Memorable Heel Turns: WWE’s Most Stunning Betrayals
Of the many great moments in WWE history, few tend to evoke and grip a crowd like a good heel turn. The heel turn refers to when a fan-favorite babyface wrestler turns on his colleagues or friends in the wrestling business and his fan base to become a heel. Much of these moments usually prove to be processed events both for character development and storytelling purposes within professional wrestling. They can leave lasting impacts on the audience and sometimes even redefine a wrestler’s career. Here, we look at some of the most stunning and memorable heel turns in WWE history.
Hulk Hogan Joins the NWO — 1996
One of the most mind-blowing heel turns ever to hit wrestling occurred at WCW’s Bash at the Beach in 1996. Hulk Hogan, that ultimate babyface and hero to millions, shocked the world by turning heel and joining the New World Order (NWO).
The Setup:
It was then that the wrestling world, literally for once, got turned upside down during a tag team match featuring The Outsiders, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall, versus Lex Luger, Randy Savage, and Sting. Hogan went out to the ring, purportedly to turn things around for the good guys.
The Turn:
What was more surprising was that Hogan turned on Savage, making quite clear to everyone out there that he had teamed up with Nash and Hall. This event changed a lot more than just the career of Hulkamania. It revolutionized professional wrestling, gave birth to Monday Night Wars, and eventually led WCW to be a true competitor of WWE.
Impact:
Hogan’s heel turn, on top of replenishing the immortal wrestling faction, created it in its own right. As years went by during that period, the NWO became synonymous with wrestling, and Hogan’s betrayal is still spoken of to this day as one of the big moments in wrestling history.
Stone Cold Steve Austin Aligns with Vince McMahon (2001)
Stone Cold Steve Austin is regarded as the anti-establishment hero of the Attitude Era and is best remembered for his famous feud with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. His heel turn at WrestleMania X-Seven shocked the audience.
The Setup:
Austin faced The Rock in the main event for the WWE Championship. The match itself was a brutal, no-holds-barred encounter, capturing the intensity of their rivalry.
The Turn:
In one wonderful twist, Vince McMahon came to the aid of Austin by giving him that very same steel chair. He handed it to Austin, who used it on The Rock, pummeling him into defeat. Off the back of that win, Austin shook hands with his bitter enemy, Vince McMahon—one could say he aligned himself.
Impact:
This heel turn, though, was one of controversy and division. It showed that to regain an opportunity at the title, Austin would stop at nothing, really tacking on some depth to the character in the process. While many in the audience left feeling cheated, it produced great TV and delivered scenes that would continue to be cemented in WWE history.
Shawn Michaels Turns on Marty Jannetty (1992)
The breakup of The Rockers is one of the most famous tag team betrayals in WWE history and marked an abrupt start to Shawn Michaels’ illustrious singles career.
The Setup:
Michaels and Marty Jannetty had been partners for years, known for their high-flying style and strong teamwork. However, tensions began to simmer between the two.
The turn:
During one segment of “The Barber Shop,” a talk segment hosted by Brutus Beefcake, it appeared that Michaels and Jannetty had finally buried their hatchet. Then, the next thing fans knew, Michaels superkicked Jannetto and slung him through a plate glass window.
Impact:
This heel turn cemented the career of “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels on its way to making him one of the greatest wrestlers ever. It was a turnaround for heels in WWE and gave the drama expected of heel turns.
Seth Rollins Turns on The Shield (2014)
The Shield was a dominant faction consisting of Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose. Their breakup was as shocking as it was huge.
The Setup:
Coming off a series of wins and a strong run as the top faction, following up a win over Evolution was making The Shield more potent than ever.
The Turn:
It was on one episode of Monday Night Raw that Triple H announced there was always a “Plan B.” Seth Rollins turned on his Shield brothers and emerged, striking both Reigns and Ambrose with a steel chair to align himself with Triple H and The Authority suddenly.
Impact:
Then, the betrayal at Rollins’ hands propelled him directly into main event scenes, where he arguably became one of WWE’s top heels. That turn created so many feuds and storylines, creating directions for WWE programming for years to come—exactly what wrestling is about: the unpredictability and emotional stakes.
Chris Jericho Turns On Kevin Owens (2017)
Probably most significantly, the friendship between Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens was pretty entertaining when it was featured as part of WWE programming. Finally came the unfortunate, truly unforgettable breakup.
The Setup:
Jericho and Owens, at one time, were the best of friends, often spotted supporting each other through various matches and segments. Their “Festival of Friendship” was to be a celebration of this.
The Turn:
It was during this Festival of Friendship that Owens would present Jericho with a new list, but he would find out that it was the list of people Owens intended to betray – and he was at the top. Owens then attacked Jericho worse than anybody else in their officially ended partnership.
Impact:
All of this culminated in the Festival of Friendship, which indeed was one of the best segments in recent WWE memory. Owens turned on Jericho to set up a program between the two that would eventually lead to a WrestleMania match. It was really emotional, considering how the turn went down—it showed just how emotional the WWE storylines can be at times.
Andre the Giant Screws Hulk Hogan (1987)
Their feud was one of the most famous rivalries between Andre the Giant and Hulk Hogan, and Andre’s heel turn was one of WWE’s defining moments.
The Setup:
Andre and Hogan had been partners and friends, but now jealous and frustrated, Andre was seemingly ‘in bed’ with Bobby “The Brain” Heenan. The Turn: The incensed Andre challenged Hogan to a WWE Championship match at WrestleMania III and went so far as to rip off Hogan’s shirt and crucifix during one segment on “Piper’s Pit.” 4
Impact:
Andre’s betrayal was to give way to one of the most remarkable wrestling matches ever made, as the resulting match at WrestleMania III broke the attendance record and cemented Hogan’s star status. Still, it was Andre’s heel turn that made wrestling storylines dramatic. CM Punk’s Pipe Bomb, 2011 While this isn’t a turn of the heel variety, it is remembered that the infamous “pipe bomb” promo belongs to CM Punk and is considered a defining turn in the man’s career and WWE storytelling in general.
The Setup:
For months, CM Punk had been frustrated about where he was professionally with WWE and where the WWE was headed. His contract was set to expire, and he got a hold of a live microphone on Raw.
The Turn:
Punk replied with one of the most incendiary, unscripted promos on WWE, its management, and its corporate structure. It blurred the line between reptilian and reality in a “pipe bomb” that enthralled audiences.
Impact:
The promo set the stage for Punk’s eventual WWE Championship win at Money in the Bank and reinvigorated interest in the character. Still, such actions didn’t necessarily fit the mold of heel MO tactics; instead, they aligned Punk as an anti-hero and spokesperson for disgruntled fans, eternally setting his career afield, not to mention changing the approach WWE would take toward storytelling.
Conclusion
Heel turns are probably some of the most stereotyping conventions of professional wrestling, providing shocking twists and extra emotional depth to storylines. WWE has a long history of memorable betrayals that shook fans until today and helped define the careers of many superstars. From Hogan’s defining pact with the NWO down to Seth Rollins selling out The Shield, these examples showcase the dramatic capacity of wrestling—its ability to engage an audience using its peculiar marriage between athletics and drama.
