10 Heel Turns That Vitally Saved A WWE Wrestler's Career

[@donaldwilson2620]

An honorable mention is definitely Shawn Michaels. When he turned heel after betraying Marty Jannetty, breaking up The Rockers, and then becoming "The Heartbreak Kid" in 1991, his career was elevated to the next level and as they say, the rest is history.

[@nicoleknight9412]

Unfortunately, Jannetty was never the same after that. A Michaels - Jannetty feud should have happened, but it never materialized.

[@HyperActive7]

I remember watching it when it happened on tv and I remember thinking to myself as a young kid as to why would Shawn give up his long time partner and then as the years went on and I got older, I realized that if Shawn didn't do this heel turn, he wouldn't have been as popular nor would he have became the best in ring performer.

[@iammaximumstupied]

Probably on a list where it was about best Heel turns. He was gonna get pushed either way, but definitely a great turn.

[@master-of-mind5881]

Unpopular opinion but i really liked stone cold Steve Austin’s heel turn in 01. My exposure to Austin’s in-ring work was in the early naughties. Never watched wwe before 2000 and when Austin returned from neck surgery he was only a babyface for 6 months before turning heel by aligning himself with McMahon. That’s the version of Austin that I grew up with. When he formed the two man power trip with HHH I was hooked. He carried the whole invasion angle, he put over Kurt Angle in great fashion (9/11) he had fantastic matches with the Undertaker, Kane & Chris Jericho. He also knew how to be funny. I loved his moment with Debra where he didn’t eat her cookies and she slapped him one. Not to mention Kurt Angle drowning him and the rest of the alliance in milk. Another honourable mention is the rock’s heel turn in 03. Hollywood Rock. It was really refreshing. Only the rock can insult the audience but still make you love him at the same time. It was a good call to have him work one final Wrestlemania match with Austin as the heel. It brought their rivalry full circle. Roman reigns as the tribal chief/head of the table is quite frankly the greatest heel turn in the modern day era of the WWE. The writing, commitment, in-ring segments, promos and storytelling are simply immaculate. He went from being an insufferable babyface as the big dog to a mesmerising heel in the tribal chief. His match with jey uso at HIAC 2020 where he choked out Jimmy was honestly the best character work I’ve seen from anyone in a long time. That match was emotionally intense and it solidified Roman’s craftsmanship as a future wwe legend.

[@naitthegr8131]

@@nicoleknight9412 Wait...they did have a feud leading the match at Royal Rumble 93. I'm not counting the summer matches where Marty beat Shawn for the title then lost it back, I mean they did have a storyline for Royal Rumble 93.

[@Nextraker]

John cena’s heel turn made him relevant and got him out of that jobber situation he was in.

[@aleiterful]

Am I the only one that doesn’t remember this ever happening lol

[@dashawntrim1784]

Lmfaaooooo it was when he first became the doctor of thuganomics he was a heel

[@dejesusjason9936]

@@aleiterful Heel Cena was the man.

[@Yani_lol]

Heel cena > Face Cena

[@RoySkilletz]

He wasn't a heel!!!

[@joemomma3208]

The greatest heel turn was Vince McMahon the commentator to “Mr. McMahon” 💯

[@LeviathanRX]

Including the backstage head?

[@tinotica]

In WWE history, yes. Out of any promotion, I’d argue that it was the second greatest. It did create the greatest heel persona that helped to create some of the biggest WWE stars ever, but none of that would’ve happened had the Hulk Hogan heel turn not happened in WCW the year before

[@GordiniStudios]

and then his turn from Mr McMahon to backstage rapist

[@eddybrash1793]

@@LeviathanRX LMAO

[@RojoCube]

Dakota Kai was a better heel turn on Tegan Nox than Vince

[@maxonaroll]

Didn't see Daniel Bryan's last heel turn coming, was unexpectedly good leading to Kofimania

[@naitthegr8131]

and speaking of Kofi, the New Day should be honorable mention because if they continued as babyfaces after they formed instead of changing into obnoxious heels then probably none of the three would be in WWE today and I think definitely Woods wouldnt be since he was definitely the most unremarkable and least known of the three when they first formed having just coming from TNA and independent scene.

[@maxonaroll]

@@naitthegr8131 ya that brief heel turn actually saved their careers since the fans were so against them when they made their debut as Babyface.

[@ThatStokeBloke]

The gimmick he had then is one of the main reasons why I turned vegan. One of the best heel personas I've ever seen in modern day wrestling, really made me rethink how I viewed the world and what's morally right.

[@Annieareyouokayshamone]

@@ThatStokeBloke lol

[@Powerage_86]

Also stop calling him Daniel Bryan. It's Bryan Danielson.

[@calebray1834]

Most recently Dominik Mysterio. His heel turn saved his career.

[@Amir-bn5qz]

Fr

[@KTF0]

Yeah, he went from a generic face to one of the best annoying heels in quite some time.

[@nesoukkefka1741]

I would even say, his heel turn allowed him to start his career.

[@Ishbikes]

@@KTF0annoying as in good? Or a waste of time

[@hezekiahduckworthy8867]

Dominik's heel turn was great! I despise him as in I love to hate you. My criticism is that they don't take kayfabe seriously.

[@MrAce-lm8es]

John Cena goes from "The Prototype" to "The Doctor Of Thuganomics" as a Smackdown! Halloween Party turned Cena into a Heel without even realizing it. 2003 - Early 2005, Peak Cena US Champion. A Heel Run turn Face Run that was well received and remembered.

[@ShaneDouglas713]

FACTS

[@benyobest]

john cena was never heel

[@darianallenwilson]

@@benyobest true but his dr thuganomics was the closest to a heel

[@jaymeirjackson8616]

@@darianallenwilson still dont make him a hee

[@darianallenwilson]

@@jaymeirjackson8616 what’s a hee?

[@kenterminateddq5311]

If Wrestlelamia made a "10 Face Turns That Immensely Saved A Wrestler's Career" list, Steve Austin would be in the top 3.

