5 heel turns in the WWE that we never saw coming

Stringing the fans along on a storyline and having them get emotionally invested in the characters involved are both hallmarks of good scripting.

Many times the WWE doesn't really do this justice, but the times that they do, we remember in vivid detail.

Those times could involve huge pay-off scenarios like Stone Cold arriving on Raw to tip the balance in the WWE's favour after the WCW-ECW 'invasion', once in a lifetime moments like the iconic Rock-Hogan staredown at WrestleMania 18...and unexpected heel turns that hit you right smack in the middle of the face when you least expect it.

Not for nothing do they say that it takes a good heel to get a babyface over. As such, an effective heel turn goes a long way in establishing the dastardliness of a heel.

And if it hits you outta nowhere, to borrow a phrase from Randy Orton, it just further adds to the 'oomph' factor.

On that note, inspired by Sami Zayn's (non)heroics in the recently concluded Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, here are 5 heel turns in WWE history that we never saw coming.

Seth Rollins turning on the Shield

With the Shield reuniting last week, I thought this would be an appropriate entry to start with.

The Shield was one of the most dominant factions in WWE history, right up there with the likes of Evolution and Degeneration-X.

But thanks to Triple H's 'Plan B' and Seth Rollins' lack of piety towards his brothers-in-arms, it imploded in 2014.

It was an especially shocking moment because it arrived the very next day after the Shield dug deep and put their bodies on the line for one another to see off Evolution at Extreme Rules.

You know it was a neatly executed heel turn because Seth Rollins faced chants of 'you sold out!' from the audience for almost a year after that, and also managed to embark on a stellar singles run, winning the WWE and United States Championship while he was at it.

Not bad for a sneaky night's work.