Just like in any form of entertainment, there are heroes and villains. In WWE, they call them “faces” and “heels”. Here are current roster heels and their horror villain counterparts.
Truth be told, WWE and all of its divisions are not just a showcase for athletes. Week after week, fans tune in to WWE’s main shows Raw and SmackDown for the entertainment value. What makes a fight more interesting than a gripping story line to proceed it?
WWE, the smart and savvy company it is, caught on to the need of plots pretty quickly. They didn’t want to just show two wrestlers fighting, they told the fans why they’re fighting. Maybe it’s over a lover, or one of them betrayed the other, or maybe it’s just ego, but there was always a reason for the action.
When any battle story is presented, naturally, there will be a split in characters ethically and morally. Good vs. evil, protagonist vs. antagonist, hero vs. villain, or in this case, face vs. heel. There’ s always someone fighting for the good of the viewer, who stands for what is generally accepted as right, and their evil counterpart.
Let’s face it. Being good, fighting for good…that’s all good. The villain in any story, though, gets all the fun. They’re usually clever, funny, manipulative, rebellious, free thinking, scheming, and sometimes, they win. There’s a whole audience out there who loves to see the bad guy win.
Those who love to see the bad guys win also tend to love horror movie villains just as much, and really, what better comparison than a heel to a villain? Here are current roster heels and their horror counterparts. Because, all monsters are human.
Credit: WWE.com
Brock Lesnar/Michael Myers
If there was ever a heel who strongly made his presence known, and then vanished for several years at a time, it would be Brock Lesnar.
Brock Lesnar as been with WWE for close to two decades, now, and he has no signs of fading. During that period of WWE reign, though, Lesnar disappeared for nearly a decade to pursue other endeavors, much like Michael disappeared for 15 years after killing his sister.
He’s held five titles during that time, destroying anyone who comes near his path to victory. Lesnar currently holds the Universal Championship, a title he’s held for nearly a year now and has only had to defend four times. Four times he defended his title, and four times he came out the victor.
Michael Myers never went on to play professional football, or fight within a UFC ring, but he did have ongoing feuds with the same few people, and his winning streak is long and undefeated.
Both villains refuse to die. They’ll keep returning until all of their anger and dissolve has been settled. They could be watching you from the bushes, or they could be coming after you with fury. Either way, I wouldn’t expect them to stay down.
Alexa Bliss/Chucky
Okay, I have to admit it: I got this comparison from the Raw episode right around Halloween, where she dressed as a “Good Guy”. She couldn’t have picked a better costume.
As another wrestler who just won’t stay down, Bliss is the current Raw Women’s Championship title holder, having held that title and the SmackDown Women’s Championship title twice. She’s the first women to hold both championships, after she was reassigned to Raw after the Superstar Shake-up.
You know who else loves a good shake-up (and maybe a nice long run away from the cops)? Charles Lee Ray. As a way to escape the police, the serial killer avoided capture by using voodoo to transfer his soul into a “Good Guy” doll. Trapped inside the animated doll, Ray is bought by a family as a present, promptly terrorizing said family.
No matter how much you burn, cut, rip apart, tear to shreds, disfigure, drop from heights, or shoot Chucky, he keeps on coming back for the souls of his victims.
Bliss might not have transferred her soul to a doll, but she certainly switched rosters, only to terrorize her new one. There’s no doubt she’s after their souls, too. Little packages carry a really evil punch.
Credit: WWE.com
The Miz/Jigsaw
Who’s really better at playing games than a villain? Sure, they might cheat a time or two, but who’s really counting when the outcome is entertaining?
It’s no secret The Miz is a cheater, or that he loves to play games with his opponents. Having held 17 title reigns, The Miz is a genius at getting his way in whatever way he can. His ego is astounding, never making any attempt to admit he’s wrong. His self-worth has ballooned to quite the annoying stature. So large, in fact, that he ultimately feels like he can decide who wins or loses.