[@tinotica]

-Rock -Batista -Shawn Michaels -Hulk Hogan -undertaker -Bret Hart

[@stephenphelan626]

Anti-hero.

[@master-of-mind5881]

Unpopular opinion but i really liked stone cold Steve Austin’s heel turn in 01. My exposure to Austin’s in-ring work was in the early naughties. Never watched wwe before 2000 and when Austin returned from neck surgery he was only a babyface for 6 months before turning heel by aligning himself with McMahon. That’s the version of Austin that I grew up with. When he formed the two man power trip with HHH I was hooked. He carried the whole invasion angle, he put over Kurt Angle in great fashion (9/11) he had fantastic matches with the Undertaker, Kane & Chris Jericho. He also knew how to be funny. I loved his moment with Debra where he didn’t eat her cookies and she slapped him one. Not to mention Kurt Angle drowning him and the rest of the alliance in milk. Another honourable mention is the rock’s heel turn in 03. Hollywood Rock. It was really refreshing. Only the rock can insult the audience but still make you love him at the same time. It was a good call to have him work one final Wrestlemania match with Austin as the heel. It brought their rivalry full circle. Roman reigns as the tribal chief/head of the table is quite frankly the greatest heel turn in the modern day era of the WWE. The writing, commitment, in-ring segments, promos and storytelling are simply immaculate. He went from being an insufferable babyface as the big dog to a mesmerising heel in the tribal chief. His match with jey uso at HIAC 2020 where he choked out Jimmy was honestly the best character work I’ve seen from anyone in a long time. That match was emotionally intense and it solidified Roman’s craftsmanship as a future wwe legend.

[@kylew7180]

Austin's initial faveturn after turning stone cold didnt really save his career imo. It was more his character transition from Ringmaster to Stone Cold.

[@pauldavis5665]

Austin didn't really have an actual specific face turn moment though. He kind of just gradually became more and more popular with the fans while he was a heel still behaving like a heel. For him it was a natural organic slow transition from heel to face rather than them deciding to suddenly turn him face.

[@Ralphanthonybianscomusic]

Andre the Giant did all he could as a mega babyface, and his declining health meant he didn’t have much time left. That heel turn was monumental.

[@andu1854]

That match is way better with a mobile Andre

[@ferox965]

Andre should have been number one.

[@kazallroberts]

@@ferox965 I think Andre gets a pass as that time wrestling was more of an attraction instead of actually wrestling.

[@stevegallo8483]

Agreed about Andre. That was a huge heel turn as his career was starting to wind down.

[@lonniehowell9593]

Andre left his best days behind him.

[@JacksonLane02]

Batista's 2009-2010 was honestly amazing and quite possibly the best way Batista could've gone out of WWE for 4 years

[@kazallroberts]

Batista even admitted that leave WWE in 2010 was a mistake as he went broke in 24 hours

[@Harbyz]

I miss him I found him so cool as an teen

[@QBryant14]

and we got the Animal batista Back and it was awesome/Cm punk as the heel the Straight edge society 🔥🔥🔥

[@master-of-mind5881]

“GIVE ME WHAT I WANT!!!”😅😂😂😂

[@TheJuliet316]

@@kazallroberts Then Hollywood discovered him.

[@foodmr2022]

make Dominik here

[@SoundFX09]

Hot Take: Not only did JBL's Heel Turn SAVE his Career, One could argue it COMPLETELY changed his Values and Viewpoints as an Individual. While his Career will be mired by Controversy and Questionable Booking, To Me, He's one of the Best Examples of a Heel the WWE has ever Created.

[@saminarty9868]

Totally agree, WWE made Bradshaw one of the best heels of all time. Completely changed the complexity of his career but also the ruthless aggression era with epic feuds with the likes of Cena and Eddie Rip🙏

[@AnotherYoutubeChannel00]

Stock bells ringing

[@dontaviansmallwood7889]

I see jbl every week at my job just want to thank him for being a wrestling god and a hall of famer 💯

[@FirearmofMutiny]

I don't like JBL as a person, but I LOVE his on-camera work all the way back to even Justin Hawk Bradshaw (I believe he had the Clothesline From Hell finisher all the way back then too) APA, JBL, playing the cowardly heel champion, and his role in launching John Cena to the main event

[@eddybrash1793]

Bruh, you think Bradshaw didn't have those viewpoints pre his JBL run? Man just amplified himself more as his real self & settled pretty quick as a top heel.

[@TheHockeyGuy]

Bret Hart's gradual heel turn in his feud with Austin refreshed his character as well.

[@GojiBoiEarth1964]

Imo Becky’s heel turn from 2018 should be on the list because prior to the heel turn, she was slowly getting overshadowed Ronda, Charlotte, Asuka, and Carmella at the time. Since then she basically became one of the top draws of the woman’s division.

[@sjceezy]

The problem with Becky's heel turn is it really just made her a bigger babyface...a very Stone Cold-like babyface.

[@GojiBoiEarth1964]

@@sjceezy They at first tried to make her heel (like attacking Charlotte everywhere she goes), but the thing is that similarly to what happened with Steve Austin and Braun Strowmen when WWE tried turning them heel, fans would always give a loud pop for Becky (watch her promo she gave after Summerslam 2018), which probably cause WWE to be like “screw it” and turned her into a anti babyface after winning the RR and remained that way till she briefly took a break in 2020 to have her baby. When she came back in 2021 with her Big Time Becks gimmick, she became one of the top heels (then again, fans were probably pissed that they made her squash Bianca).

[@sjceezy]

@@GojiBoiEarth1964 Eh, I don't think her return heel run has done her any favors because no one boos her, and as you clearly just stated making her a heel before didn't work either and couldn't last because of fan response too.

[@christianpaulabarcar6362]

Becky wasn't as stale as Bayley. Fans were rooting for her leading to Summerslam.

[@donkeysaurusrex7881]

@@GojiBoiEarth1964 attacking Charlotte everywhere she goes is a thing a face would do. Charlotte is inherently a heel.

[@SpammytheHedgehog]

WWE can't live without Heel turns.

