Top 10 Shocking WWE Heel Turns

WatchMojo

Prepare for some serious trust issues... Join us as we countdown the most shocking moments when beloved WWE heroes betrayed their fans and turned to the dark side! From legendary superstars to modern favorites, these heel turns left the WWE Universe stunned and heartbroken. Which betrayal hit you the hardest?

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most shocking times

00:10beloved babyfaces at WWE betrayed their morals and fans by turning heel and becoming wrestling

00:17baddies.

00:17After famously putting his thumb down on Triple H in 2005 and igniting a feud with his former

00:34Evolution teammates, Batista enjoyed a long reign as the company's hero and developed

00:39into one of WWE's main event stars.

00:42During that time, The Animal teamed up with his best friend Rey Mysterio and even picked

00:47up the WWE Tag Team Championship.

00:59At 2009's event, Bragging Rights, the duo faced off in a fatal four-way for the World Heavyweight

01:04Championship.

01:06Their relationship could survive anything, even Batista losing the title after Mysterio

01:11broke up his pin on The Undertaker, right?

01:15After the match, he told Mysterio he was going to rip his head off and viciously attacked him,

01:20leaving fans heartbroken.

01:229.

01:23CM Punk In the early 2010s, there was perhaps no bigger babyface

01:27in the WWE than CM Punk.

01:39After the infamous pipe bomb promo, he rose rapidly up the hero ranks after feuding with

01:44John Cena, resulting in Punk winning the WWE Championship.

01:48And then, WWE Raw 1000 happened.

01:52After The Big Show interrupted Punk's title defense against Cena, The Rock, who was set to

01:57face the winner at the Royal Rumble, came to the ring to defend Cena.

02:01However, just as he was set to lay the people's elbow down, Punk dove in with a lariat on him.

02:11Booze rained down on him as their beloved hero was taken out.

02:15The final nail in Punk's face run was hitting Rock with the GTS.

02:19See him, Punk with Rock on his shoulders!

02:21See him, Punk!

02:22Oh!

02:23And a go to sleep to The Rock!

02:268.

02:27Kevin Owens 2014's NXT TakeOver R Evolution was special for two reasons.

02:33Firstly, Kevin Owens was making his in-ring debut for the brand.

02:37Secondly, Sami Zayn was taking on Adrian Neville for the NXT Championship.

02:42However, if he lost, Zayn had to leave NXT.

02:47So imagine everyone's joy when he beat Neville.

02:50Owens even came to the ring to celebrate with his real-life BFF.

02:54The show was over as the corner title card came up, and then it wasn't.

02:59Despite the two having a long history in Ring of Honor, no one expected Owens to viciously

03:04attack Zayn as he did.

03:06After tossing him to the floor, causing gasps to ring through the arena, Owens powerbombed Zayn

03:12on the ring's apron, setting off his iconic NXT heel run.

03:167.

03:17The New Day

03:18Born with a goofy gospel gimmick, The New Day found a new lease on life after leaning

03:23into the power of positivity, turning them into fan favorites.

03:27The team of Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E took the tag team division by storm, and

03:33the world title scene too, when Kofi Kingston became the WWE Champion in 2019, as did Big

03:40E in 2021.

03:41However, tragedy struck in 2022, when E broke his neck during a match, seemingly ending his

03:59wrestling career.

04:01Woods and Kingston kept the New Day going with E there in spirit, but in 2024, that changed.

04:14While celebrating their 10 year anniversary, Woods and Kingston verbally attacked E and

04:19then kicked him out from the group, fans will never get over this betrayal.

04:35After struggling to find his feet in the WWE, Mark Henry became a monster heel in the late

04:412000s, leading to him winning the World Heavyweight Championship.

04:45However, in 2013, after a series of injuries, rumors emerged that he was set to retire.

04:51Any heel that prematurely has to hang up their boots instantly becomes a face.

04:56Dressed in a salmon blazer, Henry gave a tearful speech to the WWE Universe, causing even John

05:02Cena to cry as he said his goodbyes.

05:11Then, Henry picked up Cena and did the World's Strongest Slam on him, immediately demonstrating

05:16the retirement was a ruse.

