The 20 greatest heels in WWE history – ranked

Every great hero needs a great villain, and WWE has produced some of the best bad guys in wrestling history. Whether they were arrogant loudmouths, despicable cheaters, or just plain evil, these heels made fans love to hate them. Here are WWE’s 20 greatest heels of all time, according to us.

With a goofy Elvis gimmick and an absurdly long Intercontinental Title reign, Honky was a master at getting fans to boo him. He won matches through cheap tactics and count-outs, making audiences desperate to see him get his comeuppance.

Lesnar has spent much of his career as WWE’s resident wrecking machine, mercilessly destroying beloved fan favorites like The Undertaker and John Cena. His disdain for WWE’s full-time schedule just made fans hate him more.

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This is probably going to be a contentious one, but Punk blurred the lines between reality and fiction with his infamous Pipebomb promo. His anti-establishment persona won over some fans, but his arrogant, self-righteous character and betrayal of Paul Heyman made him a classic heel—but a lot more nuanced.

Orton was born to be a heel, but his most despicable run came in 2009 when he took sadistic mind games to another level. He punted legends into retirement, tormented the McMahon family, and even kissed a helpless Stephanie McMahon while Triple H was handcuffed. Cold, calculated, and utterly ruthless, this was Orton at his most venomous.

Rick Rude was the ultimate arrogant heel—flexing his chiseled abs while belittling fans for being "fat sweat hogs" and a whole bunch of other insults in the same vein. His ability to make crowds despise him was only matched by how good he was in the ring. Nothing like being able to back it up. 

Image Credit: YouTube Screenshot @WWE

Unlike most heels who yelled and screamed, Roberts’ quiet, sinister promos made him legitimately terrifying. He was cerebral, manipulative, and always one step ahead—especially when he dropped Damien, his python, on terrified opponents.

Before he was the People’s Champion, The Rock was an arrogant, corporate-backed villain who belittled fans and opponents alike. While his Hollywood Rock run in 2003 was especially brutal, as he mocked crowds and acted too famous for WWE. 

Angle debuted as the ultimate goody-two-shoes, but his smug attitude quickly made fans turn on him. Constantly reminding everyone of his "three I’s" (Intensity, Integrity, Intelligence), Angle became the kind of insufferable heel that only got better as he got more success.

Not strictly WWE, but Hogan’s heel turn in 1996 shocked the world. The ultimate good guy becoming the leader of the nWo was the defining villain moment of the 90s. He cheated constantly, ran roughshod over WCW, and generally became an easy wrestler to hate. He was a heel when nWo gatecrashed the WWE in 2002, so this qualifies in our opinion. 

Speaking of Hogan, as a beloved giant for most of his career, Andre’s heel turn against Hulk Hogan was massive. His slow, methodical destruction of opponents made him a perfect villain in the late 80s.

Before there was Hulk Hogan or The Rock, there was Billy Graham—the original cocky, musclebound villain. His flamboyant promos and arrogant swagger made him a trailblazer for future heels who blended charisma with power. A heel who changed the game. 

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Few heels were as fittingly smug as The Million Dollar Man. Whether it was stuffing cash in a beaten opponent’s mouth or humiliating fans for money, DiBiase was the perfect rich villain that people loved to hate.

When it comes to heels, few were able to adapt and evolve as seamlessly as Jericho. His "suit and tie" phase saw him adopt a slow, smug demeanor, while his "List of Jericho" run made him a hilarious but still despised villain. As far as being a heel goes, Jericho has made it an art form.

Piper’s ability to rile up a crowd was unmatched. He smashed coconuts over heads, insulted everyone in sight, and created chaos wherever he went. As far as characters go, Rowdy was 100% believable in everything he did, which made it very easy for him to generate intense heat. 

Edge was always a great villain, but his Rated-R Superstar persona took it to another level. His real-life affair with Lita (at Matt Hardy’s expense) made him a legitimate heel, and he ran with it like nobody else before him. His opportunistic Money in the Bank cash-ins cemented him as WWE’s top bad guy.

The ultimate boss from hell, Vince’s Mr. McMahon character made life miserable for every fan-favorite wrestler, especially "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. His smug corporate evilness made him WWE’s most natural villain ever.

A foreign menace during the height of patriotic wrestling, The Iron Sheik was despised by American audiences. His hatred for Hulk Hogan and constant anti-USA rants made him not only WWE's (then WWF) most hated men, but also one of the country's. A crossover all "patriots" could get behind at the time. 

"The Game" was the authority figure fans loved to hate. From running DX’s rebellious antics to manipulating his way into power in The Authority era, Triple H was a master of using (real) backstage politics as part of his heel persona. A master manipulator, an elite competitor, and Class A trash talker, "The Cebreal Assasin" is well up there with the greatest heels in our view. 

Before he was Mr. WrestleMania, Michaels was the most hated man in wrestling—by both fans and the locker room. From screwing Bret Hart at Survivor Series to mocking The Undertaker’s dead brother, HBK in his prime was as despised as they come. While we don't think that was his intention, you can't argue with the results. 

The dirtiest player in the game. Flair was the perfect arrogant, cheating villain, bragging about his wealth and backing it up with eye pokes, low blows, and Four Horsemen beat downs. Nobody was better at being bad, and nobody has ever thrived off a crowd of booing fans like Flair. Woooooo!

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