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Betrayal has a way of reverberating through history. The sudden turn to traitor by Brutus against his best friend and rightful ruler Julius Ceasar is still performed in plays all over the world in William Shakespeare's famous play.
Since pro wrestling is the latest incarnation of ritual drama in our modern society, it stands to reason that betrayals play out in the squared circle. Wrestling is a dichotomous system. It's always about good versus evil, no matter what anyone wants to tell you to the contrary. The fact that society's definition of good and evil changes means that what counts as good and evil changes in wrestling along with it.
On the side of good are the babyfaces, those wrestlers who never cheat and espouse the virtues society clings to most vehemently. Often this includes a nod to fair play and standing up against oppression, even if only on a personal level.
On the bad side are the heels, those villains who are the antithesis of all that is good and decent. Cheating, lying, and attacking from behind are all trademarks of a heel.
But sometimes a wrestler begins as a babyface--or turns that way--and then becomes a heel in one fell stroke. Here are the ten best heel turns in WWE history, ranked by how much they affected the fans and the business.
#10 Owen Hart--Royal Rumble 1994
Clocking in at number ten on our countdown of all time great heel turns is Owen Hart. The dearly departed, much beloved Superstar was a hit with fans and the backstage talent alike. But in 1994 he turned into one of wrestling's most bitter and spiteful villains.
For months, WWE pushed the idea that Owen was growing tired of being in big brother Bret's considerable shadow. In order to placate his brother, and prove that he considered him an equal, Bret suggested they form a tag team and challenge the Quebecers for the WWE Tag Team Championship at Royal Rumble.
The match didn't go well for the Harts. Bret's knee was injured, and it cost them the titles. Instead of helping his fallen brother, Owen attacked Bret in a bitter rage. Afterward, he went on a rant to seal his new status as a heel. Unfortunately, the worked up Owen blurted out "I bet you're wondering why I kicked the leg out of your leg..."
#9 Paul Bearer--SummerSlam 1996
No one has a better win loss record against the legendary Phenom, The Undertaker, than Mick Foley aka Mankind.
Mankind's main purpose was to help humanize Undertaker, who had been booked to look invincible for many years. To that end they engaged in a vicious feud, which culminated at SummerSlam 1996 in a brand new match type: The Boiler Room brawl.
Mixing horror elements and suspense with the traditional backstage brawling style popular since the 1970s, the boiler room brawl was a smash hit, particularly the shocker ending. Paul Bearer, whose name was synonymous with the Undertaker almost from the get go, betrayed his former ally and sided with Mankind instead.
It's a heel turn that no one could stop talking about at the time, and helped usher in the Attitude Era's feeling of 'anything goes.'
#8 Shawn Michaels--Beefcake's Barber Shop, 1992
Shawn Michaels is a bonafide legend in the world of pro wrestling, a hall of fame member and one of the most innovative and expressive performers of all time. But long before he was the Heart Break Kid, he was one half of a very popular face tag team; The Rockers.
Formerly known at the Midnight Rockers before coming to WWE, Shawn Michaels and partner Marty Jannetty were, according to your individual tastes, either a loving homage to the Rock and Roll Express or a blatant rip off. In any event, the young, fast, and good looking team made an instant impression on the WWE Universe. Though they never officially captured the WWE Tag Team championships (a match where they won the titles was declared a no contest because the ring ropes broke) they were still a popular act.
Then came friction between the two, mostly coming from Michaels. His heel turn was teased for weeks, until the animosity between himself and Jannetty exploded on an episode of the Barber Shop. Jannetty was sent through a plate glass window, ending the Rockers forever and putting HBK on a path to heel stardom.
#7 CM Punk, Extreme Rules 2009
Ah, CM Punk. Is there a more controversial, yet lovable pro wrestler (or ex pro wrestler these days) in existence? While some fans resent his early retirement, feeling he could have contributed more to the business, others point out that his career is full of many accolades, including multiple reigns as a 'big belt' champion in WWE and other promotions.
Love him or hate him, you have to admit he is undeniably attention grabbing. He really grabbed attention in 2009 when he won the MITB briefcase and attempted twice to cash it on Edge, who was a heel at the time.
Fans loved seeing CM Punk chase after Edge, but they changed their tune at Extreme Rules 2009. Edge defended the World title against Jeff Hardy in a grueling ladder match that left Hardy victorious, but badly beaten.
Punk cashed in his case, to the lament of the crowd who were ecstatic that Hardy had won the title. One Go to Sleep later, and Punk's heel turn was complete.
#6 Why, Bret, Why? Bret Hart Wrestlemania 13
The babyface slash heel fence is one that is permeable, yet immutable. It's impossible to straddle the line between 'good guy' and 'bad guy', no matter what anyone tries to convince you of.
Bret Hart and Steve Austin had been feuding for months, with Bret as the good guy and Austin the villainous heel. However, WWE officials noted that Austin was getting a lot of cheers, while the same were dying down for the Hitman, who had been babyface for many years.
So an expert double turn was planned, and executed to perfection--or should we say excellently? After a vicious, no holds barred submission match which saw Austin bleeding profusely, Hart managed to trap him in his Sharpshooter submission hold.
Austin, being a good guy, refused to tap out, but neither could he escape the hold. He wound up passing out from pain and/or blood loss. Special referee Ken Shamrock called for the bell and awarded the victory to Bret Hart by TKO.
