Seth Rollins and WWE's Top 10 Best Heels of the “PG Era”
To be a great and effective heel in wrestling is considered an art form. The legendary likes of Bobby Heenan, Ric Flair and even Vince McMahon himself have mastered it, while others such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Goldberg and Rikishi have struggled to meet the same standard they set.
With as much young blood as there is at the top of WWE today, there is a stunning lack of roster depth and credible heels. Bray Wyatt, Kane, Big Show, King Barrett and Rusev have all been floundering for some time and don't elicit strong reactions due to their poor booking as bad guys.
Furthermore, there's a common misconception among fans that the PG rating limits what a wrestling villain can get away with. While they may not be able to attack women or bust people wide open, they're still capable of generating true heel heat, with Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens being prime examples.
In an age of social media—where kayfabe is virtually dead—these two trump everyone else on the current roster in being amazing heels. Everything from their facial expressions to their minute mannerisms are spot-on, and they certainly aren't the first highly skilled Superstars to excel at being hated by the audience.
Members of the WWE Universe have borne witness to a number of exceptional heels since the dawn of what has come to be known as the "PG Era" in 2008, with this list featuring only the best of them. Criteria will include the ability to garner heat, character development, in-ring and mic skills, longevity, possessing the "it" factor and other intangibles.
10. The Nexus
1 of 10
On a rather lackluster episode of Raw on June 7, 2010, the NXT Season 1 competitors shook the foundation of WWE to its very core by invading the flagship show and annihilating everyone and everything in sight. The band of disgruntled rookies, later known as The Nexus, made an immediate impact as part of the main roster and breathed new life into the stagnant WWE product.
With shades of the New World Order from the late 1990s, they put a beatdown on every individual they came in contact with and took no prisoners. Their long list of victims included the likes of The Undertaker, Ricky Steamboat and WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.
Because they were compelling characters, their relentless attacks each week didn't grow tiresome too quickly. Their motives were also made very clear: They would stop at nothing in their quest for change until they were given the respect they believed they deserved.
At the helm of the group was Wade Barrett, whose extraordinary mic skills ensured they remained vehemently hated by the WWE Universe, despite how "cool" of a faction they were quickly becoming. He was perfect in the role and led the rest of the rookies to superstardom.
Sadly, an unnecessary loss against John Cena at SummerSlam hindered their momentum big time, and they were never to be the same from that point forward. Regardless, they continued to garner substantial heat through the rest of their run because fans knew they were going to witness chaos ensue whenever "We Are One" by 12 Stones hit the arena.
9. The Miz
2 of 10
More often than not, The Miz catches flack from fans for not being the greatest technician inside the squared circle. Whether you want to admit it, however, he's an excellent heel and among the best this company has seen in the last ten years.
Even when he was a faceless enhancement talent on SmackDown back in 2006, he was extremely skilled at turning people against him. Then again, it wasn't too tough of a task for the former reality star, given he has a face the average viewer is tempted to punch.
His wrestling ability, while it has improved, isn't his greatest attribute—it's his unmatched charisma. Say what you will about his 2011 reign as WWE champion and how much he "tarnished" the title, but he made any segment he was involved in entertaining because he was one of the best mic workers on the roster at that time.
When WWE flipped the switch with Miz in late 2012 and attempted to turn him babyface, it simply didn't sit well with many fans because he felt miscast in that role. He's the guy everyone loves to hate, and despite having his redeemable qualities, he is far more comfortable portraying a heel.
Since making his Raw return in June 2014 as a self-professed Hollywood A-lister, Miz has completely rejuvenated his character as well as his career. His recent work with Damien Mizdow played a major part in getting him over with the audience (although that popularity was later squandered).
8. Seth Rollins
3 of 10
Of everyone featured on this list, no one has surprised fans more with his outstanding work as a heel than Seth Rollins. It was unknown as to whether he would do well in the role, but we can certainly say in retrospect it worked out for the best.
During The Shield's time together, Rollins was the one who was often overlooked for the likes of Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, with both being touted as bona fide future world champions. Well, in the year since Shield's split, he's proven the naysayers wrong by becoming the first former member to capture the prestigious prize.
An argument can be made that it's because of The Authority that he garners as much heat as he does from fans, but that definitely wasn't the case for Randy Orton. He was booked to look extremely weak while a part of the group, and thankfully Rollins hasn't followed suit.
Although he typically needs The Authority to help maintain his grasp on the belt, he was successful in defending his title against Dean Ambrose all on his own at Money in the Bank just a few short weeks ago. He's the type of heel that knows he can get the job done himself, yet he chooses to take the easy way out by using the assistance of others.
