Best Heel or Face turns of all time.

[jazzua]

It is one of the best parts of wrestling isn't it? If done correctly? Throw down your favorite wrestling turns of all time. They don't need to be considered "big" turns. I'm just interested in why people like the ones they do.

We have the obvious ones like Austin, Hogan, HBK on Jannetty, The Rock, ect. Personally, my favorite turns are always Face to Heel as they have the most impact. Heel to face turns just never seem to match up with the intensity as the flip side.

I've got a few favorites. Number one goes to Shawn Micheals. I have always thought that this guy understood the reason behind a turn better than anyone. When he went heel, he went heel. He wasn't joking around. I think that all of his turns were incredibly well done. But my favorite is not the Barber Shop but the turn on DX. I loved it. He gives X pac a title match and then hits him with what was probably the hardest chair shot of all time. Honorable mention to the time he kicked Vince after he fired him and then humped Vince in the face while the Corporation ran down the ramp...just classy.

My other favorite comes very recently. I'm normally a fan of a more quick turn. The slow ones just give creative more time to mess them up. However, when you have the wrestling mind of Chris Jericho, who apparently has his finger on the pulse of todays wrestling fans, then who cares how long it takes. He could be a tweener right now still and it would be interesting. The program with Micheals and the slow build was awesome. It started with the thought that maybe HBK was turning, or was it Jericho. It was just an awesome turn with an amazing story behind it.

Those are a couple of mine. Anyone else?


Note: Just found a similar post. Sorry if it's considered a duplicate. Didn't see it before.

 

[Ed Philly]

I liked the Matt Hardy turn back in January. It was the first time in a while I was actually shocked by something in wrestling, and made me realize once again why I love it so much. Despite the fact that his run as heel wasn't spectacular, nailing Jeff with the chair was a "Holy S*!t" moment for sure!

 

[Dagger Dias]

My favorite recent one was probably Jericho turning on HBK in 2008 because most of us probably think that Jericho was going to be the face in that feud and then it also was such a swerve when Jericho threw HBK through that big tv screen. I remember being so shocked by that, and we got an awesome feud out of it.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

Welp. I'm going to throw an old school turn on you and in many opinions, this IS the best heel turn or any kind of turn of all time. It's Ole Anderson turning on Dusty Rhodes in Georgia Championship Wrestling in 1980. I'll give some brief background on this.

See, Ole and his brother Gene made a return to GCW as the "Masked Avengers" and were feuding with Ivan Koloff and a group of Russians that were in the promotion at the time. Those same Russians were also feuding with Dusty Rhodes. So Ole and Gene decided to join forces with Dusty to combat the Russians. Mind you, this isn't a month long team that ends in a turn. This was a YEAR in the making. Think about that. Ole and Gene conspired to get rid of Dusty Rhodes for an entire YEAR!

They finally were able to go forward with their plan by managing to get a tag match inside a steel cage with Ole and Dusty fighting The Assassins with Gene Anderson and Ivan Koloff as special guest referees. Well, it didn't turn out well for Dusty. He was attacked by all FIVE of the people in the ring and left laying in a pool of blood. Broken and bruised. And the mastermind was Ole Anderson. Just watch this clip and you'll see how awesome this turn really was...

[YOUTUBE]fCIgLQGruvs[/YOUTUBE]​

Yea. Ole was a bad ass in his day. And this is why it's one of the greatest heel turns of all time.

 

[Rzarectah]

It's not really a turn but I though it was fucking hillariuos when Triple H pedigreed Hornswaggle. But I really liked Triple H's turn on HBK when he attacked him in the parking lot, and started that great HBK Game feud. Another turn I remember that wasn't really a shocker, but was good entertainment was when Evolution turned on Randy and beat the shit out of him.

