10. John Bradshaw Layfield
If anybody in early 2004 had said to you that Bradshaw would become the longest reigning WWE Champion in Smackdown history, they would immediately have sent you to an institution alongside those who thought Rey Mysterio would ever win the Royal Rumble. But, a quick gimmick change turned the perennial tag team wrestler into JBL, a rich, pompous financier who had shunned his native Texan roots and adopted a Wall Street apparel. JBL won the WWE Championship at the Great American Bash in 2004, defeating the late Eddie Guerrero, and immediately drew shock and negativity from the WWE audiences. JBL was notable for his win at all costs attitude, which saw him defend the championship against the Undertaker, Guerrero, Booker T, Kurt Angle and the Big Show. That is an impressive resume for a champion, but the manner in which he won was effective in constantly producing heat from the fans. His vast sums of money also separated him from the blue-collar fans of the WWE and made him an even more obvious target for their dissatisfaction. JBL survived as champion for far longer than anyone probably imagined, possibly further than he ever thought. But the length of his reign at 280 days, coupled with the numbers at his disposal in his Cabinet, meant that by the time he dropped his championship at Wrestlemania XX he was able to advance the career of the man who is now the face of the WWE, John Cena. For that alone one could consider JBL as one of the greatest heel champions, but for reaching a level nobody ever thought possible of him his inclusion on this list is a must.