5 WWE superstars who should turn heel
For every good babyface, there is a good heel - this has been true for professional wrestling throughout history. For every Hulk Hogan there is a Andre The Giant, for every Stone Cold Steve Austin there is a Triple H and for every John Cena there is a Randy Orton. Sometimes a character may completely change their ethos and the face can become a heel, or the heel can turn face.
Hogan famously turned heel when he joined the WCW in 1996 and Steve Austin turned to the dark side as well when he aligned with long-term rival Vince McMahon at WrestleMania 17, and then teamed up with Triple H the following night.
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Sometimes turning a Superstar into a heel is necessary to re-energize their character or to create new feuds and rivalries. What is important is that it is done right and for a good reason, as sometimes the audience does not want to boo a certain Superstar.
This was certainly the case when Stone Cold Steve Austin turned heel at WrestleMania 17, siding with Vince McMahon when he won the WWE championship from The Rock. The fans just were not ready to hate Steve Austin, in fact, they probably never were, and it never made sense to have him team up with his long-term rivals McMahon and Triple H.
A heel turn for the sake of a heel turn is not good business, the best turns are well thought out and excellently constructed. Shawn Michaels heel turn on Marty Jannetty stands out as one of the best-executed turns of all time and helped launch one of the most successful careers in WWE history, such as the shocking nature and brutality of it. Michaels superkicking Jannetty and then sending him crashing through the barbershop window is one of the most iconic moments in WWE history.
When a Superstar gets stale sometimes he or she may need to become a villain, either to refresh the character or because they suit better the heel persona more. Here are five WWE superstars (and one team) who should turn heel.
#1 Rusev (and Aiden English)
Rusev is one of the most popular stars on WWE right now as far as the audiences go. However, it seems unlikely that he will get any further then his current spot on the SmackDown roster, or on Raw for that matter if he remains as a face. Although many fans would probably like to see Rusev remain this way, it makes more sense for him to go back to his heelish days.
Back when Rusev debuted on WWE with his Russophillic, anti-American gimmick, he had gained tremendous momentum which led to a match with John Cena at WrestleMania 31. Rusev lost the match, ending his 146-day undefeated streak and arguably never recovered from this, later being aligned with The League of Nations.
It is clear that the Bulgarian Brute has the characteristics to succeed as heel far more than he does as a face, and with Aiden English as his mouthpiece, the two can create a good dynamic.
At a time when the WWE are crying out for some credible heels, Rusev could fit the role of a dominating villain perfectly. Not to say he should go back to his anti-American days, but if Rusev is to return to the kind of momentum that he enjoyed when he debuted with the WWE in 2014, then we could see him back to his best.