Greatest WWE Heels: Golden Era Edition

The excess of the character portrayed by Ted DiBiase was the embodiment of the Golden Era. The Million Dollar Man was the wrestler who was better than you in every way and had no issues showing it. He was a great wrestler and talker with an inflated bank account to buy whatever he wanted.

DiBiase was a heat magnet from the get-go. He could buy anything, or anyone, he wanted to. His segments of getting “random” audience members to do detestable things for money were great. It was hard not to boo the man and his booming laugh. No one matched his arrogance. Matching against him would ensure that the crowd would be in your corner.

Ted DiBiase had great matches with everyone. He would work the heel so well that even the tamest of babyfaces would get a huge reaction. That is a testament to the undeniable heel talent of the Million Dollar Man.

Andre the Giant

There were big, scary heels during the Golden Era, but none came bigger or scarier than Andre the Giant. As a babyface the 8^th Wonder of the World was great, but it wasn’t until he turned heel against Hulk Hogan that he became iconic.

Andre was as physically imposing as they come. At 7 feet and 500lbs, he dwarfed any wrestling that he stood across from. His presence evoked a fear of giants that almost everyone can attest to. You had the feeling that anything thrown at him was going to be an exercise in futility. No matter what happened the Giant was going to get his hands on you.

Andre The Giant was the final boss before The Rock made it cool. He was the mountain for every babyface to climb if they were to reach the top. No man struck fear into the hearts of all more than the man from the French Alps.

Roddy Piper

Piper was the best talker in the company. He used this talent to inspire such hatred from the audience that he couldn’t go anywhere without vicious threats being thrown his way. No one could work the fans into a frenzy more than the Rowdy Scot. Few could ever be on the level that Piper operated on.

If not for Piper maybe the Golden Era wouldn’t have happened. His rivalry with Hulk Hogan was the driving force and the feud that started selling out arenas all over the counter. It was the program that sparked Wrestlemania. There was no Hulk Hogan without the heel that was Roddy Piper.

Randy Savage

At both the mid-card and main event level there is no other heel that succeeded as much as Randy Savage. The Macho Man was spectacular at every level of the company, providing the perfect heel for babyfaces to chase.

When he started his hold over the IC strap was iconic. He cheated his way to the championship and cheated his way to a record-breaking run with the championship. The heat on him had become so much that his losing the championship was one of the best moments in WWE history.

Savage’s second heel run was a horse of a different color but no less effective. His justifiable turn on Hogan was seeded in jealousy and created a fantastic character. One that would develop layers as he maneuvered himself into being a king. It was an amazing run by Savage and one that solidified his mastery of the heel form.

The Iron Sheik

One of the usual quivers that WWE has in its heel arsenal is the foreign menace.  It is a go-to that always gets the fans out of their seats with jeers of disgust. It has always been a popular gimmick but there might be no man that pulled it off better than the Iron Shiek.

The Shiek hated everything about America, thus drawing undeniable heat from the fans. His intro before every match became hard to hear from the volume of the boos being rained down. He had the type of heat that many men would only dream of.

It was the tremendous heel heat from the Iron Sheik that helped to launch the start of Hulkamania. He was so hated that Madison Square Garden erupted upon his defeat. Sure, Hogan was massively over, but the crowd reaction wouldn’t have been as big if the Iron Sheik were as hated as he was.

The Honky Tonk Man

Strutting to the ring in his sequin attire, slicked back pompadour, and more than slightly obnoxious ring music made the Honky Tonk Man instantly hated. Even before he took the mic the boos rang down from the rafters.

He was an audacious character who was very easy to hate, which was a testament to his talent.

Appearance aside the success of the Honky Tonk Man helped to make him an all-time heel. His win-loss record was better than most, and many didn’t think he was deserving of it. His in-ring skill wasn’t amazing, but he always managed to get the victory.

It was incredibly frustrating for the fans, especially when he could boast the longest Intercontinental Championship reign in company history. Honky was able to achieve greatness, and the fans hated him all the more for it.

Mr. Perfect

There is nothing that draws heat like a man who is better than you at everything. Through his introductory vignettes, Mr. Perfect was exactly that, perfect. He was exceptional at every sport he participated in, and when he debuted in WWE, he was that much better than everyone in the ring as well.

Not only was Mr. Perfect on point, but he had no problem letting everyone within earshot know about it. It was this arrogance that made him one of the best heels on the roster. Whatever he said before his matches he was able to back up. He made our beloved babyfaces look foolish and reveled in the fact that we couldn’t do anything about it. Mr. Perfect was, frankly, the perfect heel in WWE.