CM Punk and the 20 Most Beloved Bad Guys in WWE History

The recent greatness of CM Punk has reminded us of one of the strangest things about professional wrestling. We love bad guys.

If you were to go watch a movie like Spiderman or Finding Nemo, chances are that you're rooting for Peter Parker and that little orange fish.

But when it comes to the WWE, it isn't always the good guys who get the cheers. In fact, it's often the other way around.

There something about wrestling villains—their no-nonsense attitudes or rebellious spirits, perhaps—that make fans applaud them more than their baby face counterparts.

It's been this way throughout wrestling history, as there have been countless heels who gets ton of love from fans even though they have no ethics, morals or remorse for their actions.

Here are the 20 most beloved heels in WWE history.

20. Booker T

After rising to fame in WCW in the 1990s, Booker T took his talents to the WWE as part of the Invasion storyline in 2001, where he quickly turned heel as part of The Alliance.

He'd remain on the dark side for a while—even briefly joining the NWO—until turning face in 2002, when he formed an unforgettably hilarious tag team with Goldust.

Booker T would then go on to flip-flop from face to heel numerous times throughout his WWE career, but his run as "King Booker" from 2006-07 cemented him as one of the top heels in the company.

Booker left the WWE in 2007 and had a brief run with TNA before returning to the WWE at the Royal Rumble earlier this year.

He received a massive pop from the crowd, showing that fans remembered him more for what he did as a face than anything he did as the King with the terrible accent.

WWE fans can still dig it, sucka.

19. The Big Show

Like Booker T, The Big Show first gained fame in WCW, where he wrestled as "The Giant" from 1995 to 1999.

He'd jump ship to the WWE roughly a month after he left WCW, debuting at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre: In Your House pay-per-view as a member of Vince McMahon's heel faction, "The Corporation."

The Big Show would go on to win numerous titles in the company—including the ECW and WWE Championship—while switching from heel to face and vice versa more times than I care to count.

Through it all, though, Big Show's unparalleled size made him a staple of the company, as he could play Captain Insano in The Waterboy or star in Knucklehead but still be taken seriously as a heel main eventer.

The Big Show's currently out with a storyline injury, but he's undoubtedly one of the most respected men in the business, no matter what role he's playing.  

18. Batista

Batista made his WWE debut in May 2002 as "Deacon Batista, a heel enforcer for Reverend D-Von, before becoming simply "Batista" and joining one of the greatest stables in wrestling history, Evolution.

Alongside three all-time greats—Ric Flair, Triple H and Randy Orton—Batista's star power grew exponentially, and it officially exploded when Batista left the group in 2005 and became one of the WWE's biggest fan favorites.

He would go on to win the World Heavyweight Championship four times, the WWE Championship twice and develop a huge fan following in the process.

Batista performed as a face until Bragging Rights in 2009, when he turned on his friend Rey Mysterio after losing a Fatal 4-Way match for the WWE title.

Following his heel turn, Batista would go on to feud with top stars like John Cena and Orton before leaving the company in 2010.

Batista may be gone, but his fanbase is still there, and the door is open for him whenever he wants to return. 

17. Kane

Has anyone in WWE history turned more than Kane? I don't think so.

The Big Red Monster made an immediate splash upon his arrival in the WWE, where he debuted as the storyline brother of The Undertaker at Badd Blood: In Your House in October 1997.

From there on out, Kane was one of the most well-liked superstars in the entire company.

He essentially feuded with The Undertaker for the first few years of his career before joining forces with him as "The Brothers of Destruction" in 2001 and becoming one of the most legendary (albeit brief) tag teams in WWE history.

When Kane lost his mask in 2003, it killed a lot of the momentum he had prior to his unmasking. But that didn't seem to bother his  fans.

To this day, Kane—whether heel or face—gets cheered by the crowd and praised by Internet fans who can't believe he's only had two World title reigns in his Hall of Fame career. 

16. Andre the Giant

From 1973 to 1987, Andre the Giant was one of the biggest baby faces—both literally and figuratively—in the WWF.

But the WWF brass made the decision to turn Andre heel in 1987 so he could feud with the company's other top face, Hulk Hogan.

Andre the Giant would go on to have an epic rivalry with Hogan for the WWF Championship, which reached its climax with the most iconic moment in wrestling history. Hogan bodyslamming Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III.

As if he hadn't already, Andre the Giant undoubtedly solidified himself as one of the most unforgettable wrestlers of all time with that move.

