Favorite 'Wrasslin' "Heels" ?

For any pro wrasslin' fans, I was curious as to who your favorite all-time "heels" are? I rarely watch these days, but was a 'mark' as a kid...and 'smark mark' thru the early 2000s. Below are my favorite/best 'heels'...which are similar to my 'all time favorites'...sans a few like Jerry Lawler, Lou Thesz, etc.

• Vader
• Sid Vicious
• Rick Rude
• King Kong Bundy
• Ric Flair (w/ 4 Horsemen)
• Bruiser Brody
• David "Dr.D" Schultz
• SCSA (mid-late 90's)
• "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer
• Nikita Koloff (w/ "Uncle Ivan")
• Arn Anderson (w/ 4 Horsemen)
• "Dirty" D1ck Murdoch
• Stan "The Lariat" Hansen

***Honorable Mention - Ole Anderson, Jos LeDuc, UT (during 'tobacco spittin' heel phase ), Lesnar, Larry Zybszko, Road Warriors (circa early 80s), Harley Race (includes WCW manager stint), Bobby Heenan (as a Mgr), Jim Cornette (mid 80s)& Roddy Piper (mid 80s).

I always mark for heels. Professional wrestling is very pro-White in nature and I have tried to summon the energy to appeal for a CF subforum. Wrestling is a Homerian epic: David vs. Goliath, Beowulf vs. Grendel, etc. When it's booked properly, it is simple and beautiful. I don't like to slander it as a "male soap opera", but yet it's still invariably better than the rest of the 99% of television, so even that unflattering analogy has positive momentum behind it.

My favorite heel is Scott Steiner. In his heyday, he could saunter down to the ring, pick up a microphone, and just berate an entire roster of superstars. Legend has it that he would inform the writers in a very matter-of-fact, finger-pointing style just what he was going to do. And what would they do if they didn't like it, argue with him? He was/is a genetic freak and could smash them in the palm of his hand without breaking a sweat.

[video=youtube;ZWPlnIxqOwI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWPlnIxqOwI[/video]

DD, your heel list is mostly too old for me. I had the great pleasure of meeting Scott Steiner at a miniscule little "house show" earlier this year, basically a YMCA gym full of sloppy losers in baggy t-shirts. I don't want to post my pic but I will send it to you as a PM (and also send it to any regular who cares to ask), me posing in the ring with the Big Bad Booty Daddy, decked out in all his splendor with full in-ring regalia. He is enormous, a true physical specimen even past his mid-forties. I'm a big boy and much younger, yet he absolutely dwarfed me.



The only contemporary heel wrestler worth mentioning is Brock Lesnar. Not as talented as Steiner with regard to firing off belligerent rants, but perhaps even better at being an undeniable monster, a true genetic freak who has no realistic chance of losing to any foe in a fair fight. Lesnar is currently squaring off against "good guy" CM Punk, who is a frail tattooed straight-edge loser. How anyone cheers for him, I will never know. But Punk is a superlative charismatic talker and also a pretty good gymnast, so I am not totally put off about it.

DixieDestroyer said:

For any pro wrasslin' fans, I was curious as to who your favorite all-time "heels" are?.. Below are my favorite/best 'heels'...which are similar to my 'all time favorites'...sans a few like Jerry Lawler, Lou Thesz, etc.

• Vader
• Sid Vicious
• Rick Rude
• King Kong Bundy
• Ric Flair (w/ 4 Horsemen)
• Bruiser Brody
• David "Dr.D" Schultz
• SCSA (mid-late 90's)
• "Mad Dog" Buzz Sawyer
• Nikita Koloff (w/ "Uncle Ivan")
• Arn Anderson (w/ 4 Horsemen)
• "Dirty" D1ck Murdoch
• Stan "The Lariat" Hansen

Click to expand...

DD,
yeah.. I grew up on '80s NWA. I liked Rick Rude, he was a ****y motherf-cker. The Four Horsemen were cool @ times, (I liked Tully Blanchard) & I remember sitting in front of the tv as a kid, pitchin' a tent for Blanchard's 'Baby Doll'.
Wrestling was always stupid, but fun.
You remember the Mulkey Brothers..? they went about 150 lbs each, weren't heels, more like punching bags. Some of their matches consisted of taking a quick lariat or knockout punch & then laying out. They were my all-time favorites in the old NWA.


Blanchard & the Perfect 10 Bably Doll.. circa 1984

Chris Jericho as a heel in his early days was great. Loved him as a kid. Triple H's Reign of Terror from 2002-2005 had it's moments but other times felt so forced.

Too bad it's all **** now.

Phall, thanks for the PM. I responded with some (quasi) personal connections I have with the Steiner Brothers. ;-)

AA, Tully Blanchard had underrated mic skills, & was an outstanding 'heel'. I marked out for the heels as well. I have some other 'faves' who were seldom heels (Lawler, Andre the Giant, etc.), but preferred the "monster heels". ;-)

DH, Jericho is another fella with solid mic skills & charisma. I also liked his metal band Fozzy...back when they were primarily doing classic metal covers. Brock makes a good 'heel' as he naturally surly & c0cky.