John Kramer, the man behind the puppet known as “Jigsaw” had a lot of the same traits. Given a hard shake at life, Kramer decides he would rather kill himself than die a painful cancerous death. After surviving his suicide attempt, he gains a new perspective on life; a perspective he decides to force on everyone else. Enter Jigsaw’s game, and you’re likely to die trying to survive.
That is, unless, you’re Amanda Young; the first person to win a game set up by Jigsaw, and later to become his protegé. Sound familiar, Miztourage? Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel, too, seem to have escaped Miz’s games, and are inheriting all of his belief systems.
Ultimately, John Kramer was a good man who mourned the loss of his family to extreme depths. The Miz is also a family man, though I’m not sure if he was ever good.
Credit: WWE.com
Cesaro/Ghostface
Scream introduced a hooded and masked serial killer that was elusive, quick, funny, intelligent, and seem to be aware of all the soft spots: Ghostface.
While the people behind the mask differed from installment to installment, the idea was always the same: it was someone close to you, with a vendetta in need of settling, that really wanted to murder you.
Who is funnier, quicker, more athletic, smarter and stronger than Cesaro? He has a shark’s grin, for being so toothless, and his smiling eyes will make you believe you’re safe. Cesaro moves from face to heel with such ease, you’ll never believe he was a bad guy to begin with. That’s how they get you, though.
Ghostface proved to be some of the character’s closest allies: the boyfriend, the college bud, the harmless reporter, the cousin. In the end, though, it was those closest to Sidney that caused her so much pain.
Much like the antagonists in the first installment, Cesaro is currently part of the team The Bar. How long, though, before Cesaro is stabbing his partner in the back? Don’t get to close to him, you’ll never see him coming.
Credit: WWE.com
Sheamus/Pennywise
Some villains and heels are rough around the edges. They crawl around dirty places and manipulate you into agreeing to do what scares you the most.
Sheamus has slinked around WWE for quite some time, now, appearing every few years to wreak havoc on the unsuspecting roster; much like Pennywise does to Derry’s youth.
Aside from the obvious large, orange hair comparison, both villains can shapeshift into what frightens his opponent into a frozen solid chunk of baby. Both seem to go unnoticed by those who would be able to stop them from causing so much damage, which only adds to the terrifying truth of both evil beings. Go against either, and the ones you look for help from won’t be able to save you.
Sheamus is currently a tag team champion, but he hasn’t won all of his titles as a member of a team. He’s manged to grab six title reigns on his own, as well as the King of the Ring title, Royal Rumble win, and Money in the Bank briefcase, being only the second wrestler to do so.
Sheamus doesn’t need anyone’s help to be terrifying, he can beat the good guys on his own. Pennywise and Sheamus might look stupid, but that won’t stop them from killing you with a grin on their face.
Credit: WWE.com
Aiden English/Sweeney Todd
Yes, I spent hours on the internet searching “singing villain”. It took some time, but I finally found a villain as vocal and mischievous as Aiden English.
The professional wrestler also has studied to be a professional singer and actor. Though he is athletic enough to hold his own in the ring, he’s most known (recently) for his entrance ensembles for fellow wrestler, Rusev.
English hasn’t been given enough time to shine, though, being that he’s always lined up against someone bigger, or a reputation that precedes him. Much like the demon barber, though, English soothes his victims with his voice, and then lets them fall to their doom.
English and Sweeney both work best, and most devilish, when part of a team. English has won most of his battles and titles when paired with another like-minded heel. Sweeney is best known for killing his victims in his barber chair, and then using his friend Mrs. Lovett to help dispose of the bodies–by baking their flesh into meat pies to sell unto unsuspecting customers.
Sure, both men seem relatively harmless, featuring professional gimmicks and outward appearances. When they’re in the ring though, that devilish charm will be their opponents undoing.