[@oneorganization501now2]

Not only wwe, Wrestling in general can't live without heels. Imagine if every wrestler was suddenly a face. That would be boring, wrestlers just smiling, having a positive attitude, that would suck and kill Wrestling, they wouldn't be able to create interesting characters or let superstars showcase their charisma, cause there is way more to just moves of course

[@wintertrooper7918]

@@oneorganization501now2 the op is specifically referring to the turns but yes pro wrestling in general can not live with out heel turns because when done well it opens the wrestlers gimmick to a new way of story telling

[@fajarfarrel932]

And most fans prefer edgy and dark wrestlers, hence why most said the attitude era wrestlers are great

[@sialiasialis.]

I literally think it's impossible for fans to like faces/babyfaces. It's pretty much anti-hero, heel, or bust. Heels going face for a short while or anti-hero faces that the fans like, like Daniel Bryan because of his chant and persona. Other than that, there's no 100% Babyface I think wrestling fans like. I guess people like Rey or maybe even the Hardys.

[@wintertrooper7918]

@@sialiasialis. I think they are easily likeable but it's always a matter of how long can they keep the fans support that is the true art of a face/babyface

[@hellraiser8783]

The Rock's, Roman Reigns's and Bayley's heel turn was the best decision ever!

[@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780]

EXCEPT FOR REIGNS HE ALWAYS SUCKED STILL DOES

[@kazallroberts]

@@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780 I agree

[@mehshutup3041]

@@davidcoombsbestmegadethalb9780 Agree

[@rextro-gaming]

Damn y'all reigns haters Roman was great during the shield days and his heel turn and yes he does cheat to win sometimes but thats what makes a heel so dominant

[@kazallroberts]

@@rextro-gaming Being dominated is one thing but it's own thing where a heel burying 80% of the roster

[@MrAce-lm8es]

Bret "Hitman" Hart 1997 was easily the best Heel in the entire World Wrestling Federation. His work as a Duel Character was Gold.

[@PersephoneSkye_]

Are you talking about at WrestleMania 13? I was there, and when the Bret Hart sucks chants started, I was like, wow. I literally felt the vibrations shift in the building

[@MrAce-lm8es]

@@PersephoneSkye_ Yes! THEE Greatest Double Turn Ever Seen in the World Wrestling Federation.

[@PersephoneSkye_]

@@MrAce-lm8es lucky me saw it "up close" - plus celebrating when Taker beat Sid was otherworldly

[@kazallroberts]

Bret was better suited as a babyface than a heel

[@dil09ful]

I was just about to say that!

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

Heels are more interesting in Wrestling because unlike Babyfaces their characters get more Detail, while a Babyfaces only job is to be a Crowd Pleaser. 👨🏿‍🏫

[@TheTrixster690]

Also because WWE sucks at booking babyfaces.

[@master-of-mind5881]

Unpopular opinion but i really liked stone cold Steve Austin’s heel turn in 01. My exposure to Austin’s in-ring work was in the early naughties. Never watched wwe before 2000 and when Austin returned from neck surgery he was only a babyface for 6 months before turning heel by aligning himself with McMahon. That’s the version of Austin that I grew up with. When he formed the two man power trip with HHH I was hooked. He carried the whole invasion angle, he put over Kurt Angle in great fashion (9/11) he had fantastic matches with the Undertaker, Kane & Chris Jericho. He also knew how to be funny. I loved his moment with Debra where he didn’t eat her cookies and she slapped him one. Not to mention Kurt Angle drowning him and the rest of the alliance in milk. Another honourable mention is the rock’s heel turn in 03. Hollywood Rock. It was really refreshing. Only the rock can insult the audience but still make you love him at the same time. It was a good call to have him work one final Wrestlemania match with Austin as the heel. It brought their rivalry full circle. Roman reigns as the tribal chief/head of the table is quite frankly the greatest heel turn in the modern day era of the WWE. The writing, commitment, in-ring segments, promos and storytelling are simply immaculate. He went from being an insufferable babyface as the big dog to a mesmerising heel in the tribal chief. His match with jey uso at HIAC 2020 where he choked out Jimmy was honestly the best character work I’ve seen from anyone in a long time. That match was emotionally intense and it solidified Roman’s craftsmanship as a future wwe legend.

[@larrytod9790]

Roman reigns and Bayleys are best heels turns of PG era

[@stanleysmith4563]

And nevile

[@llj5ll734]

And definitely Neville, his heel run really elevated him heavily!

[@Malewrestling]

And Neville

[@troy9972]

It is of New Era , not PG

[@nomadic1932]

And becky

[@tinotica]

Honorable mentions: -Randy Orton in 2005 -Booker T in 2006 -CM Punk in 2009 and in 2012 -Bret Hart in 1997 -Triple H in 1999, 2002 and in 2013 -Brock Lesnar in 2003

[@kevkoning9065]

New day

[@damaniresida9887]

I don't understand triple h 2013 and brock Lesnar 2003

[@tinotica]

@@damaniresida9887 when it came to Triple H, checkout his Summerslam match vs Brock in 2012. What the WWE was hoping for ultimately backfired as Triple H got heckled for tapping out instead of sympathy from the fans. Wrestlemania 29 he got no reaction during the rematch. 2013s heel turn brought about the authority which gave his character a needed revamp Brock did okay after turning face in November 2002 but he was getting stale by not having enough credible heels to contend with. After his turn, he got to become more dangerous by attacking Stephanie McMahon, pushing Zach Gowen down a flight of stairs, battle a face-turned Kurt Angle, put over Eddie Guerrero, and then comeback later on to break the streak

[@ferox965]

And what should have been number one, Andre the Giant in 1987.

