The world of wrestling has always been a story of "good guys" versus "bad guys." Heels, the bad guys in wrestling, have evolved in many ways over the years. In the early days, heels were one-dimensional bad guys that existed purely to be hated. Many different archetypes for heels have added a ton of layers to the "bad guy" in WWE and other companies.
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The nWo was a heel faction that existed to dismantle WCW. They turned out to be the biggest draw for fans of the company thanks to their anti-establishment attitude. Ron Simmons turned heel by calling out race issues in WWE, which was a very layered idea. This list will examine 5 classic wrestling heel gimmick archetypes and which wrestlers did them best.
10 The Pompous Monster
Since the days of Gorgeous George in the '40s and '50s, the idea of a "Pompeous Monster" has been a major heel archetype in wrestling. In 2023, MJF is a modern exaggerated version of the ideals George portrayed in the post-World War II America. "The Pompeous Monster" requires a wrestler to think he's better than everyone and usually goes hand and hand with being rich. JBL, Ted DiBiase, and Mr. McMahon all worked this gimmick.
9 Wrestler That Did It Best: Ric Flair
No person played "The Pompeous Monster" better than Ric Flair. The stylin', profilin', limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin' n' dealin' son of a gun(!) was able to elevate himself to an iconic status as a heel. The fact that Flair was able to back up his smack talk in the ring helped him sell the gimmick to a level that no fan had ever seen.
His promos talking about how rich he was are classic. Flair sold the gimmick so well that people gravitated to him. He even used the gimmick as a member of Evolution in his late 50s. Ric Flair will always be the greatest "Pompeous Monster" of all time.
8 The Hero Gone Bad
Almost every babyface wrestler has had a heel turn of some kind. It's a common way for wrestlers to prevent themselves from going stale. It's also a great way to add drama to any wrestling storyline. Steve Austin famously joined forces with Mr. McMahon and turned heel after WrestleMania 17. His heel turn was met with a mixed reaction, but the archetype has seen many successes. Daniel Bryan had a great "Hero Gone Bad" run in 2018.
7 Wrestler That Did It Best: Hollywood Hogan
Wrestling never saw a hero that was more well-known than Hulk Hogan. Wrestling also never saw a better version of the "Hero Gone Bad" than his heel turn as Hollywood Hogan in 1996. The build-up to Bash at the Beach 1996 told a perfect story of Scott Hall and Kevin Nash "taking over WCW."
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Hogan ended up being the third man of their faction and turned heel, forming the nWo. Hollywood Hogan went on to be one of the most captivating heels on wrestling television for half a decade. He led WCW during the Monday Night Wars and also proved any "hero" could be a monster.
6 The Giant Bully
Wrestling has always been a sport of "big men." As more agile wrestlers began to dominate the sport, the archetype of a "giant bully" became prevalent. The gimmick became a tougher idea for wrestling promotions to sell. The Great Khali is often remembered as one of the worst versions of this gimmick to ever exist. AEW and WWE still do this to this day.
5 Wrestler That Did It Best: Andre The Giant
Andre the Giant is one of the most famous wrestlers to ever live. He also played the role of "Giant Bully" better than any other wrestler. Andre was able to perform the gimmick so well that he helped turn wrestling into a popular culture phenom after WrestleMania III.
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His huge stature and voice helped Andre sell the gimmick as a performer. Andre also could be as intimidating as he wanted to be just by giving a mean look. Everyone believed they could be beaten up by Andre, both in wrestling and in real life, which is why he was so great as a giant heel.
4 The Hellraiser
There are few things wrestling fans love more than a great hellraiser. The hellraiser comes in like a wrecking ball able to upset the establishment with Joker-level love for chaos. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was so charismatic that he was able to pull the gimmick off as a babyface. Edge was one of the best examples of a hellraiser that got under the skin of fans. He was always the ultimate opportunist raising hell at any moment. Seth Rollins has used the hellraiser archetype and achieved great success in WWE.
3 Wrestler That Did It Best: Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, not only for his prodigious skills in the ring but also because of his time as a hellraiser in WWE. When he returned to the company after injury in 2002, he was a changed man, but vintage HBK was a hell-raising monster both in front of and behind the camera.
He was never afraid to upset anyone, which made him massively appealing to fans. If you spit on him, he'd laugh in your face not giving you the satisfaction of making him feel the way you wanted aka raising hell by all means. He also helped establish one of the great hell-raising factions, D-Generation X.
2 The Foreign Menace
Wrestling grew to fame in America after World War II. This was a time of absolute patriotism and an easy way to work a heel gimmick was to be anti-American. This evolved into the "Foreign Menace" gimmick, where a person from outside of the country took the ring over.
The gimmick has also been used outside of North America. Prince Devitt (Finn Balor) established the Bullet Club using the gimmick in New Japan Pro Wrestling. Today, it's a dated gimmick that doesn't work as well as it once did in wrestling because xenophobia is a thin line to toe.
1 Wrestler That Did It Best: The Iron Sheik
The Original Sheik established the blueprint for the idea that The Iron Sheik perfected. The Iron Sheik used real-life situations like the Iranian Hostage of 1979 to help establish major heat with wrestling fans. He ended up being one of the most despised heels of the '80s.
WWE helped feed his takeover of wrestling after Sheik won the WWE Championship in 1983. Although the gimmick is dated in 2023, The Iron Sheik is regarded as one of the greatest heels of all time thanks to his success using the "Foreign Menace" gimmick.
