Dominik Mysterio and the Most Effective Heels Generating Massive Heat in WWE, AEW

The ability to generate genuine heat is an art mastered by the best heels in professional wrestling history.

While the traits of the best villains today versus those of yesteryear may have changed, the ability to get fans to invest in characters and react passionately to what they do on television every week is reserved for the best in the industry.

There are, though, still a handful of wrestlers across WWE and All Elite Wrestling, and one in neither company, who have kept the artwork of working the crowd alive.

These are those performers, appearing in no particular order.

Honorable Mention: Matt Cardona

Matt Cardona does not work for either WWE or AEW, but the discussion felt rather incomplete without his name getting a mention.

The self-proclaimed "King of the Deathmatch" has mastered the art of pissing off fans, mostly because he was (and still is) one. He knows how to push buttons and infuriate audiences, mostly by being the same condescending bad guy who would have drawn his disdain when he was standing on the other side of the guardrail.

By dismissing marks, beating up their favorites and narrowly stealing wins in matches he has no business winning, he has become one of the best and most entertaining heels in the business.

All while doing so on his own terms in an independent wrestling landscape that has been better to him, at least creatively, than competing on WWE Raw ever was.

Dominik Mysterio

Dominik Mysterio is a spoiled brat who thinks he is tougher than he is because he spent a night in prison, and he gets tremendous amounts of heat for his unabashed smugness.

That he freely hides behind his "Mami," SmackDown women's champion Rhea Ripley, only adds to the passionate dislike the audience has for the second-generation star.

When you factor in the disrespect the 26-year-old has showed his family and his legendary father, Rey, you have a guy who understands exactly what his role is and how to generate the molten levels of heat he has had in 2023.

The boos from crowds have been so loud that they have routinely drowned him out on the mic or made it impossible for "Dom Dom" to talk in the first place.

Despite the hatred, Mysterio has developed into a breakout star this year and with every passing week, it is clear he is developing the means to manipulate the audience into reacting the way he sees fit.

Still a young performer, Mysterio still has plenty to learn alongside guys such as Cody Rhodes, Seth Rollins and his Judgment Day cohorts. That bodes well for him, his future and, most importantly, that hostile relationship with the fans.

Paul Heyman

Few performers can elicit a reaction with something as simple as a side glance or extending an already-pregnant pause between profound statements.

But Paul Heyman is one of them.

A microphone marvel and a virtuoso performer who long ago mastered crowd manipulation, he knows what to do, when to do it and what it involves. He is smarter than anyone in any segment he appears in, and he elevates the overall quality of whatever show he is on.

It's his innate ability to draw a chorus of jeers with a simple "Ladies and gentlemen..." or by elevating the volume of his voice. He has spent his career addressing audiences and has learned a thing or several thousand about getting them to react the way he wants them to.

We saw it during his time as the loudmouthed advocate for Brock Lesnar and more recently as the special counsel (i.e. master manipulator) of The Bloodline. His facial expressions and the way he weasels his way into the conversation with his "well, actually" attitude are second to none.

Heyman is a GOAT-level heel, a guy who has received his flowers in recent years as the extraordinary on-screen personality and bad guy he is. But even then, he can still be considered underrated for how great a villain he actually is.

MJF

MJF bucked the system when he exploded into relevance on a national stage as part of AEW.

In an era when bad guys were typically worried about looking cool or being badasses, Maxwell Jacob Friedman had no problem dipping into the rich history of professional wrestling and becoming the loudmouth coward who has to cheat to pick up wins.

While some factions want to beat the life out of everyone and prove their toughness with endless bloodshed, the 27-year-old is quite content to refuse matches and go months without defending the AEW World Championship, all while touting himself as the best of his generation.

MJF talks a big game and is good enough between the ropes to back it up for the most part, but he still has to resort to using a diamond ring or taking advantage of someone else's work to secure a win.

That he is absolutely invested in the character and annoying as many people as he can merely adds to the quality of his work.

Some people play the bad guy but fans see through it. That is nearly impossible with MJF, who fills his role so well that it's difficult to differentiate between the man and the vile human being in front of the cameras, which is just the way it should be.

The Miz

The Miz is the ultimate antagonist; a guy who knows how to push buttons and does so as a goofy, over-the-top caricature of himself or as a painfully serious villain who is tired of being taken for granted.

Like Heyman, The A-Lister is probably underrated given the longevity of his character and the success he has had in riling fans across the globe for nearly 20 years.

Even now in 2023, when the 42-year-old is more of a bit-part player as WWE evolves around him, he knows how to strike a nerve and irritate audiences.

Best of all, The Miz has an endless arsenal that he can adjust to the crowd he is performing before.

He may raise his hand and tell them it means they shut their mouths. He might big-time everyone by running down the list of films he has appeared in. He may refer to himself as a must-see and remind everyone that he beat John Cena at WrestleMania 27.

However, The Miz is at his best when he angrily hurls venom at the fans that, on the surface, may seem like sour grapes but is actually a reality check for audiences who underestimate and undervalue him.

Don Callis

Don Callis is AEW's answer to Uncle Frank from Home Alone.

He's loud, obnoxious, a clear hanger-on and takes credit for accomplishments that are not his own and takes advantage of his relationships with other, more successful people.

The difference is Frank was able to coast along on the bank account of his younger brother while Callis' ego would not allow him to.

The moment he felt the bond between him and Kenny Omega weakening as a result of a stronger-than-ever friendship with The Young Bucks, Callis betrayed his meal ticket in favor of another in the form of Konosuke Takeshita.

The AEW fans boo Callis so much so that the he can't get a word in edgeways. His promo was entirely muffled by an angry fanbase who cared not what he had to say, only that The Elite will eventually silence him.

Callis previously shined as a villain in the final days of ECW, where he was spectacularly fun as Cyrus from "The Network," a corporate stooge determined to get the company and Paul Heyman to do things the way TNN wanted.

His new persona, based on the real-life relationship with Omega, is already netting him greater heat than he received even from the hardcore fans of the extreme Philadelphia-based promotion.

Roman Reigns

No one gaslights like Roman Reigns. No one abuses family in the name of retaining his place at the head of the table as the undisputed WWE universal champion.

If the manner in which he has manipulated those closest to him to stay at the top of WWE is not enough, the demanding manner in which he orders fans in cities across the world to acknowledge him sure will generate some heat.

As an in-ring performer, Reigns is a master of facial expressions and body language. When in control of a match, his arrogance and cockiness generate an abundance of jeers and intensify the crowd's desire to see his opponent beat him.

When he is on the defense, fans buy into the story being told because of the manner in which The Tribal Chief sells an ass-kicking by the recovering babyface.

Arguably one of the best performers of his generation, he infuriates fans with his treatment of his family, his holier-than-thou personality and the fact that he touts his historic run as the top dog in wrestling despite relying on that same family to secure his victory.

He has developed an extraordinarily effective persona that has carried him to the level everyone thought he was capable of achieving and did so by angering fans across the globe.