10 Superstars Who Could Be WWE's Next Top Heels
They're bad guys, it's what they do.
Looking at WWE in 2017, it would appear that we have something of a heel vacuum on our hands. The nastiest, most underhanded performers will often get cheered or egged on, while their more benevolent counterparts are met with either indifference or derision. AJ Styles gets cheered despite his position as one of Smackdown’s top heels, Braun Strowman gets thanked by fans for emerging from the back to floor an unsuspecting Roman Reigns, and until recently, the perpetually unkind Kevin Owens was one of the most popular wrestlers on the roster.
Reactions towards a heel have changed to coincide with fans’ increased understanding of the business – often people will cheer a bad guy not because they approve of their actions or support them, but because they appreciate good character work when they see it. And there are some great character actors waiting in the wings of WWE and NXT.
Once WrestleMania shuts up shop, WWE will be looking to inject new characters into new feuds, and to do that, they’ll need to match the perfect babyfaces with the most despicable heels.
In this instance 'top' is a relative term that denotes success or significance within a particular facet of WWE programming, and doesn't necessarily mean 'main event'.
10. Jordan Devlin
WWE's designs for the UK Championship are still relatively up in the air. Champion Tyler Bate has shown up in NXT alongside fellow tournament entrants Pete Dunne, Mark Andrews and Trent Severn, while a selection of other UK Championship competitors are scheduled to compete at live events in Norwich this May, including OTT wrestler and so-called 'poop Finn Balor' Jordan Devlin.
Although the talk of the UKCT was Pete Dunne's rip-roaring run, Jordan Devlin is unfairly overlooked as the second most hated man in WWE's UK division. In fact, he's arguably one of the few performers in the event not to receive any sort of fan approval, as even the likes of Pete Dunne and Joseph Connors had pockets of supporters. There was something so condescending and disrespectful about his attitude, and his unforgivable beatdown against opponent Danny Burch cemented Devlin's presence as an arrogant but extremely watchable upstart.
If ever Devlin finds his way onto further mainstream WWE programming, he'll be an easy man to boo, so here's hoping WWE don't do the foolish thing, and give him a run as a squeaky clean babyface.