Another grossly underrated heel, was "Dr.D" David Schultz who became infamous for slappin' ABC reporter John Stossel into next week. ;-). Several other wrasslers have stated that Schultz was the 'forerunner' of "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrX9Ca7LSyQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[video=youtube;YByjUbeeG5M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YByjUbeeG5M&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]

Growing up in the 90’s, I religiously watched WCW and ECW (both long defunct) and WWF (now WWE). In 10-15 years, I rarely missed a single episode of any promotion. In college, I stopped watching altogether because I was too busy with work, school, and athletics. In the past 2 years, I started casually watching again, mostly (as Phall mentioned) because TV sucks so thoroughly. I know wrestling shows usually attract lower class whites, but the inherently pro-white, pro-masculine nature of most promotions is palpable. Shows can be funny, dramatic, sexual, political, romantic, and enthralling all in the same night. I've never been to a show in person, however.

This “promo,” for instance, cut by the legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin, is one of the greatest I’ve ever seen in any promotion. The acting, the ferocity, the comedy, the timing, etc…

[video=youtube;J3kqfuGHbeI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3kqfuGHbeI[/video]

As for my favorite “heels,” I was always partial to Big Boss Man, Ric Flair, Arn Anderson, The Undertaker (during the “Ministry of Darkness” stable), Vader, Gold Dust, The Miz, Bully Ray, Meng, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Ted DiBiase, Chris Benoit, Austin Aries, Jim Neidhart, Chris Jericho, Owen Hart, Abyss, Dean Melenko, Gangrel, Kurt Angle, Chris Daniels, Sergeant Slaughter (in NWA), Jeff Hardy (circa 2010 TNA), early HHH, early Kane, Jake the Snake, Steven Regal, Mankind, Scotty Steiner, and Raven (a rare Jewish wrestler)…


CAPTION: Gold Dust: Coolest-Looking Wrestler Ever

For those seeking an entertaining romp, watch “TNA” wrestling, which airs at 9 PM on Spike TV each Thursday.

You guys even seen any DDT? It's a smaller Japanese promotion that doesn't take itself too seriously. Has some funny Youtube videos out there including matches against invisible wrestlers, matches where a ladder has fallen on top of someone and won the match, and matches against blow up dolls. Funny stuff.

My favorite was always the Shockmaster.

Double A, Sid Vicious, Barry Windham, Ric Flair (good incarnation of the 4 Horsemen), Stan Hansen, Nature Boy Buddy Landel, Tully Blanchard, Roddy Piper. There was a storyline where Hansen was being stalked by Japanese photographers that was insanely funny.

How about "The Iron Sheik?" Great angle. Dresses up in Arab headgear and taunts crowd, at the height of the cold war and post Iran hostage taking, with "Russia number one! Iran number one!"

He'd have the crowd going berserk, wallet chains rattling and fists shaking.

Old Scratch said:

My favorite was always the Shockmaster.

Click to expand...

LOL! Vintage WCW right there....

[video=youtube;0ik-aPygpSU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ik-aPygpSU[/video]

Nice thread! Sid Vicious, Ric Flair & the Road Warriors were some of my all time favorites!

Also Humongous shown in his debut vs Dick Murdoch...check out(2:43) how Murdoch reaches under the ring for something to cut his forehead with...and Humongous display of strength(3:26) as he military presses the 6'-4" 270 Murdoch back into ring

Pardon the video(only 4:42 long) static the first 30 seconds...unsuccessful embedding this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et6by_SUEXE&feature=player_detailpage#t=146s

Let's not forget this guy. I don't know where he fits into the pantheon, but he grasped the beauty of the "heel" and played it to the hilt.

http://youtu.be/KAjHULaNy00

The Hock said:

Let's not forget this guy. I don't know where he fits into the pantheon, but he grasped the beauty of the "heel" and played it to the hilt.

http://youtu.be/KAjHULaNy00

Click to expand...

LOL. That Kaufman/Lawler angle was vintage. I'm not a 'fan' (per se) of (jude) Kaufman, BUT he was very creative in his comedy & played the arch-troll masterfully. ;-)

Here's a vintage mega-heel promo featuring "Dr.D" & Piper being very "anti-PC" about Rocky Johnson (Rock's dad) & Tony Atlas. ;-)

[video=youtube;w0do83v2z9E]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0do83v2z9E&feature=youtube_gdata_player[/video]

am i the only one on this forum that had to look up what a heel was when this thread first posted?

Ken Patera
Sid
Christian
Dr. D David Schultz
'The Mouth of the South' Jimmy Hart
Freebirds
Skandor Akbar & Devastation Inc.
Bobby Heenan
Paul Orndorff
Rick Rude
Percy Pringle III
Rougeau Brothers (one of the most underrated tag teams ever)
Kevin Sullivan (loved when he shaved Hogans mustache off)
Scott Steiner

Robert Gremlin the Turd said:

Ken Patera
Sid
Christian
Dr. D David Schultz
'The Mouth of the South' Jimmy Hart
Freebirds
Skandor Akbar & Devastation Inc.
Bobby Heenan
Paul Orndorff
Rick Rude
Percy Pringle III
Rougeau Brothers (one of the most underrated tag teams ever)
Kevin Sullivan (loved when he shaved Hogans mustache off)
Scott Steiner

Click to expand...

