The Attitude Era had many effects on wrestling, with one of the biggest shifting up the classic “face/heel” dynamics. No longer were faces pure good guys and heels bad, there was now a “tweener” aspect between them. That made a unique dynamic of guys who could shift between face and heel easily and sometimes too many times to count like the Big Show. Yet some turns were notable, most on the heel side to shake things up.
Yet a few face turns were notable for WWE in this time. Some elevated guys to amazing stardom and careers that became icons for wrestling. Others were more the long-range impact on WWE and wrestling itself. It’s a reminder of how wild the Attitude Era was that these face turns changed not just the careers of the wrestlers involved but so much in WWE as well.
10 Kane
As cool as Kane was when he debuted in 1997, it seemed like an act with a limited shelf life. Having fans back a masked figure who never spoke was rough, even as he did have success in the company. In 1999, he and X-Pac forged an odd tag team and Kane became wildly popular, including being able to speak.
Being betrayed by X-Pac pushed Kane’s success more as he kept up the popularity and talking more to get fans on his side as he battled other monsters. That would help Kane out as he did things that could have ruined the act later, like unmask yet remain a top star. That face turn gave the character more life than most expected.
9 Chyna
It’s forgotten what an amazing sight Chyna was when he debuted in 1997. This Amazonian woman easily manhandling men stood out amid the other women in wrestling at the time. She was the silent heel for DX for a time, briefly becoming popular with them before turning heel in early 1999. Yet by the summer, Chyna was getting more popular, soon breaking out as a star on her own.
She made history winning the Intercontinental championship and some top media appearances as well. Chyna’s story had a sad ending, but it can’t be overlooked that her success after turning face paved the way for a lot of other women in WWE.
8 Chris Jericho
While Chris Jericho’s entrance to WWE in 1999 had a monster pop, it was more just seeing this former WCW standout jumping ship. Jericho still acted his old self as the arrogant jerk who loved insulting folks, yet fans could laugh as much as they booed at his mic antics.
There was never a specific moment, yet his brief win over Triple H for the WWE title in early 2000 proved Jericho was ready for the main event. That took a bit longer, and while he bounced between heel and face a few times since, the early turn elevated Jericho from mid-carder to true star and made him into an icon for wrestling.
7 Lita
It’s amazing to think about how Amy Dumas started off as a valet in WWE to Essa Rios. Yet even then, she showed something as she would pull off a high-flying moonsault even better than Rios did. With her feisty attitude and red hair making her stand out, Lita started getting more fan appeal on her side.
That led to Rios attacking her after a match with the Hardyz helping Lita. Aiding Team Extreme had Lita paving the way for other women in WWE with her athleticism and popularity to become one of the most popular female workers of her time.
6 The Hardy Boyz
Matt and Jeff Hardy had started off well as faces in WWE with Michael Hayes as manager and a run as tag team champions. After losing the belts, they turned heel and soon in a feud with Edge & Christian.
That climaxed in a fantastic ladder match that made the Hardyz well liked again. That kicked off the epic run of the pair as multiple tag team champions and the now-classic TLC series that changed WWE wrestling. It’s hard to see that success coming had the Hardyz stayed heels with this turn, transforming them into tag team pioneers.
5 The New Age Outlaws
For a team never meant to go anywhere, Road Dogg and Billy Gunn enjoyed monster success in WWE. Thrown together at random, they upset the Legion of Doom for the tag team titles, at first booed against the likes of Mankind and others. But that great entrance promo and skills with DX got fans on their side as the Outlaws grew more popular.
That shifted the dynamics of the WWE tag scene at the time with more fans backing the Outlaws so a new direction for heel teams. It also sparked some newer teams to fame amid various changes, so the Outlaws becoming popular was a major move for WWE.
4 Triple H
While his heel turn gets the attention, it was Triple H’s earlier face run that really changed things up for his career. While he was great as the heel leader of DX, Triple H started clicking with fans with his great mic work and excellent wrestling.
Facing the hated Rock for the IC title helped as Triple H did a fine job winning over fans. That’s what made his later heel turn effective, as he’d been a great face. However, it was the earlier face turn that really pushed Triple H to the next level as a star in WWE who later became one of the faces of the company.
3 Mankind
The idea of Mankind as a face seemed bizarre when he began. WWE pushed him as a psychopath attacking guys with his claw and a brutal fighter. The first turn was interviews of his past as a fan making good as a wrestler. Then he broke out Dude Love as goofball folks loved. He teased a return to heeldom, but his Hell in the Cell match with The Undertaker proved he was meant to be cheered.
That led to his run as WWE champion, Commissioner, best-selling author and overall loved persona that helped shift up WWE for readers and made Foley one of wrestling’s best-loved figures.
2 The Rock
It’s amazing a wrestler can boast both a heel turn and a face turn that worked brilliantly, but Dwayne Johnson can. After failing as the smiling Rocky Maivia, he transformed into an arrogant jerk as the Rock, getting more cheers even as he acted the heel.
By early 1999, WWE couldn’t resist anymore and formally turned him face against the Corporation. The result was him truly becoming “The People’s Champion,” WWE champ and a full-fledged superstar. Since then, The Rock has become a full-fledged Hollywood star to prove this was a face turn that elevated a performer beyond wrestling.
1 Steve Austin
It may be the best double-turn in wrestling history. As WrestleMania 13 drew, Steve Austin was the heel facing longtime fan favorite Bret Hart. Their brawl shifted things as Austin was now cheered for his toughness and Bret was booed. It grew with Austin challenging Bret, only for his neck injury to slow him down.
But Austin used that brilliantly, Stunning everyone, including Mr. McMahon, to take off as the biggest star around. It paid off with the WWE title and bringing the company into a new era as “Stone Cold” may not have been a traditional face but still one of the greatest ever.