Turning the heel can be the beginning of a brand new era for someone WWE It saves the careers, wrestlers from ambiguity, turns their fortunes from success and momentum perspectives, bringing out the best in terms of microphone work, character performance, and quality in the ring. But even if the heel turns are impactful, funny and loved by current fans, things don’t always go for planning.
The next example is a surprising heel turn at first, but in the end WWE fumbled them with a lack of reservations or other issues that failed to benefit the parties involved.
Tatanka
Potential stars have been ruined
- Tatanka was rolling as an undefeated babyface
- He sold out to Ted Dibyrs
- He became the background character for this act
Tatanka was quite popular as he won many matches. WWE has decided to take Tatanka to the next level. He made him look back at the heels and worked with Ted Dibeers in the move many were riding first, shocking the fans.
Tatanka’s sold out was a complete flavour, and he cleanly stripped all the attributes that made him popular in the first place, and did nothing of them. He got lost on the shuffle inside and around other heels that also sold out on Diviath.
Matt Hardy
Jeff Hardy’s turn was a shocking moment
- Fans were initially invested in Matt vs. Jeff
- Their stories took a ridiculous route
- Matt Hardy was not promoted by his heel turn
At the 2009 Royal Rumble event, Matt Hardy attacked his brother Jeff with a steel chair, turning the heels with the heels, ramming the shocking fans as all of Jeff’s dreams were destroyed. This could finally climb Matt Hardy’s hard and break into the main event.
However, in the follow-up, Matt Hardy saw an outrageous story of literally trying to kill his brother, revealing that he was the arsonist behind the dog’s death, but ended up with an inconspicuous coronavirus heel.
Rikishi
WWE Made Rikishi A Joke
- Rikiss reveals herself as an attacker for Steve Austin
- The turn could have been due to Rikishi’s end
- WWE made him a joke and his turn failed
In the 1990s backend and the 2000s, WWE tried to push Rikishi because of his size and popularity. The revelation that he was the man behind Steve Austin’s hit and run was a huge shock, and it could have been key to making him a full-time main event.
But WWE didn’t put enough behind Rikis right away, so something like Lock made him look like a joke. This has made the decision that WWE will turn the heel at a very large angle.
Shawn Michaels
WWE abandoned Michaels’ heel turn
- Michaels went on the heel in 2005
- Fans were looking forward to veteran Michaels as the bad guy
- WWE decided to turn his babyface again
Shawn Michaels has been a good guy since returning to 2002, but in 2005 WWE called on Hulk Hogan to turn his heels. He was very enjoyable and there was a lot of potential in the more veteran version of Michaels as the bad guy.
Following the end of his feud with Hogan, Michaels went straight back to Babyface and groped for the opportunity to take advantage of Heel Michaels’ potential in this new era.
corner
Edge has become a dark heel character
- Fans were delighted with the outlook for the heel edge in 2022
- He formed the day of judgement and became difficult to see
- His dark character didn’t work
Edge’s return from retirement was incredible, but was followed up due to injuries and late bookings. Edge joined the program using AJ styles with many possibilities, and fans were even more invested when Edge shocked his heels to attack the style. This sparked a lot of excitement as he was always a great WWE bad guy.
Unfortunately, Edge didn’t take on his old persona. Instead, they chose a darker, more gloomy character who was quickly tired of fans. Everything from this point onwards led to the edge going downhill.
Mustafa Ali
Ant’s heel turn could have saved retaliation
- Ali’s obvious moment as the leader of retribution was a good moment.
- WWE did not book the group well
- Ali has become a job bar with the rest of the fact
The retaliation law was a rather poor introduction, but it could have been that things clearly saved their leader. This led to Mustafaari’s well-made heel turn, which felt like it would help him raise the cards and save the group.
Unfortunately, the major reveal was quickly cancelled as retaliation bookings did not improve.
Shinsuke Nakamura
Nakamura’s Wrestlemania heel turn had a possibility
- WWE was making Nakamura fail as a face
- Heel Turn saved a disappointing WrestleMania match
- WWE did not commit to his push
Nakamura Shimogami and AJ Styles’ dream match failed to be streamed, but the post-match heel was great to turn from Nakamura Nakamura, WrestleMania 34. If WWE focuses on Nakamura, who is more violent and sinister as a top star, his WWE run could be saved.
Instead, Nakamura was enthralled with low blows, unable to beat his style, defeating cards quickly and not consistently reaching the main event level.
Dean Ambrose
Ambrose’s heel turn led to the WWE exit
- The same night when Ambrose turned to heels, the Roman ruler announced his cancer battle
- Turn may have been deplorable and could have made him a huge star
- WWE gave him the worst heel gimmick you could imagine
At night, the Roman ruler declared that he was leaving for cancer treatment with a universal title, and Dean Ambrose betrayed his crazy shield brother Seth Rollins at the end of the raw madness of Monday night. The moment was fantastic, disgusting, shocking, and I set Ambrose to a postponed heel run.
Afterwards, WWE decides to turn him into a strange germaphobe with a strange gimmick that dies underwater. His feud with Seth Rollins became ice cold and he left WWE the following year.
New day
Iconic segments and nothing after that
- Kofi Kingston & Xavier Woods kicked the group
- The segment was the best of the year
- WWE has been unable to give anything on new days for months
In the wild segment, Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods went on the heels, humiliating the injured big E, and kicked him out of the new day. Everyone raves about the quality of the segment, and in the next few weeks the pairing received a lot of heat.
And…nothing. New days struggled with TV time and had little involvement in meaningful feuds. And by the time they won the World Tag Team title, their momentum from their big turns had completely faded.
“Stone Cold” Steve Austin
Austin turned his heels on the most epic stage
- Austin joined forces with McMahon.
- It was a suspicious decision to turn the baby face heels on top.
- It was a troublesome run for Austin on the heels.
Steve Austin’s heel turn joined McMahon in the main event at WrestleMania, and was one of the most shocking things to date. Although Austin was often interesting, his bookings were pretty crude at this time, and his planetary powers fell slightly.
Amidst a cluttered angle of invasion, Austin on the heels was unable to reach the same height as his babyface persona, and within a year WWE retreated and again changed his babyface. The moment was iconic, but the aftermath was disappointing.
