Best heel turn in the past 8 years
- Thread starter dman1373
- Start date
I'm going to have to say Triple H's heel turn against Shawn Michaels in 2002 when everyone thought that D-Generation X was reuniting then gave him a MASSIVE Pedigree. The build-up for their 'Unsanctioned Street Fight' at SS 2002 was incredible. HHH smashing HBK's face through a car window.HBK coming out of retirement. That is what you call entertainment. Not the crap you see on T.V now.
Harshpreet
New Member
I really enjoyed Chris Jericho's heel turn in the summer of 2008.He smashhed HBK's skull through a television screen.He punched HBK's wife,Rebecca. He gave that eye injury to Micheals.It really seemed as if he had retired HBK forever.
The Whole F'N Show
Professional Smark
Yh I'm gonna have to agree with Harshpreet. It was a good way to make Jericho a serious main eventer and it started an amazing feud!
Ruthless-RKO
F*ck Friends, Rather die wiv ma AK!
Jericho turning against HBK, it set up an amazing fued of the whole year...
I also have to say HHH turning against HBK aswell, because again it gave us a really good feud...and all the excitement in the ring when they re-united as DX, and then HHH kicks HBK in the stomach...i was abroad at the time, but still watched it and I was shocked...
I also have to say HHH turning against HBK aswell, because again it gave us a really good feud...and all the excitement in the ring when they re-united as DX, and then HHH kicks HBK in the stomach...i was abroad at the time, but still watched it and I was shocked...
King Jack v1
New Member
I would have to go with CM Punk. Punk's heel turn has made him more marketable and has given him the added edge that he needed. Before Punk's turn, he was mega over as a face, but he is much better as a heel. Fans couldn't believe it when there hero Jeff Hardy had just one the title and Punk cashed in on him. Look at Punk now... leader of his own faction and easily a believable world champion and IC champion. Already Punk is given rub to superstars. Something he wasn't really able to do in his position as a face.
I've hated Hogan as long as I can remember, he was built as superman all those years, than no ONE expected him to join the NWO, regardless, if you are all in denial or not, all of you know it's HOGAN, this coming from someone who can't stand him! A close 2nd would have to be the rock, when he join the corporation back in the deadly games tournament, me and my friend rooted for the rock the whole night (I was a rock fan when he was a face, compare to most bandwagon jumpers out there, remember when all of you use to shout "die rocky die" talk about no class folks) well anyways, NO ONE saw the rock aligning himself as the corporate champion after the event, so the rock gets the nod on being the 2nd biggest heel and HOGAN is by far the biggest shocking heel turn!
ÐаÑбоÑа
doesn't know REAL wrestling...
The two best heel turns of the brand extension era are easily that of Chris Jericho and CM Punk. While both are great actors, in-ring competitors and had the perfect foils in HBK and Jeff Hardy, the main reason for the success of their turns was the excellent mic work they both used.
As every good heel should, Jericho and Punk both had you feeling that there was more than a modicum of truth in what they were saying. HBK had indeed faked an injury to defeat Batista and yet the hypocritical, sycophants in the crowd still cheered for him while Jericho was getting booed for doing the same kind of thing.
In a way, Punk also latched onto the hypocrisy of the fans. Hardy, despite his poor example to his young fans, was loved while Punk was castigated for telling the truth. His Straight Edge abstinence from drugs and alcohol also made you think that perhaps he was better and he exploited that seed of doubt to its fullest using the 'Charismatic Enabler' as the paradigm for the thrill-seeking, drug-addled, self-destructive nature of today's society.
Both were a joy to watch
As every good heel should, Jericho and Punk both had you feeling that there was more than a modicum of truth in what they were saying. HBK had indeed faked an injury to defeat Batista and yet the hypocritical, sycophants in the crowd still cheered for him while Jericho was getting booed for doing the same kind of thing.
In a way, Punk also latched onto the hypocrisy of the fans. Hardy, despite his poor example to his young fans, was loved while Punk was castigated for telling the truth. His Straight Edge abstinence from drugs and alcohol also made you think that perhaps he was better and he exploited that seed of doubt to its fullest using the 'Charismatic Enabler' as the paradigm for the thrill-seeking, drug-addled, self-destructive nature of today's society.
