The rivalry that changed the course of pro wrestling as we knowRic Flair knew how to work a crowd.The Dirtiest Player in the Game was as good at making mid card wrestlers look like a million bucks as he was owning a match. He was one of the best at ring psychology by working to the crowd’s strengths while getting the reaction he wanted in order to keep fans entertained.The more entertained, the more money to be made and the bigger the audience at the next stop on the carny tour.Today professional wrestling is void of such superstars, the great heels and the characters that leave such indelible marks on fans. The closest thing to a true heel WWE has on its roster is Seth Rollins, who will now rehabilitate for nine months and make a return to the ring after knee surgery more than likely as a face for the company.Rollins was a workhorse, a go-to performer who continued to get better with each match and each month he held the company title. But as green as he still is, while some compare him to a younger version of Shawn Michaels, he still has miles to go before anyone can put him in the same sentence of a Michaels or Flair or any of his predecessors.Any wrestler can smile for the crowd, shake hands with the fans and call themselves a babyface. It takes a real star in the business to be called a heel.As the lead antagonist, the heel has to carry a match. He (or she) must sell the hit, feel the bump and make the crowd believe his every most. He must feed off the emotions of everyone in the room and make the spot believable.Flair has said often, most notably in his book ‘To Be the Man’ that there were times in his career where it was difficult to get in the ring with a mid-card wrestler and have a great match. Wrestling the likes of Mark Romero, Charlie Cook and George Gulas over the years proved that even in the toughest of times, Flair, the consummate showman, could deliver.Maybe the best compliment ever paid Flair was by Jim Cornette who spoke of the difference between Flair and Hulk Hogan. While Hogan was the measuring stick in WWF, Flair was the stick by which all matches and men were measured.And to this day, with every chop to the chest and figure-four leg lock, fans are paying homage to their heel hero with a hearty Woooo!ThatâÂÂs some pretty high praise.Flair is without a doubt one of the best of all time, but there are others who have proved to be deft at getting the most out of their character. These, in my opinion, are the 10 greatest heels of all time.
#10 Bobby \"The Brain\" Heenan
I was tempted to put Paul Heyman in this slot, but Heenan set the tone for every other manager in wrestling history. How could he be left off this list?
A mainstay in the AWA and then moved on to the WWF, Heenan was every heel manager’s dream. Sassy, snarky and told you like it was. He was charismatic and crude and managed some of the greatest wrestlers of all time.
Heenan was so tremendous at ring psychology as well and gave a great interview. And when it was called for, he wasn’t afraid to get in the ring and help any one of his clients seal the victory.
Heenan’s impact on the business is apparent in the way Heyman conducts himself today. While there are plenty of similarities, Heenan gets the nod because he was the first to do it and was also the best at it.
#9 Kevin Sullivan
Sullivan was as evil as they come. And with a short stature and sadistic tone, he was the dark side before the dark side was cool.
The diminutive Sullivan fought long and hard in Florida with Dusty Rhodes and Mike Graham. His cast of characters, which includes a young Jake Roberts and The Purple Haze were as odd a group as any had seen in the business.
Sullivan’s rants on television left youngsters like myself captivated and sometimes even a bit scared. He was bold for the early 1980s and it did not hurt he had a hot wife (Woman who would become Nancy Benoit).
Sullivan is the catalyst for the characters like Raven, Black Reign and Bray Wyatt.
#8 Hollywood Hulk Hogan
Hogan was the best at Sports Entertainment in the 1980s. While he was part of the WWF machine that changed how we all looked at professional wrestling, he did have some detractors.
The heel turn, once he moved over to WCW changed the course of professional wrestling because of one thing… being a heel was “cool.”
Hogan – who was advancing in age, was protected by his New World Order cronies, but it was evident he turned the business on its ear. With Scott Hall and Kevin Nash by his side, WCW dominated the Monday Night Wars.
Forget the in-ring performance, which really was awful. The promos and the merchandise and everyone wanting to be part of the new coolness was what set his character apart.
#7 Gorgeous George
You cannot leave George Wagner off this list.
George was the first wrestler to use television to help create a character that was both flamboyant and charismatic. He was a tailor-made as a television star. George’s character was born in 1941 in Eugene, Oregon as an effeminate star who incited the crowds and played to their cheers and jeers.
