The 2000s saw a changing of eras in WWE, starting out in the Attitude Era and ending with the birth of the PG Era. In that time, a whole host of all time greats came in and out of the promotion. For every iconic babyface of that decade such as John Cena, The Undertaker, and Rey Mysterio, there were phenomenal heels too.
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The 2000s had a lot of top heels, so picking the best and ranking them is certainly a hard thing to do. Hall of Famers, former world champions, and even those who are still going today are included here.
10 JBL
When the former “Bradshaw” became “JBL” he emerged as a main eventer and won the WWE Championship. During his reign atop SmackDown, JBL emerged as one of the best heels of the decade.
His character work was out of the top draw, with scathing promos that made absolutely everyone hate him. He matched this both with cowardice but also with a vicious meanstreak, using his size to his advantage. He was a wonderful foe to the likes of John Cena and Eddie Guerrero during his time as a top heel.
9 CM Punk
CM Punk only became a heel right towards the end of the 2000s, but he made such a huge impression in 2009 that he emerged as one of the best bad guys of the entire decade, which just goes to show how good he was.
He turned heel in 2009 after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on Jeff Hardy, targeting his substance abuse issues in a vicious manner. He was incredible in this role. He would go on to form the Straight Edge Society towards the end of the year too, which was another wonderful display of character work.
8 Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero was someone who was both a great heel and babyface during the 2000s in WWE. Fans both loved and hated his ingenious ways of cheating, though as a heel he also developed a sadistic side.
This was mostly seen during his infamous feud with Rey Mysterio, in which Guerrero mixed his arrogance with aggression and nastiness, and it all came together in a wonderful full package. Guerrero was certainly one of the most inventive heels ever.
7 Brock Lesnar
When Brock Lesnar made his WWE debut, he was presented as an absolute monster heel, and he played that role to perfection. He was dangerous, bad-ass, but also an unrelenting monster, and it made him feel like the ultimate boss after a while.
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His time as a babyface wasn’t great during the 2000s, and he shined mostly when he was a heel. Whether it be beating the holy hell out of the Undertaker or mocking Eddie Guerrero and showcasing more charisma, he was great in his short spell in WWE.
6 Kurt Angle
Whether it be a goofy comedy heel or the more intense and focused bad guy who stole the show and loved bragging about it, Kurt Angle was constantly one of the best and most entertaining heels in WWE.
He reigned as both WWE Champion and World Heavyweight Champion during the 2000s, and he was at his best as a bad guy. It is a shame he left WWE when he did, because he could have gone on to be even better, climbing higher up this list.
5 The Rock
There were a couple of versions of The Rock during the 2000s where he shone as a heel. As the stooge for the Corporation, he rose the ranks and became a huge top champion in WWE.
He would also develop the “Hollywood” Rock persona which was a huge hit too, and whilst it was a short-lived gimmick due to him going off into the world of film, he did enough in a short space of time to be considered one of the better heels of the decade, though was perhaps not there long enough to be even higher up this list.
4 Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho started off the 2000s as a snidey, slimy heel who was very entertaining, though at times he was a little overlooked and underused. However, as time went on, his status as a heel rose and rose.
When he turned heel in 2008, he developed a whole new persona, and this individual gimmick alone was the best of the year, if not the best of the era. His slow cadence, his vindictive nature, and just everything about him was fantastic. Feuds with the likes of Shawn Michaels were iconic.
3 Randy Orton
Randy Orton had a few spells as a heel in WWE in the 2000s, the most notable of which being his time as The Legend Killer. The handling of a young star putting down legends has never been as good as this. It made Orton a star.
Later on he became more methodical and slimy, and in 2009 he added a vicious mean streak to this too, becoming unhinged and dangerous as he attacked the likes of Stephanie and Vince McMahon.
2 Triple H
Triple H’s “Reign of Terror” has its critics, but there is no denying his work as a heel was world class. He was so detestable, he felt like a big boss, and leading the likes of Evolution he was an absolute star. RELATED: 10 Best WWE Babyface Wrestlers Of The 1980s, Ranked
There was no one fans wanted to see lose as much as Triple H during the 2000s, and that is testament to his terrific work as a bad guy. The start of the decade also saw him do great work in the McMahon-Helmsley Connection and the Two-Man Power Trip.
1 Edge
There are many potential candidates for the best heel of the 2000s, but Edge was arguably the best of them all. When he became the “Rated R Superstar”, he led WWE as the number one bad guy.
He was consistently entertaining, unforgiving in his antics, and he was an absolute menace to the rest of the roster. He was a great rival to the likes of John Cena and The Undertaker in two of the best feuds of the decade too.
