A good villain is fun to watch, like Hugo Weaving’s Red Skull, but when they have a point/ twisted creed (i.e. Killmonger and Thanos) their narratives can be downright devastating. A twisted agenda has pushed many a person to do some brutal things.
I’m gonna go out on a limb and make a bold statement: I love Game of Thrones. I know that’s controversial, but I do. One of the reasons we love that show is because of the constant intrigue and acts of betrayal. It’s no different in wrestling.
In fact, sports entertainment has given us some of the most horrendous and heartbreaking moments in pop-culture history. So, this week on the High 5 we’re counting down the Top 5 Most Villainous Acts in Wrestling History.
A special thanks to all the WrestleTalk writers who threw in their votes for this list. Well, all except Oli who kept insisting that Nia Jax refusing to be his BFF was the greatest tragedy to befall mankind since Marky Mark left the Funky Bunch. Ridiculous. We all know Donnie is the superior Wahlberg; he has the Right Stuff.
5. Cutting Out Weakness
I saw Infinity Wars this week and one of the scenes that struck me the most was when Thanos went for the Soul Stone. I’ll try not to spoil things, but the sacrifice at that moment reminded me of another time a WWE superstar cast off a loved one for their own ends.
In 2004, the Dudley Boyz moved to SmackDown and joined forces with their old ECW boss, Paul Heyman. Heyman motivated the Dudley’s to kidnap Paul Bearer and take control of the urn.
With Bearer and the Undertaker’s urn in Heyman’s possession, he forced the Deadman to join him as his unholy enforcer. In Heyman’s name, the Undertaker laid waste to the WWE roster. Heyman then orchestrated a handicap match between ‘Taker and the Dudleyz so that the Undertaker could prove his loyalty to the group.
The match took place at the Great American Bash 2004 and had the added stipulation that if the Undertaker didn’t “do the right thing,” Paul Bearer would be entombed in cement. As the Undertaker looked on helplessly Paul Heyman began filling Bearer’s glass crypt with cement.
Heyman stopped the cement but said it would continue if the Undertaker didn’t prove his loyalty and lay down for the Dudleyz. The Deadman decided, like Dee Snyder before him, that he wasn’t gonna take it anymore and fought back.
The match went back and forth with Heyman turning on the cement a few times in order to get ‘Taker to relent in his onslaught. The Undertaker beat the Dudleyz by delivering a Tombstone to D-Von and went on to release his “conscience” Paul Bearer.
Then, like Thanos at the precipice, you could see the Deadman’s heartbreak as he made a terrible decision. ‘Taker knelt before Bearer one last time and gave him a salute of respect before throwing the lever himself, and killing off his weakness.
Though the Undertaker said he had no choice, this was a heinous act committed against his longtime friend and manager. Was the Undertaker justified in cutting off a limb to save the body or was this a cold act of betrayal?
4. Stockholm Marriage
Stephanie McMahon made her WWE TV debut in 1999 as Vince’s innocent daughter during the Ministry of Darkness’s feud against Mr. McMahon. The Undertaker attempted to marry her in an unholy ceremony before Stone Cold Steve Austin came to her rescue. The less said about how that storyline played out the better; though, it would lead to Stephanie’s first villainous act.
Afterward, Stephanie began a kayfabe relationship with Test, and eventually, the two were engaged to be married. Like all good WWE wedding ceremonies, this one was a disaster.
Triple H, who had been feuding with McMahon at the time, interrupted the happy couple’s special day with a little video. Triple H was seen on the TitanTron pulling up to a Las Vegas drive-thru wedding “chapel.” Next to him, in the passenger’s seat, was a drugged Stephanie McMahon.
Test and Steph could only look on in horror as the video played out and Triple H married the unconscious girl. If Triple H wanted to be the Darth Vader of the WWE, this was his first step down that path. And kidnapping and assault are a hell of a way to get started. It’s distressing the things we got away with 20 years ago.
Eventually, though, Steph would join Triple H and turn on her father and Test. This angle was the beginning of Triple H and Stephanie’s real-life relationship and they were married in 2003. This was also the start of Triple H’s main event run that lasted the rest of his career. Marrying the boss’s daughter has its privileges after all.
3. Game of Championships
When you play the game of championships you win, or you job-out to whoever Vince likes. This entry is a bit of a cop-out because I was hard-pressed to pick between the 3 most brutal betrayals in WWE history. If I hadn’t, though, they would have pushed everything off the list and this would be the Top 5 Betrayals instead… why do I feel like I missed an opportunity here?
Regardless, betrayal in wrestling is at the heart of almost every good villainous act and storyline. Turning on a trusted ally is the surest way to turn a wrestler heel and garner nuclear levels of heat in the process. I mean just look at the amazing storyline that’s unfolded between Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa.
Last year, the WWE Universe was subjected to a Festival of Friendship that basically turned into KO’s version of the Red Wedding, with Jericho as Robb Stark and the Jeri-Tron as Grey Wind.
We all knew it was coming but it didn’t soften the blow any. When Jericho opened the list of KO and read his own name we all felt our hearts drop. It was tragic. The fact that we saw it coming and it still elicited that reaction is a testament to how well the betrayal was pulled off.
