Everyone loves a good heel, right? You know those wrestlers who just have a certain way of sending crowds into a frenzy with some truly heinous, violent, and dastardly acts. In the past, we’ve talked about the most shocking turns and betrayals, but today, let’s turn our attention to some of the most despicable actions by a heel, both in and out of the ring.
From The Rock viciously beating a grown man in front of his crying children to JBL making an opponent’s mom have a heart attack to a certain prison guard from Cobb County, Georgia doing all kinds of bad deeds, there were quite a few to choose from.
Vince McMahon Revealing Himself As The 'Higher Power'
There was a lot going on in the peak of the Attitude Era, and one of the craziest angles was the Ministry of Darkness storyline involving The Undertaker doing everything from kidnapping Stephanie McMahon to attempting to embalm Stone Cold Steve Austin in his quest to take over WWE. But behind it all was Vince McMahon, who was revealed to be the “Higher Power” pulling all the strings.
Bobby Heenan, John Studd, And Ken Patera Cutting Andre The Giant's Hair
Before the late Bobby Heenan became one of the best WWE commentators of all time, he made a name for himself as the premier heel manager in wrestling. One of his most dastardly actions (of which there are a lot) has to be the time he, Big John Studd, and Ken Patera held down Andre the Giant and cut his hair. “The Brain” seemed to relish in humiliating the “Eighth Wonder of the World.”
CM Punk Stealing Paul Bearer's Urn
Shortly after William Moody, aka Paul Bearer, died in March 2013, CM Punk did something irredeemable when stole the Undertaker’s late manager’s iconic urn in the leadup to his WrestleMania 29 match against the “Phenom.” Not only that, but he poured out the contents of the urn all over himself to dramatic effect. No wonder Taker didn’t hold back in their co-main event match.
The Rock Viciously Beating Mick Foley In Front Of His Kids
The 1999 Royal Rumble is mostly remembered for The Rock and Mankind’s “I Quit” match for the WWE Championship. In the match, which was famously included in the controversial Beyond the Mat documentary, Mick Foley is viciously beaten in front of his young children, who cry the entire time. Seriously, it’s a rough watch.
Big Boss Man Dragging Big Show's Dad's Casket Through A Cemetery
Big Boss Man, one of the greatest and most athletic big men in wrestling, took being a heel to the next level. For example, there’s the time he crashed Big Show’s dad’s funeral by dragging his casket through the cemetery (with Paul Wight) hanging on for dear life. Seriously, it doesn’t get more despicable than that.
Chris Jericho's 'Man Of 1,004 Holds' Promo
Chris Jericho has proven time and time again that he’s one of the best heels in the business, including the time he gave what has been called the “Man of 1,004 Holds” promo. Poking fun at Dean Malenko and his 1,000 holds, Jericho pulled out a ridiculously long scroll going over all the holds he knew. It was perfection.
Shawn Michaels' Fake Bret Hart Return
Nearly a decade after Bret Hart’s WWE run came to an unceremonious end during the Montreal Screwjob, Shawn Michaels brought the “Hitman” back to the scene of the crime. Or so the fans thought when Hart’s iconic entrance song started playing over the speakers. But there was no Bret, as it was all a ploy by the dastardly heel.
Roddy Piper Hitting Jimmy Snuka With A Coconut
Roddy Piper hitting Jimmy Snuka over the head with a coconut may be one of the most iconic clips in WWE history, but it’s also one of the lowest, most ruthless, and unnecessary moments in the history of “Piper’s Pit.”
JBL Made Eddie Guerrero's Mom Have A Heart Attack
They don’t make heels like JBL these days. This guy would do anything to get heat with the crowd, even if that meant making Eddie Guerrero’s mom have a heart attack in the middle of the ring. Legend has it JBL required a police escort to make it out of El Paso that night.
The New Age Outlaws Putting Cactus Jack And Chainsaw Charlie In A Dumpster
Oh, you didn’t know that the New Age Outlaws once put Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie (Mick Foley and Terry Funk, respectively) into a dumpster and then pushed it off the side of the stage? Well, that happened during a February 1998 episode of Raw. Don’t worry, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn got their comeuppance at WrestleMania 14.
Shawn Michaels Throwing Marty Jannetty Through The Barber Shop Window
The Rockers’ time together came to a sudden and shocking end in early 1992 when Shawn Michaels turned on his longtime partner Marty Jannetty by giving him some “sweet chin music” and throwing him through the Barber Shop window.
The Katie Vick Incident
The Katie Vick incident, in which Triple H dressed up like Kane and acted like he was making love to his dead girlfriend, is one of the lowest moments of the Ruthless Aggression era. It’s amazing WWE and Triple H recovered from this.
Randy Orton Punt-Kicking John Cena's Dad
Randy Orton’s punt kick is the stuff of wonder and a tool he would use to take many legends out of action during the early to mid-2000s. Another addition to that list was John Cena’s dad, who tried to protect his son against the “Legend Killer.” It was just so brutal, so violent, so despicable.
The Four Horsemen Breaking Dusty Rhodes' Leg
The Four Horsemen, arguably the greatest stable in wrestling history, were about as ruthless and dastardly as it got, especially when dealing with Dusty Rhodes. Look no further than September 1985 when they trapped the American Dream in a steel cage and viciously attacked him before breaking his leg.
Rick Rude Painting Jake Roberts' Wife's Face On His Ring Gear
Rick Rude knew how to get people going, both men and women. One of the best examples is the time the ravishing wrestler unveiled a special pair of tights with Jake Roberts’ wife’s face painted on them.