[@master-of-mind5881]

Unpopular opinion but i really liked stone cold Steve Austin’s heel turn in 01. My exposure to Austin’s in-ring work was in the early naughties. Never watched wwe before 2000 and when Austin returned from neck surgery he was only a babyface for 6 months before turning heel by aligning himself with McMahon. That’s the version of Austin that I grew up with. When he formed the two man power trip with HHH I was hooked. He carried the whole invasion angle, he put over Kurt Angle in great fashion (9/11) he had fantastic matches with the Undertaker, Kane & Chris Jericho. He also knew how to be funny. I loved his moment with Debra where he didn’t eat her cookies and she slapped him one. Not to mention Kurt Angle drowning him and the rest of the alliance in milk. Another honourable mention is the rock’s heel turn in 03. Hollywood Rock. It was really refreshing. Only the rock can insult the audience but still make you love him at the same time. It was a good call to have him work one final Wrestlemania match with Austin as the heel. It brought their rivalry full circle. Roman reigns as the tribal chief/head of the table is quite frankly the greatest heel turn in the modern day era of the WWE. The writing, commitment, in-ring segments, promos and storytelling are simply immaculate. He went from being an insufferable babyface as the big dog to a mesmerising heel in the tribal chief. His match with jey uso at HIAC 2020 where he choked out Jimmy was honestly the best character work I’ve seen from anyone in a long time. That match was emotionally intense and it solidified Roman’s craftsmanship as a future wwe legend.

[@tamzidmohsinkhan3333]

Edge is indeed the ultimate opportunist

[@wintertrooper7918]

Especially when his best friend is out with an injury and he uses that opportunity to have an affair with his best friends girlfriend

[@sjceezy]

Seth Rollins should've been on this list too. The heel turn has done wonders for him.

[@specialbeamvegeta4059]

The thing with Seth is that he wasn’t on a decline. He elevated even higher than ever when he turned

[@sjceezy]

@@specialbeamvegeta4059 I don't know if I agree. He was starting to get heat before the heel turn. He even gave one of those speeches about how the fans started to turn on him even though he was like the ultimate baby face.

[@donniejefferson9554]

@@specialbeamvegeta4059 People were definitely turning on him. He probably would've been fine without the heel turn but is was desperately needed to get people behind him again

[@tamzidmohsinkhan3333]

Batista mic skill is way better when it comes to being heel

[@patrickperalta59]

the only supriseing thing about Hogan's heel turn was Bobby Heenen still hated him , Heenen normally likes babyfaces who turn heel but he didn't side with Hogan when he was a heel.

[@Deadpool_64]

It was one rare instance where logic was applied in WCW. After a decade of hating Hogan, it would have been silly for him to start suddenly liking him, heel or not. Also, heels can hate other heels.

[@patrickperalta59]

@@Deadpool_64 ..thanks for info

[@lexkanyima2195]

But he should have never being mentioned to turn heel

[@stevegallo8483]

Heenan always hated Hogan, so why after a heel turn would Heenan all of a sudden like Hogan.

[@patrickperalta59]

@@stevegallo8483 as a heel Heenan hated the babyface wrestlers not just Hogan..but when a babyface wrestler turned heel....then Heenan in character would suddenly like them and how in his mind they saw the light...when he spent months and years putting them down.............so when Hogan turned heel it was a suprise that Heenan still didn't like him Hogan was the one heel that Heenan didn't get behind.

[@mm.007]

Honorable mention Dominik Mysterio , gone from being just the son of the biggest babyface to being the most hated guy in all of wrestling .

[@anonluxor470]

Neville's heel cought me off guard when first watch 205 live

[@TheShotgunShovel]

Dude hasn't been a true face since.

[@tamzidmohsinkhan3333]

Rock's Nation of Domination run was memorable . This faction is the one that even made him a legend

[@benespinosa6725]

Honorable Mention Kane turning heel after unmasking in 2003 that was perfectly done and JBL's Heel turn in 2004 was awesome his WWE Title Reign is 10X Better than Triple H's Reign Of Terror.

[@blackmantis3130]

That's a stretch

[@davidschmidt89]

Hunter was better

[@kq7770]

@@blackmantis3130 Yea I was gonna say, questionable at best

[@benespinosa6725]

@@blackmantis3130 and I had no clue until I did research was that big show got hurt Undertaker got hurt and Brock Lesnar left and they need a top heel to face eddie guerrero and They picked JBL which is very interesting.

[@benespinosa6725]

@@davidschmidt89 Correct

[@joemomma3208]

The transformation from Hulk Hogan to “Hollywood Hogan” was iconic!

[@tamzidmohsinkhan3333]

Yep it completely changed the wrestling landscape

[@andu1854]

Actually I think Hollywood Hogan is more true to Who Hogan actually is

[@Joe_Okey]

Hulk Hogan had a good heel run in the 70's with "Classy" Freddie Blassie as his manager. His first match with Andre the Giant was at the final "Showdown at Shea" in 1980, where Hogan was the heel and Andre was the babyface. When he signed with the WWF under Vince Sr., it wasn't long before "Hulkamania" was born.

[@lexkanyima2195]

Hogan was not pushed

[@lonniehowell9593]

Hulkamania was great back then.

[@cavaletto]

Bryan may have been a but crazy with that gimmick. But it fit him and he made it work

[@davidstratton696]

I just couldn’t get behind it at all honestly. He was definitely better as a face. He was just never as over as soon as he become heel. It ruined him for me honestly.

[@MrAce-lm8es]

From "Blue Chipper" to "Black Chipper". Rocky Maivia returns to the World Wrestling Federation from his knee injury and repaid Faarooq's act of sympathy by "Embracing His Destiny" and joined the Nation Of Domination. August 11, 1997. August 18, 1997 - September 5, 1998 - The Rock's Nation Heel Run 🖤💜💛

[@SuperRodimusPrime]

“Why did WWE wait so long to turn Roman Reigns heel?” Because Vince McMahon is a nutty old man who doesn’t know what he’s doing and hasn’t for some time.

[@dkmenace1990]

because Roman Reigns was bringing in the $$$$$$$$ regardless how much the vocal minority tried to sabotage him.

