10 WWE Heels Who Were Actually Babyfaces In Disguise
Seriously, why did we boo these guys again?
WWE don't always do the best job when it comes to painting their heroes and villains in the right light. Their struggles with creating compelling babyfaces are well documented, and Raw & SmackDown's "good guys" are generally some of the least sympathetic people on the show. From whining and complaining to outright bullying, WWE's protagonists are often far from likeable.
Creating great heels should be easier. The bad guys aren't hampered by pesky concepts like morality and ethics, and are therefore able to act as despicably as they want. They don't suffer from the same restraints as their saintly counterparts, which should make the creative team's jobs a whole lot easier. Unfortunately, this isn't always true.
A heel is defined by their steadfast belief that everything they do is justified, no matter how twisted the logic. That's what made the likes of Roddy Piper and Ric Flair so compelling, and establishing these motivations is critical in building long-term heat. WWE have often lost touch with this, however, and sometimes the company's villains are heels by the tag alone.
It's often the case that WWE's heels are more sympathetic in their actions than the babyfaces, and these guys are testament to that.
Here are 10 WWE heels who were actually babyfaces in disguise.
10. Nailz
To say things didn’t work-out for Nailz in WWE would be a huge understatement. The former AWA wrestler debuted for the company in mid-1992, but was released from his contract following an alleged assault on Vince McMahon that December. Furthermore, he was an incredibly limited worker who didn’t have the skills needed to get his inmate character over, and he struggled through his run.
His first feud might have had something to do with this. Nailz debuted as a burly ex-con out for vengeance against the Big Boss Man, a former prison guard. Nailz claimed that Boss Man had assaulted, abused, and humiliated him during his spell behind bars, and now that he finally had a means of getting his own back, Boss Man was going to pay.
The story was entirely believable, not only because of their respective gimmicks, but because Boss Man had played a borderline psychopath in his early WWE career. It was perfectly conceivable that Nailz’s claims were correct, yet somehow Boss Man was the good guy in all this. Nailz subjected Boss Man to a vicious night stick assault on his debut, but surely this is justifiable after years of prison abuse?