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Top heel turns are best defined by those shocking moments that the crowd never saw coming. Often these are acts of treachery from a babyface on his or her partner or friend. Sometimes characters turn heel gradually, as popular opinion starts to turn against them, but more often they are dramatic swerves that catch the audience by surprise.
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Modern audiences are normally 'smarter' thanks in part to dirt sheets, but also fans that have experience of watching wrestling regularly can sometimes predict a heel turn. What makes some of these top heel turns special, is that they could never be predicted, or that the storyline that preceded it was perfect for the turn that followed.
As Stone Cold Steve Austin once said "don't trust anybody", some of the stars on the list should certainly have taken his advice. Sometimes our favourite teams are not meant to last and for other babyfaces, more organic transitions into heel characters are inevitable. These are some of the moments that shocked the WWE Universe and often led to some of the best heel runs in the company's history.
#1 Seth Rollins
The Shield was one of the most popular groups in the WWE when they ran riot in the company from 2012 to 2014. The Shield feuded with the likes of Evolution, The Rock Undertaker and John Cena after the debuted in the company in November 2012.
On RAW, the night after the group defeated Evolution for the second pay-per-view in a row at Payback 2014, Triple H and Randy Orton confronted the Shield members. Although Triple H wielded his sledgehammer, it looked as if he and Orton were outnumbered by the three Shield members.
However, the Cerebral Assassin then uttered the words "there's always a Plan B" leading to Rollins striking both of his teammates with a steel chair. The emphatic chair shots solidified Rollins' status a heel as he would go on to align himself with Triple H and his Authority.
This was a devastating moment but would begin Rollins' run as the opportunistic villain. Symbolically hitting his partners from behind, it was the start of Rollins doing anything he could to get to the top of the mountain, even if it meant turning on his teammates to side with his once rival, Triple H.
#2 Mark Henry
It seemed like Mark Henry was going to announce his retirement on a June edition of Raw in 2013. The Worlds Strongest Man came to the ring wearing a pink blazer and looked all set to call time on his career in the WWE.
Henry sold the moment to perfection, it looked a sad moment as the then-WWE champion John Cena joined him in the ring. Cena paraded around the ring with Henry holding up the WWE title, the line "baby i'm coming home" also sold the moment well.
However as Cena hugged Henry, The World Strongest Man picked up the WWE champion and slammed him to the canvas. It was a shocking moment that took everyone by surprise and was to kick start a feud between Henry and Cena. Ultimately, Henry was defeated by Cena at the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, but the build up and delivery of this moment was the perfect heel turn for Henry to gather momentum going into this match.
Although this heel turn was not as high profile as others on the list, it is a classic example of the WWE swerving the audience by having them believe Henry was to retire and then twist at the last moment by having him destroy the biggest babyface in the company John Cena. Henry's run from here was less then memorable but this moment was pulled off to perfection.
#3 Vince McMahon
As well as being one of the most infamous moment in the history of wrestling, the Montreal Screwjob also heralded one of the most significant heel turns in WWE history.
Unlike the other heel turns on this list, this was completely unscripted and was designed to force the WWE championship off Bret Hart to prevent him turning up on WCW with the title. As Bret's match with long-time rival Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 1997 came to a close, Vince McMahon came to the ringside area and called for the bell as Michaels locked Hart in his own signature move, the sharpshooter. Hart reacted by spitting at McMahon and trashing the announce desk as the event came to a close.
This moment saw the transition of Vince McMahon, the babyface play-by-play announcer to the evil Mr.McMahon that would go on to feud with Stone Cold Steve Austin. McMahon became recognised more widely as the owner of the company and abused his role to hold down other top stars.
It was a significant moment in wrestling history, not only for the period that followed, but a real life event that triggered a boom in interest and ushered in the Attitude Era.
#4 Bret Hart
The Bret Hart-Steve Austin double turn at WrestleMania 13 is a classic heel turn that cemented Bret Hart's status as one of the top villains in WWE during 1997.
It was during the submission match in The Rosemont Horizon at WrestleMania 13 when Bret Hart fought it out with Steve Austin. After a bloody encounter, Bret would put the sharpshooter on Austin, who instead of quitting, passed out from the pain which forced referee Ken Shamrock to end the match. The crowd in Chicago were right behind Austin, and Bret attacking him after the match established his status as a villain.
This was a heel turn demonstrated through a wrestling move rather than words and it was an example of wrestling storytelling at its best. The build up which saw Bret slowly making the transition to a heel, included The Hitman growing more and more frustrated with WWE management, leading him to lashing out at various points. Not to mention that the 'I Quit' match Bret had with Austin at this WrestleMania was one of the best bouts in 'Mania history. It told the perfect story of a whiny, frustrated babyface turning heel, while the popular villain went the other way to turn face.
#5 Shawn Michaels
The barbershop heel turn, involving Shawn Michaels turning on his long-time Rockers partner Marty Jannetty, is one of the most infamous heel turns in history.
Shawn Michael and Marty Jannetty were a exciting duo with tremendous charisma and chemistry during their run with the company in the late 80's and early 90's. The team wrestled for the NWA and AWA before eventually ending up in the WWE, where they made a name for themselves for their athleticism and high-flying ability.
Jannetty and Michaels showed signs of dissension before their eventual break up. Behind the scenes the pair were rumored to be involved in a real life altercation, which almost led to Michaels leaving the company and what Jannetty pointed towards as being the reason why WWE decided to split the pair up.
The split came during one of Brutus The Barber Beefcake's interview segments in January 1992. Michaels would superkick Jannetty in a shocking moment, before sending him crashing head first through the barbershop window. Michaels then ripped a picture of the team in half, putting the exclamation mark on their separation.
The shocking nature of this heel turn is what makes it one of the most shocking heel turns in history, its was simple but effective. It also set up what was to be one of the best solo runs of any WWE superstar in history for Shawn Michaels.
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