10 Most Effective Wrestling Heels Of The 21st Century

8. Tetsuya Naito

Prince Devittt
NJPW

Tetsuya Naito was meant to be heir apparent to Hiroshi Tanahashi - a good-looking, massively-coiffed babyface with the flashy repertoire and sympathy-generating match structures needed to supplant him.

It didn't work out. Naito's in-ring game was killer - it had to have been, for New Japan to even entertain the notion - but he failed to emote or project genuine presence. His performances in the 2013 G1 Climax tournament did not meet his billing as its winner; consequently, New Japan feared for his prospects at Wrestle Kingdom 8 to such an extent that they engineered a fan vote to relegate his IWGP Heavyweight Title challenge to the semi final spot. It was when Naito completed an excursion to NJPW affiliate CMLL of Mexico that he rediscovered - and transcended - the innate charisma he demonstrated prior to what was a career-defining knee injury in 2012.

Naito upon his return to New Japan in 2015 became the boss of Los Ingobernables De Japon - a sister of the original faction that tapped into the ironic, detached culture of the day. Naito had been disrespected in 2014, so he practically rolled his eyes at New Japan's traditions in retaliation by spitting on his opponents and carelessly tossing around title belts as if they meant nothing to him.

Debate has raged about whether or not this even makes sense - what is he doing in there, if not to challenge for the top prize? - but the best wrestling heels are controversial.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!