Who should never turn?

[d_henderson1810]

What I mean by the title is, who are superstars who should only ever be either a face or a heel, and would never work if they turned.

Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat is famous for only ever being a face throughout his entire career. I don't remember Tito Santana ever turning either.

I find that there are more heels who would struggle being faces than the other way around.

Alberto Del Rio and the Miz never were any good as faces. Wade Barrett wouldn't be any good as a face, and I even hated Randy Orton being face. These guys are so good playing for one side, that it wouldn't work out if they turned.

So, which superstars or divas would you never like to see turn face or heel?

 

[CyberPunk]

In current WWE, two names pop up in my mind - Rey Mysterio and Kofi Kingston. Both of these superstars look career face to me. Kids love them, they have a cool, high flying move set which is difficult to fit in a heel mode. The fact that their gimmicks are kid friendly makes them turning even more difficult. May be down the line Kofi might still turn, but Rey has always been face and I think he'll always remain one.

 

[Steve-O-Matt]

It's to my experience that these days WWE has done a terrible job making faces, they seem to lack any real depth in the company, it's all just comedy bits and smiles and giving the kids high-fives. Faces are laaaame in the PG Era and yes, it's still the PG Era. So in a way, if someone is over as a face, they shouldn't turn heel, at least not for a long time due to a lack of over faces.
As for the unturnables, there's a clear few. Undertaker will forever be a face and has been for years, just due to the years of experience and respect, there will be no way he could get people to boo him now.
People will say Rey will be unturnable, which at this point I agree. But during the battle royale weeks leading into WrestleMania, I think we saw a few "heely" moments from Rey-Rey which I thought were very interesting. Begging Big Show to go easy on him and tricking him, I think we missed what could have been a fun heel run for Rey a few years ago and I love Rey, I think it would have been cool.
Looking at the other side, we have heels that turn face but can't get people to cheer for them, because they're just not cheerable. The Shield made a successful transition because they were cool and people liked them anyway, that's how you bridge the gap. But you just can't turn if NO ONE wants to cheer for you, like Alberto or Miz. Especially Miz, because I love Miz and believe he is one of the most underrated guys in the company.
I'm gonna give my list now:

Should('ve) stay heel:
Alberto Del Rio
The Miz
Sheamus
Batista

Should('ve) stay face:
Daniel Bryan
John Cena (it's not going to happen, accept it)
(Anyone who is over as a face, because being over as a face is one of the hardest things to do these days and we need every face we get)

 

[Mongoose McQueen]

Right now the WWE have many great heels and only two or three great babyfaces. It's harder to be a babyface than a heel because connecting with the audience and getting them to cheer you is harder than getting people to boo the hell out of you, all you have to do as a heel is insult the crowd and the city and you have them booing the crap out of you.

I'd say the following stars should always be babyfaces:
John Cena (this one should be obvious to people, he has his fans, he has his haters but gets the loudest reaction out of anyone and turning him heel might diminish that).

Daniel Bryan (the most over guy in the company right now and the WWE World Champion)

Roman Reigns (this guy screams babyface)

heels:
The Wyatt Family
Batista
HHH
Orton

 

[laodaron]

Never turning is a silly concept. Prior to 1996, Hogan would have been the prime example, but he turned at the perfect time, and it was a money mint.

People like John Cena are hard to turn, because he makes SO MUCH MONEY as a face, and that doesn't make financial sense. But, all that being said, even he isn't immune to a heel turn (which would be stupid, but worse has been done before)

 

[Mac Attack]

I'll try to be a bit out of the box with my picks using the current roster even though I don't actually agree that some people should never turn, I think depending on the situation anyone can be anything, with that being said here are my picks:

The Uso Brothers: Sure they debuted as heels, but ever since they "dropped" Tamina they've been faces and it just works a lot better for them. They connect with the audience more and just work better as faces.

Los Matadores: Another basic prediction but honestly would you want to see this comedy act as a heel? I doubt it.

The Authority/Evolution: All of them work best as a heel, don't change that for anything. Authority figures in wrestling are best served heel.

Jack Swagger: Has he ever really been a legit face? He's so hard to get behind and so keeping him a lifetime heel may be a good thing. Especially since, I don't believe he can ever get over on his own.

 

[OYDK]

Everybody should turn at least once in their careers... It broadens a superstars character and adds an extra element that wasn't there before. Also works to keep wrestlers from getting stale (see John Cena, Sheamus, ADR, etc)

As for who should never turn AT THIS POINT in their careers... Miz and ADR should stay heel and as for faces... They should all just turn because generic babyfaces really are boring as hell.

 

[akathelaw]

I think a lot of threads could be made about WWE's poor attempts to make babyface stars. It's clear over the years that organic babyfaces are the only ones that actually work, whereas forced ones are terrible and the crowd turns on them. I will start by mentioning babyfaces who should never turn:

Faces:
John Cena - I think he has already created a gimmick in the last few years that is face and heel at the same time. He is still playing Make-a-Wish Santa Cena to all the kids, but adult men despise him and jeer him any chance they can. I think what he's doing is fantastic, and may never happen again. I love Cena's matches, and the unique crowd reaction he gets makes them more memorable.

