{"id":144620,"date":"2025-10-23T09:00:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-23T13:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=144620"},"modified":"2025-10-23T06:46:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T10:46:44","slug":"greatest-wwe-heels-renaissance-era-edition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2025\/10\/23\/greatest-wwe-heels-renaissance-era-edition\/","title":{"rendered":"Greatest WWE Heels: Renaissance Era Edition"},"content":{"rendered":"

The discussion of WWE\u2019s Eras becomes more muddled as we move into more recent years. Many agree on the name of the era we are currently in, but the question of when it started remains open. To maintain continuity, WWE\u2019s wave of change that began the Renaissance Era will start with WrestleMania 38<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We have been very blessed to be living in this current WWE era. The product has never been better, and a huge mitigating factor is the volume of heels. The Renaissance Era has contained some of the greatest heels to ever step into a WWE ring. They have helped to shape the direction of WWE and have rivaled the babyfaces in popularity. They are the heels that we love to hate, and the ones who we pay to see destroyed: heels that will always be remembered, and ones listed below.<\/p>\n

Gunther<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Whether it be in NXT United Kingdom, NXT, or on the main WWE roster, Gunther has been as dominant a heel as one could be. While touring the NXT brands, he was known as a no-nonsense wrestler who wasn\u2019t fancy. He would hit you as hard as he could, and you tried to survive the consistent onslaught.<\/p>\n

On the main roster, Gunther took these great qualities and amplified them to become one of the greatest heels of an era. He was exactly as advertised with his Ring General gimmick. His methodical dismantling of every babyface on the roster made him both hated and feared. Gunther would pick apart everyone in his path, and there was nothing anyone could do to stop it.<\/p>\n

He was just that much better than everyone. His championship reigns put him in the record books, as he could back up all of his arrogant talk. Gunther is the heel that all others aspire to be.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Logan Paul <\/strong><\/h2>\n

As an outsider, Logan Paul\u2019s WWE career was always going to start with heel leanings. He was a YouTube star no one took seriously, and the feeling was that his thoughts on professional wrestling were similar. He would strut in and out of the company whenever he wanted and demanded anything that he could. What was more was the fact that he was outstanding in the ring. It rubbed salt into the fan\u2019s wounds and drummed up an even more negative response.<\/p>\n

Paul knows exactly what he is, and he leans into the entitled better than everyone role. He is a natural showman and has no problem stooping to any level to promote his product or himself. Logan Paul has been the prototypical heel since his WWE debut, and he has been the perfect heel to insert into any program.<\/p>\n

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Photo Credit: By diegofernandophotography<\/a> – https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/202213156@N02\/54307356675\/, CC BY 2.0,<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Becky Lynch <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Becky Lynch was a revolutionary when it came to WWE\u2019s women\u2019s division. Her rise to stardom was fantastic, and she was one of the best babyfaces in company history, which is why her devolution into heel-dom was as effective as it was. No one in their right mind could have imagined how quickly Big Time Becks could have had the fans turn on her.<\/p>\n

Becky Lynch\u2019s ego created this persona that the fans couldn\u2019t stand. She believed her own hype more than anyone, claiming that the Women\u2019s Division had her to thank for everything. Lynch had a significant role, yes, but the delusion that she was bigger than WWE made her great. The best heels have an arrogance that eclipses all, and Becky Lynch had that in spades. Becky Lynch became Big Time Becks with the look, the swagger, and all the qualities needed of a great heel.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Kevin Owens <\/strong><\/h2>\n

As long as Kevin Owens is on the WWE roster, he will be making this list. As a babyface, he is one of the best, but it’s in his heel form where he truly shines. He has an intensity that makes everything he does believable. Kevin Owens is the type of character who can turn on anyone in a second. Even his closest allies have seen him turn his back on those who trusted him.<\/p>\n

We have seen, during the Renaissance Era, Kevin Owens turn on the likes of Randy Orton and Sami Zayn. These were men he stood side by side with on the field of battle, and when we thought they were in sync, Owens would ruin the moment. Kevin Owens will always be a popular professional wrestler, but it\u2019s his ability to turn the fans on that makes him one of the best heels in history.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Roman Reigns <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Roman Reigns’ run as the Tribal Chief is reminiscent of the dominant heel runs of years past. What he did during his time was unprecedented, and it remains one of the best heel runs that WWE has ever seen.<\/p>\n

The Tribal Chief had no equal during his historic championship reign. His aura was electric, and he would never spend time staring up at the lights. Anyone who stood across from him would end up on the losing end. Even the most popular of stars would succumb to his stable’s interference. Then our skin would crawl as he would parade out and brag about his greatness. It was the perfect combination of skill and arrogance that made him impossible to be around. There was no greater top-of-the-card guy than the OTC.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Liv Morgan <\/strong><\/h2>\n

No wrestler has made more improvements to their character than Liv Morgan. Before the Renaissance Era, she toiled away in the mid-card. Sure, she had flashes of greatness, but only when she discovered her mean girl heel character did her career truly take off.<\/p>\n

Liv Morgan always had the talent, but when she developed her mean girl attitude, she became great. Let\u2019s face it, Live Morgan is a beautiful woman. She reminds us of all of the popular girls in high school who wouldn\u2019t give you the time of day. It evoked a very personal feeling of anger towards Liv Morgan. She leaned into the persona and backed it up when she entered the ring. Liv Morgan\u2019s combination of old and new school abilities has made her an invaluable heel in World Wrestling Entertainment.<\/p>\n

More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/strong><\/p>\n

Header photo \u2013 WikiMedia Creative Commons<\/a> \u2013 Stay tuned to the <\/i><\/em>Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0for more on the WWE Renaissance Era and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the significant news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world.<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n

You can check out WWE programming on\u00a0<\/i><\/em>Netflix<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(Raw),\u00a0<\/i><\/em>USA Network<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(SmackDown),\u00a0<\/i><\/em>The CW<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(NXT),\u00a0<\/i><\/em>Tubi<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(WWE Evolve),\u00a0<\/i><\/em>A&E<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(WWE Superstar Sunday \u2013 Rivals, WWE LFG, and Greatest Moments), and\u00a0<\/i><\/em>Peacock<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>\u00a0(WWE Main Event, as well as archives and premium live event streaming). Follow WWE on social media to relive top moments and matches on\u00a0<\/i><\/em>YouTube<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>, and catch fast-paced action on X (<\/i><\/em>WWE Speed<\/i><\/u><\/em><\/a>).<\/i><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The discussion of WWE\u2019s Eras becomes more muddled as we move into more recent years. Many agree on the name of the era we are currently in, but the question of when it started remains open. To maintain continuity, WWE\u2019s wave of change that began the Renaissance Era will start with WrestleMania 38. We have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4518,"featured_media":144643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7205,2192,4,3],"tags":[163,8238,73,217,7612,77],"class_list":["post-144620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-becky-lynch","tag-gunther","tag-kevin-owens","tag-liv-morgan","tag-logan-paul","tag-roman-reigns"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=144620"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144620\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":144644,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/144620\/revisions\/144644"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/144643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=144620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=144620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=144620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}