March 29, 2024

Greatest Face Turns In Wrestling History

Who saw the light in the most dramatic way possible?

In this edition of The Wrestling Estate roundtable, we discuss the worst and greatest face turns in pro wrestling history.

What’s the first face turn you remember?

John Corrigan: Trish Stratus at WrestleMania X-7. After being Mr. McMahon’s mistress for a couple months, the Canadian goddess finally revealed her true colors, slapping Mac Daddy and chasing after the Billion-Dollar Princess. She also didn’t feed Linda McMahon her pills that day, allowing the supposedly sedated matriarch to rise to the roar of the crowd and squash her husband’s grapefruits.

Juan Bautista: When Batista decided to go against Triple H at WrestleMania 21.

Chad Gelfand: Stone Cold turning back into the “Old Stone Cold” and helping Team WWF against The Alliance.

Steven Jackson: When Eddie Guerrero came out on SmackDown in his hometown of El Paso, TX, with the U.S. Title. At this particular time, Eddie had been working predominantly as a heel, so when his hometown fans cheered him as he came through the crowd, it was inevitable he needed to turn face. And, in the process, begin the greatest run of his career.

David Gibb: Doink the Clown! The creepy clown did what I would later learn is one of the most basic midcard heel turns: he directed the same insulting garbage toward his villainous boss (Jerry Lawler) that he had previously visited upon Your Favorite WWF Superstars.

Jack Goodwillie: The funny thing is I seem to remember several heel turns occurring before the first face turn I’m able to remember. I started watching wrestling in July 2004, primarily SmackDown during this time. However, one face turn occurred on each brand in relatively close proximity to one another, and both stick out. Booker T turned face on SmackDown ahead of Survivor Series that year to take on JBL, but Kane’s face turn came first as part of the fallout of his ‘Til Death Do Us Part match with Matt Hardy. The funny thing is my memories of the Kane-Matt Hardy feud include me rooting for Kane. Why? It was Kane! Everybody who had basic wrestling knowledge knew who Kane was. He was the Big Red Machine! How could you not appreciate a monster like that? So, imagine the happiness I felt in the irony that came with Kane turning face after “unknown jobber” Gene Snitsky attacked him from behind during a match, causing Lita to have a “miscarriage.” It’s key to remember that I still thought wrestling was real during these months. So, with Lita eventually coming around to Kane and Kane inevitably giving Snitsky what he deserved months later at New Year’s Revolution, this was a face turn that came very naturally to me. Fitting that it was also technically the first I ever got to experience.



Can you think of a face turn that should have happened, but didn’t?

Corrigan: Triple H in 2001. While many of my fellow millennials have fond memories of the Two-Man Power Trip, Stone Cold’s heel run and the overall direction of the company would have been a lot better after Mania X-7 had Triple H turned face and provided a fresh spin on his feud with Austin. After all, the company was sorely lacking a top hero at that point.

Bautista: AJ Styles in New Japan. The timing didn’t allow it, but Kenny Omega kicked Styles out of Bullet Club. It would’ve been great to see Styles get revenge on Omega.

Gelfand: Rusev at the height of Rusev Day.

Jackson: When Edge cashed in the original Money in the Bank briefcase at New Years’ Revolution 2006 against John Cena. As the response from the crowd indicated, it was one of the hottest moments of the year, and after all the hard work Edge put into winning the world title, it should have been his coronation as the face of WWE. Sadly, Edge had to wrestle alongside John Cena, the biggest star since Steve Austin, so a face vs. face feud was never going to work. It’s such a shame as Edge really could have been a huge babyface star, but instead, was given the terrible heel gimmick.

Gibb: Arn Anderson. When Ric Flair left WCW for WWF, Double A might have been the one wrestler respected enough by the crowd to quiet chants of “We want Flair!” during WCW main events.

Goodwillie: When WWE actually teased Ted DiBiase Jr. turning on Randy Orton after Orton abused him in a match. The angle that transpired wasn’t really comparable, but showed a similar potential to that of the Batista face turn on Triple H. In that moment, you felt bad for DiBiase, and not in a way where you took pity on him necessarily, but that you saw that he was above Orton’s teachings and had the potential to strike out on his own. DiBiase had the talent to do just that, but the issue was the lack of an appropriate reason for him to break off. The Legacy breakup was a waste of time and potential. It technically ended with Orton turning face against both of his proteges and later going over in that WrestleMania match. From there, Rhodes and DiBiase went to SmackDown, where they became separate heels and Orton would soon follow them to the blue brand. I just find it unconscionable that neither Rhodes or DiBiase were able to take any momentum from the breakup, and instead, were forced to create it themselves. Of course, history has proven that Rhodes was the better innovator of the two, but DiBiase deserved much better.