Hart had won the match, had even proven his dominance by winning cleanly. But he attacked Austin after the bell anyway, becoming a heel in the process. This would lead to Hart forming a new heel Hart Foundation and becoming a pro Canada, anti-USA character.
#5 The People's Champion becomes the Corporate Champion
These days, you don't get to see Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson appearing in the ring much anymore, but you can catch him at your local cinema on the big screen, taking down bad guys, driving fast cars and brawling with giant albino apes.
But back in 1998, the Rock was the fastest rising star in WWE history. He had gone from a luke warm fan response as Rocky Maivia to garnering tons of heat as the Rock, an egomaniac who referred to himself in the third person yet who still managed to be popular due to his gift of gab and charisma.
Going into Survivor Series that year, Mankind had been propped up as the unlikely corporate champion, getting a make over and new ring gear approved by Vince McMahon. But it was all a set up for a major swerve. As the Rock locked in a sharpshooter on Mankind, McMahon called for the bell, recalling the Montreal Screwjob from just a few years earlier.
The Rock joined forces with McMahon, redubbing himself the Corporate Champion and renaming his move the Corporate Elbow. It didn't last long, but the heel turn shocked the WWE Universe none the less.
#4 The Mega Powers Explode: Macho Man, Saturday Night's Main Event
If you've ever yearned for a movie where Godzilla and King Kong team up to take down the bad guys, then you might understand the wish fulfillment dream of many 1980s kids when Macho Man and Hulk Hogan joined forces as the Mega Powers.
Their friendship built up gradually, with Hogan first saving Macho Man from a beat down by Jimmy Hart's first family. Then Hogan helped Savage win the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania IV, cementing their alliance.
The two formed the Mega Powers, teaming up at the first ever SummerSlam to take on the Mega Bucks team of Ted Dibiase and Andre the Giant. Their tandem continued into a feud with the Twin Towers, Akeem and Big Boss Man.
During a tag team match on Saturday Night's Main Event in 1989, Savage was thrown into Miss Elizabeth, knocking her down. Hogan carried her off to receive medical attention, but this left Savage to fend for himself against the twin behemoths. When Hogan eventually returned, Savage refused to tag him in and instead abandoned Hogan to his fate.
After the match, the two had a heated confrontation backstage which led to Savage attacking Hogan with the belt. It's the death of a dream, and a great heel turn.
#3 Stone Cold Steve Austin sells his soul: Wrestlemania 17
During the Attitude Era, there's no doubt that one major rivalry not only made for compelling television, it also helped the WWE turn the ratings war around on rival WCW and eventually led to their total victory; Vince McMahon vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin.
At this point, McMahon was openly the owner of WWE, acting both as CEO behind the scenes and as the villainous Mr. McMahon character on screen. Stone Cold's drinking, cursing, and refusal to tow the company line made for bitter friction between the two men.
McMahon struggled first to prevent Austin from winning the title and then fought hard to get it off of him. But at Wrestlemania 17 the two men swerved the world, teaming up on the Rock to ensure Austin's victory and title reign.
The sight of McMahon and Stone Cold shaking hands is one of the most chilling things the WWE Universe has ever beheld, and it made for a classic heel turn.
#2 Larry Zybysko betrays his mentor, the great Bruno Sammartino
For our number two spot on the countdown of top heel turns in WWE history, we go back--waaay back, to 1980 when the WWE was still known as the WWWF--World Wide Wrestling Federation.
You might be wondering why this heel turn lists so highly on our countdown, since neither of these men have wrestled in many years. The extreme fan reaction toward Larry Zybysko is the reason as much as the fact that no one seemed to see it coming.
Zybysko wasn't the Living Legend yet; he was a young upstart who was taken under the wing of long running WWWF Champion Bruno Sammartino. The two were allies for some time as Sammartino taught the youngster all his tricks.
But then jealousy turned their alliance sour. Zybysko claimed that Bruno was ducking him by not granting the youngster a title shot. Bruno eventually agreed, but Zybysko couldn't defeat his teacher. Bruno had Zybysko trapped in his bear hug finisher, but then let him go.
The battle spilled outside the ring, where a frustrated Zybysko grabbed a steel chair. He attacked his teacher, leaving him in a pool of his own blood. Fans were so angry at the heel turn that they set Zybysko's car on fire, started riots, and even attacked him physically.
This heel turn goes down in history for the extreme reaction it garnered, and for the fact that it marked the end of an era.
#1 Hulk Hogan betrays the fans, founds the NWO--WCW Bash at the Beach, 1996
I know what you're thinking. "But this is a WWE history article, why is there a WCW moment upon it?" Well, dear valued reader, in 2002 WWE purchased WCW in its entirety, including its match library and licensing rights. So WCW history IS WWE history.
Besides, this is the grand daddy of them all, the biggest heel turn of all time and leaving it off of our list due to a minor technical issue would be a great disservice. Hulk Hogan had been the flag waving hero to millions ever since he won the WWE title from Iron Sheik more than ten years before. The idea of Hogan turning into a bad guy was unthinkable.
But that's just what happened. Hogan revealed himself to be the 'third man' Hall and Nash teased for weeks, betraying Macho Man and Lex Luger to found the NWO. The heel turn had repercussions for the industry that have lasted ever since.
There you have it; The ten most shocking heel turns of all time.
Thanks for joining us on this journey through WWE history, and we'll see you next week.