He's also impressed on the mic by digging into fans who desperately want to see him get his, which is why he's earned his spot as WWE's top heel right now. I mean, who else can pull off getting "You sold out!" chanted at them over one year after making a deal with the devil?
7. Batista
4 of 10
In 2005, there wasn't a bigger breakout babyface in WWE than Batista, who organically got over with the audience and emerged from Evolution as a main event star. But for as long as he was on top during his time on the SmackDown brand, fans started to resent him and turn against The Animal as years passed.
By October 2009, WWE made the smart decision of finally turning him heel at the Bragging Rights event, unleashing all of his pent-up frustration on longtime friend Rey Mysterio. Suddenly, he was exposing his true colors and showing fans a side of him they had never seen before.
Constantly complaining about how he deserved to be World Heavyweight champion and chewing out the WWE Universe, he was a master of the microphone. Perhaps his most memorable performance during his heel run saw him quit the company while sitting in a wheelchair after being put through the stage by John Cena the night prior.
Batista unfortunately left WWE just as he was hitting his stride, but he had another shot at working his magic as a heel upon his return in 2014. Although he was initially cast as a conquering hero, it didn't take long for the former WWE champion to blast the WWE Universe for turning on him, earning him the hilarious nickname of "Bootista."
He was arguably the star of Evolution during their reunion, intentionally making controversial fashion choices to tick off the fans (the all-blue attire at Payback couldn't be beaten). Once again, he took off before he could reach his full potential as a villain, but another comeback by The Animal down the line isn't out of the question.
6. Mark Henry
5 of 10
One week, Mark Henry was a giant joke competing in dance contests with The Great Khali. The next, he was an uncontrollable monster filled with fury and rage, taking out everyone in his path of destruction. Needless to say, it was quite the transformation.
When Henry shockingly turned his back on the WWE Universe at the 2011 WWE Draft, he was back in his element as a ruthless machine of a man. In a fairly short period of time, he went from being an afterthought on Monday nights to becoming one of SmackDown's top heels.
Upon his arrival on the blue brand, he wasted no time in making an impact by targeting Big Show and putting him on the shelf. From there, he established the "Hall of Pain" to which he inducted Kane, Sheamus, Randy Orton and various others.
By the fall, he was gaining so much momentum for himself that WWE had no choice but to put the World Heavyweight Championship on him, and what a monumental moment it was. He obliterated everyone who stepped up to challenge him for the belt before anticlimactically dropping the strap to Big Show at the TLC pay-per-view.
While he's undergone too many turns in the years since to be taken seriously by fans, I'd be remiss not to mention his critically acclaimed fake retirement promo from the June 17, 2013 edition of Raw. He single-handedly convinced fans he was hanging up his boots for good, only to reveal it was all a ruse by attacking John Cena. Brilliant.
5. Kevin Owens
6 of 10
Is it premature to call Kevin Owens one of the top five best heels in the last seven years? Possibly, but when looking at everything he's accomplished in WWE in such a short period of time and all that he's capable of achieving in the future, his placement on this list isn't far off.
From his very first night in the company, Owens set out to turn the entire audience against him by going after beloved babyface and best friend, Sami Zayn. He was met with roaring cheers when he made his premiere appearance at the start of the NXT TakeOver: R Evolution, but by the end of the night, he was the biggest bad guy in the entire building.
Two months to the day, he decimated Zayn in decisive fashion to capture the NXT Championship, and his reign of terror over the black-and-yellow brand has yet to cease. He has shown no remorse in putting talent on the shelf for months on end, as long as he's the one with his hand raised by the conclusion of the contest.
Moreover, his character has relatable motives: providing for his family. But it's what he does to get what he wants that makes him a despised competitor, including ambushing people from behind and inflicting pain on others.
His most desirable attribute is his ability to back up his trash talking on the mic by winning a majority of his matches. You won't want to mess with a guy who has suffered only one loss in his six months with WWE and beat John Cena in his first pay-per-view match.
4. Randy Orton
7 of 10
The term "boring" has been used to describe Randy Orton, and at times, that term can be applicable. What some see as "boring" others may call "calculating," but either way, he was undoubtedly the most hated man in all of pro wrestling during the year 2009.
Orton had a nice reign for himself as WWE champion throughout most of 2007 and 2008, but his winning ways made him cocky. When he was forced to work his way back up the ladder after suffering an injury, he changed his mindset to that of a "viper," struggling to stay alive and backstabbing whoever he needed to in order to reclaim his spot at the top.
With Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase having his back at every turn, he started the year off by punting Mr. McMahon, the Chairman of the company, straight in the skull. From there, he made it his mission to put every member of the McMahon family in a hospital bed, and over the course of the next few months, he was successful at doing just that.