Both were a joy to watch
i would have to with hbk in 2005. He just kicked hogan in the face and then he just stood their. It was so epic because no one ever expected shawn to turn heel after he came back in 2002. Well after his first heel turn with the nwo. And after that the old HBK returned for a fued.
There's been many good heel turns in the past 3 of them being my absolute favorites.
Triple H's heel turn 2002: Shawn Michaels had returned, D-Generation X (seemed) to be reforming, Triple H turned heel because Shawn Michaels refused to be his manager and follow him around everywhere, Triple H eventually beat the living hell out of Shawn, my absolute favorite heel turn of all time.
Chris Jericho 2008: When he smashed Shawn Michaels through the Jeritron 5000, I found it to be absolutely epic, I loved the heel turn of Chris Jericho and Shawn was the perfect choice for him to feud with to build his heel turn.
CM Punk 2009: Who doesn't love this heel turn? CM Punk doing epic promo after epic promo trying to get rid of one of the most over stars in the whole business, Jeff Hardy, I loved the promos he cut, he is definitely a great heel, and this was a great heel turn.
Triple H's heel turn 2002: Shawn Michaels had returned, D-Generation X (seemed) to be reforming, Triple H turned heel because Shawn Michaels refused to be his manager and follow him around everywhere, Triple H eventually beat the living hell out of Shawn, my absolute favorite heel turn of all time.
Chris Jericho 2008: When he smashed Shawn Michaels through the Jeritron 5000, I found it to be absolutely epic, I loved the heel turn of Chris Jericho and Shawn was the perfect choice for him to feud with to build his heel turn.
CM Punk 2009: Who doesn't love this heel turn? CM Punk doing epic promo after epic promo trying to get rid of one of the most over stars in the whole business, Jeff Hardy, I loved the promos he cut, he is definitely a great heel, and this was a great heel turn.
TheHammerMan
Bring the hammer down!!!
I gotta go with Triple H turning on Ric Flair on raw. They just got done winning a tag match and he was raising Flairs hand and then bam. he clocked flair in the head and did one of the most brutal beatings on raw. I remember watching and thinking what the hell did he just do. He then had a great run as a heel
Sora/roxas
Pre-Show Stalwart
Punk is the best heel turn, but another one i enjoyed was Matt hardy turning on his brother Jeff. His mic skills were good as he played the unloved child.
Judah's Lion
the Icon
hard to argue these points as both were great heel turns. the only problem... neither were post 2002! that was actually very clear from the subject title and the OP and the thread topic. what were the greatest heel turns after the brand extensions in 2002?
already posted have been Triple H against HBK, Jericho against HBK and CM Punk against HBK. j/k. CM Punk against Jeff Hardy. all three listed have been pretty classic and have set up some pretty amazing feuds and matches. and very arguably, all three of the aforementioned superstars are better as heels instead of babyfaces, so it's pretty solid.
just to be different and because i thought it told an amazing story, but what about Chavo's turn on Eddie circa 2004 before the Rumble? they were great tag team champs and of course family, so it just made the turn and resulting feud that much more personal. and Chavo is a great wrestler. his matches with Eddie were very solid.
closet_fan
Mid-Card Championship Winner
the storyline was probably one of the best in the last 10 years. for the first time in a long time, we actually saw a nice build up between two guys that hated each other instead of having a heel come in, beat up a face and then all of a sudden it's a heated rivalry. it just doesn't work that way. this is the reason why jericho has gotten off so much better as a heel because they let it build.
i wish the wwe would do something like this again. at least do one storyline that was this good. storylines nowadays start and stop too quickly.
The footy fanatic
Dark Match Jobber
I like all the ones mentioned but I'm surprised Eddie Guerrero's heel turn during his feud with Rey Mysterio in 2005 has'nt been mentioned. Also Kane's turn in 2003 when he had to unmask and then chokeslammed RVD was pretty good.
But if I had to say the BEST heel turn I'd agree with a lot of you in saying Chris Jericho's in 2008. When he said to HBK on the highlight reel "Pathetic little worm" that was very well-acted and intense so that one gets my vote.
But if I had to say the BEST heel turn I'd agree with a lot of you in saying Chris Jericho's in 2008. When he said to HBK on the highlight reel "Pathetic little worm" that was very well-acted and intense so that one gets my vote.