05:23The masterful performance not only turned Henry into a star, but it also made him hugely

05:27hated due to successfully duping everyone.

05:345.

05:35Sergeant Slaughter While dressed in army gear, there was nothing

05:38more red, white and blue than Sergeant Slaughter.

05:42Beyond Hulk Hogan, he was the American hero in the WWE during the 80s, battling villainous

05:47foreign wrestlers like the Iron Sheik.

05:50However, everything changed in 1990, when he did what many thought was impossible.

06:07With the backdrop of the Gulf War on the horizon, Slaughter betrayed the US, putting his support

06:12behind Iraq, and teamed up with General Adnan and later the Iron Sheik.

06:22Immediately, he was the most hated wrestler not just in WWE, but the entire world.

06:27Away from the ring, Slaughter even had to wear a bulletproof vest due to threats on his life.

06:404.

06:41Seth Rollins In 2013, one of the WWE's most hated factions

06:46formed when the Authority came together.

06:48Soon after, The Shield joined them as enforcers.

06:52Despite this, they were seen as super cool.

07:04With Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns, the trio would later turn on the Authority,

07:10launching an epic feud.

07:12At 2014's payback, The Shield defeated a reunited Evolution who represented the Authority.

07:18The next night, hope seemed lost for Triple H when Batista quit.

07:23However, when he mentioned a Plan B, confusion quickly morphed into fury for the fans.

07:34Rollins battered his Shield teammates with a chair, especially Ambrose, before joining Triple

07:39H. fans were devastated, some even refusing to forgive him over a decade later.

07:453.

07:46Stone Cold Steve Austin In a double turn at 1997's WrestleMania 13,

08:00Steve Austin became face as Bret Hart turned heel.

08:03From there, the Texas Rattlesnake became one of the biggest stars to grace the industry,

08:09as his anti-authority behavior and feud with Vince McMahon became legendary.

08:20In 2001, Austin was sent to take on his longtime rival, The Rock, for the then-named WBF Championship

08:27at WrestleMania 17.

08:29The promo package alone with Limp Bizkit's My Way was iconic enough, but this match was

08:35special.

08:36With Austin getting more and more desperate, things took a turn when McMahon went to the

08:41ring.

08:42Shockingly, he helped Stone Cold to destroy The Rock and win the title, sealed with a handshake

08:48that reverberated through the industry.

08:502.

08:51Hulk Hogan We'll include this one since WCW was absorbed

08:55by WWE.

08:56In 1983, Hulk Hogan returned to the then-named WWF as a babyface, igniting Hulkamania and becoming

09:04one of wrestling's biggest stars, capturing the hearts and minds of adults and kids alike.

09:18By 1996, Hogan, then at WCW, was still the same character people loved.

09:25However, his legacy was forever altered at Bash at the Beach.

09:29In the event, The Outsiders, with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash, took part in a six-man tag,

09:35with them having a mystery third-person.

09:37As the match got out of hand, Hogan came down to the ring.

09:40While fans cheered, expecting him to battle with these non-WCW brutes, Hogan attacked Randy

09:46Savage.

09:47Hogan laid into the crowd during his promo, as the three formed the New World Order, changing

09:53the industry.

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10:171.

10:18John Cena Hustle, Loyalty, Respect A mantra that John Cena lived and breathed

10:24for two decades, becoming perhaps one of the greatest wrestlers to ever get in a ring.

10:30Both in and out of the squared circle, Cena was an incredible role model.

10:34While some fans had begged for another heel run for him, it never came to pass.

10:39It became even more unlikely when Cena announced his farewell tour in 2024.

10:50At 2025's Elimination Chamber Toronto, Cena won the main event, earning an undisputed WWE

10:57Championship match against Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 41.

11:01Yet, with the villainous rock there, he made a gesture that unlocked something in Cena as

11:06he attacked Rhodes, leaving fans with their jaws on the floor as Super Cena became Satan

11:12Cena.

11:13Are there any other shocking WWE heel turns that we missed in the video?

11:22Let us know in those comments below.

11:24Did you enjoy this video?

11:30Check out these other clips from WatchMojo and be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to

11:35be notified about our latest videos.

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