 

[wrestling fan 666]

I know the most popular one for me was Hogan joining the NWO. But I have to say, there are a few good ones: Matt turning on Jeff Hardy, Trish turning on Jericho on Wrestlemania 20, the Freebirds turning on the Von Erichs, the Road Warriors turning on Dusty Rhodes, Beulah turning on Dreamer and siding with Raven, HHH turning on Orton when Orton won the belt, Andre turning on Hogan was a shocker, HHH (heel at the time) turned face when Stephanie was hurt by Orton revealing his marriage was a big one; the list could go on and on.

 

[Paradox]

The one I have to go with is Austin's turn at WrestleMania. No one saw it coming. It was one of the biggest things we've ever seen. Austin turning on the fans, and shaking Vince's hand. I remember thinking, holy shit! That's his nemesis, the man that had tried make his life hell he's shaking his hand! The fans that night didn't care they were behind Austin all the way, but after that night. Austin took all of those fans and turned on them in away I'd never think we'd see. It was sick...

There is one other that I thought was really good, and that was Punk's turn this year...(wait last year) I thought it was perfectly executed. Were the fans really did turn on him, and then he turned on them. The timing of the whole thing was just perfect. Night after night of him coming out and telling the world that he did to Edge and no one complained, yet with Hardy everyone hates him. It was absolutely perfect.

 

[Chopper]

Hulk Hogan's turn in 96 was pretty dramatic and very memorable. Dropping the Legdrop on Savage and being the "mystery third man". Telling the fans to stick it was icing on the cake.
I feel that it ushered in somewhat of an early "attitude era" cuz despite being written as a heel, Hulk was still pretty over with the nWo fans. That one tops my list.

Owen Hart's was also pretty great. It looked just mean when he flipped out after losing a tag title match vs Quebecers. Yelling and injuring Bret's knee was just perfect.

I also liked HBK's in 2005. I did not see it coming when he superkicked Hogan. This lead to a good (although short) feud.

My personal fav has to be Kurt Angle's in 2001. Although he was gradually getting cheered in his feud with Benoit, after 3 amazing PPV matches with him and an even more incredible street fight with Shane O Mac, he began a memorable program with Austin. When Austin (re) turned heel at Invasion, Angle was the one who stood up for WWE. The milk bath did it for me.

 

[rayisawesomeness]

For me, it's Jericho's '08 turn hands down. Although I really loved the Triple H heel era and his turn in '02, Jericho's turn created my personal favorite feud of all time with him and Shawn Michaels. The time were he slammed Michaels' head through the Jeritron was absolutely incredible. After, he put on better matches as a heel inlcuding his recent jaw dropper at The Bash against Mysterio and his 5 star match against Michales at No Mercy '08.

 

[matassi]

in 1997 the week before wrestlemania 13 when bret shoved vince and used the words "bullshit" and "shit" on the microphone. it was awesome and just made wrestling seem more real. then the next week he came out and told all the americans he didn't respect them setting up the US vs Canada war.

my second favortie would be the rock turning into the corporate champ at survivor series 1998. the actual turn isnt what makes it so great, its the matches after with mankind and then his feud with austin and then his eventual face turn again. that period really made the rock who he was.

 

[Big Ol' Buckta AIDS]

I know that this is going to sound cliche, but it has to, HAS TO be the hulkster. Because of that turn, The nWo was created.....The nWo. Without it WCW would not have been as popular as it was, and there would have been no DX. No turn in history has been more influential to Pro wrestling. The fan reaction to this event was monumental in it's own right. Listien to what hogan says. It is the true start of the WCW WWF war. People were more than angry. They booed, they threw stuff into the ring, and a fan even charged the ring. At Hulk Hogan. The biggest turn in pro wrestling. Bar none.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H76DwHgOwpA&feature=related


There it is. Watch it. It truly is Pro wrestling history.

