This is a list of my thoughts on the top heels in professional wrestling from 1980-1997.  I have already written about my favorite tag teams from 1980 – 1997 when I was an avid wrestling fan.  If you missed that blog, you can check it out here.  One of my supervisors from work inspired that list by posting his version…I saw it and decided to do one of my own.  That supervisor has since posted his “most hated” wrestlers that he had ever seen.  His list was a little off because he had both kinds of heels on the same list.  He had the guys that were absolutely despised by the fans because they were so damn good at doing their job that they got the desired response on the same list as the guys that the crowd just hated because they didn’t like them period.  That last type of response is what has become known as XPac heat.

XPac heat is NOT the kind of response that you want from the crowd.  Just the mere sight of XPac would anger wrestling fans.  Waltman had talent but he was 1/4^th the size of everyone and his best friends were Shawn Michaels, HHH, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall.  So he got pushed down everyone’s throat with DX and nWo because of who he was friends with and not because of his ability.  He was way over his head with his spot.  Fans knew it.  Other wrestlers knew it.  As 1-2-3 Kid and Lightning Kid, he did cool moves and worked his ass off.  Once he made it, he coasted off the name and hard work of his friends.  He was along for the ride without adding anything of his own.  It was a perfect storm that generated XPac heat.  Here are some of the biggest examples I can give you of XPac heat in wrestling:

1.  Rocky Maivia.  DIE ROCKY DIE chants were deafening when the Rock first came on the scene.  He was pushed down everyone’s throat.  He wasn’t ready for the spot.  His character sucked.  He was obviously just where he was because of his name and the roles that his father and grandfather had played in the company.  He immediately fell into XPac heat and even though he was supposed to be a good guy, the crowd chanted DIE ROCKY DIE whenever he came out to the ring.  It changed the course of history in professional wrestling.  It was something to behold:

2.  John Cena.  When the music hits for his tired stale routine to make its way to the ring, everyone over the age of 12 (except for Mike Kincaide and idiots) let out an audible groan.  His act got old four or five years ago.  He is the new Hulk Hogan of wrestling.  Unfortunately, John Cena won’t be turning heel like “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan did because evidently you cannot do charity work if you play a bad guy on TV.  Instead, we have to keep getting fed the same crap week after week, year after year, with John Cena being an unbeatable Superman.  Just in case you were confused, he ISN’T supposed to get booed out of the building every week.  That is just the fans expressing their XPac heat on the stale character that is John Cena.

3.  Hulk Hogan – The aforementioned Hulkster was the John Cena of the late 80s through the 90s.  The “eat your vitamins, say your prayers” Red and Yellow Hulkamania had ran its course by 1990 at the latest.  The top good guy started getting booed out of the arena by fans that had seen enough and were ready for something different.  Vince McMahon is good at ignoring the will of the people and let Hogan way overstay his welcome at the top of the card.  Fortunately for wrestling fans, there was a WCW to gobble up Hogan as competition to WWF.  After having Hogan run over Ric Flair (the biggest sin they could have committed in the South), Hogan finally saw the writing on the wall and turned heel to go into the nWo.  He became “cool” again and the rescued himself from the XPac heat category for a while.

Now let’s look at the other end of the spectrum…the heels that were so good at what they did, they caused riots and made fans spend money they didn’t have to come to an arena hoping to see that wrestler finally get their comeuppance.

10.  Harley Race.  8 time World Heavyweight Champion.  He was a badass heel before badass heels were popular.  Feuds with Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair showed him to be devious, tough and talented.  I can remember despising him leading up to Starrcade 83 when he would send mercenaries after Ric Flair to injure his neck and try to put him out of the match.

9.  Nick Bockwinkel.  4 time AWA World Heavyweight Champion.  He was the AWA’s version of Ric Flair even though he was before Ric Flair.  Won the heavyweight title from Verne Gagne in 1975 and held it unto 1980.  Managed by Bobby Heenan, they were the most hated tandem in the AWA for years.  “Tricky” Nicky was a dirty player but he always kept the title.  He’d rank higher on the list of top heels if his long reign hadn’t completely happened before I was old enough to appreciate it.

8.  Jesse “The Body” Ventura.  The money he could have made feuding with Hulk Hogan in the WWF in the 1980s is absurd.  Unfortunately, his health forced him to the announce table and wrestling was immensely better for it.  His heel commentary alone could earn a spot on this list but he had the look, the talent and the mouth to have been #1 if his “Body” held up.

7.  “Million Dollar Man” Ted Dibiase.  As a heel in Bill Watts’ Mid South territory, he’d have to fight his way to the dressing room after matches.  He was great in the ring.  He had a cocky attitude.  The people hated his guts.  As the Million Dollar Man, he was still a great heel.  Hell, he bought the WWF title and paid a referee to get a face transplant (go with the story people) to screw Hulk Hogan.  That alone deserves a spot on this list.

6.  “Ravishing” Rick Rude.  One of my all time favorite heel moments in professional wrestling.  Even better, it led to Ravishing Rick Rude changing his ring gear into some of the greatest gear in wrestling history.  Especially this pair:

Ravishing Rick Rude was able to parlay this feud into becoming the Intercontinental Champion and one of the greatest US champions of all time.

5.  Jim Cornette.  The Mama’s Boy.  Riots ensued whenever Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express were chasing after the Road Warriors, Rock N Roll Express or Fantastics around the south.  When he broke his leg falling off the scaffold, fans lost their frigging minds.  Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton couldn’t talk their way out of a speeding ticket and Jim Cornette by association made them the most hated guys in the room.

4.  Bobby “The Brain” Heenan.  Manager.  Wrestler.  Commentator.  The man could get heel heat saving babies from a burning orphanage.  Hell, he made people care about the Brooklyn Brawler!  I can still hear “Weasel” chants in my sleep from the amount of heel heat he could get at a show.  The greatest of all time at what he did.  Deserves a major place on the top heels list and this may be too low.

3.  The Freebirds.  The riots they started in Texas are legendary.  One of the greatest feuds in the history of professional wrestling and it would have been nothing without the charisma of Michael “P.S.” Hayes and the brawling ability of Terry “Bam Bam” Gordy.  A great combo of the kick ass heel and the chicken shit heel.  Do yourself a favor and watch some World Class  footage sometime: “GO HOME FREEBIRDS!”

2.  Tully Blanchard.  Tully Blanchard was gold.  One of the greatest TV champions…greatest US champions…greatest Tag Team champions in the history of professional wrestling.  He had the smarmy attitude.  He ran with the best.  He was one of the best.  He cheated like a crook even when he didn’t have to.  He was Ric Flair but 1 step behind.  So underrated at what he did.  The best.

1b.  Rowdy Roddy Piper.  Piper’s Pit.  He was the foil to Hulk Hogan that led the “Rock N Wrestling” connection that spawned WrestleMania.  There wouldn’t have been a WrestleMania without having a Rowdy Roddy Piper as the bad guy.  Smashing coconuts over Jimmy Snuka’s head…giving Little Mr. T haircuts…he was awesome at being a bad guy.  Could have been the undisputed top guy on the list but he took time off for movies and became a good guy too soon.

1a.  “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair.  No one could do it better.  “The Dirtiest Player in the Game.”  He had the promos down pat letting everyone know why he was better than you.  He could taunt the best in the business.  “To be the man, you have to beat the man.”  On the road 325 days a year maybe more wrestling the best that every territory had to offer.  60 minutes a night making everyone look like a million bucks.  “Diamonds are forever and so is Ric Flair.”  “Woooooooooooooooooooooooo”