It must be tough to play a bad guy in any form of media, but particularly in wrestling where it has to be done in front of a live audience. Finding the right balance between entertaining and annoying is very hard, but some performers are just great at being heels for some reason.
The lifespan of a heel can also be quite short because if they are good, fans will cheer them anyway, so it is important to acknowledge who are the most dastardly characters in all of wrestling at the moment.
10 Grayson Waller
Starting with a new face within the wrestling mainstream, Grayson Waller has already proven how promising he is in the limited roles he’s had to play on SmackDown thus far. The Aussie superstar is a quintessential WWE heel in the mold of The Miz, but honestly even better.
His charisma is perfectly used to display the character’s arrogance to a brilliant level, which makes him a perfect opponent for any other superstar who needs a bit of shine against an up-and-comer. What WWE sees in Austin Theory is what they should be looking at Grayson Waller for as he has already proven to be far more adept at the role of a cocky young heel.
9 Jeff Jarrett
How does Double J keep doing it? Even after his decades in the business he has conspired once more to make himself an essential television presence, with his whole AEW run being an absolute hoot to this point.
The ‘Last Outlaw’ has been terrific as an old-timer dissatisfied with the young crop of talent in AEW as he has unsuccessfully challenged for the tag and international titles in really fun matches.
Fans may have been flummoxed by AEW’s decision to even hire Jarrett, but he’s already proven his worth and then some.
8 Toni Storm
The Outcasts have been the most profiled part of the AEW women’s division for some time, but Toni Storm has made herself the centerpiece of it through her terrific heel work as champion. She has now transitioned into a distraught-looking ex-champion which has only built on her momentum as a breakout heel performer.
For most of her WWE run Storm was a face and struggled to find any character worth sticking to. Now, she has certainly found one and has made herself an undeniable part of AEW television despite the company’s problems booking the women’s division.
7 Bullet Club Gold
Jay White and Juice Robinson took a while to find their feet in AEW, but being a part of Collision has granted them a great profile to showcase their contrasting but terrific chemistry together. Now the group has added The Gunns, making it one of the most entertaining and high-energy heel units for some time.
Jay White is of course the star of the group and is set for big things in AEW, but Juice Robinson has rediscovered his best form recently as a rabid performer carrying around a cardboard cutout of his Kiwi partner.
6 Ricky Starks
Another success story of Collision has been the revitalization of Ricky Starks who looked like a busted flush of a character just a few months ago. This was such a shame as Starks had broken out as a potential AEW Champion in his feud with MJF at the end of last year before a lacklustre feud with Chris Jericho killed his momentum.
Performing opposite CM Punk has obviously blown the wind beneath the sails of ‘Absolute’ Ricky Starks, who has rightfully been inserted into the main event of AEW where he truly belongs as a trash-talking heel with a cowardly streak.
5 Gunther
The insurmountable force that is Gunther only grows as his Intercontinental Championship reign heads even closer to historic levels. He has vanquished a number of powerful babyface figures such as Sheamus, Drew McIntyre, and Riddle in a convincing fashion to remain one of the most unbeatable figures in WWE history.
His in-ring work is unparalleled too, with him making a huge case for being the best wrestler in the world over the past few years through his mind-blowing matches on a traditionally prohibitive WWE stage. The hard-hitting Austrian has made the title more relevant than it has been in decades at this point which is a true credit to the man known as the ‘Ring General.’
4 Don Callis
There might not be someone in all of wrestling that is so genuinely detestable as Don Callis. His deluded viewpoint and snake-like demeanor have made him a fixture within AEW and New Japan where he continues his associations with Konosuke Takeshita and Will Ospreay having betrayed his long-time prized client Kenny Omega.
Callis is as good on the mic as anybody which is essential to pulling off the character that would come across as a bit over the top if anybody else was doing it. The Canadian has perfected the art of being truly unlikeable, which is highly commendable.
3 Judgment Day
What a revelation Judgment Day has been after initially struggling to take off under Edge’s leadership. The group found itself becoming less serious and starting to revel in just being bad guys, with Dominik Mysterio and Rhea Ripley’s on-screen relationship leading the way.
Damian Priest is now holding the Money in the Bank briefcase whilst Finn Balor remains the de facto leader of the group. All four members of the faction have thrived as part of the group and are now set up to have significant WWE careers off the back of it.
2 Roman Reigns
The Bloodline saga has engulfed WWE for three years, with Roman Reigns being the essential ingredient to one of the company’s longest-ever stories. Roman has mastered the role of an insecure and dominant authoritarian leader who is clinging to his power by any means necessary.
With the help of The Usos, Solo Sikoa, and of course Paul Heyman, Roman has established a dynasty that will make him go down as one of the best heels of the modern era, and perhaps of all time. When he leaves WWE it will be a huge gap to fill now that he has presided over the company for so long as it’s ‘Tribal Chief.’
1 MJF
“Ain’t nobody on the level of ‘The Devil” is perhaps the best way to describe it in MJF’s own words, as quite frankly he has already established himself as one of the all-time great heel wrestlers. There are very few performers in any medium who can talk like MJF, whilst simultaneously being one of the best in-ring performers in the world.
MJF has almost done everything he can as heel which has made his flirtations with turning face such an exciting prospect. However, fans will likely have to wait a little longer to see him fully turn as he still holds the title which he’ll be sure to protect with his life heading into the bidding war of 2024.
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