Oh he was. His Fall of 1994 push to the WWF Championship was among the most underrated angles of all time (3 cheers for putting the editor of the WWF Magazine Lou Gianfrino in the crossface chickenwing). Plus, as a heel, he could be as strong as an ox or as spineless as a jellyfish, whatever the situation called for.
We were all plebeians quagmired in a sea of hypocrisy in Mr. Bob Backlund's world.