4 best organic babyface turns from the Triple H era of WWE so far
The Triple H era of WWE has excelled at many things. It has carried some of the best hallmarks of Vince McMahon's booking style whilst infusing The Game's touch to make visible changes to the product. One of the pillars of the new regime has been subtle, long-term storytelling epitomized by the Sami Zayn-Bloodline story.
As a result of this storytelling style, a number of character changes have occurred in a slower, more methodical manner than previously done. McMahon's style favored sudden, shocking, blockbuster face and heel turns over slow-burning ones, but his successor has prioritized the latter. This has led to a few popular heels winning the crowd's support and organically turning babyface.
Here are four of the best organic face turns of the Triple H era of WWE.
#4: Kevin Owens turned babyface by bringing back one of his greatest heel gimmicks
.@FightOwensFight says he is bringing back The Prizefighter and he's coming for the Undisputed #WWE Universal Title!
#WWERaw https://t.co/XVjwwlrnEw
Kevin Owens was doing an amazing job as a heel under the previous regime of WWE. He main-evented night 1 of WrestleMania 38, and managed to stay relevant without a title, sheerly by being an incredible entertainer. However, he did not win any titles in the last five years of Vince McMahon's reign, and this did not sit well with most fans.
This shocking statistic explains why KO, already one of the most popular heels in the company, received organic babyface reactions upon bringing back his Prizefighter gimmick. Fans got behind him because they wanted to see him win a title, and he instantly became one of the top babyfaces on RAW. This is despite the fact that The Prizefighter was previously a ruthless, backstabbing character who stepped over everyone to win gold.
Now that he's back from a long injury layoff, we fully expect him to start collecting the wins and Titles soon.
#3: Becky Lynch's year-long redemption story culminated in a Summerslam face turn
Becky Lynch was the first big-name heel to return to the land of heroes under Triple H. Barely eight days into the new era, Big Time Becks lost her RAW Women's championship match to Bianca Belair at Summerslam. When The EST was confronted by a returning Bayley flanked by IYO SKY and Dakota Kai, her bested opponent backed her up in the ensuing standoff, turning face.
Two nights later on RAW, Lynch delivered a heartfelt promo as "The Man" confirming the turn, which had been a year in the making. Lynch was excellent as a heel but she was always too popular to stay on the villainous side for long, so this switch had been coming since McMahon's time in charge. She was unfortunately sidelined with a shoulder injury, but the babyface pop she will receive upon her return is sure to be nothing short of massive.
#2: WWE United States champion Seth Rollins
The @WWEUniverse loves them some @WWERollins!
#WWERaw https://t.co/y0mopoL11I
Seth Rollins has been a heel since his poorly-received babyface run in 2019. That run, his last to date with the Universal championship, came under unfortunate circumstances, chief among them his widely criticized feud with The Fiend. He has since portrayed villainous personas, going from strength to strength as the Messiah and the Visionary.
Like Owens (and to an extent, Lynch), Rollins' heel work was excellent but had run its course, keeping him from the title scene for almost three years. After putting on classics with Edge, Cody Rhodes, Austin Theory and many others, The Visionary's stock rose so much that fans sang his theme at every show. He thus organically turned face, and is now slowly shedding his heelish mannerisms whilst taking on full-blown heels like Theory and Bobby Lashley.
Now, it's only a matter of time before we see him giving rah-rah speeches again as the top babyface on RAW.
#1: Sheamus stole the WWE Universe's hearts with one iconic performance
Despite coming up short for the #ICTitle at #WWECastle, @WWESheamus receives a well-deserved standing ovation from the @WWEUniverse at @principalitysta! https://t.co/28ELRognhx
Sheamus's face turn at WWE Clash At The Castle was an example of the stars aligning to create magic. His match against Gunther at the company's first UK stadium show in 30 years probably wouldn't have happened under Vince McMahon. Triple H recognized the potential of having two of the hardest-hitting stars from the continent face off at that stage, foreseeing a huge crowd investment in it.
He could not have imagined how well the crowd would react to the match, though. After a twenty-five minute masterclass in brawling, The Celtic Warrior came up short against The Ring General. The aftermath of the match saw the thirteen-year veteran receive a standing ovation from the Cardiff crowd, instantly turning him babyface. This was despite the fact that he spent the months before tormenting Drew McIntyre, arguably the company's top babyface.
Fast forward almost three months, Sheamus and The Brawling Brutes haven't looked back since, and are now teaming up with McIntyre against the Bloodline, the top heel faction in WWE.