As WWE champion, he dominated the Raw scene for the better part of 2009 and similar to Seth Rollins, he had The Legacy as his insurance policy. Fans wanted to see his rivals get a hold of him and give him his comeuppance, showing his strengths at being a bad guy.
He was so fantastic at playing the heel role that it ultimately turned him into a fan favorite by the spring of 2010. Although The Apex Predator is currently endearing himself to the audience, don't be surprised to see him return to his villainous roots down the line.
3. Edge
8 of 10
When Edge took his rightful place among the immortals in 2012, he became one of the most celebrated Superstars to ever enter the prestigious WWE Hall of Fame. However, there was a time in WWE when he was the most detested person in the locker room (both legitimately and in storyline), and he prided himself on that.
The first few years of Edge's career, albeit impressive, weren't what made him a Hall of Famer. Rather, the tides didn't begin to turn until late 2004 when his singles run really started to take off and as a heel, he was given full range with what he could say and do.
Like any other heel, he cheated to get ahead in his matches, but it was his cheating with Lita that cemented him as a star almost immediately. Taking the real-life heat against him and turning it into a storyline with Matt Hardy, Edge channeled his anger and was determined to prove his worth to all of his detractors.
In January 2006, he added "Ultimate Opportunist" to his long list of nicknames when he cashed in the Money in the Bank briefcase to become WWE champion for the very first time. Over the next five years, he captured the prestigious prize another ten times, making him one of the most decorated competitors in WWE history.
Edge was a slimy, vindictive heel in both his matches and in his promos, and it was his unstable state that made him different than all the other heels on the roster. It was hard to hate someone who was so great at what he did, but the Rated-R Superstar sure made it a heck of lot easier with his repulsive actions.
2. CM Punk
9 of 10
Anyone who followed the career of CM Punk on the independent scene knew what he was capable of as a heel, but your average WWE fan definitely didn't. The early years of his WWE tenure from 2006 through 2008 saw him portray a generic babyface with nothing about his character that made him stand out, other than he was a great wrestler and he was straight edge.
In the summer of 2009, WWE wanted to experiment with him as a heel, and in response, he took the ball and ran with it. His slow-burning heel turn was near-flawless, and it featured him negatively flipping his straight edge persona around by wanting to make people convert their lifestyles into his.
His feud with Jeff Hardy on SmackDown will be remembered as one of the few highlights of a bleak 2009, and as the leader of the Straight Edge Society, he ruled the blue brand with an iron fist. Punk had the same mentality of the many great heels that preceded him, as he was relentless in ensuring the entire audience thought he was the worst person alive.
Even when he wasn't preaching his straight edge ways, he was still a stellar heel by insulting viewers and committing the most deplorable acts, including faking a heart attack and pretending to eat the ashes of the late, great Paul Bearer. Akin to others on this list, his brilliance as a heel was what eventually endeared him to the WWE Universe during the summer of 2011.
There's no denying that Punk was among the most popular babyfaces in the company since the dawn of the "PG Era," but as a villain, he was almost untouchable with what he could do. The former two-time WWE champion has a reputation for being unkind to fans, so you can imagine how much of a blast it was for him to have an excuse to put the fanbase on blast during his various heel runs.
1. Chris Jericho
10 of 10
There's a reason why people remember the rivalry between Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels from 2008 so fondly: It had all the key components. Shawn Michaels was the quintessential babyface in the second half of his career and it was difficult for fans to root against him, but better yet, Jericho was perfect in portraying the heel.
What started out as a forgettable feud between two directionless characters turned into one of the most amazing angles in company history. Jericho believed he should have been the fan favorite because he exposed Michaels for the liar he was, and technically he was right, but it was the way he conducted himself and boasted about his accurate findings that made fans turn against him.
Unlike other heels, Jericho went all out in revamping his image and attitude by doing away with the countdown in his entrance, instead starting to sport trunks and facial hair. Furthermore, he wisely stripped everything from his act that endeared him to the audience, so fans had no choice but to boo him.
Kayfabe in the business has been dead for some time now, but that didn't stop Jericho from taking his despicable persona beyond the ring and acting like a jerk to his fans in real life. He didn't want to have any redeemable qualities whatsoever, going so far as to not have WWE Shop create any merchandise for him.
At the 2008 Great American Bash, he beat Michaels down to a bloody pulp, and it was only 24 hours later that the company officially went PG. Thus, it's apropos that the greatest heel in the last seven years (at the very least) is the same Superstar who ended the era that preceded the current one.
Graham Mirmina, aka Graham "GSM" Matthews, is a journalism major at Endicott College. Visit his website, Next Era Wrestling, and "like" his official Facebook page to continue the conversation on all things wrestling.
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