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2018 is almost out of the door, and we have seen a lot in the WWE this particular year. Titles have changed hands, superstars have made their returns and taken their breaks, shakeups have happened, hearts have been broken, and most importantly, the superstars’ characters have been built.
While being a lovable character and a face in the world of wrestling may not require too much than a smile on the face, a brave attitude, and acceptance towards the fans, working a heel character can prove to be much more difficult.\
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Whether it’s Raw, SmackDown, NXT, 205 Live, or whichever other brand or promotion you watch, each one requires its fair share of heels and faces to make the product more appealing and work well.
With that said, we have watched countless matches and promos this year and have come up with a list of the top 5 heels of WWE in 2018.
Take a look at our list below, and share your favourite heel work of the year in the comments section below.
#5 The Riott Squad
What started off as a slow year The Riott Squad quickly picked up when the trio of Ruby Riott, Liv Morgan, and Sarah Logan were drafted to Raw in the Superstar Shakeup in April 2018. Led by the undeniably talented Ruby Riott, the three women victimized the tag teams of Raw. Their most obvious work for the year was against Bayley and Sasha Banks, followed by The Bella Twins.
However, their most lethal work was against Natalya who was attacked both mentally, verbally and physically by the three women after the death of her father.
Ruby Riott is the most prominent face in the team, and she is an excellent wrestler and also good on the mic.The team has been arguably been the best heel team on either brand throughout the year, and will definitely earn more respect in the near future.
#4 Randy Orton
Randy Orton is by far the most consistent heel that is currently active on the main roster today. His work has been noted and appreciated by many, and he is definitely the most recognizable heel character by the WWE Universe.
Randy Orton’s greatest work this year was against Jeff Hardy. After losing the United States Championship, and being sidelined by injury, The Viper soon made his return and attacked Hardy constantly before earning a few matches against him.
The two men met at Hell in a Cell where Orton dished out some of the most gruesome punishment to Hardy we have seen in the modern era.
Orton remains one of the best wrestlers in the industry today, and he has been hunting for victims to lay down. After Hardy, he has been working on deleting Rey Mysterio from the roster and will definitely showcase why he is the best heel going forward into 2019.
#3 Drew McIntyre
After returning to the WWE in April this year, the former NXT Champion has tried to lay waste to everything that has crossed his path.
Not only has he attacked almost every recognizable babyface on Raw, but he also went after a few heels in his effort to stamp his authority on the Raw roster. This has transformed him into the most villainous character on Raw today.
McIntyre initially returned alongside Dolph Ziggler, with whom he won the Raw Tag Team Championship and also feuded with The Shield.
However, his most villainous work came after he parted with Ziggler and aligned himself with the Acting General Manager of Raw Baron Corbin to go after the faces of Raw.
He was one of the men involved in kayfabe injuring Braun Strowman and has remained the most powerful heel on the main roster who will definitely make it big in 2019.
#2 Tomasso Ciampa
This year, NXT has seen some amazing heel work by men such as Lars Sullivan, The Undisputed Era, and Shayna Baszler. However, Ciampa has been the man who has made the biggest statement thus far to close out the year.
After returning on NXT TakeOver: Philadelphia on January 27, 2018, and attacking Johnny Gargano with a crutch to close the show, Ciampa has become the most formidable heel on NXT.
He won his first singles NXT Championship in 2018, and his attack on his former best friend and teammate Gargano will remain one of the highlights of the year.
Ciampa has left no stone unturned and no tactic unventured to ensure that he retains his most prized possession, which is the NXT Championship.
Becoming one of the most talked about wrestlers in the WWE in no time even after being from the developmental brand requires a lot of hard work, and his heelish tactics have ensured that he has put his mind to becoming the best.
#1 Becky Lynch
Another list topped by none other than The Man herself, Becky Lynch.
The top babyface of the blue brand has been one of the most lovable characters in WWE. Even imagining her as a fearless heel wouldn’t have been possible just a year ago.
However, today she is the face of the heels in the WWE who has not only showcased her work in the ring and the mic night after night but also dished out punishment to other superstars through her social media accounts.
Lynch transformed into a heel in pursuit of the SmackDown Women’s Championship and took down her former best friend Charlotte in the process to get what should have been hers long ago.
In an attempt to become a badass heel, Lynch tried some unique tactics which have made her arguably the best heel WWE has seen in a very long time!
Fans still love to cheer her more than any other face, which comes as a surprise as heels are meant to be hated by fans. This confirms that Lynch has managed to lead a revolution in the world of heel characters, and will be remembered as one of the best for a long time to come.
