HEAT WEEK: Today's Greatest Wrestling Villains

When folks talk about lost arts of pro wrestling, you’ll usually hear some combination of “managers,” “selling,” or “promos.” All three of those elements contribute to the most important art in pro wrestling, the factor that draws the money to fuel the business—heat.

What is it? An emotion—the kind you feel when Eric wins in poker. Your blood pressure rises and instead of reaching for the stress ball, you grab your wallet and head to the arena to watch the bad guy get his ass kicked.

In order to produce heat, you need those bad guys. With the P.G., P.C. restrictions of sports-entertainment, it’s tough to draw heat. WWE Superstars can’t choke, bloody or call people derogatory names unless it’s “stupid idiots.” And the rules they can break, well, they’re not rules anymore: you can use a closed fist, countouts are barely enforced, managers are nonexistent.

As the Attitude Era spawned the age of the Anti-Hero, it signaled the demise of legitimate villains. Stone Cold wrestled like a heel, but society identified with his aggression. The Rock talked mad shit and dropped women, but the fans roared in approval of his entertaining style. The shades of grey diluted the power of heat, shifting from good vs. evil to personal grudges.

And today, with WWE presenting its product as a performance rather than a sport, it’s nearly impossible to hate anyone on the roster. One minute Stephanie McMahon laughs at Daniel Bryan’s seizures, and the next minute she’s praising the courage of cancer-stricken Connor. The worst is during October when everyone on the roster, even those deemed as modern heels, wear pink attire to support breast cancer awareness.

Well, this week on Corrigan’s Corner, in honor of the dog days of summer, I’m celebrating the great heels of yesteryear, their most villainous acts and who keeps the heat burning today.

Without further ado, here are the 10 greatest wrestling villains today.

10. The Club

Even though we all love The Bullet Club and especially AJ Styles, you can’t help but notice that cheers for John Cena have been much louder lately, almost universal. You could attribute that to his time away from the ring as absence makes the heart grow fonder. You could also attribute that to his tenure on the roster, and his performances over the past couple years in particular, earning him adoration from his former haters.

But I attribute his recent seemingly-universal popularity to his foes: The Club. AJ Styles has evolved into a top heel because he speaks the truth: he’s better than John Cena, more deserving than John Cena and can beat John Cena at anytime, anyplace. Of course, when the chips are down, he relies on Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson to help out, but that only adds to their heat.

9. Bobby Lashley

During Kurt Angle’s last match in TNA, Lashley unleashed hell on the “Olympic Hero,” surviving an Ankle Lock and finally conquering the all-time great after three spears. As they embraced after the battle in a sign of mutual respect, Lashley closelined Angle and dropped him with yet another spear. The monster awoke, leading to a path of destruction culminating at Slammiversary with the TNA World Heavyweight Championship.

8. Kevin Owens

Much like the Club, Kevin Owens is also a favorite here at Wrestledelphia. But if you’ve ever searched his name on Twitter, you’ll see tons of folks bitching about this fat Steve & Barry’s customer hogging the spotlight.

Casual fans look at Owens’ physique, hear his snarky comments and see his Northeast Philly attire, and don’t think he’s a credible pro wrestler. Despite his actual talent inside the squared circle, they automatically boo him based on first impression. To Owens’ credit, he thrives off it. He insults everyone on Twitter and mocks all fans in attendance. He’ll cheat and injure friends, and justify it by saying he has to provide for his family.

Those are the worst kind of people.

7. Rusev

The “Bulgarian Brute” mauled Titus O’Neil in front of his kids, made their dad submit and then told them their dad is a loser. On Father’s Day.

6. Mike Bennett

Accompanied by his catty jezebel of a wife, “The Miracle” has vowed to save professional wrestling. From constant interference, never-ending self-serving promos, and gaudy ring jackets? Apparently not.

5. Chris Jericho

Drink it in, maaaaan. Thankfully, the gift of Jericho has not been returned to Fozzy yet as the sultan of scarves instigates and antagonizes every week. From his feud with AJ Styles with the marvelous breakup of Y2AJ to the massacre of Mitch, the potted plant, Chris Jericho proves that evil still exists in WWE and it’s not Kaientai, you stupid idiot.

4. Matt Hardy

He didn’t simply turn heel this year, Matt Hardy evolved into a whole new character. Distraught after a hellacious “I Quit” match with his brother Jeff, Matt Hardy became “broken,” dying a white streak near the center of his fro and evoking some ancient accent. He enlisted the services of Tyrus as his bodyguard and created a Twitter for his baby. He’s focused on the destruction of Brother Nero and asserting his dominance in IMPACT Wrestling.

3. Charlotte

People can’t wait until this woman loses the championship. At every PPV gathering, my friends grumble about Charlotte holding the belt only because of her lineage. They say she’s not as exciting in the ring as Becky and Sasha and she’s certainly not as attractive. Natural Selection is a weak finisher and her spear looks like she’s grabbing the mole ala Porky’s. Plus, her overreliance on her father and now Dana Brooke hurts her credibility.

So if you ask me, she’s doing a great job and most importantly, she’s doing it with Flair.

2. Stephanie McMahon

She emasculates everybody on the roster and belittles fans in every city. She flaunts her authority which was earned only by birthright. She never gets hit and she rarely competes.

The “Billion Dollar Princess” has become the corrupt Queen of WWE, abusing her power both in and out of the ring, channeling her father’s venom for a new generation.

1. The Miz

Nobody likes The Miz. Except for his gorgeous wife Maryse, which makes us only hate Miz more. He’s a reality show castoff who has become this delusional A-lister and somehow, the Intercontinental Champion. His mere presence irritates society because he genuinely looks like you can kick his ass, yet he parades around as a WWE Superstar.