4 WWE stars whose 2024 heel turns have been best for business
A perfectly timed face or heel turn can add fire to WWE storylines. Seth Rollins' turn on his brothers in The Shield is one of the most memorable segments of all time. Roman Reigns' heel turn in 2020 also set the stage for the last three-plus years of his character's dominance in WWE.
Sometimes, a shift in character is needed to refresh a stale star or a talent who is stuck in storyline limbo. Heel or face turns can also provide memorable moments of former friends fighting it out.
We're less than two months into 2024, but some current stars have already turned to the dark side. Roxanne Perez has teased this a few times, even slapping rookie Wren Sinclair on the latest episode of NXT. The following four WWE stars have had 2024 heel turns that have been best for business.
#4. Carmelo Hayes returned to his villainous roots
It's been brewing for months, but Carmelo Hayes finally turned on his friend and ally, Trick Williams, at NXT Vengeance Day. The controversy stemmed from a blindside attack on Williams by an unknown assailant.
Several names were thrown around as potential culprits, including Lexis King, Ilja Dragunov, and Hayes himself. After Williams unsuccessfully challenged Dragunov, Hayes blindsided his friend after the match.
Hayes has always been ultra-confident and arrogant, and his best work was as a heel. Turning him to the dark side makes Trick a super babyface, and the crowd has treated him as such.
#3. Damage CTRL turned heel even further in 2024
Bayley and Damage CTRL had been a heel faction ever since emerging at SummerSlam in 2022. They've run roughshod on both RAW and SmackDown, winning both the WWE Women's Tag Team titles as well as the WWE Women's Championship.
However, things have been tenuous in the group over the last six months. Bayley possibly overstepped her bounds by agreeing to matches while Iyo Sky added Asuka and Kairi Sane to the stable, unbeknownst to Bayley.
The Japanese ladies were even more dastardly in 2024, turning on Bayley following her Royal Rumble win. It was a long time coming, and the former multi-time champion anticipated the villainous move. Damage CTRL turned its heel status up to 11 by attacking its former leader.
#2. Drew McIntyre needed a change in WWE
As Drew McIntyre was explaining why he was angry with Jey Uso, his rationale made sense. Jey cost many stars against Roman Reigns but only apologized to certain people. McIntyre was not one of those performers who received an apology.
It was a slow burn as The Scottish Warrior first acted as a tweener. After attacking Sami Zayn, Seth Rollins, and CM Punk, the heel turn is in full swing. His teasing of Punk has been hilarious, and the shirt mocking the end of Punk's dream to main-event WrestleMania is a true heel tactic.
With other stars operating atop WWE as faces, including Punk, McIntyre's heel turn was a good move. He'd been in limbo for almost a year and could revitalize his momentum as a villain in 2024.
#1. The Rock turned heel for the first time in over 20 years
He may have thought he was acting as the huge babyface he's always been, but a lot of WWE fans saw The Rock's moves in 2024 as heel tactics. He joined the TKO board around the same time his daughter was installed as the GM of NXT.
Even though Cody Rhodes earned a title shot at WrestleMania 40 by winning the 2024 Royal Rumble, The Rock waltzed back into WWE in polarizing fashion. After a few weeks of ambiguity, he finally turned heel by mocking Cody's passionate fans. He also claimed that only his family matters in the history of wrestling.
Rocky's act may work for some fans, but in 2024, it's a bit outdated. You can only hurl the same insults in different wrappers before smart fans get tired of it. That happened in 2024, and WWE noticed that Rock needed to turn heel.
Mocking Rhodes, his family, his fans, and how earning a shot actually matters to a huge portion of fans is a heel move, no matter the person.