[@MakingNoobsCry]

Tbh if I was Vince I would barely listen to the fans either. Do y’all not read the stuff that new wrestling fans say? 😂 Just the other day a kid said Ricochet should be World Champion because he isn’t a entertainer he’s a pure pro wrestler that’s serious💀

[@Matt-nw2te]

Edge is by far one of the most dynamic Heels we’ve ever seen

[@patrickevans9604]

He was a truly despicable menace back then and it was the most amazing thing to watch. Best work of his career was his heel persona

[@Rocketboy1313]

I loved Bailey's Hugger gimmick. Colorful, happy, and fun. I hope she one days pulls it out of the mothballs.

[@blacksmoke6292]

Same. Most of the Fourhorsewomen gimmicks that could be related to heelish persona while Bayley always felt like the innocent face that always tried her best.

[@bryanperalta740]

The problem with Bayley’s heel turn was that at first she Needed talkers like Sasha Banks to carry her over. As much as her heel work “saved” her Career I still missed her babyface persona way more because it fits her better.

[@michaelbartlett3120]

@@bryanperalta740 me too

[@bryanperalta740]

@@michaelbartlett3120 If I can add if she portrayed her “hugger” persona in a more disturbing like “she is the role model” instead of imitating Becky Lynch’s or Sasha’s heel persona maybe I would’ve been on board. But when she did those it looked as if it was forced. It’s kinda like forcing Tom Hanks to play an evil antagonist.

[@yourdagan]

She was better (more convincing) as a face and I hope she returns to a face.

[@thanatoskw8285]

Definitely an honorable mention to Rock's 2003 heel turn. Just an honorable mention because obviously Rock's career wasn't remotely in need of saving, but he was getting pretty stale at that point and his smug Hollywood persona capitalized on the resentment of the fans perfectly and really brought new life to him.

[@The_Dark_Knight_32]

Hulk Hogan's turn took him from arguably the most beloved superstar to being the most despised villain. I remember watching him come down the ramp that night and hearing Heenan shout, "But whose side is he on?!" It was absolutely unthinkable that Hogan would be anything but a hero and a good guy - his turn was the spark that lit the flame of the NWO and set the wrestling world ablaze!

[@drzerogi]

Objectively speaking, Hulk Hogan's heel turn was the greatest, most impactful heel turn in westling. Children were crying when he turned heel, parents and grandparents were legit pissed off. It has never been topped.

[@loststoryproductions]

Yeah not understanding how this was not number 1. It was literally on big time news shows when he turned heel

[@JShadow6661]

The heels that get you to hate them in real life are truly legendary. The only two performers that got me to hate them were Edge and Bradshaw lol. The two were very convincing and legendary in their craft. Now as an adult I appreciate their efforts and dedication in story telling.

[@tessagilmore7347]

cold 2->kzbin.info/www/bejne/aYjKlISurK6KnM0

[@mightyblaze9911]

William Regal too imo

[@Mgranadosv]

I agree. Except I didn't hate Edge heel. I loved him as a heel, his facial expressions, the intensity with which he did everything as a heel was fantastic. Bradshaw was someone I truly hated so much lol.

[@killjoysmakesomenoise668]

@@Mgranadosv same man.i so much love eddie that I despise JBL so much.😅

[@williamskelton325]

I'm going to mention Maryse here. When she debuted she was actually a congenial face welcoming fans to Canadian arenas in French and promoting music videos and being really outgoing. Then she shifted into a heel and literally it changed the entire trajectory of her career. In fact I don't think she's been a face again ever since she first became a heel.

[@DJDoubleCee]

I think Bayley is better off being a heel. I found it a little creepy that she loved to go around hugging people.

[@master-of-mind5881]

😅😅😅😅😅😆😆😂🤣😂😅😅😅

[@Rhetzelle]

yeah her Heel persona is her best work .. she's annoyingly likeable and her promos as heel are much better than her cringe face gimmick

[@nixda9326]

is Bayley not already fired or is she still Part of WWE?

[@DJDoubleCee]

@@nixda9326 I think she got seriously injured and that’s probably why you haven’t been seeing her on TV.

[@nixda9326]

@@DJDoubleCee that must been a real serious Injury because i cant remember seeing her this Year ever on TV.

[@kunalt25]

Roman and edge are the heels with cheers than boos 🤣

[@benpaenga5282]

- Paul Bearer turning on Undertaker in 1996 to align with Mankind and 1997 to align with Kane - Scott Steiner turning on Rick to pursue a world championship - Stevie Ray turning on Booker T - Can’t forget Kevin Nash and the finger of doom match after he defeated Goldberg

[@kazallroberts]

Paul Bearer: Agreed Scott Steiner: Agreed Stevie Ray: Despite him doing his best, he got lost in the shuffle Kevin Nash: Even tho Kevin needed it but The Finger Poke Of Doom killed WCW's credibility of them winning the war.

[@bayzvisionentertainment.7050]

The guy you call Chris Jericho is just seriously talented.....👏🏻👏

[@Breakingthesilence0522]

Best heeler of all time Randy Orton & Brock Lesnar ,JBL , Baylee & Undertaker .. . Best baby face of all time Rey Mysterio ,RVD & Jeff Hardy

[@dimitridelgado6531]

I loved Chris Jericho as a heel with the suits

[@anthonym7322]

Let's also add a few more honorable mentions. I'd like to add Seth "Freakin" Rollins, Bobby Lashley and Becky Lynch. Seth because even though he was part of one of the most dominant factions in WWE history in The Shield, alongside Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose, I don't even like to admit it, but him betraying Ambrose and Reigns from outta nowhere and eventually aligning himself with The Authority was extremely beneficial to his career. His solo run led him to becoming Mr. Money in the Bank and having the greatest cash-in in history and becoming WWE Champion. The first to do it between him, Reigns and Ambrose. He had memorable feuds with the likes of Orton, Reigns, John Cena, Sting and Ambrose, just to name a few. He eventually became not only a grand slam champion, but a triple crown winner. Becky Lynch, she knew she needed to level up, and when plans for Bianca Belair's scheduled title defense for the SmackDown Women's Championship at last year's SummerSlam was changed, Bianca always wanted to face Becky and she indeed got her wish but not in the fashion she expected by catching Belair off-guard and making short work of her 4 month reign as champion in just 26 seconds, ultimately resulting in the fans booing Becky Lynch for her capitalizing tactics and giving her her official first long-term heel run. I only say this because even though she snapped after being screwed outta the title at SummerSlam a few years back, some may consider that to be her first heel run but unless the fans treated her the same way they do now back then, I'd consider it a heel turn but I don't. We were all still behind her and she was more than justified for her actions back then. Bobby Lashley, I felt like it was inevitable. His work with MVP and forming The Hurt Business along with Cedric Alexander and Shelton Benjamin was great. I wasn't feeling the idea that it had to split the way it did because the faction was great imo. But the end result led to him finally becoming WWE Champion. He had all the tools to become champion early in his first run but WWE didn't wanna capitalize on it.