He's still loved to this day because of it.

15. "Rowdy" Roddy Piper

"Rowdy" Roddy Piper has been around the wrestling business since 1975 and a part of the WWE since 1983.

After turning heel in Mid-Atlantic wrestling, Piper debuted in the then-WWF as a heel manager for "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff—not as a wrestler because he was recovering from injury—and he instantly became one of the company's top talkers and most well-known names.

Piper would have an extended stay in the WWE—as well as runs with WCW and TNA—before being elected to the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005.

He's often celebrated as one of the greatest wrestlers who never held the WWE title, both because of what he could do in the ring and on the mic.

In November 2006, Piper was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma, which only strengthened his already huge fan base and made it quite clear that, though he was one of the best heels we'd ever seen, he was one of the most loved ones, too. 

14. Kurt Angle

After winning a gold medal at the 1996 Olympic Games, Kurt Angle made the switch from amateur wrestling to professional wrestling.

Angle would make his WWE debut in November 1999, and it was pretty clear from the get-go that he was a huge star in the making.

Not only was he a great technical wrestler, but he had an instant connection with the fans. From his three I's—Intensity, Integrity and Intelligence—to his "It's true, it's true" catchphrase, Angle worked well as both a heel and a face throughout his WWE career.

Want evidence? He was named Pro Wrestling Illustrated's "Most Hated Wrestler of the Year" in 2000, only to be named its "Most Popular Wrestler of the Year" in 2003.

It's a truly a testament to Angle's well-rounded skill set—his wrestling, his charisma and his comedic timing—and his ability to draw a reaction from the crowd. Good or bad.

13. CM Punk

CM Punk debuted on ECW in 2006 as a baby face, and his Straight Edge lifestyle got him over with the fans pretty quickly.

But it wasn't until Punk turned heel in the summer of 2009—and followed up that turn with the best feud of the year against Jeff Hardy—that wrestling fans thought, "Damn, this guy's gonna be huge."

And lo and behold, two years later, Punk cut an epic worked shoot promo on Raw that blurred the lines of scripted TV and reality, and he has since taken the wrestling world by storm.

There is no hotter name currently in the wrestling business, and Punk is, in fact, so hot that the WWE was essentially given no choice but to book this guy as a face/tweener going forward.

Punk is getting pops on the same level as John Cena and Randy Orton right now, and the sky's the limit for this guy, who appears to be the wrestling world's next big anti-hero.

12. Edge

When Edge debuted in the WWE in 1998, he instantly became a big part of the company.

He joined Gangrel and Christian in The Brood, he was a part of The Undertaker's Ministry of Darkness, and he teamed with Christian to form one of the greatest tag teams in WWE history.

It was Edge's partnership with Christian—the epic "five-second poses, the TLC matches, etc—that set him on the path to greatness. He never looked back.

Edge was another star who frequently changed from heel to face, but it was when he became Mr. Money in the Bank in 2005 that heel Edge became a huge star.

He would go on to beat John Cena for the WWE Championship in 2006, and he finished his career with 11 World title runs, most of them as a heel.

A torn Achilles tendon muscle in 2009 forced Edge out of action for several months, and he returned as a babyface during the 2010 Royal Rumble match, which he won.

He worked in that face/tweener role for the remainder of his career before he was forced to retire earlier this year because of a life-threatening neck injury.

And if you wanna know how much the fans loved Edge, just look at this.

11. Vince McMahon

In my book, Vince McMahon is the greatest heel in the history of professional wrestling.

His lengthy rivalry with Stone Cold Steve Austin from 1997 to 1999 was arguably the best one we've ever seen, and he'd go on to play huge roles in a ton of other notable storylines, from the Invasion angle to his feud with his son Shane.

Of all the evil bosses we've seen in professional wrestling, no one came close to Vince McMahon, who even had the gonads to book himself to win the Royal Rumble and the WWF Championship.

Moves like that gained him instant, massive heat from the crowd.

Yet when Vinny Mac doesn't appear on TV for a while, he's greeted by the fans as if he was the biggest face in WWE history.

We all heard that, "Thank you, Vince!" chant on Raw a couple weeks back, right?

Why? Because even if he plays a heel character on TV, the fans can't help but give the man props for everything he's done for the wrestling business. 

10. Randy Orton

Very on in his career, it became pretty clear that Randy Orton would be something special.