 

[jazzua]

There are so many older turns that I can't even begin to name. The Lariat threw one out. Problem is, my wrestling knowledge before 88' is fairly terrible. I know that turns during the territory years meant so much more because the wrestlers performed in that area all of the time. Turns always seemed more personal. Ole was a great example. Any other old school turns anyone can think of? I've never denied my knowledge doesn't go much farther than WWE and WCW so I don't know much in terms of the territory days.

 

[Hulkster84]

Hulk Hogans turn at Bash at the Beach in 96 was the greatest heel turn ever! And for so many reasons. You have the biggest star in wrestling history who transcends wrestling as a good guy for over 10 years. He basically carried the WWE on his shoulders. His entire persona was being the ultimate good guy - training, saying your prayers, eating your vitamins, believe in God, loving the kids and doing everything for the Hulkamaniacs. Make a wish foundation awards, a cartoon show, family movies, defeating the forces of evil time and time again, and wearing the bright red and yellow. He was a hero to millions, and had multiple world title runs, securing him as the best entertainer and the biggest icon in the business. All of a sudden, BOOM! He turned and dropped the red and yellow for the black and white of the NWO. The ratings speak for themselves. WCW ruled the ratings war for over 2 years. His heel turn was the greatest and most impactful in history because he was the epitome of Americana and the ultimate hero for so long.

Lets not forget Hogans heel to face turn at Wrestlemania 18. That was huge because it was not planned! The crowd reaction was the biggest reaction before and during a match in wrestling history! I have been watching wrestling for 25 years and i have never seen a crowd so red hot for a match.

Andre's heel turn in 87 was also huge, but not as big or mainstream as Hogans. Savage's turn on Hogan in 89 was also big. Also Bret's heel turn at Wrestlemania 13 when he fought Austin - and again that wasnt by choice, it was the fans. Bret became the most hated heel at the time just after that match.

Savages face turn at Wrestlemania 7 was huge and filled with emotion. It was done so well - with Elizabeth included in the storyline, making it like a fairytale ending to Savages story. His career was over, but he reunited with the love of his life.

Lets not forget Andre's face turn at Wrestlemania 6 against Heenan and Haku! It was about the time that everyone was ready to cheer for Andre again, and it was good to see someone turn on Heenan for a change! What about Virgil's face turn against Ted Dibiase! The people really got behind Virgil and the whole slave/master concept worked great! He even got to win the Million Dollar Championship off of Dibiase - first time ever! Jake the Snake's heel turn in 91 against Savage was also huge, especially because of the Snake bite incident with Jake, Savage and the Cobra. Jake was cheered for so long, so it was shocking, and he had such great psychology. I have always felt that his brief stint as a heel in 91/92 was one of the best heel stints in history. He was so easily hateable.

Others that come to mind include Owen turning on his brother Bret, Bob Backlund turning on Bret in 95, Paul Bearer turning on the Undertaker and siding with Mankind, and HBK turning on Janetty!

 

[Infamous909]

I think Triple Hs turn against Steve Austin was a good heel turn... Dont remember it?
well it was around the time when they were trying to find the mastermind behind the guy who Put Rikishi up to running down Stever Austin,

Well DX had reunited for one night only Imnot sure who they were fighting I think it was against The Radicals...
well DX won and Triple H was a very very over face...

well later on that night Steve austin was getting beat down.. Out comes Triple H with a huge pop..
He comes out with the sledgehammer hits Steve austin with it out of NOWHERE then puts black gloves on and says hes the one responsible

Man I was Stunned! haha

 

[Trill Co$by]

Triple H's heel turn on his first Raw back and when he was "reuniting" DX with Shawn. To this day, I can't believe how great that storyline went down.

 

[Alex]

I personally liked CM Punk's turn on Jeff Hardy. Winning the WHC and saying 'it was an oppurtunity' to 'i'm better than you Jeff because im straight-edge and thats why im champion' It's also interesting to note he wasn't fully heel just saying 'no drugs and no alcahol' and people booing him for it was great

 

[FabulousOne]

A great heel turn I never saw coming was Undertaker's heel turn in late 2001 in the infamous moment when JR is forced to kiss Vince's ass. Who could forget "Pucker up, bitch!"?

