Sportskeeda WWE Awards 2017: Heel of the Year

Hulkamania would have never run wild like it did, without Andre The Giant. Austin's reign of dominance was made possible only because of Mr McMahon's villainous ways. Would Ricky Steamboat's name be mentioned with such great reverence if not for Ric Flair?

For every babyface to succeed, a heel needs to exist as the counterpoint, as the antagonist, as the yang to the yin. In this list, we've identified 5 heels who've impressed us in the year 2017. We've listed them all here for your reading pleasure.

Of course, opinions are subjective and we're certain you have yours. Let us know your thoughts on this list, in the comments.

For our part, we'll introduce you to the most devious souls in WWE from 2017.

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#5 Alexa Bliss

It was a blissful year for the woman at Number 5

It is difficult not to admire Alexa Bliss. Not merely because she's drop-dead gorgeous, but also because of how far she's come. At one point in time, she was just a valet for Blake and Murphy. Currently, she's probably the most important woman in the RAW Women's Division.

Alexa Bliss started the year as SmackDown Live Women's Champion. She ends the year as the reigning RAW Women's Champion. In the interim, she's had some great feuds with Mickie James, Sasha Banks and also, Bayley.

With Asuka and Paige in the RAW Women's roster, it is impossible to predict how long the reign of the Goddess in the main roster will last. Come what may, Little Miss Bliss has had a great 2017.

There's perhaps no woman in RAW right now, who has the charisma or microphone skills of Little Miss Bliss. Along with Sasha Banks, she made history when she became one of the two women to perform in Abu Dhabi for the first time. Long live The Goddess of WWE.

#4 Jinder Mahal

All said and done, it was this man's year

We know a lot of you will be opposed to this pick. The fact of the matter is that when Jinder Mahal became WWE Champion, shocked the entire world and transitioned into the coveted spot of top heel on SmackDown Live, the whole world took notice.

Some may argue that the only reason that Mahal became WWE Champion was so that the company could gain a foothold in the growing Indian market. That said, nobody got the negative reactions that Mahal did, on a near-weekly basis.

With time, Mahal also grew in confidence and became a much better performer, over the months that he reigned at the pole position. With the Singh Brothers in tow, he became the classic foreign heel that one used to see in old-school professional wrestling.

It's difficult to predict what's next for Mahal. Now that's he's no longer Champion, does he slide down the mid-card? Will WWE give him another run with the title? Only time will tell for sure.

#3 The Miz

The Miz is just the best heel ever

We realize that a lot of our readers are critical of The Miz's run on RAW. They were far more in favour of his stint on SmackDown Live, where he dropped truth bombs on Talking Smack.

In any case, The Miz has been an integral part of RAW this year and has also elevated the Intercontinental Championship to no end. He's nearly untouchable on the microphone and is no slouch in the ring either.

Any wonder why Rolling Stone voted him as the 'Wrestler of the Year'? Despite the fact that he's a heel, fans can't wait for him to return from the latest instalment of the Marine franchise, that he's shooting right now.

Yes. Despite the fact that they all hate him.

We do hope that he will have a run with the WWE Championship someday because there's nobody who can get under everyone's skin better than him.

#2 Samoa Joe

The one thing Joe brings to the fore is authenticity

Nobody who looks like Samoa Joe should be able to move as quickly as he does. That said, fans of his who've followed his career all the way from TNA, are all aware of just how talented and gifted a performer he is.

What makes Joe stand tall in this position on our list, despite the fact that he's not held any gold in the main roster, is that Joe is a very believable monster heel. He gets into the face of opponents, striking fear into their hearts. When he makes a threat, you tend to believe him.

#1 Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn

There is a tie for the top spot

Anyone who's followed Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn in the independents knows that they are best friends. The two men pretended to be the worst of enemies for much of their main roster run. That was an amazing feud, but things would get better. The two heels would align.

Zayn rescued Owens during his Hell in a Cell match against Shane McMahon. In doing so, he went heel. At this moment, his annoying mannerisms are a constant feature of SmackDown Live.

As for Kevin Owens, he continued his brilliant run from last year. He started the year as Universal Champion and even reigned as United States Champion for a little while.

And so there you have it, folks. Here's our list of top heels for the year 2017. Hope you had as much fun reading this list, as we had writing it. We wish you a very, very Happy New Year!