Before that, there was the breaking of The Shield. Evolution had been clashing against The Shield in 2014 and getting spanked like a toddler at Wal-Mart. So, if you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em.
Triple H pulled a power move and coerced Seth Rollins over to the Dark Side faster than Anakin in a room full of younglings. The way Dean Ambrose would go after him in the following weeks really sold the anger, pain, and loss we all felt. Rollins turned on his friends for a chance at glory, and every night he walked out with the title we were reminded of that heartbreak.
However, before even that, we have Benedict Arnold. No, wait, too far back. The original WWE betrayal that damaged us worse than Scar killing Mufasa took place in a barbershop. Brutus the Barber Beefcake had the Rockers, Marty Jannetty, and Shawn Michaels, on a 1992 episode of the Barbershop. It was like Piper’s Pit but sucked.
The Rockers had started as the Midnight Rockers in the NWA back in 1986. Shawn and Marty had been teaming together in multiple promotions when they finally made it to the WWF in 1988. After some dissension in and out of the ring, it looked like the two tag partners were going to make amends on with the Beefcake playing mediator.
All looked to be going well; then, this happened:
Shawn tossed Marty out like Val Venis does tissues. That still hurts to watch. However, this was the beginning of Shawn’s single run and he’d go on to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time. The impact of this segment killed all us little Rockers and it arguably changed the landscape of wrestling by untethering Michaels.
2. 4 Horsemen Knock the Dust Off
Watch the video before reading, please. It’s… unsettling, and if I have to live with it, so do you.
Did you ever see Casino? It’s like the scene at the end where the big bosses have had enough of Joe Pesci’s crap and take him and his brother out to the cornfield. They think they’re just talking shop but the boys begin to work the two over with baseball bats before burying them, broken and bloody but alive.
I know with movies being what they are we’re desensitized to violence and horrific acts, but take a moment to consider this event in real life. Gangland attacks do happen and to the people watching at the time, this was VERY real.
The 4 Horsemen attacked Dusty in a parking lot, tied him helpless to a truck, and broke his arm. The selling Dusty does as he goes into shock over the pain is disturbing. Imagine the distress of anyone at home watching this.
Though it’s been somewhat lost to time this is still one of the most villainous acts in wrestling history. Normally, I give you a full run-down on the history of the event to put it in context, but this needs none. Ric Flair carrying on gleefully about what they’re about to do to Dusty is borderline sociopathic. I haven’t been this unsettled since the opening scene of Sinister, or that time Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco dressed in drag.
1. The Leg Drop that Changed Wrestling History
What can I say about this event that hasn’t been said already? Outside of the Montreal Screwjob, it must be one of the most talked about event in wrestling history. That being said, let’s see what we can make of it here on the High 5.
When Scott Hall and Kevin Nash jumped ship to WCW in 1996 the wrestling dirt sheets weren’t as prevalent. I mean we were still using dial-up with those free hours AOL would send us in the mail. Plus, Vince McMahon hadn’t put kayfabe out of its misery yet.
So, when the Outsiders showed up on WCW programming, some people really thought Vince had sent them over there for a fight. Now, anyone who had seen Lex Luger make the switch a year earlier, or was over the age of 13, probably understood that this was just a storyline. However, we had been inundated with cartoon gimmicks and stories for years. This was so much more real.
Hall and Nash showed up in street clothes and the invasion kicked off years of gritty wrestling feuds and the Monday Night Wars. It was something was hadn’t seen since… well when the 4 Horsemen broke Dusty’s arm. You have to go back to the territory days, when kayfabe was king, to get visceral storytelling on this level.
Despite all this though, it may not have had the life it did if it wasn’t for the act that captured the number one spot on our list. At Bash at the Beach 1996, The Outsiders and a mystery partner were set to take on Sting, Randy Savage, and Luger. When the match began, the mystery partner had yet to make it to ringside; however, the Hall and Nash insisted on beginning anyway.
After Luger was knocked out and taken backstage, Nash hit a low blow on Savage. This caused Hulk Hogan to come to the ring to presumably make the save. Instead, Hogan turned his back on all the little Hulkamaniacs and dropped the leg on Savage… three times.
Before I go on about Hogan, let me address what must be addressed. By talking about him and his success in the wrestling industry we are in no way attempting to glorify Terry Bollea the man. His most villainous act may have happened outside of the ring, with the heartbreak and disappointment it caused many of us fans. However, this does not undo wrestling history and his place in it. Now, back to the subject at hand.
If you think making John Cena and Roman Reigns a heel won’t ever happen, then remember Hogan was the greatest franchise face to ever lace up boots. No one thought he’d turn heel, especially with a group of thugs like Hall and Nash. This act of betrayal and villainy cannot be overstated in its importance to wrestling history.
The ripple effect in both WWE and WCW the NWO story kicked off gave the fans some of the best (and sometimes worst) wrestling ever. The Attitude Era is still hailed as a Golden Age of wrestling. This is arguable but regardless as the legacy this period left behind inspired the superstars of today.
What do you think are the most villainous acts in wrestling history? Let me know us know on Twitter by clicking HERE, or tell us in the comments below.
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