5 WWE Superstars who were successful as both a face and a heel

The simplest way of explaining a professional wrestling promotion to a non-fan is the battle of good vs. evil. This conflict is presented via on-screen characters. These personas are known as babyfaces and heels. Playing one of these roles successfully means a lot, but it's a rarity to be prolific at both.

Performers try their best to play both face and heel, but it's only a few who play it to top form. To get fans on your side, there have to be likable qualities about the individual. To get those same fans to root against you, it takes finding a detestable side of yourself.

It reads like a who's who of stars who have been able to reach the mountaintop of the industry in both roles. Whether it be through practice or coming naturally, this is an exclusive group of top performers. In this article, let's take a look at five superstars who were successful as a face and a heel.

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5) Former 5-Time WWE World Champion Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan has to be considered one of the best babyfaces in WWE history. His rise through the ranks of the company was a journey every fan enjoyed. The Yes Movement was an organic fan reaction to how Bryan was being used and can never be duplicated despite the promotion's attempts to do so.

However, Bryan was able to capture a different kind of magic as a heel as well. There were gems to take from his initial heel turn when he went to anger management, but fans desperately wanted to cheer Bryan on at the time. When the company decided to let The American Dragon turn heel again, he hit it out of the park.

Daniel Bryan turned heel when he defeated AJ Styles to win the top prize with a low blow. This led to him evolving into an extreme vegan who felt he was better than the fickle fans. The Planet's Champion run for Bryan was a revelation and showed he could play an over-the-top character.

His role in the KofiMania storyline can't be quantified. Bryan used a lot of the same insults made against him by The Authority against Kofi Kingston. Now, Kingston was the B+ player and Bryan was the heel establishment. It made Kofi's eventual win at WrestleMania 35 that more meaningful. Bryan succeeded in proving everyone wrong who thought he couldn't play both roles.

4) Former 6-Time WWE World Champion Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho is still going more than 30 years into his career and 23 years since his WWE debut. Despite coming into WWE as an annoying heel, fans were quick to rally behind Jericho. He rose to the top and found himself in a feud with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon that established him as one of the most popular stars in the company.

As Y2J, Jericho was funny and full of charisma. When Jericho turned heel in 2008, he took his entire career to another level. During the Honest Man gimmick, Jericho dressed in a suit and had a vast vocabulary similar to Nick Bonkwinkel. His feud with Shawn Michaels cemented Jericho's spot as a top star in the years to follow.

The only thing keeping Chris Jericho from being higher on this list is that all of his world title reigns came as a heel. The company never fully got behind Y2J as a babyface despite fans greeting him with massive pops.

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3) Former 5-Time WWE World Champion CM Punk

CM Punk drew lapsed fans back to wrestling via his Pipebomb promo in 2011. Firmly set as a heel, the appeal of his anti-authority persona turned him into babyface and created brand new fans in the process. The Voice of the Voiceless run made Punk a cult-like figure that had a connection with fans unlike anyone in the business had seen.

Even though Punk's babyface run was important, everyone typically hears how much better he is as a heel. Whether it be as the leader of The Straight Edge Society or the second half of his 434-day WWE title reign, Punk always stepped up as a bad guy. Feuds with The Rock, John Cena, Jeff Hardy, and The Undertaker delivered and showed why Punk is an all-time great heel.

2) Former 6-Time WWE Champion Hulk Hogan

Hulk Hogan was the top star that WWE got behind when the company went mainstream. Hogan was front and center when the promotion appeared on MTV and the promotional posters for the first WrestleMania. Almost a full decade saw The Immortal One as the main event babyface for WWE and still stands as one of the biggest draws ever.

However, there will be many fans who feel the Hollywood Hogan run is slightly better. Hogan's heel turn at Bash At The Beach in 1996 is viewed as one of the most important moments in wrestling history. It helped create the New World Order and led to WCW beating WWE in the Monday Night Wars for 83 straight weeks.

The NWO leader is often regarded as the greatest heel of all time. His Hulkster run in the 80s for Vince McMahon's promotion can be regarded as the best babyface run ever. No one reached the heights of Hogan as a face and a heel, but one person was more entertaining.

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1) Former 8-Time WWE Champion The Rock

The Rock is one of the biggest WWE Superstars ever. The People's Champion kickstarted his career with a heel turn that saw him join the Nation of Domination. This brought out a new edge in Rocky Maivia. He evolved into a wise-cracking, cocky heel who took over The Nation from Faarooq and became the main event heel.

This rise to headliner status rallied fans behind The Great One. His popularity was evident dating back to SummerSlam 1998, but he didn't officially turn until a year later. After falling short to Stone Cold Steve Austin for the WWE Championship, The Rock's Corporation stable betrayed him and kicked him out of the group.

The Rock used this betrayal to catapult to a top babyface spot. When Austin went down for neck surgery, The People's Champion became the biggest draw in WWE. Only Hogan and Austin could match what The Rock achieved from 1999 to 2001.

Following The Rock's initial foray into Hollywood, he returned as a cocky elitist. He no longer cared about the people but only himself. Hollywood Rock showed that The Rock could establish himself as the headline heel just like he did as a face. That's why The Rock is the best WWE Superstar successful as a face and a heel.