It's worth mentioning The New Day. At the beginning, they were babyfaces and the crowd REALLY hated them, but their heel turn change things around and made them be beloved by the fans. If it wasn't for that heel turn, Kofi Kingston would never be a World Champion and main evented a WrestleMania. Big E also became a World Champion.
That was because they stuffed up the Invasion Angle and had Austin be the head of the WCW/ECW Faction. If he was left just to do feuds as a heel, without the Invasion Stuff, then it would have been better. You know who else liked the heel turn. "Stone Cold" Steve Austin himself, who felt stale and thrived at the opportunity to do different things. Saying Austin should never gone heel is like saying Hulk Hogan should have never gone heel or Andre The Giant should never have gone heel. People hated it at the time but it turned out for the best.
Hogan wasn't just out of date. This 'bigger than life' persona he tried to project was just boring AF. People had to be defeated and lose, then grow as a person. Hogan took that character with him, and kept it lame, like people wouldn't see how lame the stunts he pulled were when he went to WCW. Acting like he was in the trenches when he was with Vader, or Vader begging on camera. That was stupid for both those characters. Hogan needed to show real emotions, not that over-acted crap. It was all over acting, and people were just sick of it. Since it didn't feel real, people got tired of it. That's why the Undertaker had such longevity. He lived his persona, and didn't overact with it.
Bret should have stayed in WWE. And we might've gotten Bret v Stone Cold at WrestleMania 14 with Stone Cold finally getting a winning the title and finally getting his win over Bret. That would have been better than Stone Cold v Shawn Michaels
JBL, even though he wasn't the best champion... it was great having him a heel! I love this arrogant attitude and this commentary next to Michael Cole.
People seem to have forgotten that Hulk Hogan started out as a heel managed by Classie Freddy Blassie. The Hollywood Hogan persona was a better heel, though.
One thing I loved about Hollywood Hogan was that it came across as more genuine and believable for the character than the cheesy red and yellow good guy Hulk.
I loved "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's heel turn. Austin had grown stale IMO and the heel turn refreshed him and gave new areas to explore of his character and new feuds. He did heelish things anyway so it wasn't a stretch to go all-out heel. Apparently, Steve Austin himself loved playing the heel for a while and was disappointed that he was turned back face so soon.
That heel turn almost single handedly destroyed the Attitude Era. WWE's viewing audience went from 8 million to 4 million almost overnight. Two million of them returned during Brock Lesnar's first run and then left again when it ended. Ratings would gradually get worse from that point on. John Cena and the PG era pretty much put the nail in the coffin. And it all started with that Austin heel turn you loved so much.
As happy as I was when Daniel Bryan won the World Title at Mania 30, he was never more entertaining than when he was the Planet's Champion. I still watch his anti-consumerism rant going into Royal Rumble 2019 with a huge smile on my face.
Bayley is another one that should be on the list, after having her credibility killed with the Alexa Bliss feud and the horrible booking of her SD title reign in 2019, even the fans turned on her. The heel turn changed her career for the better
Here's my list 10. John Cena (2002) 9. Roman Reigns (2020) 8. Dominick Mysterio (2022) 7. Seth Rollins (2019) 6. Chris Jericho (2008) 5. Edge (2004) 4. Bayley (2019) 3. Mark Henry (2011) 2. Shawn Michaels (1997) 1. Hulk Hogan (1996)