The most significant heel turn during that period would have to be Triple H's turn on Shawn Michaels by far, it started 1 of the most epic fueds during that period culminating at Bad Blood. Who can forget The Game that everybody loved to hate during 2002-2006.
He was such a great heel that went on to dominate the World Title scene during 02-05.
I was surprised no one mentioned this the beer drinking tough guy, Bradshaw who was only thinking of having a good time with the A.P.A transformed into an arrogant self-paid millionaire. A coward heel that had one of the most dominant WWE title reigns during 2005 and he deserved more reigns than just 1. JBL proved to us that while he can be a solid face, he can be an even better heel.
He was such a great heel that went on to dominate the World Title scene during 02-05.
I was surprised no one mentioned this the beer drinking tough guy, Bradshaw who was only thinking of having a good time with the A.P.A transformed into an arrogant self-paid millionaire. A coward heel that had one of the most dominant WWE title reigns during 2005 and he deserved more reigns than just 1. JBL proved to us that while he can be a solid face, he can be an even better heel.
Dan E. Inferno
Strange things are happening to me
I pretty much agree with everyone else here when they say Jericho and Punk's heel turns in 2008 and 2009 respectively. However, another heel turn I really liked that I don't think has been mentioned is Batista's turn at Bragging Rights last year.
You could see it coming when he and Rey were being interviewed in the ring, but it was still great the way it happened. The "You were supposed to be my friend" bit was good and then he just beat the hell out of Rey. The part which sticks out in my mind the most is when he launched Rey into the barricade, which looked fairly brutal. Also, Batista had been on arguably the hottest run of his career since that point, up until he quit last week.
You could see it coming when he and Rey were being interviewed in the ring, but it was still great the way it happened. The "You were supposed to be my friend" bit was good and then he just beat the hell out of Rey. The part which sticks out in my mind the most is when he launched Rey into the barricade, which looked fairly brutal. Also, Batista had been on arguably the hottest run of his career since that point, up until he quit last week.
goldbergiswrestling
Pre-Show Stalwart
I think the best heel turn Was when in 2003 Brock and Angle were buddies. Brock was suppossed to take on Vince McMahon in a steel cage with Angle as the special referee, early in the match brock loads up vince for an F-5 but gets dizzy and collapses, vince is trying to convince angle to count the pin but Angle refuses, vince slaps angle and goes for the pin again, Angle then locks in the ankle lock on vince. while Angle is distracted by vince, Brock jumps up behind him and hits the F-5 on Kurt, turning brock Heel. I think Brock was a great heel, I wish he would have stayed in the wrestling business longer but he is doin good in ufc as well.
dionlyone18
Pre-Show Stalwart
hmm this is a toughie... I would have to say Jerichos turn in 08..i love when Jericho returned but it kinda faded quickly caused frankly there are some wrestler i love as a heel but cant stand as a face...HHH HBK Orton (i like his current turn because hes charecter still the same) etc....but then when he started fueding with HBK it sounded good but again he was a face at the beginning..then he threw his head into that Jeritron 5000..i loved it..it was gritty and perfect..then i belive the next week he said he dropped the Y2J off his name which made it ten times better...long live HEeel Y2J
btw in a close second was CM Punks heel turn..his charecter just screams heel
btw in a close second was CM Punks heel turn..his charecter just screams heel
I like the mention of Brock's heel turn by goldbergiswrestling. I liked that one as well.
I agree wth all of the previous posts, but I'm going to bringon up that I am VERY suprised hasn't been mentioned yet.......
The Rock's heel turn after facing Hogan at WM 18. Yes, it took a while. And, yes, he wasn't around for too long after it. But still, it was so good. Watch his 'Toronto' promo, or his fued with the Hurricane, or the Rock concerts, or 'Rocky Appreciation Night'
Heel Rock on top form, still very funny, but a huge heel.
I agree wth all of the previous posts, but I'm going to bringon up that I am VERY suprised hasn't been mentioned yet.......
The Rock's heel turn after facing Hogan at WM 18. Yes, it took a while. And, yes, he wasn't around for too long after it. But still, it was so good. Watch his 'Toronto' promo, or his fued with the Hurricane, or the Rock concerts, or 'Rocky Appreciation Night'
Heel Rock on top form, still very funny, but a huge heel.
It's Damn Real!
The undisputed, undefeated TNA &
The 2008 Jericho turn was far and away the best.
