10 Most Effective Wrestling Heels Of The 21st Century
2. Chris Jericho
Chris Jericho's return to WWE in 2007 was something of a bust; he remained popular, but even a two-year absence did not generate enough nostalgic goodwill to get his 2000 vintage babyface character over to a main event-level degree.
The man who made a career out of reinvention underwent his most successful metamorphosis yet when he donned a suit and rid himself of every recognisable part of his act. Gone was the grating caterwauling of his obnoxious Y2J era heel persona; in its place was a measured and monotonous tone deployed to position himself as intellectually superior to the "gelatinous hypocrites and parasites" too stupid to recognise how great he was. 2008 was his year, and his body of work was all the more impressive considering that he had reached bonafide legend status by that point. That level of respect usually makes it difficult to turn heel, but his old-school approach was so deftly performed that he rejuvenated his career entirely.
His feud with Shawn Michaels was one of the best in WWE's modern history - a near highlight reel of classic heel tropes (incorporating serious injury and spousal abuse) that never once felt contrived.
Jericho and Michaels were afforded creative control throughout. There's a lesson in that.