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Over the years, WWE have been successful in introducing characters that have stemmed from a very dark space, and became influential in garnering attention from the crowd through their demented mind.
While many of them have been scary, a select few of them have ascended to the top of this industry and make a name for themselves.
Superstars like the Undertaker, Mankind, and Sting have all played their parts in embracing these dark dispositions, and have portrayed them skillfully in front of the audience.
Considering that there are plenty of WWE characters that have become stale today, many of them are still emerging and becoming a tough act to follow.
Since a lot of the superstars have been pushed and pulled in different directions, there are many components that need to be taken into consideration in order to judge their stock and relevance in the business today.
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So, without further ado, let's dive deep and rank the 10 best darkest characters in WWE.
#10 Luke Harper
Starting the list with probably one of the most underappreciated talents in the WWE today, Luke Harper possesses a disposition that is quite dark in its own right.
Having been a pivotal component of both Wyatt Family and Bludgeon Brothers, Harper has already established himself as a brilliant in-ring performer.
Considering that he is usually silent and lets his decimation do the talking, the former Intercontinental Champion has unfortunately never reached his full potential in the company, till yet.
His battles with Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, and Randy Orton have been immensely popular and displayed his demented side to the crowd that wanted him to win the WWE Championship in 2017.
While that might never happen, Harper stands in a league of his own and still continues to embrace his dark space regardless of what transpires in his professional career.
#9 'The Demon King' Finn Balor
Finn Balor's versatility as a performer can be easily seen through his terrific characterization, with one embracing the light, and the other glorifying the dark.
While Finn Balor 'The Man' has been terribly booked on Monday Night Raw, it is the Demon King that garners tremendous reception for the First-Ever Universal Champion.
The 37-year old has created a demon of his own that understands his dark side and complements his artistic yet offensive wrestling ability.
He has often acknowledged that he extracts his source of energy from a Demon that descends his inner fears and catapults him into a different stratosphere of the dark.
Since his debut on the main roster, Vince McMahon initially picked Finn Balor's alter-ego as the one to defeat all odds, and become the next big-thing. However, his injury constraints sidelined him and unfortunately, his credibility under Vince McMahon too.
Considering that he has never lost on the main roster representing his alter-ego, there's no denying that the Demon King is perhaps one of the most compelling characters in WWE today.
If provided with some careful booking, this could certainly ascend Finn Balor to the top of the WWE, again.
#8 "The Charismatic Enigma" Jeff Hardy
If you're closely analyzing what Jeff Hardy has been doing recently, then you do understand that he has certainly walked a dark path inside his head.
Jeff Hardy's characters have successfully complimented his in-ring style, and have been influential in ascending the quality of his feuds.
Whether it was his feud with CM Punk, or his recent altercation with Randy Orton, Jeff Hardy has always had that dark edge to his character that only exposes when he is at his best.
His Extreme Rules match with the Undertaker on an episode of SmackDown in 2010 also depicted how fearless he becomes when he starts coercing his mind to the dark side of life.
Considering that he's bound to be Brother Nero soon, the Charismatic Enigma is leaving no stone unturned by constantly explaining the chaos that transpires within his mind.
He appears broken and applies face paint to transform into a fractured identity. Whether you're a fan of Broken gimmick or not, Jeff Hardy has certainly walked a dark path in his career, and that is why he's probably one of the darkest characters in WWE.
#7 Braun Strowman
Before Braun Strowman split from the Wyatt Family and went on his own track, he was possessed by the demented cult mind of Bray Wyatt.
The Eater of Worlds introduced the Monster Among Men to the WWE Universe and claimed him to be Sister Abigail's 'Black Sheep'.
While he moves around destroying things today, there was a time when the company was promoting him as the 'New Face of Destruction'. Since the inception of his character came from a dark space, there's no denying that the Monster Among Men still possesses that dark antics that made him what he is today.
After splitting with Bray Wyatt, Strowman went on his own and achieved massive success, but he has done it by taking the opposition to places they have never been before.
There was also a time when WWE was seriously considering pitting Braun Strowman against the Undertaker at WrestleMania 32, but the plans were shelved quickly because fans were not invested in his dark characterization.
Since he moves today as a Monster, there's no denying that his origination is as dark, as it is mysterious.
#6 Aleister Black
Another superstar that drives all inspiration from the dark side of life is Aleister Black. His gifted striking ability makes him one of the most dangerous performers in the WWE today.
Emerging out of the dark, the former NXT Champion can knock someone's head off with his offensive mannerisms within the ring, and has been successful in enticing fear in his opponents.
Ideally regarded as a top-tier performer under Triple H's wing, his feud with Velveteen Dream garnered tremendous acclaim for his eccentric personality, and most importantly, his silence.