His first major role in the WWE was as one-fouth of Evolution, and it was the historic faction that helped Orton become the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in WWE history at just 24 years old.

"The Legend Killer" was on the path to superstardom, and indeed he made it there.

Orton would form a tag team with Edge known as "Rated RKO," he would start the "Age of Orton," and he would go on to win a whopping eight World titles in the WWE.

He also formed Legacy, a heel trio of second and third generation wrestlers, along with Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes, and it was this group that turned Orton into one of the biggest names in the business.

When the stable began falling apart in late 2009 and early 2010, Orton emerged as a huge baby face, and he's been a fan favorite ever since.

Orton is now one of the two or three most popular wrestlers in the company, despite the fact that he acts largely the same way in his new tweener/face role as he did when he was the WWE's top heel.

9. Ric Flair

"The Dirtiest Player in the Game" has that nickname for a reason.

In many ways, Ric Flair was the prime example of how a good heel should perform. The cheap tactics, the arrogance, the showboating.

He's another one of those wrestlers who flip-flopped like nobody's business. Yet he's another one of those wrestlers who was always loved.

Though Flair really exploded onto the scene as a heel member of the Four Horsemen, he was also applauded as a face wherever he wrestled. The AWA, NWA, WCW and the WWF.

He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wrestlers ever to lace up a pair of boots, and as a result, he's treated as such.  

8. Eddie Guerrero

Eddie Guerrero was a well-traveled wrestler, having competed in AAA, New Japan Pro Wrestling, ECW and WCW prior to debuting in the then-WWF as part of The Radicalz in 2000.

Later that year, during a storyline with Chyna, Guerrero received his "Latino Heat" nickname that would stick with him for the remainder of his career.

Though he parted ways with the WWE for a brief period, Guerrero would return to the company in 2002, where he would form a succesful tag team, Los Guerreros, with his nephew Chavo Guerrero. He would also go on to win the United States Championship.

But it wasn't until 2004 that Guerrero etched his name in WWE history, when he defeated Brock Lesnar at No Way Out to win his first and only WWE Championship.

It was an emotional moment, as Guerrero's longtime friend Chris Benoit had just won the World Heavyweight Championship, and the two celebrated in the ring together with their titles.

It's the lasting impression that Guerrero left with us, as he would have some more memorable moments—his feud with Rey Mysterio being one of them—but none that had the raw emotion of what happened at No Way Out.

Guerrero shockingly passed away on Nov. 13, 2005, at just 38 years old, and perhaps more so than any other wrestler in history, his popularity has dramatically increased posthumous. 

7. "Macho Man" Randy Savage

The incredibly charismatic Randy Savage debuted as a heel in the WWF in 1985, but he spent a good portion of his career as one of wrestling's top baby faces.

"Macho Man" and Hulk Hogan formed the Mega Powers in 1987, which may be the most star-studded tag team in WWE history, and it was this duo that led to one of the most shocking heel turns in WWE history.

During a match against the Twin Towers at the 1989 Royal Rumble, Savage accidentally knocked out Miss Elizabeth, Hogan helped her backstage, and Savage then slapped Hogan in the face, leaving Hogan to fend for himself and turning heel in the process.

Yet Savage was still the same awesome Savage who was over as a face, and thus, he was always adored by the fans.

"Macho Man" will always be viewed by wrestling fans as one of the greatest wrestlers in history, and it's a damn shame that he's still not in the WWE Hall of Fame.

In the minds of most fans, however, he's already there.

6. Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho is easily one of the most entertaining wrestlers that the WWE has ever seen. 

After runs in ECW and WCW, Jericho made the most memorable debut in WWE history in 1999 when "Y2J" interrupted The Rock on Monday Night Raw.

A star was born that night, as Jericho quickly rose to the top of the WWE.

He became the first Undisputed WWF Champion in company history when he defeated The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin in two separate matches on the same night in 2001, and he would go on to win six World titles throughout his WWE career.

Jericho was one of the top competitors in the WWE throughout his time there, the fourth Grand Slam Champion in company history.

It didn't matter whether he was the hilarious "Y2J" or the arrogant "best in the world at what I do."

The bottom line is that Jericho knew how to draw a reaction from the fans, and still does to this day, which is why so many people are begging for him to return to the WWE at some point in the near future.

I'll admit it, I am, too. 

5. The Undertaker

On Nov. 22, 1990, The Undertaker debuted in the then-WWF and changed the course of wrestling history.

