10 Awesome Heel Vs. Heel Wrestling Matches
You don't always need a good guy to make professional wrestling magic.
Pro wrestling is a simple form of entertainment. More often than not, it involves two individuals doing battle, a babyface and a heel, the ultimate fight between good and evil. The good guy or gal inevitably overcomes the bad guy or gal, and the wheel continues to turn. This is all common enough, but it isn't unusual for two babyface stars to do battle. We all remember John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan vs. Ultimate Warrior and Kazuchika Okada vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi, among others.
Heel vs. heel is decidedly rarer. Wrestling bookers are usually willing to take risks but deciding to book bad guys against each other doesn't seem to happen all too often, WWE's inability to book babyfaces notwithstanding. It is somewhat understandable, especially during those halcyon years of audiences, as the risk of a dead crowd having nobody to cheer for is too large for some bookers to take.
Every now and then a company decides to book two heels against each other, however, and we remember how beautiful this wonderful world can be. Modern wrestling history is full of great examples of evil vs. evil and the stories that contest opens up, be they battles of arrogance, anger or attainment.
When you've got nobody to cheer for, you can allow yourself to be swept up in the excitement of it all...
10. Chris Jericho Vs. MJF (AEW Full Gear 2020)
Chris Jericho and MJF are two peas in a pod, kindred spirits from the same ideological family tree. When MJF finally ascends to his inevitable spot on top of the professional wrestling world, Chris Jericho will be one of the names that are inevitably brought up when discussing influences. Yes, real-life Jericho might be veering a little too close to kayfabe-MJF for some fan's tastes, but that is another thing entirely.
MJF and Chris Jericho's recent match at AEW Full Gear had its own ramifications, but the two went at it fully aware that there was a lot more on the line than a simple spot in an established faction. Jericho's bluster and pomp have always been a cover for his insecurities, and what could possibly make him more insecure than coming up against a better-looking, better-talking, more relevant version of himself?
For MJF, this was a chance to prove to Jericho and the wider world that he is more than a fantastic promo. Maxwell Jacob Friedman is a bad man, don't doubt that, but that nastiness comes riddled with his own insecurities. By outsmarting Jericho and picking up the win, MJF moved one step closer to the throne, externally and internally.
The match itself was far more than the action between the ropes. It was the notes you don't hear, and all that jazz.