While professional wrestling, for the most part, was still considered a “sport” for carnivals and side shows, Wagner and his brand of entertainment changed the course of the business.
With his wife Betty by his side as his valet, he was the first character to set a tone for “Exotic” Adrian Street and other “eclectic” performers.
#6 The Four Horsemen
I loved both the original group of Flair, Arn and Ole Anderson and Tully Blanchard and the inclusion of Barry Windham in the foursome. There will never be another badass clique like this one, where each member could sell out an arena on their own each night.
The group Evolution had a nice run with it, but it wasn’t the same. Flair led the charge and the others followed close by. The wars with Dusty Rhodes, Sting, the Road Warriors and Lex Luger are still the stuff of legends and are matches that prove to be timeless.
These men, whichever grouping there is, could work a crowd like no other pairing. The lived out their characters and sold out arenas. There were other pairings later on to try to match the success of the original “five”, but nothing came close.
The fact each wrestler could hold a title simultaneously and work harder each night to out-perform the other was and always will be pure magic.
#5 The Iron Sheik
“E-Ran, Number One!” If there was a heel foreign heel who exemplified the 1980s and the WWF, it was the Iron Sheik. The consummate heel who drew heat in every arena and every town.
He was a regional star before he hit mainstream success in Vince McMahon’s outfit.
America was still dealing with residual effects of the Iran Hostage situation and Hulk Hogan was about to make his debut and start the Hulkamania revolution. Hossein Khosrow Ali Vazir actually trained with Ric Flair in Verne Gagne’s farm and was considered a transitional champion between Bob Backlund and Hogan.
Known for his barrel chest, huge legs and his hooked boots, he was a member of the Iranian Olympic Greco-Roman team for the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico.
Even to this day, with his Twitter messages, he still gets heat from the fans.
#4 Terry Funk
Funk finally retired this year after six decades in the ring.
While his brother was a bit more mild mannered, there was definitely an about face with his character and his personality. The Funk I am talking about is the two-time NWA World Champion and as unpredictable a wrestler and performer there is.
Funk was a mainstay in the NWA as a singles and tag team competitor. He feuded with the likes of Harley Race, Jack Brisco and Ric Flair. And when it seemed his career was falling off, he change course and become a hardcore legend.
Funk’s Texas upbringing, the fact he was a second generation star and that he was a master at mat wrestling made him one of the greatest heels of all time.
Funk, like so many other stars, could not shake the business and could not fully retire from its stronghold. He battered his body for years, fighting the demons of the business along the way.
#3 Roddy Piper
He may have been the best on the mic, and that is saying a lot considering the company he kept in the 1980s. Piper was just as good as a heel in the old NWA as he was in the WWF.
He was charismatic, a little off kilter and could back up his words with performing in the ring. Piper’s ability to tick wrestlers off even before they got in the ring with him was gold. His promos with Ric Flair in the Mid-Atlantic region are legendary.
Piper doesn’t get the credit he deserves for helping to usher in the era of Rock and Wrestling and Hulkamania. He was a skilled fighter and wrestler and was the perfect heel to Hogan’s popularity. His Piper’s Pit segment is still one of the greatest of all time.
Why he never wore a world title in the WWF is still a haunting mystery.
#2 Mr. McMahon
The idea of the owner of WWF/WWE getting into a ring might have sounded like one of the dumbest ideas of all time, but Vince McMahon has always been “one of the guys” when it came to putting on a show.
The Mr. McMahon character, along with his long-standing feud with Steve Austin, could be the greatest storyline of all time in this business.
The fact McMahon, who could hold his own, acted the part, played the part and love the part was only part of the story. He got heat from fans and the reaction he wanted every time he stepped into a ring.
His character alone made the Attitude Era worth watching each week.
#1 Ric Flair
There could be no other wrestler to top this list.
A champion in the NWA, WCW and WWF, Flair was loved and hated at the same time. And he loved every minute of it. If there is a wrestler who has stayed in character even to this day, besides Undertaker who narrowly missed this list, Flair is the real definition of a performer. Stylin’ and Profilin’ like no other competitor, he knew the crowds, could work any angle and could sell out any arena.
Flair in his heyday could stand up to any wrestler today, and that’s saying something. A 16-time champion, he is not only the greatest world champion of all time, he is also the greatest United States Champion of all time as well.
And when you needed heat and someone to sell a match or make a few bucks, there was no one better and is no one better to this day.
