The whole backbone of wrestling has been built on the rules of kayfabe where the good guys – or the babyfaces as they are called – do battle and ultimately triumph over the bad guys – or the heels. It seems like a pretty simple concept, right?
Except in 2017, it really isn’t. We live in a day and age where the fans choose who they want to cheer and who they want to boo regardless of whether these wrestlers are supposed to be babyfaces or heels. The likes of Kevin Owens are cheered relentlessly while babyfaces such as Roman Reigns can’t get a cheer to save their life. It’s a strange time to be a wrestling fan.
One of the major reasons for this upside down world is because of the WWE’s stubbornness in portraying wrestlers as they see fit rather than according to the whims and fancies of the WWE Universe. Perhaps the wrestling world would be a much better place if they actually listened to their audience.
There are a number of heels on the WWE roster today who could benefit greatly by turning face. After all, most of them are being cheered regardless. So, without any further ado, here is our list of five WWE face turns we need ASAP:
#5 Natalya
Something about Natalya as a heel just isn’t clicking on Smackdown Live. She’s much too likeable for fans to actively boo her and this is creating a sense of apathy about the things the Neidhart scion gets up to in the ring.
A face turn would be the best possible solution. After all, she has all the tools needed to be a top babyface fo the Smackdown Live Women’s Division. She has the legendary family name, a bubbly personality and is one of the more technically skilled wrestlers on the roster.
After her less than stellar run as a heel over the past few months, a change could be exactly what is needed to propel Nattie back into the limelight as one of the top women in the WWE.
#4 Rusev
You have to give Rusev a hell of a lot of credit. Burdened with the overused American-hating foreigner gimmick, he has managed to rise above it to become one of the top wrestlers in the WWE. And for a while, it looked like the WWE was ready to give him the push he deserved after The Superstar Shakeup.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t materialised and Rusev hasn’t been seen on WWE TV since. With those plans out of the window, it makes sense to bring The Bulgarian Brute back as a babyface rather than the usual heel shtick he’s been saddled with during his WWE run.
Rusev is universally loved by professional wrestling fans and they pretty much used to cheer him on a weekly basis even when he was a heel, so why not capitalise on it to create a new star for Smackdown Live?
#3 Kevin Owens
The only way Kevin Owens can seem to get booed these days is by attacking beloved members of the roster such as Chris Jericho, AJ Styles, and Shinsuke Nakamura – calibre talent who are just as over as him. And, even then it’s a rarity.
The man is just too good in the ring and on the mic. No matter how much he insults fans and brutalises their favourites, the WWE Universe just cannot boo KO for an extended period of time. Just turn the man babyface already and let him run with the ball.
He could very well be the new face of the WWE in addition to his status as The New Face of America if given the opportunity. His gimmick might work best as a heel but the fact that he is always cheered should turn him face.
#2 The Club
Honestly, why is The Club still a heel stable? They should be amongst the top babyface tag teams on Monday Night Raw after the genius internet skit series that was Southpaw Regional Wrestling.
Even disregarding that, it makes all the sense in the world to turn Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows babyface. They are both adored by the WWE Universe for their time with Bullet Club in New Japan Pro Wrestling already, after all.
In addition to this, if they should ever team up with old friends AJ Styles and Finn Balor again, it would be best served as a face faction considering how much love and respect the two former leaders of Bullet Club inspire in the WWE Universe.
#1 Bray Wyatt
You know what? Disregarding everything else, Bray Wyatt should be a babyface just for his entrance. The theme, the theatrics, the “fireflies”, all combined just make it the perfect babyface entrance. It absolute captivates wrestling fans all around the world.
Even leaving this aside, Wyatt is almost always cheered and the fans feel that because of his poor treatment, he is owed something by the WWE. This translates to a lot of sympathy for the former leader of the Wyatt Family.
Just capitalise on all of this and turn the man face, WWE. It’s the right move for everyone involved.
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