Between turning heel and turning face, the latter is arguably much harder to pull off. Though it seems Machiavellian to say, it’s much easier to get a wrestling crowd to hate you than to love you. However, in a business that’s constantly evolving, on-screen talents have to be able to evolve their characters with it.

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Since AEW started, a fair share of wrestlers who started on the dark side have seen the light and joined the good guys. Some, though, were much more successful than others. Here are 10 of AEW’s most notable face turns, ranked from least to most successful.

10 Brian Cage

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Brian Cage started as a heel in AEW, which is unsurprising given his physique. Under Taz’s tutelage, he became a main event player and inaugural AEW FTW Champion. Once Team Taz began to grow, Cage became outshone and was kicked out of the group to start his face turn.

Ironically, Cage turning face was a lot more beneficial for Team Taz than Cage himself. The unit is much more coherent with Ricky Starks as the charming spokesman, Will Hobbs as the team muscle, and Hook as the young up-and-comer. Unfortunately, Cage himself has been completely absent from AEW since losing to Starks in a Philly Street Fight and is left with no clear direction.

9 Inner Circle

The Inner Circle

Chris Jericho’s Inner Circle was the first heel faction in AEW. They were an incredibly effective team, as well. Under the champion Chris Jericho, the Inner Circle (besides Hager) provided a nice mix of humor and impressive in-ring talent.

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The Inner Circle’s face run has been a mixed bag. Jericho muddied his character by being a face in the ring and a heel on commentary. Though their feud against the Pinnacle was largely successful, their next feud as a team was against Dan Lambert’s ATT, and it was miserable. Hopefully, Santana and Ortiz will stay as babyfaces and leave the Inner Circle altogether.

8 Kip Sabian

AEW Rewind: PWI awards, Kip Sabian wearing a box on his head, more! - Cageside Seats

Despite being part of AEW since the company’s beginning, Kip Sabian has struggled to really find his footing. His partnership with Miro and feud against the Best Friends was entertaining but it ultimately upset fans, who felt like Miro wasn’t being used to his full potential.

Miro turned heel through a terrifying, savage attack on his former best friend, Kip. Since then, Miro had an extraordinary run as TNT Champion, but Kip has been recovering from injury. Kip has been teasing a new tweener character who wears a cardboard box on his head that reads “Underrated. Over it.” While most of this new gimmick remains a mystery, it’s an interesting new direction for Kip.

7 Mercedes Martinez

Mercedes Martinez debuts on the December 29 New Year's Smash edition of AEW Dynamite

Mercedes Martinez was originally brought into AEW as a mercenary hired by Britt Baker to take out Thunder Rosa during her match in the TBS Championship Tournament. After repeatedly being disrespected by Baker, though, Martinez joined the side of the same woman she was sent to destroy, Thunder Rosa.

This is an interesting idea for a face turn with a lot of cool potential. Unfortunately, though, AEW didn’t give it as much airtime as they should’ve to really flesh out Martinez’s character or motivations.

6 Thunder Rosa

Thunder Rosa AEW

Thunder Rosa made her first appearance in AEW back in 2020 as a heel. Once she became an AEW regular, though, she became a babyface.

Rosa’s decision to become a babyface was incredibly beneficial. If she stayed heel she likely would’ve been overshadowed by Britt Baker.

Rosa is arguably the most over babyface of the AEW women’s division. It’s just a shame that AEW hasn’t treated her like one so far.

5 Dark Order

The goofy, lovable Dark Order is a far cry from what they used to be when AEW began. The group started out as an eerie, spooky group of cultists who preyed on the lonely and self-conscious to grow their ranks. With time, though, the natural fun personalities of the team shined through, especially on Being the Elite. Their sense of humor and growing popularity led Dark Order to a gradual face turn.

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After the tragic passing of Mr. Brodie Lee, too, the wrestling world wanted nothing more than to shower the Dark Order with love. Officially turning face was a means of embracing this love from the fans.

4 Jon Moxley

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Jon Moxley started out in AEW as the heel counterpart to Kenny Omega. Still, given his popularity, Moxley really could've become a babyface at any point.

It was his feud against Chris Jericho that made him into a Stone Cold-esque, badass babyface. Moxley’s consequent run as the company’s first babyface champion helped carry AEW through the pandemic and further cemented his status as an irreplaceable talent.

3 Death Triangle

Death Triangle

Pac, Rey Fenix and Penta teamed up in late 2019 as a group of merciless heels. They remained as such until the pandemic split up the international team for almost an entire year. While Pac was in England, the Lucha Bros joined a stable with fellow heel Eddie Kingston, who consequently tried to split them up.

When Pac returned, he brought the Lucha Bros back together and reunited the Death Triangle, turning the trio face. The three of them, despite their name, are very good babyfaces. Rey Fenix in particular excels as a babyface way more than he ever could as a heel, just on the basis of the nature of his gimmick and natural personality.

2 Wardlow

Wardlow AEW

Wardlow’s face turn was a long time coming. After being berated by his employer MJF for well over a year, Wardlow decided enough was enough at Revolution 2022. He turned face, helping CM Punk by handing him MJF’s diamond ring.

We haven’t been able to see much of Wardlow’s personality since he’s been under MJF’s thumb, but with the amount of build AEW has given Wardlow’s face turn, you can’t help but feel like it’s going to be something special.

1 Eddie Kingston

Since Eddie Kingston's personality in wrestling is so incredibly authentic, and because Eddie is naturally a charming person, it’s hard not to root for him. That’s why his face turn was not only very beneficial, but also inevitable.

Kingston officially turned face by attempting to save his longtime friend and rival Jon Moxley from Kenny Omega’s exploding ring. Despite the technical malfunction that caused the ring to never actually explode, Kingston took this obstacle and turned it into one of the most powerful babyface promos AEW has seen. Since then, he's steadily become one of, if not the most beloved member of the AEW roster.