5 shocking recent heel turns the WWE Universe never saw coming
The year 2018 has definitely been the year of shocking heel turns in WWE. Initially starting with the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura, who shocked the world by turning heel on AJ Styles following his WWE Title loss at WrestleMania 34, the heel turns have just kept on coming.
The likes of Nia Jax, Braun Strowman, Nikki Bella, and even The Big Show, who is somewhat considered as the master of turning face and heel simultaneously, recently also turned heel in 2018 and for the past several decades, the WWE Universe has been continuously treated to several shocking heel turns which took place over the years.
If done right, not only does a heel turn help in turning around a particular superstar's character but also helps the babyfaces get over with the WWE Universe in a unique fashion. That being said, in this article, we'll take an in-depth look at five of the most shocking recent WWE heel turns.
#5. Randy Orton
After a brief hiatus in the early stages of 2018, 13-time World Champion Randy Orton made his return to WWE TV at this year's Extreme Rules pay-per-view and immediately got into a confrontation with Shinsuke Nakamura, who by this point had already cemented his place as a manipulative heel.
Just when it seemed like we were in for yet another stale Randy Orton babyface run upon his return, 'The Viper' struck out of nowhere and hit Nakamura's opponent Jeff Hardy with an RKO, turning heel once again in the process.
Orton's current run as a heel was certainly very surprising and has done wonders for his career, to say the least. 'The Apex Predator', since his return, has made Hardy's career a living hell and speaking of hell, at this year's Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, Orton pulled off one of the most sickening acts when he twisted Hardy's earlobe with a screwdriver.
See it for yourself:
Since then, Orton has put out Tye Dillinger out of action and has also shifted his focus towards the returning Rey Mysterio as well.