Credit: WWE.com
Kevin Owens/Carrie
The character lead in Stephen King’s novel could be both protagonist or antagonist. What set her villain status, though, was that, well, she burned down a high school with a bunch of kids in it.
Carrie started off a sweet, innocent and bullied young lady. When she discovered she had a talent for the dark arts, she started to feel more comfortable with white-hot revenge. She used her talents to bring hell down on those who made fun of her. She even killed her own mother, a suffocating religious fanatic.
Kevin Owens is not a high school girl. He can’t levitate objects or move things with his mind. I’m almost certain he hasn’t killed his mother. He does, however, have the element of surprise.
If you just glance at Owens, you’d have a hard time believing he could be athletic enough to compete at a top-notch level in a top-notch company. His physique and gimmick (or lack of) is not what you typically find in professional wrestling. He certainly gets his revenge on all his naysayers, though, by having six title reigns at WWE alone.
In both cases, fans find themselves rooting for what they consider the underdog heel, only to discover they had the upper hand the whole time. Never bet against an angry villain.
Credit: WWE.com
Jason Jordan/Norman Bates
Have you ever met someone so desperate to please their parent, that they’re willing to do anything, even come off as incredibly annoying? Jason Jordan and Norman Bates both fit that bill.
Last July, the announcement was made that Jason Jordan was revealed to be the son of Raw General Manager, Kurt Angle. Jordan disbanded American Alpha to gain a solo career under his father’s brand, begging for opportunity any chance he could get.
After a couple of low-key wins and no-duh losses, Jordan maneuvered his way into a tag team with Shield member, Seth Rollins, after Dean Ambrose was injured and set on a hiatus. His conniving and sniveling ways appear to be an attempt to look sympathetic, but only anger his teammate and opponents more.
Norman Bates, too, had a similar complex with a parent. After accidentally killing his mother, Bates went over the sane edge and took on his deceased mother as another personality. The only issue, is that his mother was a controlling nut job, so whenever he gets around pretty ladies, he usually kills them.
Every once in a while, Bates and Jordan both get a kill, usually with help from someone else: Bates from his other personality, and Jordan from Rollins. Just look at them though; why they wouldn’t even hurt a fly.
Credit: WWE.com
Jinder Mahal/Mola Ram
I want to be very clear: this is not a comparison based solely on nationality.
Yes, both characters are from India. Yes, both characters rely heavily on stereotypes and hatred against America to produce their villainous effect. The similarities don’t stop there.
Mahal has made it clear that his ultimate plan is to become the new god for people everywhere, even in the unlikely United States. How does he plan on winning our faith and worship? By collecting titles and proving his superiority over all of our beloved heroes.
Mola Ram, the main antagonist in Indian Jones and the Temple of Doom, also planned on winning over the world with a god of his choosing and likeness. His plan? To locate the five Sankara Stones, which he believed held powers that would help his group destroy the British and establish his god Kali Ma’s reign over Earth.
It may be true that Mola Ram isn’t from a horror movie, but what’s more horrific than kidnapping children from their villages and forcing them to work in a mine searching for the Sankara Stones until they die from hunger or thirst? Not much. Unless we’re counting the use of the Singh Brothers to gain a heavyweight title.
Credit: WWE.com
Natalya/Lola Stone
Lola Stone is the villain in a little-known Australian horror movie, The Loved Ones. She’s an insane high school girl with a lust for blood and romance.
With help from her father and a lobotomized shell of a woman named “Bright Eyes”, Stone captures boys from the surrounding areas in an attempt to find her prince. When they ultimately disappoint her, she turns homicidal and creative in her attempts to kill, deciding to turn her captives brainless and starving.
Natalya isn’t far off from this description, herself. As the member of a murderous wrestling family, she bears similarities to her predecessors from the infamous Hart dynasty, like Bret Hart, her uncle. Natalya has a tendency to be ruthless and cunning in her fighting form, as well, with her submission finisher the “Sharpshooter”, adopted from her uncle, which is almost always likely to hand her the win by turning her victims brainless.