[@anthonym7322]

What about Mandy Rose? She should be strongly considered in this list at least as an honorable mention because she started out on the main roster alongside Paige and Sonya DeVille in Absolution. When that died out and Fire and Desire was formed just with her and Sonya, even her babyface run alongside Dana Brooke didn't really do much good for her, even though I liked that team and her short solo stint with Otis, Dolph Ziggler and Sonya DeVille was as good as it was gonna get which wasn't that good. But, let's be real, her going back to NXT, changing her look, forming possibly the best (if not one of the best) women's factions in pro-wrestling, Toxic Attraction alongside Gigi Dolin and Jacy Jayne was the best move in her career. You can tell Mandy Rose is having the best run of her career, especially as NXT Women's Champion. She surpassed Charlotte Flair's reign as the 5th longest reign. Even without the title, she was still killing it in NXT

[@maynardmtemangombe9886]

The greatest heel turn Is from the tribal chief cause he did what every superstar failed to do making the universal championship feel like a real world title

[@annaxuldraugworc7832]

What about Seth Rollin with his heel turn? Not only it pushed all 3 members of The Shield to a whole new level, it also created chances for all of them to perfect their character , and gave birth to one of the most shocking title win in WM when he succesfully cashed in the MITB contract

[@xbacongrizzler6929]

While this is true his heel turn wasn't needed to save his career or even that of the other 2. The 3 members of the Shield were extremely over with the fans at that time. Yes it did benefit them and take them to new heights, but this list was about heel turns that saved dull boring characters who weren't getting over, the Shield members had no issues in that department.

[@tamzidmohsinkhan3333]

Chris Jericho is always way better as a heel in its first place

[@gian9810]

honorable mention: alexa bliss; if she didn’t leave the glitter fairy gimmick and turn heel back in nxt, she probably would’ve been released.

[@Fl0yd-]

Number 1 Roman reigns

[@shivvaghela723]

Roman heel turn changed him perfect example of - from the most hated hero to the most beloved villian 🔥🔥🔥

[@samuelaje4339]

You forgot Usos. Their heel turn made them carry 2016 and 2017 Smackdown on a weekly basis. Cold gimmick, great promos and they had interesting feuds with every tag team at the time

[@kazallroberts]

Yeah, the old gimmick was good but it got stale.

[@brandonjones9998]

Hogan turning heel was the best move WCW ever made. His Hulkamania gimmick got so old and his two moved of doom. Same with Reigns and Bayley. Both their gimmicks got stale and old and turning them heel was the best move made during the Covid era.

[@pimpbeast100]

As well as Dominick Mysterio for becoming the most hated heel in WWE!!

[@user-em6ie2be7x]

It's pretty obvious Roman Reigns is gonna be #1 on this list.

[@disownership]

I would argue that Reigns’s heel turn didn’t “save” his career. Did it make him more popular and likeable? Sure. But he had already been getting pushed so hard for so long that I don’t think his career was really in any sort of jeopardy whatsoever.

[@kazallroberts]

@@disownership However by the time of his feud with Brock Lesnar his character got stale very quickly

[@johnreid4256]

I'm surprised Mark Henry wasn't on here the Hall of pain

[@pepito2847]

If you really think about it Edge had every right to snap in 2004 Instead of voting for Edge to face Triple H They vote to see Shawn Michaels VS Triple H for the hundredth time?! Yeah I’d be pissed too

[@tomseville2345]

He also got booed in his hometown at SummerSlam just before that. It's time to turn!

[@Megastar_Tye]

@@tomseville2345 Chris benoit also got booed as well

[@PersephoneSkye_]

Seth Rollins too. He's such a silly villain. And I love how he dresses

[@kazallroberts]

But as The Architect it was kinda hard to take him seriously due to how they rushed him into the main event without anymore build. Rollins found his true gimmick with The Visionary and The Drip God.

[@dhaynes325]

Reigns heel turn is the best I have seen in years. Great move.

[@wiseguysoutdoors2954]

Ha, ha, ha, ha. Yeah. The Tribal Thief and Head of the Fable. Really creative. This bloodline bullshit has gotten as old as the crust in Vince's depends. What a boring fking joke!!

[@SuperNuttyPuddyBuddy]

I think Hogan should be number 1. It changed the industry. I might not be the biggest Hogan fan but I can recognize that was too legendary.

[@remingtonbouyer]

Nobody would have ever seen Hogan turn heel but he did and he did wonders with but with that he was one of the reasons why WCW died

[@spike3082]

Yea Hogan's Hall's and Nash's mega contracts didn't help WCW financially Vince Russo was a main reason for its downfall as well as allowing the NWO to get too big for its own good when Russo came in the storylines went to hell and it was more cartoony then I can ever remember and just plain stupid I lost interest then but I will say as a lifelong Hogan fan that heal turn was epic I wore a wrestling shirt every day my sophomore year of high school I had 4 NWO t-shirts a Goldberg shirt and a Giant t-shirt lol was always wearing 1 of them lol and a Wolfpack shirt

[@ferox965]

Hogan turning heel was mainstream news. But for me it was Andre.

