10 Best Midcard Heels In WWE History

Not every WWE heel ascends to the top of the card like The Rock or Edge. Plenty of great WWE heels were never able to advance from the mid-card to the main event scene. This does not take away from their brilliance as wrestlers, since you can't have a solid WWE show without a solid mid-card.

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Plenty of WWE wrestlers are icons and legends even though they were never given a true push as "the guy." Razor Ramon wrestled most of his WWE career as a mid-carder. Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat was also unable to escape the mid-card in WWE (although they did both become main event stars in WCW). Razor and Steamboat also spent the majority of their great careers as mid-card babyfaces. This list, however, will examine the 10 best midcard heels to ever compete in WWE.

10 Johnny Nitro

Johnny Nitro's skill has allowed him to have a career as one of the best mid-card wrestlers in WWE history. Although Nitro was never a bonafide main event star in WWE, he was always a consistent force that kept babyface wrestlers on their toes. He wrestled a majority of his early career as a big-time heel, both as a member of MNM (with Joey Mercury and Melina) and as a solo wrestler. His cocky attitude and six-pack made Nitro one of the best mid-card heels in WWE history.

9 The Honky Tonk Man

The Honky Tonk Man was so hated in the late '80s that he was a huge draw because people would pay to see him lose. He held the Intercontinental Champion for 454 days. He spent most of his time in WWE as a perennial heel. His gimmick was ridiculous. He was over the top on the microphone and, arguably, the best mid-card heel from this era of WWE.

8 Shelton Benjamin

There are few mid-card stars that have shined at the level of Shelton Benjamin. Although he has had many memorable runs both in the tag team and mid-card title scene, some of his best work was done as a heel. He helped put on great matches against babyfaces like Jeff Hardy, John Cena, and Rey Mysterio.

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He also wrestled one of the most well-received matches in the history of Raw against Shawn Michaels. Wrestling's Greatest Tag Team (he and Charlie Haas) are also a top mid-card heel tag team.

7 Umaga

Umaga flirted with the main event scene a few times in 2007, but otherwise spent most of his career in the mid-card. He was a monster heel when he debuted in 2006. He opposed major mid-card babyfaces like Jeff Hardy and Bobby Lashley. Umaga also manhandled opponents bigger than him like Kane. His time as a top heel lost steam by his second Intercontinental Championship reign, but he was, for the most part, a great heel that dominated the mid-card in his prime.

6 Rick Rude

Rick Rude was one of the most hated ladies man in WWE history. Although he feuded with top babyfaces like The Ultimate Warrior, he spent most of his time in the mid-card. Bobby Heenan was Rude's manager that helped elevate his gimmick to a new level.

He also single-handedly made the Intercontinental Championship feel important during his heel run with the title in 1989. Rude was also one of the best in-ring workers, which helped him back up his cockiness as a heel.

5 Carlito

Carlito's personality was so large that he was a standout star during the Ruthless Aggression Era. He competed for the WWE Championship a few times but spent most of his time in the Intercontinental Title scene as a heel. Arguably, the best run of his career happened in 2005 when he was drafted to Raw. He was a top mid-card heel and spit his apple in the face of everyone who challenged him. He was a heel that was so likable many fans cheered for him despite his heel antics.

4 The Miz

Although The Miz did win a WrestleMania main event match, he's still a mid-carder. He was pushed to the moon in 2010, but that was the only time he spent on top of the card. The Miz was a top mid-card heel for most of his career and only ascended to the top of the card because John Cena had run out of heel opponents. For everything he lacks as a wrestler, The Miz is quick on the microphone. He's so easy to hate and has spent over a decade as a top mid-card heel.

3 Mr. Kennedy

Mr. Kennedy will always be remembered as one of the biggest "what if" stories in WWE history. At one point, he competed against The Undertaker in the main event scene and even won the Money in the Bank contract.

His mouth and reputation outside of the ring helped Mr. Kennedy become a very unlikable heel for audiences. Most of his time in the mid-card was memorable thanks to his antics and he'll always be remembered as a great mid-card heel who probably should've been World Champion in WWE at least once.

2 Mr. Perfect

Almost everyone agrees that a person that calls themself "perfect" is annoying. This basic idea is what helped Mr. Perfect become a great heel in WWE. Although he did have his fair share of battles against Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, Mr. Perfect was an upper-midcarder in the Golden Era.

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Mr. Perfect also held his own in the ring against any wrestler he faced. He is not only a top mid-card heel but also often remembered as one of the best WWE heels of all time.

1 Owen Hart

Although Owen Hart is one of the most beloved wrestlers of all time, his three-year heel run in the WWE helped Owen establish an identity away from his family name. He was a perfect foe to his brother, Bret Hart, who was a big-time babyface.

Owen was able to easily rub audiences the wrong way on the microphone thanks to his aggressive tone and fearlessness. He was also an undersized heel that held his own in the ring against anyone he faced. Owen was not only a great mid-card heel but is often remembered as one of the best wrestlers in the history of WWE.