Best WWE Heels, Ranked By Intelligence (2024)

WWE has always been a wrestling company that has focused on good vs. evil. Throughout wrestling history, there have even been extremely evil characters, from dead men to demons to voodoo priests. However, the best heels in WWE history weren't over-the-top characters with gimmicks, but just regular men who do evil things.

When there are good heroes, there will always be bad men to make the good guys look even better. The strongest heels in WWE history were people who did such despicable things that it was impossible to cheer them for being cool. The worst of the worst were the best heels because they really make fans hate them.

15 Chris Jericho Made Himself Feel Like The Smartest Man In The Room As A Bad Guy

Jericho Played A Variety Of Heel Roles Over The Years

Chris Jericho was a diverse heel, at times being a sniveling, condescending, suit-wearing world champion, or else being a co*cky, witty clown, both of which showed his intelligence inside and outside the ring.

He was always able to get under the skin of opponents, dictate the correct time to strike, and use underhanded tactics to win a huge amount of gold during his WWE run, becoming a multi-time world champion, and the most successful Intercontinental Champion of all time.

14 The Rock Made Himself A Star As A Heel In WWE

The Rock Knew How To Be A Star Whilst Being A Bad Guy

Whilst The Rock is the biggest face in any and every arena he steps into in the present day, he wouldn’t have got there without his heel runs, which turned him into a star. The Rock’s ability on the mic showcased his smarts, knowing how to make himself marketable even as a heel, forcing his catchphrases into the ears of fans who didn’t want to listen.

He is one of the more quick-witted superstars to ever step foot in the ring, hitting back with one-liners, showing his ability to always be one step ahead of the audience. He aligned himself with the right people at the right times to become one of the greatest and most recognizable world champions of all time. His heel run in 2024 has only proven once again how smart he can be as a bad guy.

13 JBL Ruled Over SmackDown As A Heel WWE Champion

"The Wrestling God" Was One Of The Most Intelligent Heels

Following his APA days, JBL developed into a New York businessman, riding to the ring in a limo, showing off his wealth. His lengthy and historic WWE Championship on Smackdown was evidence of how he managed to outmaneuver and outwit a large number of challengers, including the likes of Kurt Angle, Eddie Guerrero, and The Undertaker. He retained his co*cky persona, and rightfully so, with an impressive title run.

12 Mr. Perfect Had Arrogance And He Backed It Up As A Heel

Perfect By Name, Perfect By Nature

The intelligence of Mr. Perfect spread into his abilities inside the four ropes, using technical brilliance to get the upper hand on opponents, and proving his right to use the name ‘Mr. Perfect’. His arrogance was felt hard on the way to becoming Intercontinental Champion.

During his time in the company, his perfectness was showcased for all to see in vignettes proving his talents in multiple fields outside of professional wrestling. He wasn’t a stranger to cheating in order to get the upper hand either, which he did successfully.

11 Paul Heyman Rightly Has The Nickname Of "Wise Man"

Heyman Sided With The Biggest Heels As A Manager

Whilst not being an in-ring competitor, Heyman has to be one of the first names to come to mind when thinking about brains in WWE. He was the mastermind behind Brock Lesnar’s rise to dominance, and currently backs one of the greatest title runs in history, at the side of Roman Reigns. Though sometimes it doesn't always work out perfectly, Heyman usually helps elevate the top stars he is aligned with.

He always weasels his way out of trouble, siding with the victors, not afraid to turn on friends to benefit his best interests. His way with words and ability to manipulate and invade the minds of rivals is masterful, and no one should forget the spoiler he gave regarding The Undertaker’s streak, because he was most certainly right about that one.

10 Roman Reigns Dominated WWE Under His Heel "Tribal Chief" Character

The Bloodline Ruled Over WWE With Roman Reigns At The Head Of The Table

Roman Reigns was a babyface that fans hated. WWE put Reigns into main event matches at WrestleMania and had him beat some of the best up-and-coming stars in the company. Fans booed him, and WWE kept pushing him as a babyface.

Finally, during the pandemic, WWE turned Roman heel and put him with Paul Heyman. Roman then tortured his own cousin, forcing him to come to Roman's side, and has run all over every babyface on SmackDown. Fans finally hated Roman Reigns for the right reasons. As the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, he became the complete heel package and went on the best run of his career.

9 Edge Was "The Ultimate Opportunist" During His Heel Run

He Took Shortcuts To Reach The Top In WWE

Edge was one of the best heels in WWE for a decade in the 2000s. He started as a tag team superstar with Christian and the two were underhanded, albeit comedic, heels while feuding with the Hardy Boyz. However, he was an even bigger heel when he became a solo star. From his reputation as the ultimate opportunist, winning the world title from John Cena after an Elimination Chamber match to his days with Lita and Vickie Guerrero, he won 11 world titles, always cheating, and fans loved to hate him.

