Many of the greatest rivalries in WWE history featured a babyface going head-to-head with a heel, some of these iconic rivalries have seen both wrestlers play as a face and as a heel during different periods of their feuds.
Traditionally feuds between competitors are between a face and a heel. Fans tend to lean towards the face as they love to see the heels get their comeuppance. The majority of rivalries see babyfaces prevail but in some instances, the heel goes over.
However, some rivalries have seen both wrestlers play their part in both roles, which certainly freshens up the rivalry. Fans may have their allegiances to one wrestler regardless of whether they are a face or a heel. It certainly creates an interesting dynamic when both wrestlers trade roles in feuds.
10 Edge Vs. Randy Orton
Edge returned to WWE as a member of the Raw brand in 2004 after being ruled out of the majority of 2003 while recovering from neck surgery. Edge feuded and challenged Randy Orton for the Intercontinental Championship at Vengeance 2004. Edge continued his rich vein of form by ending the heel Orton's 210-day reign as Intercontinental Champion for his fifth run with the title.
However, the roles were reversed in their brief feud in 2010 when the Master Psychologist returned to Raw and turned heel by assaulting Orton, who was a face. They had a match at Over The Limit which ended up as a double count-out. Moreover, Edge's nine-year absence ended at the 2020 Royal Rumble, and he began a feud with The Viper once again. They split victories at WrestleMania 36 and Backlash with Edge ending up on the sidelines until returning and winning the 2021 men's Royal Rumble, lastly eliminating Orton to win the match.
9 Triple H Vs. Chris Jericho
Triple H was the standout superstar of 2000 but Chris Jericho later became a thorn in his side. The Game was a dastardly heel, and Jericho "won" the WWF Championship from The Game on an episode of Raw but the result was overturned. Their feud culminated in an outstanding Last Man Standing match at Fully Loaded which Triple H prevailed in.
Two years later, Jericho and Triple H headlined WrestleMania X8 for the WWF Undisputed Championship. Y2J was now a heel and he formed an unlikely alliance with his former rival Stephanie McMahon. Nonetheless, The Game triumphed at WrestleMania and he got the better of Jericho once again in their brutal Hell in a Cell match at Judgment Day 2002.
8 Roman Reigns Vs. Kevin Owens
The biggest threat to Kevin Owens' Universal Championship at the start of 2017 was Roman Reigns. Owens had a heel alliance with Chris Jericho, and Jericho ended Reigns' run as United States Champion. Owens and Reigns had tremendous in-ring chemistry together which saw the Prizefighter retain the title over Reigns at the Royal Rumble.
However, the Big Dog returned in the summer of 2020 and turned heel. The Tribal Chief captured the Universal Championship and began feuding with Owens over the title with both men on the SmackDown brand. Reigns overcame Owens in a sensational TLC match and a cage match on SmackDown to gain the upper hand in this rivalry.
7 Seth Rollins Vs. Dean Ambrose
The Shield was one of the most formidable threesomes once they made their debut at Survivor Series 2012. Nonetheless, Seth Rollins turned his back on Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, becoming embroiled in a rivalry with Ambrose in 2014. Rollins became Mr. Money in the Bank and got the better of Ambrose in a Lumberjack match at SummerSlam and in a superb Hell in a Cell match at Hell in a Cell.
Ambrose and Rollins reconciled in 2018 and they captured the Raw Tag Team Championship for the second time. However, The Lunatic Fringe turned heel for the first time in four years when he assaulted Rollins. They failed to recreate their magic but Ambrose managed to regain the Intercontinental Championship from Rollins in his final major storyline before departing WWE in the spring of 2019.
6 Kurt Angle Vs. Brock Lesnar
Kurt Angle closed out a stellar 2002 with a third reign as WWE Champion beginning at Armageddon with some assistance from Brock Lesnar. Angle aligned himself with Paul Heyman briefly and reverted as a heel. Lesnar won the 2003 Royal Rumble match and he closed out WrestleMania XIX in the titular match which saw Lesnar reclaim the WWE Championship.
The two had one of the best trilogies in history with Lesnar turning heel and Angle returning as a face in the summer of 2003 when Brock turned his back on Angle. They locked horns at SummerSlam with Angle retaining the title by forcing Lesnar to submit to the Angle Lock. Furthermore, their feud blew off in one of the best Iron Man matches on free TV with Lesnar coming out on the winning side and beginning his third reign as WWE Champion.
5 Steve Austin Vs. The Undertaker
The peak of the longstanding rivalry between Steve Austin and The Undertaker was at the height of the Attitude Era in 1998-'99. Undertaker reunited with Paul Bearer, turning heel in the process in late 1998 and they kickstarted the Ministry of Darkness stable. Undertaker was hellbent on becoming the WWF Champion, and he took the title from Austin controversially at Over the Edge 1999.
Austin turned heel after WrestleMania X-Seven, siding with the evil genius Mr. McMahon. However, Austin and Undertaker feuded once more over the biggest prize in the industry with Undertaker now in his American Badass persona. They had an underrated No Holds Barred title match at Judgment Day which saw Stone Cold defeat Undertaker once more.
4 Triple H Vs. Randy Orton
It did not matter if Triple H was a face or a heel in his feud with Randy Orton, but he got the better of The Viper on numerous occasions. Their rivalry began when The Game unceremoniously booted Orton out of Evolution and took the World Heavyweight Championship away from him in his first title defense at Unforgiven 2004.
The most significant moment in their feud came in 2007 when Orton was crowned the new WWE Champion at No Mercy, and Triple H defeated him in an impromptu match. However, Orton regained the title in a magnificent Last Man Standing match in the main event. They clashed a few more times in 2009 with the pendulum swinging in The Viper's favor.
3 Trish Stratus Vs. Lita
Two of the most well-renowned Divas of their generation, Trish Stratus, and Lita's career were intertwined. Both made their main roster debuts in 2000 and retired in 2006. Trish thrived as a heel and Lita was one of the most popular Divas on the roster before she had an affair with Edge.
Trish began her 448-day reign as Women's Champion by defeating an injured Lita for the Women's Championship at New Year's Revolution 2005 when Trish portrayed a heel. Their longstanding rival came to a halt when Lita was the most hated woman in WWE at Unforgiven with Trish getting the better of Lita one more time for her final Women's Title win in her hometown of Toronto.
2 Triple H Vs. The Rock
Triple H and The Rock haven't always seen eye-to-eye which is understandable as both men were competitive and wanted to be on top of the food chain. Their early encounters over the Intercontinental Championship were memorable with Rock as the confident heel leader of the Nation and Triple H leading DX into battle with the Nation.
However, their true animosity came when Steve Austin was on the shelf and they were vying for the top spot in 2000. Rock was now the most over babyface in the company and he had the fans' support in his rivalry with Triple H. The two brought out the best in each other and had enthralling affairs.
1 Steve Austin Vs. The Rock
The two pioneers of the Attitude Era, The Rock, and Steve Austin's rivalry saw the two legends clash in three blockbuster WrestleMania outings in five years. The Rock did Vince McMahon's bidding as the Corporate Champion but came out on the losing end to Austin at WrestleMania XV and Backlash 1999.
However, in an interesting turn of events, McMahon and Austin were now in cahoots after WrestleMania X-Seven, taking Rock out of the picture. Rock and Austin were opposing ends of the spectrum in their feud in the Invasion angle in 2001 with Rock as a face. Nonetheless, Rock was a heel in their final encounter in Austin's last match at WrestleMania XIX with Rock finally beating Austin at WrestleMania, closing the book on an extraordinary feud.