Daniel Bryan - We've already been down the Daniel Bryan heel road, and it was fun. He was so good as a heel, people started cheering him and Team Hell No became a strong babyface tag team.With so few talents actually connecting with the crowd as a face, I think it would be dumb to change at this point.

Paige - She's really pretty, she wrestles great and seems likable. There's no reason to turn this girl heel when Aksana and Alicia Fox are on the payroll. I hope to see great things from Paige.

Heels:
Alberto Del Rio - He was so boring as a face. I like Del Rio when he's not talking and kicking ass. Have this man say less, and be a villain.

Miz - The worst babyface I've seen in WWE for a long time. Just keep him a heel forever, he is such a natural prick.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Eh...not sure if I can put a "ever" on anyone outside of comedy/non-serious guys like Santino. Of course that only applies for people that had stayed 1 side for their whole career, obviously there's been poor switches like ADR/Miz. And it's really easy to see why they won't turn Cena.

But for the most part just about everyone can/should have a time where they switch to the other side, just to see if they can actually pull it off. I would definitely recommend this for the many midcarders that aren't really doing anything anyway so why not see if they have more success playing a different role.

 

[Rampage Bentley]

Absolutely no one should be exempt for a character turn. An alignment turn can be an excellent way for a performer to add depth or characteristics to their persona.

For example, Eddie Guerrero was super over as a face... he was over as a face due to his lie, cheat and steal moniker...one he never could have used without being a heel prior.

Often times a guy does not get over as a face until he has been a heel and vise versa.

I see absolutely no point in limiting a character by pigeon holing them into one role and keeping them there forever.

 

[MMA Mark]

I would rather they keep the Wyatt Family heel. There is talk of them turning face because of their reaction against Cena, but that is due to Cena's stale character not them. Put him in a feud with Bryan, Taker, Mysterio, Ziggler, etc. and he will get a heel reaction. Stale characters like Cena, Langston, Sheamus will have the fans cheering for Wyatt just due to entertainment value alone.

 

[Claude Speed]

Dean Ambrose needs to turn heel and never turn again. And Seth Rollins screams face all the way. He's not a believable heel.

 

[Pérez84]

I would rather they keep the Wyatt Family heel. There is talk of them turning face because of their reaction against Cena, but that is due to Cena's stale character not them. Put him in a feud with Bryan, Taker, Mysterio, Ziggler, etc. and he will get a heel reaction. Stale characters like Cena, Langston, Sheamus will have the fans cheering for Wyatt just due to entertainment value alone.

Put them against Mysterio and they will be cheered from coast to coast.

Include Mysterio just behind Cena in the stale characters list.

 

[mral82]

All Wrestlers have or will be Face or Heel in their careers as Rey was a Heel in WCW as apart of The Filthy Animals, Santino was a Heel for a lil bit when he teamed w/ Carlito, Cena was a heel during the start of his Thuganomics gimmick w/ B2.
Guys who should stay on 1 side after failing as the other:
Heels: Alberto Del Rio, Kane, CM Punk (should go back to being the whinny lil heel again), Damien Sandow, Alexander Rusev/Lana, The Wyatts, Dean Ambrose (needs to go back as the Heel), Paige (Seems to me more like a heel type), Randy Orton, The Authority
Faces: Kofi Kington, John Cena (but have him become the Ruthless Dr. Of Thuganomics Cena as more ppl love tht version than his current self), Rey Mysterio jr, Emma, Darren Young, Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns

These are the only 1's I can think of right now who suit 1 side over the other

 

[d_henderson1810]

I would rather they keep the Wyatt Family heel. There is talk of them turning face because of their reaction against Cena, but that is due to Cena's stale character not them. Put him in a feud with Bryan, Taker, Mysterio, Ziggler, etc. and he will get a heel reaction. Stale characters like Cena, Langston, Sheamus will have the fans cheering for Wyatt just due to entertainment value alone.

I thought that WWE were going to turn the Wyatts face late last year, when we had the Daniel Wyatt storyline.

I thought that it appeared that, by joining the Wyatts, Bryan was going heel, but then considered, Bryan has been on his own against the Authority, maybe he needed back-up.

The Wyatts are not aligned with the Authority, they are doing their own seperate thing. In fact, I think the Wyatts view of the world is anarchy and ant-rules, so they would be happy to help out Bryan in taking on the Authority. Then, when Bryan won the title at WMXXX, the Wyatts would turn back heel, and revealed that he was a pawn in their agenda, total rule of WWE with the "Wyatt way of doing things". This would then start another series, where Bryan and Bray fight over the belt for the next few months.

The fact that the Wyatts march to the beat of their own drum, and Triple H would struggle to control them, like he does others, would bring tension between the Authority and the Wyatt Family, and turn the Wyatts "face", according to the fans, or at least "tweeners".

 

[MoxleyCrue]

The Wyatts should never turn face, they're supposed to be monsters. We've seen far too many times 'monsters' like Kane and Big Show flip flop between face and heel that they really lose all impact, which is ironic as Kane was most over when, to me at least, he was the original Big Red Machine that was really a tweener, and Big Show was most over when he was a heel when he first joined WWE. I HATED him when he had his program against Austin, which brings me to my next point.

