4 Face turns that worked and 3 that didn't

In pro wrestling, fans can often get bored with a character. Therefore, a character should keep changing and evolving in order to keep it fresh. Sometimes, this change can lead to a heel/face turn i.e. A villain becomes a hero and vice versa. However, a "turn" has a 50/50 chance of succeeding. Sometimes, a superstar may revert back to their original character if the new one doesn't get over with the fans.

As you might have seen on Raw a couple of weeks ago, Elias turned face by attacking Baron Corbin. The WWE Universe took little time to embrace the "new" Elias. All signs are pointing towards a successful babyface run for The Drifter.

So, here we will discuss 4 Superstars whose face turns did wonders for them and 3 Superstars who found it difficult to thrive as the "Good Guys".

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#7 Sheamus (Worked)

Sheamus' career resurrected once he turned face in 2011.

The Celtic Warrior made his main roster debut in 2009 as a monster heel. He was immediately pushed to the moon and he defeated John Cena at TLC 2009 to become the first-ever Irish-born WWE Champion. Sheamus had an incredible 2010 as he feuded with the likes of John Cena, Triple H, Randy Orton etc. However, by the end of 2010, Sheamus started falling down the card. Even though he won the "King of the Ring" tournament, it didn't do any wonders for him. He also lost to Sin Cara on an episode of Smackdown.

However, things changed for the better in August 2011 when the Celtic Warrior answered Mark Henry's challenge, turning face for the first time on the main roster. Sheamus then started to move up the card and went on to win the 2012 Royal Rumble match. 2012 was Sheamus' career's most successful year as he won the World Title by defeating Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 28 and held on to the title for the next 6 months. Sheamus needed a change in character in 2011 and the face turn was the right way to implement that change.

#6 Alberto Del Rio (Didn't Work)

Alberto Del Rio's face turn lasted nearly 6 months.

When Vignettes, hyping the debut of Alberto Del Rio, started airing in 2010, the WWE Universe realized that Alberto Del Rio would be pushed heavily. It was true as within months of his debut, Alberto competed for the World Title in a Fatal 4-way TLC match, also featuring Edge, Kane, and Rey Mysterio.

Del Rio then won the first-ever 40-man Royal Rumble match in January 2011 and went on to face Edge at Wrestlemania 27. However, that wasn't all as Del Rio then won the Money in the Bank ladder match in July and successfully cashed in his contract at Summerslam. Del Rio won the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank briefcase and the WWE title within a span of 7 months.

However, his character started to become stale by the end of 2012 and he became a main-event jobber. A face turn was teased in December and fully implemented in January 2013. Del Rio defeated Big Show in a Last Man Standing match to win his 3rd World Title. However, he struggled to get over as a babyface, mostly due to feuding with Dolph Ziggler (although heel, yet the most over person at that time). Thus, Alberto and Ziggler pulled a double turn at Payback 2013 and Del Rio once again became a heel.

#5 The Shield (Worked)

The Shield turned face when they stood up to The Authority.

Even though The Shield debuted as a heel faction, it was quite difficult to hate the trio. The Shield was one of those rare modern era heels who actually backed up their words with action.

Throughout 2013, The Shield feuded with countless Superstars and Teams, both of the past and present. At Extreme Rules 2013, all 3 members won Championships (Ambrose became the US Champion while Rollins and Reigns won the Tag Team Titles). The Hounds of Justice turned face in 2014.

Rollins, Reigns, and Ambrose were already loved by the fans so turning face only increased the frequency and loudness of cheers. The Shield had an incredibly amazing feud with The Authority and Evolution.

Their face run, although successful, didn't last long as Seth Rollins betrayed Ambrose and Reigns to join The Authority. However, the feud with Evolution and the grueling matches at Extreme Rules and Payback 2014 were two of the best multi-man matches in the history of WWE.

#4 Randy Orton (Didn't Work)

Randy Orton's popularity causes WWE to turn

him

face every now and then.

This is only referring to Orton's 2004 face turn as his 2010 and other face turns were successful to some extent. So coming back to the topic, Randy Orton joined the heel faction Evolution in 2003. He soon adopted the "Legend Killer" gimmick and feuded with some of the best veterans such as Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, Mick Foley etc. Orton was bound to succeed but his success came quite early. At Summerslam 2004, Orton defeated Chris Benoit to become the Youngest World Heavyweight Champion at the age of 24.

Orton was betrayed the next night on Raw by his Evolution stable-mates and he turned face in the process. Although it looked like he would succeed as a babyface (based on the crowd reactions), it soon started becoming evident that Orton worked best as a heel. He turned heel and became the Legend Killer once again during the Wrestlemania 21 season when he started feuding with The Undertaker. Orton's popularity causes WWE to turn him face time and again but he fails to work as a face every time due to his natural heel characteristics.

#3 Batista (Worked)

Batista's slow face turn in 2004/2005 was one of the best

face

turns of the Ruthless Aggression era.

Soon after Randy Orton was kicked out of Evolution, it was only a matter of time before The Animal, Batista broke free too. Batista had everything that Vince and WWE require in a "Top Guy". He had decent mic skills, good in-ring skills, and an amazing personality.

Batista's face turn was amazingly executed. He didn't turn face overnight. Rather, a slow approach was taken which started in October/November 2004 and culminated with a full-fledged face turn in February 2005.

Batista won the Royal Rumble match in 2005 and went on to defeat Triple H at Wrestlemania 21 to win his first World Title. Batista then had an impressive face turn which lasted over 4 years. During his run as a babyface, Batista won 5 World Titles and managed to remain as the Company's top star. He feuded with the likes of The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, John Cena etc.

#2 The Miz (Didn't Work)

It's hard to imagine The Miz as a fan favorite.

The Miz is one of the best heels of the modern era of Professional Wrestling. Everything about The Miz screams. "JERK", but in a good way. The Miz has been with WWE for over a decade and has undergone several character changes but the cocky heel attitude he adopted after splitting from John Morrison in 2009 has been the best work of his career. He even went on to win the WWE Championship in 2010 and feature in the main event of Wrestlemania 27.

The Miz is a natural heel. Still, a decision was made to turn him face in 2012. Although the turn was well received, he soon became stale. It's hard to imagine The Miz playing by the rules but that happened in 2012. The Miz flopped as a babyface and turned heel a year later. Since 2016, The Miz has been a part of countless incredible rivalries and has recently started to receive favorable reactions from the crowd. Let's just hope that WWE doesn't turn him face again.based on the favorable reactions.

#1 John Cena (Worked)

John Cena will go down in history as one of the biggest Professional Wrestling Superstars.

The Biggest Star of last 15 years, John Cena tops this list. John Cena made his main roster debut in 2002 and quickly turned heel before the end of that year. Cena then spent nearly the entire 2003 as a heel and feuded with the likes of Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker, Kurt Angle etc. Cena's "Doctor of Thuganomics" gimmick was hugely popular with the fans.

John Cena turned face in November 2003 after he refused to join Team Lesnar at Survivor Series. After turning face, John Cena's mega push finally started and he continued to climb up the card. John Cena won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania 21.

Over 15 years have passed since Cena turned face and never in those 15 years has he ever turned heel again. He became the biggest star of the current era, won 16 World Titles and became a household name. Even now that he has become a part-timer and rarely shows up, he still remains one of the top Merchandise Sellers and the most popular WWE Superstar.

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