You could stretch this comparison by saying her “prince” is the Women’s Title, but really, you wouldn’t have to. She’s pretty, cunning, social, outgoing, and willing to do whatever it takes, like waving her family history in your face, to win.
Both ladies just want you to love and adore them, forever, and ever…
Credit: WWE.com
Absolution/The Lost Boys
Rarely do we see such rebellion against the women’s division, in WWE. After Paige returned from her leave from the company, she introduced herself and two other women as “Absolution”, a group bent on changing the entire division into bloodsucking Paige look-a-likes.
During her return, Paige complained that the WWE Universe forgot her, and forgot that she turned the entire “Divas” division into the ever-evolving revolution it is, today. Revenge feeds her need for carnage, and her two pals Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville are all too happy to join in on the fun, after pledging their allegiance.
For The Lost Boys, David was their gang’s leader. He might not have been the head vampire, but he was charismatic, intelligent, reckless, and had a band of mindless followers. He tried his best to turn anyone who stood in his way, laughing while doing so.
The Lost Boys were named after the group of boys in Peter Pan of the same name, because neither group of boys could grow older. In a way, that’s what it feels like with Absolution: a refusal to grow up and grow old.
Absolution has lost Paige, and who knows if they’ll ever find another leader. They’ll keep trying to turn women from the division to their way of thinking, though. If there’s one thing I hate about WWE, it’s all the vampires.
Credit: WWE.com
Riott Squad/Hobgoblins
There’s Absolution, who actually manages to get some wins under their belt, primarily due to their fearless leader, and then there’s the carbon copy, Riott Squad.
The Riott Squad, named after their leader Ruby Riott, is also composed of three women: one blonde, one brunette, and one goth and pale. Ruby Riott is joined by Liv Morgan and Sarah Logan to form the squad that suspiciously looks and acts like the other.
Without any real cause, like the one given by Paige, the Squad tries to terrorize the women of SmackDown by cornering the top dogs, and cheating their way to victories. They even entered the Royal Rumble in hopes of proving their dominance, and then promptly were eliminated.
For those who are lucky enough to have never heard of the Hobgoblins, the movie was made infamous by Mystery Science Theater 3000, after it riffed the movie in one of its episodes. Generally considered to be one of the worst movies of all time, Hobgoblins falls more into the comedy sector than the horror, and features puppet imps that look an awful lot like Gremlins.
Both the Hobgoblins and the Riott Squad are knock-offs of what is really scary. They produce confusion and laughter more than fear.
Credit: WWE.com
Baron Corbin/Cujo
Cujo, the Saint Bernard of Stephen King fame, was just a harmless dog who got a big old case of the rabid rabies. The disease that is fatal for humans, was passed to Cujo from a bat, who didn’t like the big mutt digging through his home.
What was really terrifying, was what happened after Cujo turned from soft to scary. Donna Trenton decides to take her failing Pinto to Joe Chambers’ shop for repairs, bringing her young son Tad, with her.
After Cujo starts to show signs of rabies, and kills his owner Joe, the rest of the story is straight from a parent’s nightmare. Donna’s car stalls out right in Joe’s driveway, and Cujo notices.
Much like Cujo, Baron Corbin has a mean streak. He hasn’t seen much in the way of title reigns, holding the U.S. Championship only once, but when he gets his paws on an opponent, he can be dangerous. Like, when he signed with the Arizona Cardinals back in 2010 before entering NXT, and was released after reports of Corbin throwing uppercuts during a scuffle surfaced.
His temper has gotten the best of him, and like Cujo, it will result in him losing the big prize before it’s even had a chance to be offered to him.
Credit: WWE.com
Bray Wyatt/Captain Spaulding
Rob Zombie is a sickly creative man, and it can be seen in any of the horror movies he produces or directs.
