Honorable mention: “Hollywood†Rock – When the WWE fans starting turning on the Rock due to him leaving for movies, Rock turned heel and was phenomenal as a condescending, pompous ass. Unfortunately, being the Rock, he was so good at this that the crowd once again started cheering him. That and the short duration of the character keep him off the list.
10. William Regal – Whether a lackey, Raw GM or just a general badass, Regal was awesome, putting on great promos and forgotten gems of matches.
9. Brock Lesnar – Brock was a huge deal in the WWE,, the Next Big Thing with a huge feud and Paul Heyman as a mouthpiece. He was the best monster heel of the decade, which is mildly amusing, since his future was clearly that of a top face.
8. CM Punk – He was only a heel at the end of the decade, but what a heel he was. He’s quickly proven himself the rare heel capable of getting heat regardless of opponent and, indeed, with no opponent at all. Add in great matches in a variety of roles and it would be impossible to ignore his contributions.
7. Eddie Guerrero – Lie, Cheat and Steal worked as a heel or face thanks to Eddie’s spectacular talent, but his ability to be genuinely creepy as a heel was matched very rarely. He or HBK is the most talented wrestler I’ve ever seen. He’d be higher up, but much of his best work of the decade was as a face.
6. Randy Orton – From RKO updates to the cocky prick of Evolution to Rated RKO and Legacy, Orton was a heel for the majority of the decade, in some great matches, and generally drove fans nuts until they had no choice but to cheer him.
5. Kurt Angle – Angle as a heel in WWE was amazing, a pompous, hilarious ass who could turn it on in the ring and be one of the best ever there. He was an over face from time to time, but the dominant image of Angle will always be that “You Suck†became part of his music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wptsxgLRXcI
4. JBL – At first he in no way deserved to be a top heel, but as champion his amazing matches with Eddie Guerrero, great psychology and unreal promos almost made me forget that he isn’t Stan Hansen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw9LAbt6j4k
3. Chris Jericho – Jericho would probably have ranked below Eddie if only for his crybaby heel around his title unification and leaving Raw, but he proved he could add a whole extra level of heelishness with his return, being, for awhile, among the best heels ever. He could easily be placed higher up the list and I wouldn’t argue.
2. Triple H – Another guy with a legendary run amongst some more pedestrian work, Triple H often thought he was a dominant heel, which, generally didn’t work, as he overpowered opponents to the point where there was little interest. This was true, however, with two major exceptions. At the start of the decade he and Stephanie McMahon had among the best heel runs ever, with Triple H in numerous all-time classic matches with some of the best ever and then when Evolution broke up, H made Batista a star in a great series. Add in longevity and Triple H is another who could be #1.
1. Edge – While Triple H made Batista, Edge really got over John Cena, being his first major Raw foil and getting WWE’s top draw extremely over with that portion of the audience. Edge then went on to rule Smackdown for years, feuding with Batista, Undertaker, and Jeff Hardy, putting on great matches with the later two. Edge is, for all this, a curious case. He was clearly and by far most effective with a female valet, as his run with Lita made him a star and his run with Vickie Guerrero kept him atop Smackdown. Without either? Great, but not an all-time great. Of course, one could say the same of Randy Savage with Elizabeth and Sherri, so it’s clearly not affected his rankings. Now, quick, 5 second pose!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5t1H96Vo7l0