[@master-of-mind5881]

Unpopular opinion but i really liked stone cold Steve Austin’s heel turn in 01. My exposure to Austin’s in-ring work was in the early naughties. Never watched wwe before 2000 and when Austin returned from neck surgery he was only a babyface for 6 months before turning heel by aligning himself with McMahon. That’s the version of Austin that I grew up with. When he formed the two man power trip with HHH I was hooked. He carried the whole invasion angle, he put over Kurt Angle in great fashion (9/11) he had fantastic matches with the Undertaker, Kane & Chris Jericho. He also knew how to be funny. I loved his moment with Debra where he didn’t eat her cookies and she slapped him one. Not to mention Kurt Angle drowning him and the rest of the alliance in milk. Another honourable mention is the rock’s heel turn in 03. Hollywood Rock. It was really refreshing. Only the rock can insult the audience but still make you love him at the same time. It was a good call to have him work one final Wrestlemania match with Austin as the heel. It brought their rivalry full circle. Roman reigns as the tribal chief/head of the table is quite frankly the greatest heel turn in the modern day era of the WWE. The writing, commitment, in-ring segments, promos and storytelling are simply immaculate. He went from being an insufferable babyface as the big dog to a mesmerising heel in the tribal chief. His match with jey uso at HIAC 2020 where he choked out Jimmy was honestly the best character work I’ve seen from anyone in a long time. That match was emotionally intense and it solidified Roman’s craftsmanship as a future wwe legend.

[@kazallroberts]

Facts, the nWo changed professional wrestling from family-friendly cartoon wrestling-realistic engaging wrestling.

[@kenjamin9147]

Bradshaw's heel turn was a decent evolution of his character but there's no way he should've been WWE Champion so long. If they weren't so short on stars at the time he wouldn't have got near it, he was an upper-midcarder at best, not someone to carry a company for a year.

[@TheNightOwl11683]

He was champion for so long because Triple H didn't want to work Tuesdays

[@fenixrises9854]

@@TheNightOwl11683 I was thinking of that quote

[@FirearmofMutiny]

Maybe he shouldn't have held it for so long, but he definitely dropped it to the right person at the right PPV (John Cena at WrestleMania)

[@kazallroberts]

@@TheNightOwl11683 Plus most of Smackdown!'s key stars were injured, departed from the company or draft to Raw.

[@Itstheofficialyesby]

Bayley’s turn without a doubt is top 10 heel turns

[@gerardohernandezjr7297]

An underrated heel turn was Shawn Michaels in 2005. I mean the heat he had for that month (especially when they were in Canada) man that was such a good heel run!

[@Marcellus-ro4ko]

HBK was already a legend at that time already. We’re talking heel turns that saved wrestlers careers from being stale.

[@gerardohernandezjr7297]

@@Marcellus-ro4ko he was a legend but it was an underrated heel turn for me at least. Plus his heel run only lasted for a month

[@lexkanyima2195]

@@gerardohernandezjr7297 a forced heel turn by not having a babyface match

[@Noobie2k7]

@@Marcellus-ro4ko I mean they included Jericho on this list who by 07 was already hall of Fame worthy himself. He still got on this list.

[@kazallroberts]

@@lexkanyima2195 Not to mention HBK later admitted that the only reason why he turned heel in 2005 is because Hogan forced him to do so.

[@jamalsampson9389]

Edge & Batista were my favorite heel characters in wrestling. This is awesome content!!!

[@DDC66774]

Hollywood Batista was awesome. He kept me going after Jeff left in 2009. Everything was on point. He even dressed like a douche😂

[@shinoharuv2519]

Reigns heel turn should have happened after he beat the Undertaker. Nevertheless it happened anyway and it's still awesome

[@amhir5744]

The Usos should be here in my opinion.

[@TheJuliet316]

Definitely when they became the USO Penitentiary. That turn definitely breathed new life into their career as a tag team.

[@chinomnsochinke238]

Roman's heel turn was good at its beginning, now it's grown stale too. Shouldn't have been number one. During Rock's time, they had some competent writers. Now all they have is kindergarten clowns drafting their scripts.

[@sillyspideyy]

Bayley for sure saved her 🔥

[@davidpaulson538]

Maybe Bayley can bring Sasha back, if they are still friends

[@brandoncornwell1926]

Doubt it

[@sarthaksharma2012]

Who like heels more than babyfaces 👇

[@garyskadra5236]

Seth Rollins became World Champion shortly after his heel turn. Bayley looked hotter when was a Babyface

[@pearlboy601]

Daniel Bryan, The planet’s champion was awesome!!!

[@LibertadNZ]

Dirty Dom for sure. Being able to step out of his dad's shadow has helped his character work grow immensely.

[@herbertrossman1862]

Bayley is good at both heel and face looking forward to her return soon see what she comes back as heel or face there's a very good chance she'll be back at Summerslam

[@sumitdhangar6450]

and the one thing WWE should've done way before the pandemic is to turn BROCK into a face this Cowboy character of brock is being appreciated more than his incarnate one

[@giovannimartin8290]

The Rock ‘03 heel turn was gold also 😭😭

[@0xEARTH]

as much as i *really* don't like Reigns, period, i do think the heel turn was kinda necessary. i hate how they did it, and i think they're still pushing him wayyyyy too much. but honestly, the attitude he has as heel in comparison to what he had before is much more energetic and i do think he fits it better.

[@chancewoods770]

The Usos when ever it happened they was so good at it

[@gustavo1820111]

The jbl is a great example when I started watchinh wwe it was in the early 2000s right away my favorite wrestler was eddie guerrero and we began fueding with jbl I was instantly hooked because the jbl actually made me hate him so much when I was a kid I remember I would watch smackdown every week just to see if he would finally lose the wwe title looking back it now I realize how good of job he did being a heel

[@talentless2714]

One that should have been mentioned was Michelle McCool turning heel.. after getting the divas title + teaming up with Layla and being “Flawless”+ aggressive fighting style. That heel turn made her the first woman to have carried both titles and she unified the titles, personally I feel she also carried the woman’s division in her run as heel.