In A House of 1,000 Corpses, Zombie introduces the Firefly Family. A family of weirdos and carny look-a-likes that get their kicks causing pain and doing depraved acts. The patriarch of such a family? Captain Spaulding.
Captain Spaulding is a true backwater character whose insanity rubbed off on his entire family, some not of his blood. He kills his victims the old fashion way, with his bare hands and a complete slip of mind. He enlists his family’s help with capture and torture, making it a true family business.
Bray Wyatt also likes to keep it in the family. They Wyatt family consisted of some of the most sick and frightening individuals he could find, like Braun Strowman, who really is “country strong”.
They like to throw the cult gimmick on Wyatt and his esteemed partners, with talk of vultures, and fireflies, and houses of horrors. Wyatt wants you to believe he is your Lord and Savior, much like Spaulding.
Neither family has any problem destroying your body and spirit. When they’re not trying to be funny or silly, they can be deadly.
Credit: WWE.com
Dolph Ziggler/Patrick Bateman
Have you ever met a more snarky and undermining wrestler than Dolph Ziggler?
His gimmick is not cemented in stone, and he’s seem to have lost is mind as of late. Generally accepted as the go-to guy for training and onboarding new talent, Ziggler has recently gotten sick of the parade that is WWE, and wants to just go back to animalistic basics.
That’s a dangerous spot for a wrestler who has been decorated with 10 title reigns. He’s fast, quick, and experienced enough to do some real damage. Add a sudden lack of empathy, and we’re talking about a sociopath of a wrestler.
If we’re discussing iconic sociopaths, we can’t forget to mention Patrick Bateman. Bateman is a Wall Street yuppie who is rich, spoiled, shallow, impulsive, promiscuous, and holds a side job as a serial killer.
Despite his wonderful affluence, Bateman hates himself. He makes up for it with nihilistic thinking and unwavering attention to self-grooming.
Does any of this sound like The Showoff? It should. Ziggler’s ego, selfishness, indiscriminate “killing spree”, impulsiveness, frequent love affairs, and unconcern of the feelings of others make Ziggler and Batemam the perfect comaprison.
What’s more dangerous than a killer you wouldn’t be able to pick out of a lineup?
Credit: WWE.com
Rusev/Mort Rainey
The decision to compare Rusev to a villain everyone rooted for in the theaters was not lost on me.
Mort Rainey is the lead character in Stephen King’s tale-turned-movie Secret Window. A writer going through a heavy divorce, Rainey meets his fate when he is approached by a mysterious John Shooter, another writer who claims Rainey plagiarized his work.
Shooter proceeds to make Rainey’s life a hell, killing off colleagues, his dog, his reputation, and his sanity, all until Mort finally admits his wrongs and changes his manuscript.
Mort, being the temperamental, egocentric, broken man that he is, refuses to do so. I won’t give away the killer ending, but it’s safe to say Mort should have just listened to his instincts.
Mort is cheered for because he’s so easily loved when he’s killing off the annoying characters that plague him ( like his ex and her new lover). Rusev has the same effect.
He might not be alcoholic or copying stories others have written (if he can write), but his anger, element of surprise, and impulsiveness is his strong suit. He’s also incredibly likable with his silly antics, hilarious facial expressions, and his desire to sometimes knock out the people we hate, too.
Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
Credit: WWE.com
Elias/The Hitcher
Besides the obvious homeless references, The Hitcher’s main antagonist, John Ryder, is a lot like Elias.
Ryder, a mysterious serial killer who decides he wants to play games with the hero Jim Halsey, really just wants his murderous path to end, with his own death. Jim, Ryder decides, is his key to freedom from the life he’s been living.
The entire movie plays out as some sort of bad prank. Ryder gives Jim everything he needs to kill Ryder, but Jim refuses. It results in the death of a poor waitress and a clown car of police officers. For heaven’s sake, Jim, just kill him.
Elias is relatively new to the main rosters, after having produced confusing promos where he just walks around aimlessly with his guitar. No one is quite sure what Elias’ motives are, only that he thinks incredibly highly of himself, and incredibly low of every city he’s ever in.