You can only be as good a face as the heel you are against.

Let's take "the ultimate face", John Cena. In my opinion, Cena's defining career programs have been against the highest level heels: Randy Orton (before we saw it repeated a thousand times), Edge, CM Punk, and now Bray Wyatt. If given a top heel to work against then Cena is involved in programs that I will readily watch. If he's up against Miz or ADR then I'm hitting fast forward. Still, while he doesn't need a heel turn or repackage, there are some things he just needs to cut from his promos during specific programs. The "buy Wyatt a donkey so I can stick my foot up his ass" and "Wyatt family photos" come to mind instantly, as essentially it just undermines the whole intensity of the situation. His work with CM Punk was great because he normally gave a serious promo in response to Punk.

Never turn face:
1. Wyatts
2. Lesnar
3. Del Rio
4. Batista
5. Sandow
6. Swagger
7. Miz
8. Orton

Never turn heel:
1. Cena
2. Bryan
3. Zayn
4. Emma
5. Santino
6. Golddust
7. Usos
8. Kofi
9. Mysterio
10. RVD
11. Reigns
12. Rollins

Should be career tweeners:

1. CM Punk - (you love him or hate him).
2. Ambrose - (a great heel, but too damn entertaining to not be a tweener).
3. Barrett - (see 2.)
4. Cesaro - (aside from Sandow & Wyatts there are no quality long term heels, but Cesaro could pull tweener off with the help of Heyman)
5. Paige - (has the perfect anti-Diva attitude to be a tweener)
6. Ascension - (see 2.)

 

[RedRegan1005]

In my opinion when you see a wrestler that can't pull off both Face and Heel, thats how you know he's not in the top level talent wise. John Cena could pull of being a heel IF he turned, WWE just will never do so. That said, a list of names came to mind, but the one I'll mention is Jeff Hardy I think he is a garbage heel. I have never seen him do anything good as a heel. He's a high flyer, and a punk rock looking guy. He's a face and always will be. When it comes to the current WWE product though I'd say guys like Mysterio could never be heel, and Alberto Del Rio, just cannot pull off being a face! Oops I lied. I mentioned more than one.

 

[olson]

Sheamus should have never turned. He's a perfect heel. His in-ring style is perfect heel. Oh my god, do I hate his current gimmick.

 

[Pérez84]

Except nearly retired wrestlers like Rey Mysterio, everybody can switch face/heel condition if do it properly. Sometimes a character revamp process is required, sometimes not.

In example: Bray Wyatt having his own brainwashed goons must be remain as a heel. His face turn can be done only when he starts going solo or aligned with others in equality terms. The Wyatt Family schtick only fits in the heel side.

An underdog Daniel Bryan or Superhero Cena can only be babyfaces. Impossible to turn them without demolishing some legacies

Other people like HHH, Jericho, Orton or Kane are pure tweeners, one day as heels, another day as faces, always being credible characters.

 

[laodaron]

Here's the thing, though: John Cena's inability to turn heel is not a testament against him or his talents. I think he'd make a marvelous heel. It's completely based on his merchandising and drawing power. Right now, he's making 5 times more money for the WWE than the second place guy on the roster is. This is why he doesn't turn. This is why he'll probably never turn against after his Prototype and Thuganomics gimmicks.

But that being said, no one should be completely "Unturnable." It makes for a stale character, as many people complain about Cena, Rey, etc. Personally, I love a surprise heel turn, or a massive babyface swing. The problem is that this isn't 1996, and the IWC, smarks, and marks are just too informed. Turning Cena at this point would result in TONS of, "Now the WWE is just pandering to the crowd, Cena still sucks, blah blah."

Watch the late 80s and early 90s, and watch Macho Man. What a brilliant in ring and out of ring talent he was. His turns were nearly flawless, and his timing was incredible. I was always a little bit of a Randy Savage mark, but watching him again, as an adult now, and as someone that's a little more cognizant of the secret world of kayfabe and pro-wrestling, I have a newly found admiration and respect for his work.

 

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

They should all turn at some point. It is hard to change your characters if you are always a face or always a heel. It gets boring and a change is always needed. Biggest example? John Cena? The same thing for 10 years.

We can argue all day about which guys can't make it as either a face or as a heel (Mysterio can't be imagined as a heel, Ambrose can't be imagined as a single's face), but until the time comes, we will never be sure. Daniel Bryan as a heel with the Wyatts looked really cool in my eyes.

I say take any chances that you can. If a possible turn is available after a gimmick is long played out, then make it happen. Otherwise people will start shitting all over said gimmick-guy, and rightfully so.

 

[Hakushi]

I am one who buys into the perception that all faces should eventually have "heel" type runs. I think that it involves their character and makes them more rounded. Good guys have bad weeks, months etc.....on the other hand However; in hypocritical terms, I think there were/are plenty of heels over the years (and now) who's career would benefit much more staying that way. (Mankind, Ziggler, Miz, Wyatt, Vader to name a few)