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As a form of ritual drama, pro wrestling has always boiled down, in essence to the conflict of good vs evil.
Despite an ever more sophisticated audience and society, pro wrestling really hasn't changed this formula. For example, while the pro-American patriot was a big hero in the 1980s, they were portrayed as the bad guys when Jack Swagger and Zeb Coulter were shouting "we the people!"
While the definition of evil may change over time, the conflict remains the same. Here are ten of the evilest, downright dirty, and irredeemable villains in the history of wrestling.
#10 Ravishing Rick Rude
Before his Ravishing days, Rick Rude was a popular babyface who often teamed with Latino star Manny Fernandez.
Then he joined the WWE and created his greatest persona; Ravishing Rick Rude.
Managed by the evil Bobby the Brain Heenan, Rick Rude's schtick was to rub the fan's nose in how much better looking he was. He would often invite a young lady up to the ring to deliver the 'rude awakening' -- a passionate kiss. But not before he asked the masses to be quiet while he posed.
Cocky mannerisms aside, Rude was a truly skilled worker in the ring and possessed tons of charisma. Perhaps his most villainous deeds happened during his feud with Jake "the Snake" Roberts. After hitting on Jake's wife at ringside, Rude would emblazon her likeness on his tights, with her face being right across his chiselled rear end.
Rude would face comeuppance after Jake promised to 'take those tights right off'.
The Ravishing One passed away all too early, denying fans the opportunity to jeer his antics, but he will always be remembered as one of the best bad guys of all time. Here's Rude facing another legend who is no longer with us; The Ultimate Warrior.
#9 Luna Vachon
The daughter of wrestling legend Butcher Vachon almost didn't have a career!
Luna Vachon attempted to get her husband a job with the WWE, but they were more impressed with her. Unfortunately, Luna failed to leave contact info with them and they had to hire a private investigator to track her down. When they found Luna she was working as a waitress!
Thankfully, Luna Vachon did sign with the WWE, and other promotions as well. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest female talents in wrestling of all time. From her legendary feud with Madusa to her torment of Sable, Luna cut a path to wrestling history for herself by being worse, meaner, and scarier than her competition.
So how evil was Luna Vachon? She had no qualms about attacking a helpless opponent and humiliating her with makeup;
Luna brought attitude and charisma to augment her impressive physique and wreaked havoc all over the globe during her career. Here's Luna taking on Rockin' Robin in a brutal match from Japan.
#8 Eric Bischoff
While not a regular in-ring performer, Eric Bischoff is easily one of the greatest villains in wrestling history.
With his leather jackets and snide, mocking comments, Eric fostered true hatred from the fans. Whether he was protecting Hollywood Hogan from threats to the title or tormenting Ric Flair, Eric was easily the most hated man in WCW during the Monday Night War.
Here's Eric being utterly unsympathetic when Randy Anderson attempts to convince him to cancel a proposed match where the diminutive referee was fighting for his job.
Bischoff's feud with Ric Flair was red hot, and after Ric had a heart attack (kayfabe) in the ring Bischoff appeared remorseful and invited the Flair family to the ring. What happened next cemented his villain status; he would attack Flair's son and kiss his wife!
The moment was repeated on WWE television after WCW folded, with both Stephanie and Linda McMahon.
Eric would get some comeuppance at the hands of Living Legend Larry Zbysko. Here's Eric trashing the legend in a promo.
#7 Abdullah the Butcher
Just look at the SCARS on the Butcher's face...the man is STILL legit terrifying at the age of 71, and is just as crazy as ever!
Abdullah brutalized his opponents, making them bleed and suffer purely for his own enjoyment. That level of dedicated sadism made wrestling fans legitimately scared that he would seriously hurt their favourite babyface talent. With his trademark fork, he would often try to scar them for life!
Abdullah wrestled all over the world for various promotions but perhaps is best known to fans for his runs in WCW in the 1990s, where he feuded with world champion Sting.
Here's Abdullah taking on Hannibal in a cage match that is NOT for the faint of heart or those who feel ill at the sight of blood...
#6 Gamesmaster Kevin Sullivan
The master of mind games, the Duke of the Dungeon of Doom, the coach of the cream of the crop; Kevin Sullivan is regarded as one of the most sinister men in the history of wrestling.
Armed with his trademark Oriental Spike, he had no qualms about causing other wrestlers serious injury. Needless to say, he also didn't much care for fair play or the rules.
