The professional wrestling industry has always been about pitting the heroes (babyfaces) against the villains (heels). For the most part, wrestling fans have cheered for the person that has been pushed as the face by the creative writers, and they usually boo and go against the heel.
But over the past two or so decades, there have been some instances where fans refused to side with the face, because they were far more interested in how the villain was performing. Here are five memorable moments where WWE fans cheered against the babyfaces, and five instances where they supported the villain.
10 Booed The Face: Seth Rollins (Hell in a Cell 2019)
The Architect was pushed as the top babyface on Raw throughout 2019, winning the men's Royal Rumble while defeating Brock Lesnar in two separate Universal Championship matches.
But in his Universal title showdown against Bray Wyatt at Hell in a Cell 2019, the fans in Sacramento had completely turned on Rollins. They booed him throughout the match, and after the terrible ending (a referee stoppage) the heat on Rollins grew louder - and the disgruntled fans canted "AEW" and "Refund" to voice their dissatisfaction.
9 Cheered The Heel: Seth Rollins (WrestleMania 31)
Maybe Rollins wasn't happy to have the fans turn on him at Hell in a Cell 2019, but he at least got to experience the complete opposite on one occasion. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar competed in the main event of WrestleMania 31 for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.
Rollins entered the match after cashing in his Money in the Bank contract, and he pinned Reigns to win the title. This led to roaring cheers and ovations from the crowd in San Francisco. It was yet another sign at the time that fans just didn't want to see Reigns win.
8 Booed The Face: Ronda Rousey (2019)
Ronda Rousey joined WWE at the end of the 2018 Royal Rumble pay-per-view, and she quickly entered the main event picture. The Baddest Woman on the Planet defeated Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam to win the Raw Women's Championship, much to the delight of the WWE Universe.
But as Rousey's title reign progressed, the fans were far more invested in Lynch, and it led to them turning on the former UFC star. Rousey then began portraying a more villainous persona as WWE had no choice but to flip her into a heel, while Lynch became the face. The latter went on to win both the Raw and SmackDown Women's Championships in main event at WrestleMania 35.
7 Cheered The Heel: Brock Lesnar (2012 Return)
One night John Cena lost to The Rock in the main event of WrestleMania XXVIII, he cut a promo and wished to congratulate the People's Champion on his big win. However, Brock Lesnar made a surprise return after an eight-year hiatus from the WWE.
Though Cena was still the good guy here, the fans erupted for Lesnar as he approached the ring, before executing an F-5 on him. Of course, the fans would soon start giving Lesnar the heel treatment again. But for this one night, he received incredible babyface treatment.
6 Booed The Face: Batista (2014 Royal Rumble)
After a four-year hiatus, Batista returned to the WWE in Jan. 2014, and the company made the gutsy call to use him as a face. This was despite Batista's belief that he would have been better off as a heel. WWE then made the awful decision to have Batista win the Royal Rumble, even though Daniel Bryan was the top babyface at this point.
The fans heavily booed and taunted Batista (and other superstars) throughout the match. When Batista won, the fans' boos grew even louder - and he mocked Bryan's "Yes" gestures before exiting backstage. WWE had no choice but to call an audible and turn Batista heel, allowing Bryan to headline and win the main event of WrestleMania 30 instead.
5 Cheered The Heel: Becky Lynch (SummerSlam 2018)
Charlotte Flair became the new SmackDown Women's Champion at SummerSlam 2018, winning a triple threat match that also included Becky Lynch and Carmella. After the match, Lynch brutally attacked The Queen, and it was supposed to be the start of a massive heel turn.
Instead, the fans gave Lynch a thunderous ovation, and the WWE Universe only grew to love her more - rather than buy into the heel turn. With that, Lynch would begin "The Man" gimmick, and she's emerged as the face of the women's division. The Irish Lass Kicker hasn't looked back.
4 Booed The Face: Rocky Maivia
The Rock joined WWE in 1996 at the young age of 24 (under the ring name of Rocky Maivia), and Vince McMahon saw something special in him from the very beginning. But unfortunately for Maivia, the fans just weren't the least bit interested in anything he had to offer.
The hatred from the fans was so cruel that they even chanted "Die Rocky, die." And so, WWE would repackage Maivia as he spent time away from the ring to recovery from injury. He pulled off the heel turn when he returned, and The Rock embarked on one of the most remarkable and storied careers in WWE history.
3 Cheered The Heel: AJ Styles (SummerSlam 2016)
After missing several months of action due to shoulder injury, John Cena retired on the May 30, 2016 edition of Raw. He met with AJ Styles in the middle of the ring, but the Phenomenal One attacked him to solidify a heel turn.
But Styles' popularity with the WWE Universe was already extremely high, and the fans refused to fully turn on him. At their SummerSlam 2016 showdown, the crowd was entirely behind Styles - and they erupted when he cleanly defeated Cena via pinfall in what can be regarded as the most impressive win of his WWE career.
2 Booed The Face: Roman Reigns (Royal Rumble 2015 Onward)
Roman Reigns' controversial main event push over the years has been well-documented, and it started here at the 2015 Royal Rumble. Once Daniel Bryan was eliminated, the fans became outraged and began booing the other superstars (similar to the year before). Reigns managed to win the Royal Rumble, and The Rock came out to endorse him.
Unfortunately, the fans wanted nothing to do with Reigns, and they booed him during the celebration. It didn't stop WWE from continuing to push Reigns as the main guy, even though the fans kept on rejecting him with some of the most heated fan hate ever seen.
1 Cheered The Heel: Hulk Hogan (WrestleMania X8)
Hulk Hogan and the New World Order received a handful of cheers when they arrived in WWE 17 years ago, but there was still enough heat for them to succeed as heels. But when Hogan faced The Rock at WrestleMania X8 in Toronto, the fans greeted The Hulkster with some of the loudest cheers ever seen in the professional wrestling industry.
Hogan, the designated heel, even looked surprised by all the ovations he was receiving before and during the match. The Rock ultimately scored the pinfall victory, but Hogan turned babyface after the two superstars fought off Kevin Nash and Scott Hall - who attacked The Hulkster for coming up short. WWE did the right thing in making Hogan a good guy that night, because the fans in Toronto refused to side with The Rock over Hulkamania.