25 Great Wrestlers That EVERYBODY Turned Against

17. Jerry Lawler

When territorial wrestling ruled North America, it was commonplace for wrestlers to portray different versions of themselves depending on where they worked. It didn't make sense not to - you didn't have to worry about your local hardcore fanbase catching you flipping the script on another channel because, bluntly, they couldn't.

There was only so much wrestling to watch on a national scale without the era's very best tech, and for Jerry Lawler's spot as Memphis' top star, this was perfect. Not only could he sometimes take his business elsewhere and experience a refreshing new crowd to work in front of, but when he finally elected to take a WWE deal in late-1992, he was able to play a monstrous heel on a standard Raw, Superstars or Challenge while completely justifying his behaviour back home.

This was never more fun that during his feud with Bret Hart. The unexpectedly exceptional rivalry traversed between WWE and USWA, but with the roles completely reversed. On any given Raw, Lawler would be telling Stu Hart to put his false teeth in backwards and eat himself to death, enraging 'The Hitman'. Meanwhile in Memphis, Bret led a WWF army including Randy Savage (!), Giant Gonzalez (!!) and Vince McMahon himself (!!!) to get revenge, but with actions that marked his lot out as the bad guys rather than the beloved 'King'.

The whole thing worked a treat for keeping both companies going during difficult times, serving as a reminder of how hatred in wrestling remained the quickest route to financial prosperity.