The Michaels/Jericho feud was the best thing going on in wrestling at the time, and it lasted for months. When Michaels' wife was involved and subsequently punched by Jericho – albeit accidentally – I was marking out like a ten-year old.
Absolutely fantastic writing. Was the pinnacle of the WWE's year, IMO.
The Michaels/Jericho feud was the best thing going on in wrestling at the time, and it lasted for months. When Michaels' wife was involved and subsequently punched by Jericho – albeit accidentally – I was marking out like a ten-year old.
Absolutely fantastic writing. Was the pinnacle of the WWE's year, IMO.
mister_b1LL
Representing Seattle's Finest
Jericho's heel turn in 2008 is a winner for me. He changed everything up, changing from Y2J to the Best In The World At What He Does. Changed his voice up from a very inflective voice to an incredibly monotone voice. His Jerichoholics became Pharisees, hypocrites, and sickophants. Hell he even changed from pants that he had worn all his career to short trunks. He had turned from a major face during his return to a mega heel with just one Highlight Reel. and I've always thought that Jericho was a great performer, but his heel turn in 2008 that made him a certified G.O.A.T.
DiscipleofWrestling
Getting Noticed By Management
I agree with everything you said here. Jericho's heel turn in 2008 was great as was Punk's heel turn in 2009, and both deserve to be mentioned in the upper-tier of great heel turns. Batista's heel turn gets lost in the shuffle, but it really turned things around for him as a character. He had gotten stale in the face role for a couple years. This really allowed Batista to show his dark side, which was a caricature of what some internet wrestling fans have said about Batista for years. His last night in WWE was awesome for a heel to go out on and solidified the fact that this heel turn really put Batista over. WHERE'S MY SPOTLIGHT?!
Everyone in here is wrong. Well, everyone but Tiger and DoW. They mentioned Batista, so they're right. Batista's heel turn in 2010 is the single best heel turn this side of the brand extension.
Remember the Batista we had on Smackdown? He was serviceable, and could give us a good match here and there. But for the most part, he was starting to stagnate. Loads were bored with his style, his promos, everything. I held out hope for him, but I was starting to waver in my resolve. Batista was...well, he was getting boring. More boring than a Mark Henry match, if that's even possible.
Then, BAM. Batista comes into Bragging Rights with a heel gimmick that just worked. He deserved to be the face of the company. He deserved the 9 world championship runs. He deserved top billing on Raw. He deserved everything that John Cena stole from him. Since he wasn't given everything he deserved, he was simply going to take it.
I mean, everything meshed. His purpose started out as simply the man that Vince paid to fuck with Cena because "the money" was better in that feud. Then Batista segued it into this awesome spotlight entrance. He turned it into a promo that would work anywhere. A promo that started with "I'm the best" and ended with "I'm the best."
Everything in that heel turn worked. From the spotlight entrance to tell the kid in the crowd "I hate you too!"
He got an entire arena to boo him for the entire last 10 minutes of a Raw. What did he say?
"Ha."
*Beat Cena with a chair*
"Go help him."
That's all he did. That crowd hated him.
Batista for Heel Turn of the PG WWE.
Remember the Batista we had on Smackdown? He was serviceable, and could give us a good match here and there. But for the most part, he was starting to stagnate. Loads were bored with his style, his promos, everything. I held out hope for him, but I was starting to waver in my resolve. Batista was...well, he was getting boring. More boring than a Mark Henry match, if that's even possible.
Then, BAM. Batista comes into Bragging Rights with a heel gimmick that just worked. He deserved to be the face of the company. He deserved the 9 world championship runs. He deserved top billing on Raw. He deserved everything that John Cena stole from him. Since he wasn't given everything he deserved, he was simply going to take it.
I mean, everything meshed. His purpose started out as simply the man that Vince paid to fuck with Cena because "the money" was better in that feud. Then Batista segued it into this awesome spotlight entrance. He turned it into a promo that would work anywhere. A promo that started with "I'm the best" and ended with "I'm the best."
Everything in that heel turn worked. From the spotlight entrance to tell the kid in the crowd "I hate you too!"
He got an entire arena to boo him for the entire last 10 minutes of a Raw. What did he say?
"Ha."
*Beat Cena with a chair*
"Go help him."
That's all he did. That crowd hated him.
Batista for Heel Turn of the PG WWE.