There was another surprise Undertaker heel turn back in 1998 at Judgment Day when he reunited with Paul Bearer *first time*. I got a question about that. When did he really turn heel? Was it Judgment Day 98, the night after on Raw when he confessed to setting Kane on fire, or when he hit Austin with a shovel night after Survivor Series?

Denise

 

[Mr_billy]

I don't remember all the details, or if it was just out of the blue, but what made the Attitude era so great was Vince's turn, he was one of the biggest Babyface commentators ever, then turned into the heel mogul we all love to hate.

 

[shafe_41]

This thread has been done to death but I'll throw my two cents in anyway because there are only two turns that should even be discussed here.

1.) Hogan as the 3rd man of the nWo. This seriously needs no explanation. If you don't think this is one of the greatest heel turns of all time, you probably believe in unicorns.

2.) HBK putting Marty Jannetty through the Barbershop Window. This also needs to explanation. Everybody and their brother can replay this moment in their head so many times almost verbatim and image by image. I put this one personally above the Hogan turn simply because it was quicker. He went from face to heel in literally, one kick.
Hogan came to the ring, Heenan dropped the ball a little when he said "Is Hogan the 3rd man?" After that, we knew what was coming but refused to believe it until he actually dropped the leg on Savage.

Plus, you have to look at what the turn did for each individual. Hogan was already the biggest name in the business. He did elevate himself even higher, but he was already Hogan. Shawn Michaels catapulted his career with that one superkick. HBK didn't even need to have a feud, or a defining match to put his career through the roof. He did so... in an interview segment.

That's my personal opinion and will always remember the Barbershop more vividly than Bash at the Beach. HBK turn > Hogan turn.

 

[mvalley]

Hogan at the Bash was shocking. I remember talking to my mother who said "Wouldn't it be something if Hulk Hogan was the third guy?" weeks prior to the event. Who would have known she'd be on to something. But yeah, Hogan's heel turn at the Bash was shocking, as he seemed to represent all that was good in pro wrestling (in storylines and characters that is). And him basically ripping at the fans was also done decently, although you could see that there was some real anger in his promos.

Linda McMahon's heel turn was shocking because, similar to Hogan, she was suppose to be the McMahon who always did the right thing, who, no matter if it was against Vince, Shane and / or Steph, would ensure the right prevailed over wrong or at least given the good guys a fighting chance.

Sting's heel turn in 99 was shocking. Sting was (and is) beloved and having him clock Hogan with the bat was just super surprising. Granted, his heel turn lasted roughly two months, and was a bigger disaster than his heel turn in TNA. Still though, he was another you'd never see turn.

CM Punk's turn was also done well. Seeing him start to talk to Jeff, then clock him with the mic was done well.

The Undertaker's heel turn in 2001 was also shocking. It came totally out of left field and took Taker in a new direction.

Steve Austin's heel turn where he joined with Vince was shocking. However, similar to Sting, everything throughout it didn't work out so well. Fans just loved him way too much.

The double turn between Bret Hart and Steve Austin was done just as excellently as the match they had. Steve became the never-say-die hero while Bret became the heel that everyone (in the States anyway) loved to hate.

For face turns, the one for Hogan at Wrestlemania XVIII was shocking but excellent. Fans were clamoring for him to turn face and he did not disappoint.

Triple H's eventual face turn was also done well in 2006. They led up to it, then had an explosive moment where Triple H and HBK joined together.

Obviously, there are many more. Unfortunately, my wrestling knowledge only dates back to 94. I mean, I have seen and read about other turns, the heat / energy they generated, etc, but it's hard to understand them and put them into perspective without going through the emotions that fans back then did for those turns.

