Wrestling Heels Who Were Not Traditional

When it comes to a traditional heel, wrestling fans have a clear expectation of what they are going to see. Someone who will talk trash about the fans, make cheap shots about the local area, and attack wrestlers from behind. It's a tried and tested formula, and many of the best heels have tapped into that and made it work over the years.

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However, not every single heel over the years has been traditional. There are plenty of wrestlers who have looked to bring in different elements, changing up their character from the norm as they have been able to get heat in unique ways and enjoyed success because of that.

10 Drew McIntyre Is An Honest Man

Reason He Wasn't Traditional: Heels Normally Lie

Drew McIntyre has worked as a great babyface and a thrilling heel throughout his career, and at times he has ticked the traditional heel box. However, his most recent gimmick change is certainly unique, because he is a heel that only speaks the truth and is open with his rivals and the fans.

It has led to him becoming a compelling character as audiences are left considering whether they should hate him or not because he isn't lying to them. However, his aggressive behavior and the fact he's going against top babyfaces allows him to get the necessary reactions.

9 Hollywood Rock Brought A Lot Of Humor

Reason He Wasn't Traditional: Heels Don't Normally Bring This Much Silly Humor

The Rock has always been a charismatic performer, and that has helped him to thrive in a babyface role. However, towards the end of his main full-time role with the company, the audience reception to him was starting to twist, particularly during his feud against Hulk Hogan.

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Because of that, when The Rock returned he leaned into the Hollywood aspect of his life, bragging and pushing the fact that he was better than others. However, his charisma remained a big part of his act which led to him injecting tons of comedy which isn't the norm.

8 Kevin Owens Was Fighting For His Family

Reason He Wasn't Traditional: He Pushed That He Was Doing Everything For His Family

Kevin Owens wasted no time making an impact after joining WWE, attacking his best friend on the night he won the NXT Championship. It was a shocking moment, but rather than becoming a traditional heel after that KO looked to put a new twist on things by claiming he did everything for his family.

It was a brilliant decision because he was being honest, he was just fighting to earn money to be a supportive husband and father. However, fans still booed him because he was attacking top babyfaces and competing against the likes of Zayn and John Cena, with KO leaving fans with a moral choice about whether to boo him or not.

7 Bray Wyatt Mixed Various Characters To Engage Audiences

Reason He Wasn't Traditional: His Firefly Funhouse & Fiend Gimmicks Were Complete Opposites

Bray Wyatt was an outside-the-box thinker, and because of that none of his characters ended up being traditional. However, the best example of that came when he began working as The Fiend, which was a typical heel monster that was able to put a lot of fear into people.

While supernatural characters have been used plenty of times over the years, the fact he was able to blend in his Firefly Funhouse character at the same time, which was softer and more like a babyface that had elements of a twisted heel made this gimmick, unlike anything that has been seen before.

6 Molly Holly Tries To Clean Up The Women's Division

Reason She Wasn't Traditional: She Was Actively Trying To Improve Things

Molly Holly was great in any role she was given, and her time working as a prudish heel was an example of that. Her entire gimmick was all about trying to clean up the women's division, as she wanted them to start dressing differently and covering themselves up.

This was because she wanted everyone to better themselves, but audiences at the time wanted a different product. The fact the babyfaces were mocking her weight made this a strange character as Holly would be booed because of that.

5 Kurt Angle Was An Olympic Hero Turned Villain

Reason He Wasn't Traditional: Angle Was Pushing The 3 Is - Intensity, Integrity, Intelligence

When Kurt Angle first appeared in WWE he was pushed due to his legitimate history as an amateur wrestler, and an American hero as a gold medal winner at the Olympic Games. Most people thought that would lead to him being an obvious babyface, but that wasn't the case as people ended up hating him.

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Angle pushed the idea that he was a perfect citizen and athlete that everyone should love, often telling fans they shouldn't boo an Olympic hero. It wasn't the typical style of heel run, but it ended up being a great introduction to him as a performer.

4 CM Punk Led The Straight Edge Society

Reason He Wasn't Traditional: He Was Encouraging People Not To Drink Or Do Drugs

CM Punk never does what is ordinary, often pushing himself to create new and different characters to ensure that he entertains audiences. That was clear when he became heel and created the Straight Edge Society faction, which tapped into real aspects of his life and his decision to be straight edge.

Punk would look to convert different fans, and made drastic changes to wrestlers such as Luke Gallows and Joey Mercury's character. What he was talking about was a positive message, but it was the way he did it that helped to make it a great heel gimmick.

3 Sami Zayn Brings Lightness To The Bloodline

Reason He Wasn't Traditional: He Brought Fun & Emotion To WWE's Biggest Storyline In Years

The Bloodline is a brilliant heel faction that has always managed to inject tons of heat into everything that they have done. However, Sami Zayn was a unique member of that because he was beloved by the WWE Universe throughout it, even though he was a heel.

He would get booed, but at the same time, he could make audiences laugh with his dancing or handshakes. Zayn was desperate to impress the group, but eventually got pushed too far, which did create an incredible storyline for him.

2 Simon Dean Wanted People To Be Healthy

Reason It Wasn't Traditional: He Was Trying To Help People

Simon Dean isn't a character that ever reached the main event heights of WWE, but it was one that always created a response from the crowd. A reason for that was that he would spend his time telling them what to do, how to lose weight, and other tips to remain healthy.

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While that was technically a babyface action, fans naturally dislike anything where they're being told what to do by a wrestler. It can quickly turn an audience and it did here, creating a gimmick that worked perfectly for him.

1 Daniel Bryan Was The Planet's Champion

Reason He Wasn't Traditional: He Was Speaking About Being Environmentally Friendly

Daniel Bryan returning from retirement could easily have led to him being a babyface forever, simply choosing to ride that wave of fan support. However, he opted to switch things up by becoming a heel after defeating AJ Styles to become WWE Champion, cheating in the process with a low blow.

Bryan then put together arguably the best run of his career with the 'new' Daniel Bryan. He became the Planet's Champion, berating fans for their treatment of Earth, which on paper was a babyface idea, but it ended up being an amazing heel character.