8 Shawn Michaels' Heel Run In The 1990s Proved He Was Very Smart

Michaels Time As A Heel In The 90s And Briefly In The 2000s Was Great

Shawn Michaels eventually became a good guy, but he was never really a unanimous babyface with the crowd (until his second run in the 2000s). He was always the arrogant boy toy who carried himself like he was better than anyone. He also had times where everyone hated him, whether he was feuding with Stone Cold Steve Austin or Bret "The Hitman" Hart. His moments with Hart in Canada showed Michaels at his best, and he even had moments later in his career when he battled Hulk Hogan and John Cena.

The infamous moment in which he conned the Montreal crowd into thinking Bret Hart was in the arena ranks upon the best and smartest heel moves in history.

7 Ric Flair Heel Character Was A Sensation In NWA/WCW

Flair Was The "Dirtiest Player In The Game"

Nature Boy Ric Flair showed up in WWE in the early '90s after years as the top man in the NWA. He came in and hired Bobby "The Brain" Heenan as his manager. Flair was the biggest heel in NWA and had used his Four Horsem*n to protect his title.

He didn't have as much backup in WWE, but he did have Heenan and later Mr. Perfect by his side. Flair won the world title in the Royal Rumble and then later from Randy Savage. Flair returned a decade later as part of Evolution, helping with a new heel faction. Despite his face run towards the end of his career, he retained many characteristics of his heel persona, right up until his final match with the company.

6 CM Punk Was Vindictive, Cruel, But Intelligent As A Heel

Punk's Various Heel Forms Were Always Smart

CM Punk was a heel for most of his career in WWE, and he was always at his best as a villain. He had two major moments that really showed how great he could be as a heel. First was with the Straight Edge Society, where CM Punk portrayed the perfect cult leader, pushing wrestlers to do his bidding. Even better was his time with Paul Heyman, where Punk was the longest-reigning world champion in the modern era. His actions in his feud with The Undertaker showed Punk at his absolute worst (in a good way) as a heel.

5 Seth Rollins Is Called "The Architect" For A Reason

Rollins Always Showcased Smarts As A Heel

Seth Rollins faced the same problems that Roman Reigns did. When the two men were in The Shield, no one was more popular, even during their time as heels. However, when they broke up, no one respected Rollins as a babyface.

When Rollins betrayed The Shield, he was at his best, and fans loved to hate him as he cheated to hold the world title. He had a nice run as the Triple H's chosen one in The Authority. After turning babyface again, the fans rejected him, but Rollins' recent heel turn showed him at his most arrogant and self-serving, though at times, it doesn't feel to the same standard as his Authority run.

4 Macho Man Randy Savage Was A Master Manipulator As A Bad Guy

Savage Played A Nasty Villain

Macho Man Randy Savage was the top heel in the late '80s, and he did everything right. Savage showed up and ignored all the established managers. Instead, Savage brought in Miss Elizabeth to be his new manager. He then verbally and emotionally berated her, immediately making her a sympathetic figure and Savage the most hated man in WWE.

Savage then did despicable things to everyone, torturing the beloved George "The Animal" Steele, cheating to win the IC title from Tito Santana, and injuring Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. The Mega Powers' implosion was the best story in wrestling at the time, and the fans hated Savage.

3 Rowdy Roddy Piper Had No Filter When It Came To Hurting Babyfaces

Physically Or Emotionally, Piper Knew How To Push Buttons

Rowdy Roddy Piper was the most dastardly heel in WWE history at the height of his popularity. He had his Piper's Pit segment to gain more heat by talking than other wrestlers could in the ring. He smashed a coconut on Jimmy Snuka's head. He pushed the beloved Hulk Hogan to the limit, serving as the perfect antagonist to Hulkamania. He headlined the first WrestleMania as the top heel in the company. Piper has shared stories of fans trying to kill him, proving his value as a top heel.

2 The "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase Used His Fortune To Earn Him Success

He Used His Wealth To Take Shortcuts As A Heel

Ted DiBiase was one of the top wrestlers in the territories, a major star in Mid-South Wrestling, but when he showed up in WWE, he got a gimmick that scared some of his longtime fans. However, what resulted was The Million Dollar Man, and he ended up as one of the greatest heels in WWE history. He humiliated fans in television segments and used his money to get what he wanted, including trying to buy the world title from Andre the Giant.

Though in recent times it has emerged that he may not be as smart as his on-screen persona, his legacy with that character will certain live on.

1 Triple H Always Had A "Plan B" As A Heel

He Dominated WWE As One Of The Smartest Heels Of All Time

Triple H and Shawn Michaels were heels in D-Generation X that fans soon started cheering for due to their rebellious attitude against authority. However, when Shawn Michaels retired, Triple H began to grow less comic and eviler. When DX broke up, Triple H went full evil, joining up with Mr. McMahon and eventually starting Evolution.

Even later, he formed The Authority with Stephanie McMahon and became an evil authority figure. Fans love Triple H thanks to NXT, but he spent most of his career as the most hated man in wrestling. Jim Ross aptly dubbed him The Cerebral Assassin for his cunningness in finding ways to get what he wanted. Whether it be brutally ambushing his rivals with sad*stic assaults, turning on best friends and allies, or using his status to reign supreme over WWE programming, Triple H is one of the smartest heels in wrestling history.