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The majority of wrestlers never stick to one allegiance throughout their WWE career. These wrestlers turned heel and they had contrasting results, with some being outstanding, and others completely missing the mark.Being a heel allows wrestlers to have the freedom of dictating their matches, and they can say whatever they want within reason on a mic. A great heel is booed by fans, and they thrive on being able to garner heat and take the audience on a journey. However, some WWE wrestlers who have turned to the dark side have failed as a heel, as fans did not take their heel turn seriously or they were so popular that fans found it hard to boo them.Heel turns are exciting moments, especially when they are least expected. The best heel turns have been the ones where wrestlers have been a babyface for a while, and turning heel has freshened up their character with a career renaissance in some respect. Nonetheless, not every heel turn was going to be great but some were memorable and went better than predicted.
10 Never Should Have Happened: The Godfather
The Godfather was one of the most popular babyfaces in the Attitude Era as he had the Ladies of the Night boarding his 'Ho train. Godfather carved out a successful career for himself as he had a brief run as Intercontinental Champion in 1999 and he earned his rightful spot into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2016.
Unfortunately, that's as good as it got for Godfather as he turned heel and joined the Right to Censor in 2000. He detested his Goodfather character although he captured the World Tag Team Championship with Bull Buchanan. As soon as this angle ended, Godfather was back into obscurity, and that was the end of his WWE career.
9 Better Than Expected: The Undertaker
To keep himself relevant throughout the years, The Undertaker altered his character to keep up with the times. However, after Survivor Series 2001, The Undertaker turned heel for the final time in his WWE career. He forced Jim Ross to join Mr. McMahon's Kiss My Ass Club.
Of course, Undertaker is loved universally and it took some time for his heel turn to gain some traction. His new demeanor led to him facing Ric Flair at WrestleMania 18, and they knocked it out of the park in a competitive No Disqualification match. Undertaker went 10-0 at WrestleMania, and he had another WWE Championship run by beating Hulk Hogan. Taker reverted to his face character for the remainder of his legendary career until retirement in 2020.
8 Never Should Have Happened: Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy's WWE run by 2003 was at a crossroads as Hardy had personal issues to contend with, and before he got released, he had a brief heel run. The Charismatic Enigma captivated the audience, and it made little sense for Hardy to be a heel as fans adored him.
He attacked the likes of Rob Van Dam and Shawn Michaels which kickstarted his heel run. It was one of the worst heel turns in the Ruthless Aggression Era, and this became an overlooked part in Hardy's career, with Hardy turning face before he was gone from the company.
7 Better Than Expected: John Bradshaw Layfield
In early 2004, Bradshaw was still competing alongside his good friend Ron Simmons as the APA. However, once their partnership folded with Simmons riding into the sunset, Bradshaw was presented with an opportunity of a lifetime. He was elevated as the top heel on SmackDown and repackaged as John Bradshaw Layfield.
JBL did a remarkable job as a heel despite it coming out of nowhere. He went on to become one of the longest-reigning WWE Champions in SmackDown history as he held the prestigious gold for 280 days.
6 Never Should Have Happened: Shinsuke Nakamura
Throughout his entire WWE career, Shinsuke Nakamura has been a victim of inconsistent booking. Despite being the reigning and two-time Intercontinental Champion, and a former United States Champion, Nakamura has underachieved in his WWE run.
Nakamura turned heel at WrestleMania 34 after he lost his WWE Championship match to AJ Styles. This should have been the start of something special for the King of Strong Style, but it fell flat. Fans loved Nakamura's "The Rising Sun" theme song, but his "Shadows of a Setting Sun" had lyrics, with fans hardly receptive to his new song.
5 Better Than Expected: Sami Zayn
Once Sami Zayn moved from NXT to the main roster, he put on some outstanding matches with Kevin Owens. However, at Hell in a Cell 2017, The Great Liberator kickstarted his heel run by helping Owens beat Shane McMahon in their Hell in a Cell match.
Zayn's taken his game up another notch as a heel, and his mic and in-ring work has been brilliant. The Great Liberator has two Intercontinental Championship reigns to his name and he was the biggest cheerleader for Shinsuke Nakamura with his over-the-top antics during Nakamura's entrances.
4 Never Should Have Happened: Steve Austin
At WrestleMania 17, Steve Austin did the unthinkable by aligning himself with Satan himself, Mr. McMahon. The Texas Rattlesnake and Vince systematically destroyed The Rock with Austin capturing the WWE Championship for the fifth time, creating one of the most infamous WrestleMania moments ever.
Austin wanted to turn heel, but he later regretted it. The Bionic Redneck was still one of the top babyfaces in many fans' eyes, but his heel run lasted eight months and for the entirety of the Invasion angle. There's no doubt that there were some positives in Austin's heel turn as he had a remarkable rivalry with Kurt Angle.
3 Better Than Expected: Daniel Bryan
Shades of his 2012 heel run, Daniel Bryan unexpectedly turned heel after he ended AJ Styles' 371-day WWE Championship reign on the SmackDown before Survivor Series 2018. Bryan's Yes Movement and his WWE Title victory at WrestleMania 30 was a sublime moment that live in infamy.
However, Bryan is an underrated heel, and he had the best WWE Championship run in his career. Bryan turned fans against him easily as he talked about saving the environment which irked fans. Nevertheless, Bryan's heel run was excellent and he still managed to operate at an extremely high level.
2 Never Should Have Happened: Rikishi
One of the most shocking heel turns in WWE history came in October 2000 when Rikishi was revealed as the man who ran down Steve Austin at Survivor Series 1999. Ultimately, the heel turn was illogical as Rikishi was a popular babyface, and fans never bought into Rikishi as a main eventer.
He feuded with the likes of The Rock and The Undertaker, but he was never on their level. Rikishi's push was cut short by the end of 2000. The experiment failed and by the spring of 2001 when Rikishi returned to WWE after an injury lay-off, he was back in business as a babyface.
1 Better Than Expected: Bayley
Bayley was going to get lost in the shuffle as her babyface act began to grow stale. However, turning heel was one of the best things that happened in Bayley's career. She ditched her Hugger gimmick, her trademark ponytail was cut short, and "Deliverance" was the new theme song that suited her perfectly.
The Role Model did a wonderful job as a heel as she made history by becoming the longest-reigning SmackDown Women's Champion in history as she held a stranglehold on the championship for 380 days. She reunited with Sasha Banks, and a second run as WWE Women's Tag Team Champions came their way. Bayley became a top star in her heel run, and several more championship reigns will likely come her way soon.