Professional wrestling is a story of heroes and villains. The storylines that set these up usually has a dastardly heel (the villain) making life hell for the pure and righteous babyface (the hero). However, there is another storyline that almost means more than a typical good guy and bad guy fight.
That instance is when friends collide. This can happen with tag team partners, more often than not, when one of the team members decides they no longer need their partner and betrays them. Some of the most iconic moments in WWE history comes when a tag team breaks up because one of the wrestlers decides to turn to the dark side. When it is close friends, it is even worse. Here is a look at the 10 biggest traitors in WWE history.
10 SHAWN MICHAELS
When one talks about a wrestler betraying their tag team partner, the first name on most people's lists is The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. Before he was HBK, Michaels was one half of the Midnight Rockers with Marty Jannetty in the AWA. The two moved to WWE and shortened their name to The Rockers.
However, one superkick through a barbershop window and Shawn Michaels liberated himself from The Rockers and became a solo star. This traitor went on to win the IC title and multiple world titles before retiring and becoming a WWE Hall of Fame inductee.
9 TRIPLE H
When someone betrays a partner, they should always look over their own shoulders. Years after Shawn Michaels proved to be a traitor when he turned on Marty Jannetty; he formed the most popular heel stable in WWE history with his buddy Triple H.
As DX, they ran all over the WWE. However, Michaels retired, and Triple H became a major star, winning the world title on his own. When Shawn Michaels came back, Triple H betrayed his friend, and the two had a blood feud. A few years later, Triple H started Evolution and became a traitor a second time when he turned on Randy Orton.
8 OWEN HART
When a friend or tag team partner turns heel against someone, it hurts. When it is a family member, it comes as a total shock to fans, and that is what happened with the Hart family. Yes, there was always bad blood with the Hart's as Bret Hart even feuded with brother-in-law The British Bulldog.
However, when Owen Hart kicked out his brother Bret's leg in a tag team match and went full heel, it was one of the most shocking moments in WWE history. Owen ended up beating his brother at WrestleMania and became a star thanks to his betrayal.
7 RANDY SAVAGE
There was no way that Macho Man Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan could co-exist. When Miss Elizabeth ran to Hulk Hogan for help when Macho Man was in trouble, the two seemed to get on the same page. As the Mega-Powers, the two were on top of the WWE with Savage as the champion.
However, Savage was a very jealous man, and he kept seeing the way Hogan was looking at Miss Elizabeth. When the two were in a tag team match, and Elizabeth took a fall, Hogan left to carry her to the back for help. That was all it took, and Savage snapped and destroyed Hogan in the locker room. It all ended with Hogan beating Savage for the world title.
6 PAUL BEARER
Paul Bearer made his debut in WWE as the manager for The Undertaker. The two were destined to be together, if for no other reason, then their names alone. However, Bearer shocked the wrestling world when he turned on Undertaker and took Mankind and Vader into his stable instead.
It was a massive turn that no one saw coming and made Bearer and Mankind the greatest foils for Undertaker. However, that wasn't the end of it, as Bearer finally explained why he did it when he brought in Undertaker's brother Kane, who was presumed dead, and explained that he was Kane's father and Undertaker's mother was also Kane's mother.
5 STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN
The most shocking heel turns in history came at WrestleMania X-Seven. Steve Austin was a different kind of traitor. He didn't betray and tag team partner or close friend. The person he laid out with multiple chair shots was not even a friend, as he was trying to win the world title from The Rock.
No, Stone Cold Steve Austin betrayed the fans. After years of feuding with Mr. McMahon and representing regular people all over the world, he used a chair to beat The Rock, shook hands with Mr. McMahon, and became a heel. It was a betrayal that made no sense and was one of the worst heel turns in WWE history.
4 LARRY ZBYSZKO
The idea of a traitor in professional wrestling goes back to the earliest days of the industry. One example came in 1980 when Larry Zbyszko and Bruno Sammartino battled in a match. This was a unique match as Sammartino was Zbyszko's mentor, and it was a simple exhibition match.
After Sammartino kept frustrating Zbyszko in the match, the student flipped out, grabbed a chair, and left Bruno lying in a pool of his blood. It was a brutal and surprising heel turn, and when Larry started calling himself the New Living Legend, it was clear that this traitor had made himself a star.
3 SETH ROLLINS
The Shield was the most popular and dominant faction in WWE in over a decade. They made their debut when they all arrived from NXT, attacked Ryback, and beat him down to save CM Punk in a world title match.
However, fans loved them, and they moved up the card, remaining almost undefeated in six-man action while every man won titles. However, their time had to come to an end, and it happened when Seth Rollins turned traitor and beat down his partners with a chair before joining Triple H to become The Shield's first world champion.
2 ANDRE THE GIANT
The most shocking heel turn in professional wrestling history was born out of jealousy. Hulk Hogan was the world champion, and he had very long title reigns where he fought and beat the heels in WWE month after month, moving from one to the next. However, Hogan refused to defend his title against babyfaces.
Andre the Giant was the most popular wrestler in WWE history, an undefeated giant of a man with a kind heart who always did the right thing. However, he realized Hogan was never going to give him a shot at the title, so Andre joined forces with Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, turned on Hulk Hogan, and finally got his chance for the title.
1 SGT. SLAUGHTER
The biggest traitor in professional wrestling history was a man who not only betrayed every WWE fans but the entire United States of America. Sgt. Slaughter was a heel before, but he was a Marine drill sergeant who bullied everyone. However, when he turned heel in 1990, it was different.
At this time, the American military hero turned into an Iraqi sympathizer. He took on a manager in General Adnan and betrayed the United States during the Gulf War. He burned a Hulkamania shirt because he refused to burn the American flag, but he received constant death threats from fans as the biggest turncoat in WWE history.