 

[i.own.wwe.creative.]

my favorite turn was the triple h/chyna/dx/corporation turns at wrestlemania xv in 99. the way it was set up was brilliant. it was honestly the last time wwe did something that made me go "holy shit, i had no idea that was coming." chyna first turning on the corporation to "re-join" dx earlier in the night. then triple h pedigreeing x-pac in the european title shot. turned triple h, chyna and kane all in one segment basically. well executed and catapulted triple h's career so much that he was defending champ by the time mania rolled around again.

 

[marklouis]

I'll go with 3 more recent ones:

HBK vs Hogan-I remember watching their tag match on RAW, and HBK's kick to Hogan genuinely shocked me. Also, the way HBK sells his turns is great-he gets this look on his face, like he not only hates the guy he kicked, but also himself. It's almost like he had no choice, it had to be done. He also had some good promos where he took down Hogan on the mic (there was a fake Larry King segment that I thought was pretty good). You almost wonder if it was all an act or if there was a little bit too much truth in them. I wonder if deep down, Hogan was pissed.

HBK vs Jericho-this one was set up perfectly. First HBK looked like the heel, with the fake knee injury against Batista. Then, slowly, Jericho turned heel, culminating with putting HBK through the Jeritron. Then Jericho went full heel, where he is today. This is the kind of great rivalry you get with two pros who know how to tell a story. And there were some edgier moments-Jericho punching Shawn's wife, Shawn telling Jericho he'll never be him. A great rivalry.

Punk vs Jeff Hardy-again, this was a slower turn, and Punk was a face at the start. But he began cutting corners in matches, he kicked a referee "accidentially" because of an eye injury. Then he started in on Jeff's personal problems, which would become a much bigger real life issue later. Of course, Punk has stayed with that theme, becomeing a full on heel. It's almost hard to think of Punk as a face now, because he's a natural heel. The strength of this rivalry is still powerful, as Punk still mentions Jeff in just about every promo he cuts. Hopefully, Jeff will be able to return someday to re-ignite the rivalry.

 

[DL23]

I liked the Matt Hardy turn back in January. It was the first time in a while I was actually shocked by something in wrestling, and made me realize once again why I love it so much. Despite the fact that his run as heel wasn't spectacular, nailing Jeff with the chair was a "Holy S*!t" moment for sure!

Once Matt was at ringside I thought it was obvious what was going to happen, the problem is with heel turns it's hard to do the quick turns with impact, Matt's failed, hense him being turned face within 7 months of the turn.

A shock turn would be like Austin turning on Team WWF at InVasion or William Regal WWF Commish turning on Angle allowing Stone cold to regain the belt.

The only wrestler who could turn heel and have the fans question WTF would be Jeff Hardy. Look at DX, Cena, MVP, Undertaker, and every other good guy in WWE they all show heel characteristics so heel turns dont come as a shock often.

Jericho is a wrestling god/genus, after his last stint as a heel (2005) he sucked, even back in 2001-2004 he sucked as a heel once his world title run ended, this this time, he's revamped his heel persona and added a lot, he mightn't be the best wrestler alive, but he damn sure is the greatest in ring use of phychology to ever live, people say Jake Roberts but Jericho blows him away 99/100.

 

[wrestler36]

even though his character always had a cloud of mystery, I thought Jake's heel turn on Warrior in '91 was pretty unexpected. He had some good feuds with Dibiase and Martel the last year and was a huge fan favorite, so for him to turn, I didn't really see it coming.

Bret turning heel was cool too. It wasn't so much a one time "OH MY GOD" shock moment, but seeing it unravel for months created some good anticipation

 

[spinningtorturerack]

One I haven't noticed yet and deserves an honourable mention is Kane's big heel turn when he was demasked.

Sure it may not have worked out that well in the long run, but the initial idea of seeing this masked man who had been tagging with RVD just snap into a "monster" was pretty awesome, I'm not sure many people expected him to be demasked.