3 Heel Turns & 2 Face Turns that could happen at the 2022 Royal Rumble

The road to WrestleMania 38 officially begins at the 2022 Royal Rumble. 30 men and women will compete for an opportunity to headline WrestleMania, but only two will have their hands raised.

The Royal Rumble normally serves as a way to further other storylines and not just ones dedicated to the winner. In the process, we could be seeing a few big character changes occur, including some from the biggest stars in the company.

Here are a few heel and face turns to look out for at the 2022 Royal Rumble.

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#3. Heel turn at the Royal Rumble: Dominik Mysterio

Dominik Mysterio had a mixed year in 2021. While he had an incredible debut at SummerSlam 2020, things slowed down. By mid-2021, he made history by becoming one-half of the tag team champions, as part of the first father-son duo to do so with Rey Mysterio.

There is no doubt that he will be important for the company going forward. Rey Mysterio being the cover star of 2K22 instantly means that he will be heavily featured alongside his son on the road to WrestleMania 38.

It was reported that there were plans for a Rey-Dominik break-up storyline to start soon, but it seems as though things have been pushed back, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

The road to WrestleMania begins on Saturday, and that's also the perfect place for WWE to either plant the seed for the storyline between the father and son, or for an outright break-up.

One way to go would be for Rey Mysterio to eliminate his son before Dominik turns on him to cost him the match and attack him later on. It would mark a much-needed heel turn for Dominik, who is still lacking in the personality department.

His father is the most beloved luchador in WWE history and has a larger-than-life character, which is why he has remained popular despite not always being handled well.

But for Dominik Mysterio, his character work needs to be a priority over his in-ring work, which is already good in itself. He could be set on the right path at the Royal Rumble.

#2. Face turn at the Royal Rumble: Bobby Lashley

Bobby Lashley is all set to face Brock Lesnar for the WWE title in a dream match at the 2022 Royal Rumble. Those who followed Lashley know that a match against Lesnar was one of the reasons why he returned to WWE in the first place.

After several moments of false hope, the bout is finally official and the two titans are set to clash for the industry's biggest prize. It won't be a main event match-up, but it's certainly one of the most important on the card.

Ahead of WWE Day 1, Bobby Lashley was treated as less of a heel than he was before.

That was all put to a halt when Brock Lesnar was added to the WWE title match at Day 1, and Bobby Lashley became the number one contender a night later on RAW. This could be the match where Lashley finally turns face again, although it all depends on how the match is presented.

If The Almighty is given a fair amount of offense and the match goes on for a good length of time, then we could very well see the former Impact star have a character switch at the 2022 Royal Rumble.

#2. Heel turn at the Royal Rumble: The Bella Twins

One of the most unexpected Royal Rumble returns announced was that of The Bella Twins. And it wasn't just Brie Bella, but her sister Nikki as well. Nikki Bella retired from in-ring competition, with her last match being in the Evolution main event against Ronda Rousey.

Nikki had nagging health issues that contributed to her retirement, and she has been away from the spotlight since. However, WWE announced the return of Nikki and Brie Bella in advance, a decision that surprised most, including the Hall of Famers themselves.

However, they understood that WWE advertised them for the Rumble to gain buzz about the event, and a surprise wouldn't always do that. Nikki Bella would go on to confirm that she is officially cleared for in-ring competition and even teased a proper return.

This could lead to The Bellas having a WrestleMania run to get some big names for the event. No matter how much a certain fanbase feels that The Bellas represent The Divas era, they hold a lot of name value.

They could turn heel at the 2022 Royal Rumble to kickstart a run that could possibly culminate at WrestleMania 38.

#1. Face turn at the Royal Rumble: Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins could become a 5-time World Champion by the time theee Royal Rumble is over. In what could be the marquee and key match of the show, it will be brother vs brother.

Seth Rollins' record against Roman Reigns in world title matches is one-sided in his favor, and WWE has acknowledged this nugget in their storyline. Rollins has even gotten into Reigns' head in the process.

With The Usos barred from ringside, it will be a proper one-on-one match between the two former Shield members. Many seem to assume that Seth Rollins is going to be just another opponent fed to Roman Reigns.

Given how things could play out, Rollins could become the man to eventually dethrone Reigns and end his 500+ day reign as the Universal Champion.

It will be interesting to see how it will play out. If things work out in Rollins' favor, the Universal title win could fully cement his face turn after over two years.

#1. Heel turn at the Royal Rumble: Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar is set to defend the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble yet again. It seems as though Brock Lesnar either has really important spots in the Rumble match, or he is defending a world title.

In 2018, and 2019, Brock Lesnar defended the Universal Championship at the Royal Rumble. In 2020, he was the WWE Champion but still entered the Rumble match to have a dominant performance before being eliminated by eventual-winner Drew McIntyre.

The Rumble has always featured Lesnar in a crucial role, and that will continue as he faces Bobby Lashley in a dream match.

Admittedly, this is one heel turn that we hope doesn't happen. Bobby Lashley can still turn face without Lesnar turning heel, but the latter would undoubtedly cause ripple effects. The only issue it would cause is that the WrestleMania 38 main event would be headlined between two heels - something WWE normally doesn't like.

Reigns and Lesnar are set to headline their third WrestleMania together, and The Beast Incarnate could turn heel in the process. But his babyface character has been far too enjoyable for that to happen.