The Greatest Heels in WWE History

Quite often than not we find that the ‘bad guys’ are the ones that seem to have greater appeal than their adversary. From Hannibal Lecter to the Joker, villains have always been a complete fascination for many. Professional wrestling is no different and even here we deal with the good-guy vs bad-guy storyline and sometimes take it to the next level.

Top wrestlers like the Edge, Triple H and Vince McMahon have been the extremely convincing heels. But here is one man who was considered a very despicable heel that generated hatred like no other, he is considered the best speaker WWE has had over the years, who called himself ‘the wrestling GOD’ John Bradshaw Layfield (JBL).

“You can knock me down on my back but I will be back… John Bradshaw Layfield is here… and if you don’t like it, you can go straight to hell!”

JBL is one of the longest reigning WWE Champions in the history of the company, had anyone predicted this before 2004 people would have considered it rubbish. JBL was one of the most popular wrestlers during the early 2000s where he was paired along with Ron Simmons better known as Farooq as the Acolytes which was till then his most successful stint in WWE.

Before this JBL was a Justin ‘Hawk’ Bradshaw who hardly made above the lower mid card. He was then paired with Barry Windham where he was known as Blackjack ‘Bradshaw’. This was followed by his pairing with Farooq and this is where he really started his rise to the top.

The team of Farooq and Bradshaw was a great hit and fans loved to see them both together. It was in 2004 that WWE took a chance with a fan favourite team and tried to make them go separate ways. Farooq was fired and Bradshaw turned his back on his former best friend and came out as JBL. His first promo as JBL is considered one of the best heel turn promos of all time where he made his way to the ring in an improvised rodeo theme with a cow mooing in the background. The theme was an absolute hit as it managed to serve its purpose which was irritate people.

One of the most distinct features of JBL’s character was the irony and hypocrisy he brought into his promos. His ability to keep the smile on his face intact despite the crowd booing out loud helped him generate a lot of heat. It was as if he wasn’t very bothered about what was happening around him as he was engrossed in his own pride. JBL carried his character really well and his cowboy hat and millionaire attire helped add unique flavour to it.

When JBL beat the late Eddie Gurrero for the WWE Title, most WWE fans were furious at the decision WWE took. People who knew exactly how the business worked were outraged at this shocking move as JBL’s in-ring talent wasn’t exactly what one would call champion-like. But still WWE persisted with the push and this lead to what one would call one of the greatest WWE title reigns of the post-attitude era. JBL’s attitude of win-at-all-costs meant that he went to any extreme to remain on the winning side. He holds an impressive resume as a champion having successfully defended his title against the likes of Undertaker, Booker T, Big Show and a few other top wrestlers.

It was these victories that propelled JBL as a huge heel and any man defeating him then would turn out to be an instant hero. JBL along with the help of his cabinet that had the likes of Orlando Jordan played a huge role in maintaining his annoying character. His catchphrase “I am a wrestling GOD” was considered by many an insult to professional wrestling as a whole. I am sure JBL and WWE never took his catchphrase to heart, but knew that this would create a furor among the fans.

Another factor that contributed hugely to the heat he generated was his promos. The way he targeted the minorities and illegal immigrants in the country made him a very loathsome man. He got carried away so much by his character once that he went to the extent of mocking Germany using their Nazi background. This irritated a lot of people and he was condemned and later made to apologize for his actions.

Finally towards the end of his career as JBL, he accounted for putting over a wrestler who today is considered the greatest face of WWE at present. His feud with John Cena was the latter’s most important ones in his rise to stardom. Had Cena not faced JBL, I doubt he could ever have received the support that he did from fans. The crowd absolutely loved the fact that someone had finally come to end his revolting title run (Well, they regret that now). But still no matter how much one hated JBL’s push as the WWE Champion, his one act of putting over John Cena justified and silenced all those who hated his ability.

Many of you might not consider him to be worthy of being in this list, but the fact that he had the ability to generate heat naturally by simply removing his cowboy hat and smiling in the center of the ring makes his entry into the list a must.

He lived up to his lines “What I say, I do and what I do.. I do it very well” and whenever JBL entered Jim Ross could calmly say “business is about to pick up”.