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It has become common knowledge by now that Professional Wrestling is scripted. The characters portrayed by the Superstars, the storylines and the match outcomes are all pre-determined.
To keep the product fresh, twists and turns have to be presented at regular intervals. In WWE particularly, fans should always expect the unexpected.
Heel/Face turns are one of the most effective ways to shock the WWE Universe and change the direction of the product. While mid-carders frequently bounce back between heel and face modes, Top Stars change characters once in a while. However, when an upper mid-card or main-event Superstar completes a turn, it becomes a moment to witness.
Be it Batista's 2005 face turn or Seth Rollins' shocking heel turn in 2014, such moments are a proof why WWE is the best at its game.
That being said, here are 5 Superstars who currently portray villainous characters in WWE but were babyfaces exactly 12 months before.
#5 Bobby Lashley
Bobby Lashley made a shocking return to WWE last year after an absence of nearly 12 years. He returned as a babyface and for a couple of months, feuded with the likes of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn.
He was booked to look stronger with every passing week. At one point, it seemed like WWE was preparing him to go one on one against Brock Lesnar at Summerslam 2018. However, he lost all of his momentum after a loss to Roman Reigns and was pushed down the card.
Lashley spent the following weeks in random feuds and matches. After teaming up with John Cena at WWE Super Showdown 2018, he did the unthinkable.
Lashley, in October, was feuding with Kevin Owens after the latter had brutally attacked him in September. During their last match together, Lashley and Owens did a double turn when The All Mighty started to focus on KO's injured knee during a match.
Lashley has achieved a considerable amount of success since turning heel and had two reigns as Intercontinental Champion.
As of now, his position on the card doesn't look quite good, considering that he suffered defeat in his feud against Braun Strowman and is dealing with an undisclosed injury. Still, The All Mighty shouldn't be counted out just yet.
#4 Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan's comeback story last year was an inspiring one. The way he fought for his dreams to compete in front of the WWE Universe was commendable. Bryan had been a face since 2012 after he became a part of Team Hell No. When The Leader Of The Yes Movement finally got cleared to compete last year, the WWE Universe started predicting the dream matches and feuds he could be a part of.
One thing that fans couldn't have predicted accurately was the timing of his heel turn. Bryan was undoubtedly one of the most over babyfaces in WWE. At this time last year, he was involved in one of the most important feuds of his career (against The Miz). To have him turn heel a few weeks after wrapping that up was a moment uncalled for.
Five days prior to Survivor Series 2018, Bryan turned heel in the closing moments of his WWE Championship match against AJ Styles. Bryan won the Title but lost his tag as The Leader Of The Yes Movement and became one of the most despised heels on the roster.
#3 Charlotte Flair
To say that Charlotte Flair is one of the most gifted Superstars of the last decade would be a huge understatement. The Queen, in her four-year run on the main roster, has already won nine Women's titles and is on the verge of breaking her father's record. Flair is currently a part of the SmackDown Live roster, where she is the top heel in the women's division.
At the same time last year, however, Charlotte was a babyface and had just returned a couple of weeks ago after a month's absence. Upon returning, she was inserted into a Title match at Summerslam which was supposed to be Becky Lynch's crowning moment.
Charlotte stealing the spotlight from The Man caused the fans to turn on her and she eventually turned heel three months later at Survivor Series.
Whether she can be redeemed at this stage or not is unknown. However, a certainty would be the fact that she will find her way into the title picture once again very soon.
#2 Bray Wyatt
Bray Wyatt's alter-ego, The Fiend, is the talk of the town right now. His highly anticipated return at SummerSlam quickly took social media by storm.
He is expected to be pushed heavily in the coming months. Although Wyatt has been portraying a monster heel since his return, he wasn't as villainous during his last run.
Last year, Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy formed a tag team at Wrestlemania 34. It can't be argued that his run as one half of The Deleters of the Worlds was the lowest point of his career.
The team was dissolved when Matt Hardy had to take time off by the end of August. Wyatt was also taken off TV.
When he returned in April, he was completely repackaged with a split-personality character portraying the friendly and fun-loving host of Firefly Fun House as well as the vicious Fiend. Here's hoping that WWE finally gives Wyatt a main-event push this time around.
#1 AJ Styles
There are not many Superstars who can effectively portray intimidating heels as well as fan-favorite babyfaces. Luckily, The Phenomenal One knows how to connect with the WWE Universe in either role.
This time last year, AJ Styles was the reigning WWE Champion and one of the top babyfaces not just on the Blue Brand but in the entire WWE.
This year ,however, the story is a little different. Around two months ago, Styles turned heel and reformed "The Club" with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson by attacking Ricochet. This was the first time since April 2017 that Styles was portraying a villainous character as the leader of The OC.
Styles won the US Title from Ricochet at Extreme Rules and has been running through the roster along with his stable-mates ever since.
If Styles continues to gain momentum, it will only be a matter of time before he can challenge for the Universal Championship.