What’s the worst face turn ever?

Corrigan: Randy Orton in 2004. Everything cool about the Legend Killer was taken away during his brief feud with Triple H. After becoming the youngest WWE Champion in history, Orton was instantly neutered by The Game and lost the title in under a month. It’s one thing to try to force an unlikable person into a hero, it’s another thing to then job him out like a jabroni.

Bautista: Nia Jax in 2018. It didn’t make sense. We were supposed to believe this monster was bullied by Alexa Bliss?

Gelfand: The Miz in 2013. The Miz is someone who should almost always be a heel and when he turned and was managed by Ric Flair doing a terrible figure four, it just didn’t work.

Jackson: Any Randy Orton face turn. He should not be a babyface. He is made to be a heel and any time he has worked as a face, it has just been very uncomfortable to watch. The one which stands out is in 2004. It just felt really awkward after his one-month title reign.

Gibb: I wouldn’t say the turn itself was the problem, but Abyss being Hulk Hogan’s little buddy with his magical WWE Hall of Fame ring is maybe the most nonsensical and dumb babyface run I’ve seen.

Goodwillie: There were two that happened in really close proximity to one another: Alberto Del Rio turning babyface and unjustly winning the 40-man Royal Rumble shortly thereafter, and The Miz, perhaps wrestling’s most natural modern heel, turning babyface and working a Miz TV segment with a heel Paul Heyman. In neither case could I buy either guy in the babyface role because both are just incredibly natural villains, albeit for different reasons. The Miz just knows how to grind people’s gears while Del Rio is a real-life heel to boot. Eventually, they found their way back as heels, but WWE completely killed the momentum of both characters and in one fell swoop cancelled the idea of either guy breaking through as the heel we all knew they could be. The Miz would one day find his way back. Del Rio…. not so much.



What’s your favorite face turn ever?

Corrigan: Ric Flair for one night in 2003. Despite being thick as thieves during this era, Triple H decided to grant his mentor a title shot, thinking that Flair would lay down for The Game. Throughout the night, Flair contemplated what he should do as Shawn Michaels massaged his ego, telling him not to throw his legacy away. By match time, the Nature Boy was stylin and profiling in the heart of Flair Country, as Greenville, SC, rallied behind the 16-time world champion. Flair took the fight to Triple H, chopping the shit out of him and attacking his bruised ribs. Whenever the champion took control, Flair would poke an eye or go low, living up to his moniker as the Dirtiest Player in the Game. It’s tough to find a more emotional match in the history of Raw.

Bautista: Virgil…no. The New Day. We hated the initial run so much, but they got us to love them.

Gelfand: Batista turning on Evolution was such a well-executed storyline. The subtle hints of dissension, the scheming by Triple H and Ric Flair, Batista overhearing the scheming, the Batista Bomb through the table. Just a perfectly executed storyline.

Jackson: My favorite face turn was when Randy Savage lost the career vs. career match against the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII. He had been such an amazing heel, and when Elizabeth came into make the save, Savage immediately turned back into the babyface we all knew and loved. A phenomenal mark out moment after what felt a lifetime of being the bad guy!

Gibb: Terry Funk shaking Flair’s hand after their “I Quit” match at Clash of the Champions IX. The “middle-aged and crazy” Funk has an emotional-feeling moment of clarity and takes a great beat down from his former heel compatriots just seconds after turning.

Goodwillie: It has to be Batista’s turn against Triple H, which officially brought an end to Evolution and spawned WWE’s breakout star of 2005. Remember, while John Cena became the greater long-term success out of himself and Batista, it was The Animal who clicked with fans a lot quicker after his world championship triumph at WrestleMania 21. This turn is, to a degree, sentimental to me because WrestleMania 21 was my first WrestleMania, but it continues to stand the test of time of a turn that was properly teased, built and then executed in the moment and in the moments to follow. And say what you want about Jim Ross and his reluctant involvement in main event storylines, but J.R. was instrumental in getting Batista over quickly with the fans during his partial involvement in the abridged feud with Triple H after WrestleMania. And from there, Batista was able to stand on his own and not only lead SmackDown as World Heavyweight Champion divorced from Triple H and Evolution, but have the confidence to do so for years to come. WWE has lost its way with the art of the proper face turn. If it wants to get back to what made it such a dominant force in the first place, the first and best place to look is 2005, because Batista’s face turn is arguably as good as it gets in the world of wrestling.

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