A man who emerges from the dark and can knock anyone out has worked perfectly for Aleister Black, and many fans have already started considering dream matches for him.
Everything about his characterization is perfect and gravitates more attention towards his dark persona that provides more edges and layers to his wrestling ability.
Feuds with Bray Wyatt, the Demon King, the Undertaker, and Jeff Hardy could be one for the ages, if booked correctly by tapping into their dark sides.
#5 Sting
Being one of the greatest WCW superstars of all time, Sting has garnered a lot of respect from the fans all over the world who enjoy professional wrestling, as a whole.
Beginning his career as a crowd favorite babyface, Sting was everything you desired an All-American to be. However, after NWO took over WCW, the Stinger underwent a drastic change in his entire persona and embraced the dark side of life.
Wearing a trench coat with a black and white face paint, the Icon became an epitome of darkness that became more of an Avenger, in the world of WCW.
Since he acted like a Vigilante who stood way beyond in the shadows, Sting was able to captivate a magnetic presence and established himself as the franchise player of this business.
With an almost expressionless face, Sting became a hero for WCW, and was quite influential for the company while feuding with the NWO.
His persona enticed a lot of fans who couldn't stop comparing him with the Undertaker, and wanted both the icons to clash in a mouth-watering clash at WrestleMania.
While Sting's WWE run was a bit disappointing but he still manages to gravitate large reaction from the crowd solely based upon on how dangerously dark and mysterious his character was back in the day.
#4 Mankind
There's no denying that Mankind was everything you expected in a twisted psychopath, and while he stands as one of the most greatest performers in this business, he has achieved it so by putting his body and soul on the line.
Mankind's twisted head caught a lot of attention during the Attitude Era, and his strange demeanor catapulted him to the top of the mountain.
His gruesome encounters with the Undertaker and Kane back in the day were successful in establishing Mankind as one of the most fearless performers of that generation.
His Hell in a Cell match with the Undertaker is too hard to put into words and was possibly responsible in changing the entire complexion of the business, and all that came after it.
The crazy bumps that he took in the ring during his encounters with the Undertaker followed by a dark smile on his face was something that shocked the core of the audience, and was influential in making Foley who he is today.
A lot of the current WWE superstars consider Mankind one of the strangest dark dispositions to ever step foot inside the squared circle.
#3 Bray Wyatt
To this date, I have never understood why WWE never went too far with Bray Wyatt's mysterious disposition of a demented cult leader.
An eccentric personality who was trying to blindside the entire WWE Universe into following the Buzzards never actually made it big in this world of WWE.
Probably one of the best characters to come out of this generation is Bray Wyatt's demented mind that constantly kept talking about her sister's teachings and why he became what he became.
His feuds with John Cena, the Undertaker, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns were successful in capturing his evil mind and presenting it to the world.
However, the company itself never understood what they had in him as a cult leader. Bray Wyatt could have easily propelled to unimaginable heights if the product complimented his disturbing mind.
The fans, today do not find anything relevant in the Eater of Worlds, and while he might not be as compelling as he was back then, he is only one good booking away from becoming the next big thing.
#2 Kane
Possibly one of the greatest characters brought to life by WWE is the Big Red Machine, Kane. While he is mostly addressed as the Undertaker's brother, Kane has built a reputation for himself as the last of his kind.
A superstar whose brutality was unbeatable during the Attitude Era after he took his own brother to the limits by burning him alive on live television.
Debuting during a classic match between the Undertaker and HBK, the Big Red Machine arrived with Paul Bearer and instantly made an impact.
Both the brothers went at each other for the longest period of time, and catapulted their rivalry to a different stratosphere through unending mind games.
While the Phenom went on to become a massive hit, Kane's character became underwhelming as the years went by, and became stale by the time he sold himself to the Authority.
There's no denying that despite becoming an irrelevant character today, Kane still possesses that twisted mind and still has that rage and fire within him that turned him into one of the most dangerous performers in WWE history.
#1 The Undertaker
Undertaker's contribution to the world of professional wrestling is too difficult to put into words, and that is why he will forever remain the greatest performer of all time.
The Phenom carried a supernatural character back in the day and made it the most compelling dispositions this business will ever see.
His dark inception during WWF garnered tremendous attention from the crowd, and disturbed a lot of casual viewers for his horrifying and spot-on enactment of a Dead Man.
His time during the Ministry of Darkness catapulted his stature to the top of professional wrestling and exposed his evil side in a way that made him so dangerous than the rest of his peers.
His feuds with Mankind, Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold, Triple H, Kane, and Bray Wyatt unleashed his inner darkness, and took his opponents to hell.
While he might retire and hang up his boots in some years, there's no denying that the Undertaker will go down in history as the darkest and compelling character of all time.