Originally appearing as a heel who would carry his beaten opponents out of the arena in bodybags, The Undertaker evolved into one of the greatest superstars we've ever seen.

From the "Lord of Darkness" to the "American Badass" to the "Last Outlaw," The Undertaker tweaked his character on numerous occasions. But to wrestling fans, he always remained the same huge superstar that he is to this day.

The Deadman is a three-time winner of PWI's "Match of the Year" award and was ranked as a top-10 wrestler in the world seven times by the magazine.

For a guy of his size, the things he could and still can do in the ring are absolutely incredible, and he's earned himself a great deal of respect as a result.

The Undertaker put on three straight stellar Wrestlemania matches, and he did so while having the best gimmick the wrestling world has ever seen.

(Tie) 4. Triple H and Shawn Michaels

Triple H and Shawn Michaels are best friends in real life, former tag team partners on TV and thus, inseparable on this list.

They worked together in one of the most influential stables in wrestling history, D-Generation X and their careers crossed paths numerous times afterward.

Whether they were wrestling with or against each other, whether they were heels or faces, Triple H and Shawn Michaels are two of the most over performers in WWE history.

Michaels debuted as part of The Rockers in 1988, completed one of the most memorable heel turns ever when he threw Marty Jannetty through the Barber Shop window in 1991 and went on to a Hall of Fame career that has many people labeling him as the greatest WWE superstar of all time

Hard to argue with that, but Triple H isn't far behind.

He's a former 13-time world champion and one of the most consistent performers this business has ever seeen.

It's hard to imagine where the wrestling business would be without Triple H and Shawn Michaels, and quite frankly, I don't think any duo has had more of any impact on pro wrestling than DX. 

3. The Rock

The Rock's WWE career got off to a—pun intended—rocky start.

When he debuted as a face character known as "Rocky Maivia" in 1996, he instantly received a huge push and even beat Triple H for the Intercontinental Championship just three months after his debut.

But the fans quickly grew sick of his boring face character, even chanting "Die, Rocky, Die!" during his matches.

Shortly thereafter, Rocky Maivia completely dropped that name, turned heel, joined the Nation of Domination and became simply "The Rock" from that point forward.

It was the best thing that ever happened to him.

The Rock would go on to have numerous runs as a heel and face, but through it all, he became the second biggest star of the Attitude Era, behind only Steve Austin.

Often considered the best talker in wrestling history, The Rock cut some of the best promos we've ever seen and had enough charisma for 10 people.

We appreciate everything The Rock has done because he might very well be the most complete package to ever step foot in a WWE ring.

2. Hulk Hogan

To this day, when you think of professional wrestling, you think of Hulk Hogan.

The biggest name in the history of the business, Hogan has been wrestling since 1977, but he solidified his status as a huge star when "Hulkamania" was born in 1984.

Throughout his run in the then-World Wrestling Federation, Hogan was booked as the company's top baby face, the guy whose main task was to take down all of the unstoppable heels.

But Hogan went to WCW in 1994, and in 1996, he turned heel for the first time in over 10 years in what was one of the most shocking moments in wrestling history.

Hogan joined Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to form the New World Worder, or NWO, one of the greatest stables of all time.

Instantly, Hogan went from wrestling's most beloved man to its most hated.

Yet "Hollywood" Hulk Hogan still had a legion of followers, and the most-well known name in wrestling will always be remembered as the sport's biggest star. 

1. Stone Cold Steve Austin

In the early-to-mid 1990s, Steve Austin wrestled as "Stunning" Steve Austin as part of the Hollywood Blonds in WCW and "Superstar" Steve Austin in ECW.

But it wasn't until Austin became "Stone Cold" that he became a star.

After a less than stellar run in the WWF as "The Ringmaster" from 1995-1996, Austin etched his name in WWE history when he cut his legendary "Austin 3:16" promo after winning the King of the Ring tournament.

"Austin 3:16" became one of the most popular catchphrases of all-time, and "The Ringmaster" would go on to become "Stone Cold."

The rest is history.

Austin revolutionized the business with his anti-hero persona, a guy who did whatever he wanted but remained hugely over with the crowd.

He had a legendary feud with WWE Chariman Vince McMahon that got the ball rolling on his Hall of Fame career, and he'd go on to become the biggest star of the greatest era wrestling has ever seen.

It didn't matter match whether Stone Cold was heel or face, because his character never really changed all that much.

He was still the beer-drinking, hell-raising son of a b**ch we all love to this day.