Whether he was leading the vain, villainous Varsity Club or dominating the Dungeon of Doom, Kevin Sullivan was always scheming, always planning, and always practical in his ruthlessness. Here's Sullivan taking on Kanemura in a brutal street fight where his Spike was perfectly legal. Don't push play if you can't stand the sight of blood!
#5 Raven
Believe it or not, the man now known as Raven started his career as a preening babyface named Scotty Flamingo!
Thankfully, that gimmick was retired and he morphed into the vile cretin we all love to hate. Raven combined the charisma of a cult leader like David Khoresh with the brutality of a serial killer like Ted Bundy, all wrapped up in a Grunge-inspired package that made for a unique character.
Fans didn't just dislike Raven; They hated him with a passion! So much so that one fan got overzealous and attacked him in the ring!
Raven's most famous feud was with Tommy Dreamer in ECW, but he also had a nasty one with DDP. Years later, they would rekindle their beef in a six-sided ring...
#4 The Undertaker
Wait, what? One of the most beloved performers of all time is also one of wrestling's greatest villains?
It's all true. While the Phenom is treated with the utmost affection in today's wrestling environment, he was an unholy terror during the Attitude Era. From Crucifying Stephanie McMahon and Steve Austin to brainwashing wrestlers like Farooq and Bradshaw into joining his cult-esque Ministry of Darkness, Taker was the big bad of the era.
Undertaker could be brutal in this incarnation, and even tossed Mankind off the top of the biggest single cage in wrestling history;
#3 Jake the Snake Roberts
Jake Roberts always had a dark side, and you'd think a man who associates with reptiles and places a live man-eating snake on top of his fallen foes would be a natural baddie. However, Jake spent the majority of his first WWE run as a babyface, feuding with such notables as Rick Rude and Andre the Giant.
Roberts did turn heel, however, and boy did he ever! Without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most iconic scenes from the 1990s was when he used a (devenomed) cobra on a helpless Randy Savage.
Here's the Snake facing fellow legend Andre;
#2 Ric Flair
While this may come as a surprise to modern wrestling fans, Ric Flair spent the majority of the 1980s and 1990s as one of the biggest bad guys in wrestling.
As a member of the Four Horsemen, Flair would use every craven, cowardly, and cunning tactic he could to retain his World Championship. He was also known for fleeing a match if he was losing, knowing he couldn't lose the title on a disqualification.
If there was a shortcut, Flair would use it. Poking the eyes, raking his boot laces down an opponent's face, and pulling tights were all part of his modus operandi.
To top it off, Flair was fond of constantly reminding the fans how much better, richer, and prettier he was than all of them. Here's Flair bragging about some fancy kicks.
Here's Flair taking on another legendary cheater, Eddie Guerrero.
#1 Vincent Kennedy McMahon
During the Attitude Era, Vince McMahon was easily the most hated, despised, and reviled man on WWE programming.
It all started with the infamous "Montreal Screwjob." For those who are unfamiliar with it, here's the scenario.
Bret Hart was the biggest draw of WWE's new generation era but was starting to feel his age. He signed a twenty year, twenty million dollar contract with the then-WWF, where he would wrestle for a few years and then retire to be a trainer and on-screen announcer.
Unfortunately, McMahon was feeling the pinch from WCW, which was poaching talent and beating him in the rating game. Vince told Bret he could not afford to pay him for the rest of the twenty-year contract and recommended Bret sign with WCW, who had offered the Hitman a seven million dollar contract.
Bret was the WWE champion at the time but didn't want to drop his title to HBK in his home country of Canada. Vince seemed to agree with Bret, but secretly made plans to take the belt off of him in one of the most famous unscripted moments in wrestling history. Here are the match and its fallout in entirety. Note the confusion from Shawn Michaels, as even he was unaware what McMahon had planned.
After the incident, McMahon would go on WWE television and publicly acknowledge the fact that he was more than a mere announcer, and was, in fact, the owner of WWE. His famous "Bret Screwed Bret" line enraged fans and led to the development of his heel persona.
Of course, it was Vince's long feud with 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin that cements his status as one of Wrestling's greatest villains. McMahon did everything in his power to first keep the belt off of Austin, and then to get it off of him once Stone Cold was crowned champion. Reminding fans of the jerk bosses most people have to put up with at some point, the fans responded and made Austin the beloved hero.
Ten of wrestling's most vile villains, and the moments that made them famous. Did we leave someone off our list? Be sure to comment and let us know what you think!
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