Elias could do some real damage in WWE, if he decides to stop shooting himself in the foot. The moves he makes, it’s like he wants to fade out in his quest for relativity. If he focuses on doing as much damage as possible, and not giving his opponents the tools to off him, he will make huge waves in WWE.
The way it is, I’d much rather walk with Elias than John Ryder.
Credit: WWE.com
Sami Zayn/Freddy Krueger
Okay, so Frederic Charles Krueger, or Freddy, did some terrible stuff this side of the dreamscape. He was a child murderer who took his young victims to a boiler room, where he had sick and twisted ideas of fun.
An angry mob of parents cornered him in said room, and torched the place with him in it. His soul transferred into a dream-demon, where he can kill his victims in their sleep. He’s easily one of the most iconic villains ever to be created, with his knife fingers, burnt skin, and oddly placed fedora.
Someone equally as oddly placed, is Sami Zayn. One look at him and you’ll be confused as to why anyone would believe him to be a top star. For awhile, it didn’t seem he would be, but he got over that hump, and is ruining dreams to this day.
In my book, Krueger is the most likable villain. He uses his humor and terrific killing-related puns to off annoying teenagers. Zayn, too, is hilarious, and is often entertaining while getting rid of faces we would rather not watch.
Zayn, like Krueger, is most diabolical when paired with another villain, like Kevin Owens or Jason Voorhees. Given the right circumstances, though, Zayn is perfectly evil on his own.
Credit: WWE.com
Nia Jax/Christine
Christine, the 1958 Plymouth Fury so aptly named, was a car with demonic ways. The supernatural car has a history that’s murky at best, having been sold to the film’s Arnie Cunningham from a retired war-veteran named Rolan D. LeBay.
The previous owner, and Arnie himself, finds that the car has killer-like instincts, and supernatural tendencies. She also has the attitude of a diva.
Nia Jax is a lot like Christine, in that she’s almost impossible to stop. The wrecking ball of a woman stops at nothing to destroy anything in her path, or anyone that makes her angry. Every woman on the current roster, and some legends, have tried to stop her one-on-one, but no one has been able to do so, yet.
Jax has also come from areas that are murky at best. She was an athlete high school, and went on to be a model. The space between her modeling career and NXT is not all together clear, making her recruitment rather confusing. The unknown is always more terrifying.
It’s safe to say Jax also has quite the attitude, strutting down the entrance ramp like an angry model and showing each woman on the roster whose queen of the road.
Don’t insult either of these ladies.
Credit: WWE.com
The McMahon Family/The Sawyers
Most people could easily recognize Leatherface, with his plastered on face and chainsaw wielding. His family, the Sawyers, though, were infinitely more terrifying.
The product of backwater inbreeding and general lunacy, the Sawyers were cannibalistic butchers and serial killers. Using man-made and homemade traps, the Sawyers would capture travelers and torture, kill, and eat them. They even owned a gas station that they would sell human meat made into barbecue and chili from.
When anyone made the mistake of falling upon their territory, they were dead meat, literally. They were quick, sneaky, demanding, and motivated. Though most of them were dimwitted, especially Leatherface, they were unstoppable when working as a team.
The McMahon family is a legacy. They may not capture and eat people, but they are giant in their field, chewing up competition. They’re no dimwits either; Vince McMahon built an entire dynasty from the floor up. The infamous family is extremely ruthless and hungry, though. It’s no secret they have done a lot for the good of the world, but they will capture and kill anyone in their way.
When they come together, there is no stopping them. Every one in the family, or who joins the family, works together and works often for the betterment of the group.
Both families are in charge, and there’s no one that can stop them when they get going. A family that kills together, stays together.
Next: 5 Best Movies Featuring WWE Superstars
Tune in to Raw and SmackDown each week to see which heel continues to spook and scare the competition.