[@williamskelton325]

Agreed. Her cute sweet schoolteacher gimmick got old REAL quick. When she went heel and eventually formed Laycool it gave her a new dimension. Not only did it revive her career it inadvertently buried Layla who was the real final women's champion but it turned into a reign for McCool. It was such a dominant character that when Layla retired her everyone was literally shocked.

[@thereallg4587]

*After WWE buried Bayley to put alexa bliss on top, she was not taken serious. She was booed in Canada in 2017 WHILE SHE WAS INJURED. Then booed again in 2019. Until her heel turn, then people liked her again.*

[@karon718]

Just from the title of the video I knew Roman would be number 1

[@aaronblaze2251]

Honestly Reigns turn was the best in modern era.

[@k-dawgbroadcasting5444]

Yeah, I'll be that guy. Vitaly Klitschko is saving Ukraine and now wrestlers' careers? Awesome

[@tobimadara7539]

When Hulk Hogan turn heel all the world shocked

[@MeeloMilo69]

Waited so long to turn Roman heel because …. They predicted there will be a pandemic so that Roman can carry the company …

[@MrAce-lm8es]

John Cena's Last Heel Match on Smackdown! was November 4, 2003 against Rey Mysterio. Cena afterwards was offered a spot on Team Lesnar at Survivor Series but refused and was jumped by "The A-Train", making Cena a Babyface and A-Train the 5th member of Team Lesnar.

[@luuduonghy659]

It was also the last time Cena was heel The reason lead him to turn away from team Lesnar is still unknown

[@wrestlingandamusementparkl7789]

Another mention is Alexa bliss heel turn in nxt. At the time she was a fairy princess and just stuck in limbo and possibly gonna get fired but they turned her heel and saved her carrer and had the best promo as well

[@sasidharcsn8593]

Even Mandy Rose heel turn in NXT 2.0 helped her character to reach new levels

[@oz70nyc50]

"Why did WWE wait so long to turn Roman heel?" Cuz they wasted a majority of his career trying to build him into the new John Cena. That's why.

[@Ec3.]

I still remember Batista turning heel.

[@Dummytest123]

Rhonda Rousey needs to turn heel I want her to be ruthless badass heel

[@derrickhaggard]

Ronda has stated that when she does her 3rd run in WWE it will be as a heel since that's what the fans want to see.

[@Megastar_Tye]

She was a heel in 2019 but it completely went downhill when she got injured and was shelfed for over 2 and a half years

[@Dummytest123]

I know she was a heel in 2019 but I want her be a heel again

[@Dummytest123]

@@Megastar_Tye Wait how was she injured

[@Megastar_Tye]

@@Dummytest123 Broken hand. When she flipped the table, that broke her hand

[@CtefoxZeus]

Roman's heel has produced different aura. Always produced a godly presence whenever he step in and off the ring. That's the Final Boss right there. Even CV Punk said, "The one thing WWE has done right in a decade. Now, what can you say bad about Roman."

[@shutupdodo3686]

his matches are boring

[@TwinIsrael]

@@shutupdodo3686 very that one with KO put me to sleep so fast

[@master-of-mind5881]

Unpopular opinion but i really liked stone cold Steve Austin’s heel turn in 01. My exposure to Austin’s in-ring work was in the early naughties. Never watched wwe before 2000 and when Austin returned from neck surgery he was only a babyface for 6 months before turning heel by aligning himself with McMahon. That’s the version of Austin that I grew up with. When he formed the two man power trip with HHH I was hooked. He carried the whole invasion angle, he put over Kurt Angle in great fashion (9/11) he had fantastic matches with the Undertaker, Kane & Chris Jericho. He also knew how to be funny. I loved his moment with Debra where he didn’t eat her cookies and she slapped him one. Not to mention Kurt Angle drowning him and the rest of the alliance in milk. Another honourable mention is the rock’s heel turn in 03. Hollywood Rock. It was really refreshing. Only the rock can insult the audience but still make you love him at the same time. It was a good call to have him work one final Wrestlemania match with Austin as the heel. It brought their rivalry full circle. Roman reigns as the tribal chief/head of the table is quite frankly the greatest heel turn in the modern day era of the WWE. The writing, commitment, in-ring segments, promos and storytelling are simply immaculate. He went from being an insufferable babyface as the big dog to a mesmerising heel in the tribal chief. His match with jey uso at HIAC 2020 where he choked out Jimmy was honestly the best character work I’ve seen from anyone in a long time. That match was emotionally intense and it solidified Roman’s craftsmanship as a future wwe legend.

[@wiseguysoutdoors2954]

Head of the Fable and the Tribal THIEF

[@DMachoMickey]

I'm still trying to recover from Larry Zbyszko turning heel on Bruno Sammartino in 1980.

[@kazallroberts]

Lol

[@TheCreativeGuy264]

From hated heroes to loved villains...

[@kazallroberts]

Yup

[@Merglet]

Bailey not succeeding as a face on the main roster had WAY LESS to do with the character and WAY MORE with Vince "how can I f*** this up on purpose" McMahon booking/creative at the time (and let's face it, in general overall) Not just toward her character, but the women's roster in general. Just sayin'.

[@xthevortexknightx6356]

What abt Shawn Michaels? That heel turn changed his career immensely. Without it, he probably would have been mostly forgotten like Janetty. Once he turned heel, he became The Man

[@MalPalReynolds]

Made another comment like that. Just absolutely baffled Shawn Michaels wasn’t number one on this list.

[@HaziqRosli-d6v]

What? No Cena? The Prototype ---> Doctor of Thuganomics? Man, that boy was literally on the chopping block and was less than a month from getting released in 2002 until he starting rapping about yo momma.

[@JamesTaylor-vh4dq]

Honorable Mention: New Day. Turning them heel revitalized the Tag Team Division thanks to this change. They were a preacher/gospel gimmick that didn't take and turning this group heel put the focus on a division that was dying.

[@patrickevans9604]

Best part about that heel turn is that Xavier put his job on the line cause he truly believed he could get Kofi boos lol. Saved 3 careers and his job