The Body was one of the greatest bad guys ever........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHAQvZCQcXU

A modern wrestling heel that I enjoy is named Damien Sandow. He plays a lot like the bearded genius that looks down on the common folk attitude. He's very well-spoken and definitely knows how to amuse the crowd with his condescending speeches. He definitely gives me a fun, old-time heel to root against (but secretly for )

Maybe I should lighten up and take a joke, but I always thought this activity was an embarrassment. Particularly while blacks were dominating real fighting sports back in the dog days of boxing. It seemed quite masturbatory. "Let's pretend that WE are the tough guys." Though I have to guess it was done in a sort of humor that eluded me.

Gibbon said:

Maybe I should lighten up and take a joke, but I always thought this activity was an embarrassment. Particularly while blacks were dominating real fighting sports back in the dog days of boxing. It seemed quite masturbatory. "Let's pretend that WE are the tough guys." Though I have to guess it was done in a sort of humor that eluded me.

Click to expand...

Gibbon,

In the interest of being a good sport, I'll assume you're not being sanctimonious here. Perhaps you're younger, so I'll articulate the initial 'draw' of pro 'wrasslin'.

In the days of America 1.0, modern "sports entertainment" had its inception in catch (as catch can) wrestling...which is basically American submission wrestling. As popularity increased, pro wrestling found it's way onto television...and it was around this time that the 'theatrics' element started to gain traction. As time progressed into the 60s & 70s, the entertaiment factor even more increased. This was primarily to draw interest in the live house shows throughout the various territories. This was before mass merchandising & PPV.

However, it was around the time that Vince McMahon took over WWF (into Titan Sports) that 'wrasslin' would hit it's full stride of entertaiment enhancement. From the mid 80s thru early 2000s, pro wrasslin' was at its "sport entertainment" zenith.

However, it wasn't truly until the internet age that fans (en masse) found out the truth of 'kayfabe' (scripted finishes, angles, heels & faces, etc.). I think this (& death of the territories) killed some of that prior 'magic' & draw.

In any event, it's been called a 'soap opera for dudes', & I suppose that's true. My memories are primarily from the late 70s thru mid 90s & it was around then where I started losing interest . I very rarely watch today. That being said, there are alotta phenominal athletes (& legit tough guys) in the business..as there always have been.

DixieDestroyer said:

Gibbon,

In the interest of being a good sport, I'll assume you're not being sanctimonious here. Perhaps you're younger, so I'll articulate the initial 'draw' of pro 'wrasslin'.

In the days of America 1.0, modern "sports entertainment" had its inception in catch (as catch can) wrestling...which is basically American submission wrestling. As popularity increased, pro wrestling found it's way onto television...and it was around this time that the 'theatrics' element started to gain traction. As time progressed into the 60s & 70s, the entertaiment factor even more increased. This was primarily to draw interest in the live house shows throughout the various territories. This was before mass merchandising & PPV.

.

Click to expand...

Yeah. I don't mean to be a turd. I think it might be a generational thing. It seems to harken to a simpler, in a way more innocent sense of humor however undignified it was/is. Older brother use to watch it. And a bunch of those guys were brick - sh%t-houses, no question. Just wish they were actually trying to knock each other out!

Vintage (racial) 'heel' confrontations & promos from Hulk Hogan, Greg Valentine & Jerry Lawler. ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XqVHcQANNdE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSRUJ9XQC-o&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-XTaoiZ9po&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Gibbon said:

Yeah. I don't mean to be a turd. I think it might be a generational thing. It seems to harken to a simpler, in a way more innocent sense of humor however undignified it was/is. Older brother use to watch it. And a bunch of those guys were brick - sh%t-houses, no question. Just wish they were actually trying to knock each other out!

Click to expand...

You ever hear of Antonio Inoki? He's a Japanese professional wrestler who had an "MMA" match against Ali. A few days before the fight Ali's camp informed Inoki of a several rule changes that Inoki had to abide by otherwise Ali would pull out of the fight. One of the rules put in place was that Inoki could only kick Ali if Inoki had one knee on the mat.

Long story short, Inoki spent the entire fight on one knee taking shots and Ali's legs. The "fight" ended in a draw but Ali's legs were never the same again. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if Ali hadn't chickened out, imagine one of the biggest caste tools in history getting beaten by a "fake" wrestler.

Here's some good highlight & promo videos of 1 of my favorite 'heels'...the late great Frank Goodish (aka Bruiser Brody). The former Washington Redskin was a legit tough guy & a pioneer of the 'hardcore' style. Not to mention his mic/promo skills & epic beard. ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t45_3gaIXWE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpW8IlvuxVQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErRTT8OMDqA&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQLF-5cyH3g&feature=youtube_gdata_player

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qmkTetuCV6M&feature=youtube_gdata_player