of all time in Bobby "The Brain" Heenan.

Talk about loaded.

Rude's excellent delivery, strong in ring work, and an impressive physique that justified his conceited ways, made him one of the top heels of the 1980's.

Feuds with fan favorites, such as The Ultimate Warrior and Jake "the Snake" Roberts, helped take the popular babyfaces to the next level thanks in part to Rude's ability to make himself the common enemy who everybody wanted to pay to see lose.

That's the essence of being a heel, cocky or not.

Ravishing Rick Rude was perhaps my favorite heel, as I can remember legitimately disliking this guy despite knowing at an early age that wrestling was a work and this is what they wanted out of me.

In hindsight, the man's entire career was nothing more than a work of art. Now hit the music!

Big Nasty is the editor of The Big Nasty Athletic Dept. Log on to twitter at twitter.com/bignasty247 and follow him until he presses charges!

3. Gorgeous George

In so many ways, Gorgeous George was the original cocky heel.

Before pro wrestling went mainstream as we know it today, the legendary grappler, real name George Wagner, embodied the showmanship and spectacle that transcended pro wrestling in the 30's and 40's.

Dying his hair and wearing flamboyant robes before Ric Flair was old enough to buy peroxide, walking out to "Pomp and Circumstance" before Randy Savage had heard his first lullaby, and drawing heat before Shawn Michaels could even stand to suffer a sunburn, Gorgeous George set the blueprint for what it meant to not only be a heel wrestler, but a transcendent star as well.

Gorgeous George was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this past year during Wrestlemania 26 weekend, and to say this was a long overdue honor would be an understatement.

Gorgeous George will have his life's work played out on the big screen, as the rights to a movie about his career have been purchased by WWE films.

To make matters more impressive for what I truly believe to be the first real heel in pro wrestling history, as part of his legacy, Muhammad Ali himself has considered Gorgeous George a large influence on their own showmanship and brash persona.

Big Nasty is the editor of The Big Nasty Athletic Dept. Log on to twitter at twitter.com/bignasty247 and follow him until he presses charges!

2. Shawn Michaels

What made Shawn Michaels so good at being a cocky heel, was that he was mimicking his own real-life obnoxious behavior that defined the Shawn Michaels of the 90's, who was notorious for being a headache both in and out of the ring.

Michaels has arguably had the greatest WWE career of all time, and it all began with one of the most memorable heel turns in WWF history.

The highlight of Bruce "The Barber" Beefcake's career.

Shawn Michael's "Heart Break Kid" gimmick, which surfaced shortly after his much publicized turn on longtime tag team partner Marty Jannetty, spawned a career that has been unrivaled through the years and only recently came to an end on his own terms.

Equipped with a mirror, and the invaluable services of Sensational Sherri (the anti-Elizabeth) in his cocky heel arsenal, Shawn Michaels' career skyrocketed to new heights as he embraced his new, vain character almost too easily.

A tremendous showman and in ring competitor in his own right, Shawn Michaels picked up where the likes of Gorgeous George, and my No. 1 cocky heel, left off.

Not only did he pick up where they left off, he ran with the ball and scored.

Big Nasty is the editor of The Big Nasty Athletic Dept. Log on to twitter at twitter.com/bignasty247 and follow him until he presses charges!

1. Ric Flair

To make such a general word like "WOO!" famous is more than enough to land you front and center as the best of the best when it comes to the true art form that is the cocky heel.

Ric Flair had, and still has, everything. Promos, charisma, in-ring work, the look (past tense).

He is what most if not all current pro wrestlers aspire to be, because he has excelled at his craft for decades, becoming a legend among legends in the process.

Ric Flair was more than just a wrestler. Putting Jim Crockett Promotions on his back, Ric Flair was a genre unto himself.

He knew exactly what to do and say in order to gain the exact reaction of the crowd, thus shrewdly stimulating buyrates and ratings all the while.

Flair left no stone unturned when it came to the ins and outs of pro wrestling, and his cocky gimmick was so successful that it sparked what is still known as the single greatest stable of all time, the Four Horsemen.

That's how great Ric Flair was and continues to be.

Ric Flair is pro wrestling's O.J. Simpson as his greatness is impossible to ignore and his fingerprints remain all over the scene of sports entertainment.

Every aspiring pro wrestler, heel or not, needs to simply pop in any Ric Flair DVD he or she can find, and upon completion they should have enough of a base knowledge of the art form of pro wrestling to at least have a shot.

Unlike many on this list, Ric Flair is not confined to one category. Flair would win out in the list of the greatest cocky heels, the greatest heels, the greatest talkers, the greatest ring crew chiefs...

He's just that great, and the best part is that he knows it. The cocky brute.

Big Nasty is the editor of The Big Nasty Athletic Dept. Log on to twitter at twitter.com/bignasty247 and follow him until he presses charges!