Hulk Hogan Turning His Back On Randy Savage And WCW
Hulk Hogan finally became a heel at WCW’s Bash at the Beach 1996 when he joined up with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to form the NWO. And how did he go about pulling off the biggest heel turn of all time? Well, he attacked longtime friend and former tag team partner Randy Savage with a series of leg drops.
The Rock Channeling Maui To Taunt Mama Rhodes
The Rock’s “Final Boss” gimmick was one of the most absurd, and absurdly awesome, things about wrestling in 2024, and it made WWE must-see TV. This was especially true whenever Dwayne Johnson messed with Cody Rhodes and his mom, “Mama Rhodes,” on the mic by channeling his Maui character from Moana and singing “You’re Welcome.” Menacing, to say the least.
Kevin Nash Throwing Rey Mysterio Into A Production Truck Like A Lawn Dart
The NWO’s takeover of WCW was absolutely wild and saw Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Hulk Hogan pull off some dastardly and destructive feats. One of the funniest (and most extreme) came in July 1996 when Nash threw Rey Mysterio into the side of a production truck like a lawn dart.
Eddie Guerrero Claiming To Be Dominik Mysterio's Biological Father
Way back before Dominik Mysterio was a heel himself, he was caught in the middle of a paternity battle between Rey Mysterio and his former best friend Eddie Guerrero, who said he was the young boy’s biological father. This psychological warfare, which led to a ladder match to settle the case, would have long-lasting ramifications.
The McMahon Family Embarrassing Then Firing Jim Ross
The McMahon family would often take pleasure in the misery of others, like the time they unceremoniously fired and embarrassed Jim Ross in the middle of the ring. To make matters worse, Linda McMahon gave the longtime WWE commentator a kick below the belt.
Scott Hall Tasing Goldberg
Maybe a good thing looking back, Scott Hall cost Goldberg his WCW Championship and his undefeated streak at Starrcade 1998 by tasing the red-hot superstar in the main event match. Dressed up like a security guard, Hall snuck up and incapacitated Goldberg, allowing Kevin Nash to steal the pin and title.
Dominik Mysterio Crashing Thanksgiving
Back when Dominik Mysterio was feuding with his dad, he and Rhea Ripley did everything they could to make life miserable for his family. This included crashing Thanksgiving and ruining the holiday for everyone. It’s so cheesy, so despicable, so awesome.
The Dudley Boyz Putting Mae Young Through A Table
WWE in the Attitude Era was a completely different place and saw folks like the Dudley Boyz be a menace to everyone, both male and female, both young and old. Just look at the time Bubba Ray and D-Von threw Mae Young off the stage and through a table on Monday Night Raw.
The Ted DiBiase Basketball Segment
Back when Ted DiBiase was building up his “Million Dollar Man” heel gimmick, he found some unique ways to generate heat with the crowd. Back in 1987, he told a young boy he’d give him $500 if he could dribble a basketball 15 times. A simple task, right? Well, just before the kid reached the 15th dribble, DiBiase kicked the ball off the stage.
Big Boss Man Feeds Al Snow His Dog, Pepper
During his feud with Al Snow, Big Boss Man came up with some terrifying ways of messing with his opponent, like making him eat a dog. But not just any dog. Instead, it was Snow’s cherished pet chihuahua, Pepper. The way Boss Man said “100 % Grade-A Pepper” after serving up the dish in a hotel room was just so ridiculous.
Brock Lesnar Pushing Zach Gowen Down The Stairs
Zach Gowen was the first and only one-legged wrestler to step foot into a WWE ring, and his journey made for quite a great story. But Brock Lesnar, in the middle of his great heel run at the time, wanted none of it and pushed an injured Gowen down a flight of stairs after the underdog got a victory over him.
Shane McMahon Attacks The Miz's Dad
Though Fastlane 2019 is mostly remembered for the final PLE featuring The Shield before Dean Ambrose left WWE, it should also be remembered for the night Shane McMahon turned heel and attacked The Miz in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. If the beatdown on The Miz wasn’t bad enough, Shane O’Mac turned his attention to the middle-aged man sitting ringside.
Jake Roberts Slapping Miss Elizabeth
When he wanted, Jake “The Snake” Roberts could be one of the most unrelenting and devastating heels in the business. This is no more true than it was the night Roberts slapped Miss Elizabeth in the middle of the ring to get heat with the crowd (and make Randy Savage pay).
Papa Shango Putting A Curse On The Ultimate Warrior
Remember when Papa Shango put a curse on the Ultimate Warrior in the early 1990s? The incident from May 1992 was one of the most cartoonish things to happen in the era, but it made the voodoo doctor look like a major threat.
Gene Snitsky Punting A Baby Into The Crowd
Gene Snitksy is a wrestler who doesn’t get talked about all too much a couple of decades after his run in WWE, and maybe that’s because he kicked a (fake) baby into the crowd during a program with Lita. He straight-up punted that little thing high above the crowd, and it was absurd.
Vince McMahon Taunting Linda McMahon While She's In A Vegetative State
In the early 2000s, in the final stretch of the Attitude Era, Vince McMahon was firing on all cylinders when it came to being a Grade-A scumbag (in storyline). One of the most insane angles he ran was the one in which his wife, Linda McMahon, was in a vegetative state and he did all sorts of unscrupulous acts in front of her. But she did get her revenge at WrestleMania 17.
Bronson Reed's Six Tsunamis On Seth Rollins
Bronson Reed has made quite a name for himself over the years because of his dynamic personality, massive stature, and ability to pull off some heinous acts. Look at the time he performed six tsunamis (his finishing move) on a hurt Seth Rollins. One after another they came down on the fan-favorite.
