Wrestling Face Heel Turns you want to see

[Self]

... and it was the greatest thing Bischoff ever did. The world was ready for Hogan to turn, even if they didn't know it. Hogan was stale. Cena, on the other hand, isn't there yet. He's got his haters, sure, but no more than he had 5 years ago. He's still got plenty left of gas left in the babyface tank.

 

I'd love to see The Dudebusters as babyfaces. They're currently trying to get heel heat talking about CoD4 and playing hoops in the driveway... Well I played CoD4... and I played basketball in my driveway... I can relate to those dudes. I can cheer for them. Plus their name rocks. I don't trust the WWE writers to give them a sense of humour that's actually funny, but if they could, I can see it working.

[QFresh]

I'll be honest, I'm looking forward to Shad's heel turn. I hope they do something good with him.

 

But as far as who I'd like to see turn, maybe a Christian Heel turn again. He's just a natural heel, and far more entertaining.

[Franchise22]

CENA.

 

i think he would be AWESOME as a heel (non rapper). could almost use the same story the rock used when he turned heel initially.

[ChrisKid]

I'll be honest, I'm looking forward to Shad's heel turn. I hope they do something good with him.

 

But as far as who I'd like to see turn, maybe a Christian Heel turn again. He's just a natural heel, and far more entertaining.

 

I feel Christian is an awesome face and a slightly weaker heel (but that's my opinion)

[Tha Black Phenom]

Christian is effective as both. In 2004-05, the man was hitting his stride and it was beautiful to watch. His segments against face Orton, Jericho, thriving to become a main-eventer [kayfabe-wise] so he started jocking on Batista and Cena constantly. Quality stuff. You just have to look at those past segments and you're gonna ask yourself "why, Vince, did you not let Christian run with the ball".

 

That said, I like where he is right now. May be time for MVP to turn back heel in the future too. He needs his edge back.

[lazorbeak]

... and it was the greatest thing Bischoff ever did. The world was ready for Hogan to turn, even if they didn't know it. Hogan was stale. Cena, on the other hand, isn't there yet. He's got his haters, sure, but no more than he had 5 years ago. He's still got plenty left of gas left in the babyface tank.

 

Does he really though? His WM program with Batista was one of the few guys he hasn't worked an extended program with during his babyface run which as you said has lasted years. What's left for him to do? CM Punk and Undertaker are about the only two guys in the upper midcard that he hasn't worked with extensively (he did work with Undertaker, but that was during his heel run). Seriously what does he have left to prove?

 

Orton right now is in a position to pass up Cena as top merchandise mover and franchise babyface. Why not roll with that, and have Cena eventually turn heel, blaming the fans for not supporting him after he did everything for them, etc., etc.? I'm not saying turn Cena heel tomorrow, but maybe after he comes back from his next break due to injury/movie shooting/whatever, have him come back and only get the #2 spot on the card, making him increasingly frustrated and build it up to Cena/Orton or Cena/Undertaker for Wrestlemania with Cena as the heel.

[Trashbear]

Does he really though? His WM program with Batista was one of the few guys he hasn't worked an extended program with during his babyface run which as you said has lasted years. What's left for him to do? CM Punk and Undertaker are about the only two guys in the upper midcard that he hasn't worked with extensively (he did work with Undertaker, but that was during his heel run). Seriously what does he have left to prove?

 

Orton right now is in a position to pass up Cena as top merchandise mover and franchise babyface. Why not roll with that, and have Cena eventually turn heel, blaming the fans for not supporting him after he did everything for them, etc., etc.? I'm not saying turn Cena heel tomorrow, but maybe after he comes back from his next break due to injury/movie shooting/whatever, have him come back and only get the #2 spot on the card, making him increasingly frustrated and build it up to Cena/Orton or Cena/Undertaker for Wrestlemania with Cena as the heel.

 

I really think a heel Cena has a lot of legs and would be entertaining. But I can't see WWE pulling the plug on the merchandise machine that is Cena. They'd be happy to have Orton sell as much or more merch than Cena, but I doubt they'd turn Cena heel and lose all that money. They'd rather have both and really...it seems like they have both now. Older fans and smart marks like Orton and buy his stuff. Kids like Cena, and beg their parents to buy his stuff. They've got the best of both worlds.

[The Shape]

I can't see Orton playing the "face of the company" though. All the media stuff...his persona is so different, so un-"wholesome" that they couldn't put him in that position without ruining it.

 

Now, I think back to well, before Cena rose to the top, and try to think about who was the "face of the company" then. Attitude era obviously you've got austin and rock, but it's a wholly different image being projected. Between their stars fading and Cena and Tista rising, like WMs 19-21, I really can't remember how things were in terms of the public image and all that.

 

But either way I think now, in the pg era, someone is needed to play that focal role, and Cena is the best man for the job and will be for years. I can't see him turning and not sure I'd want him to unless there's someone right there to step up who can come close in terms of work rate, reliability, star quality. I look at the roster right now and I'm not sure I see anyone in that mould, but then of course it'll be someone slightly different. Punk seems like a good bet, he's still relatively young and the straight edge thing is gold image-wise, Morrison's certainly got the look for it, Danielson could serve as a completely deviation from the wrestler stereotype, maybe DiBiase in ten years, you know he's in it for life...but yeah.

[UkWrestleFan]

Kane - As a face he's terribly bland. His career is winding down now so why not turn him into a psychotic heel again for a while? His stuff with Rey a few years back was promising.

 

Christian - I'd like to see him drafted to SmackDown! in the draft and maybe start a feud with Edge.

 

Cena - It will be great when it happens but it won't be for a good while yet.

[Comradebot]

Kane - As a face he's terribly bland. His career is winding down now so why not turn him into a psychotic heel again for a while? His stuff with Rey a few years back was promising.

 

Christian - I'd like to see him drafted to SmackDown! in the draft and maybe start a feud with Edge.

 

Cena - It will be great when it happens but it won't be for a good while yet.

 

I want to second this one. I always thought one of the biggest things the WWE could do right now is have a MASSIVE heel turn with Cena. But first they'll have to have other marketable babyfaces (not Blandy Boreton) for him to feud with.

 

Watching his old OVW promos, he's an incredible heel when given a chance. But... there just isn't, sadly, a wealth of excellent faces at the top of the company right now.

 

And I'll also second the Edge/Christian feud. The fact it wasn't the very first thing Christian did almost upsets me. They're excellent together and against each other, and are individually two of the best workers in WWE today both in-ring and on the microphone.

[Self]

Am I the only one who wants Edge & Christian to be friends again?

[Gabbo]

Kane is just stale. There's nothing left for him to do and turning him psychotic again is much like putting the mask back on him, doesn't make alot of sense and has already been done. He's just running the clock down on autopilot until he decides to give it up.

 

Christian, probably was going to get involved on Edge's side in the Jeff Hardy attack feud until the WWE wanted to swerve us all. I dunno, I thought with Edge turning face it made sense for Christian to win the MITB and cash in, possibly turning heel for a nice feud. Didn't happen, again probably as a swerve. Justifying it though, Christian is capable of getting himself hugely over on his own, Swagger needed the belt to do it. More so because the WWE couldn't be bothered to build him properly.

 

 

Cena isn't gonna turn face any time soon and rightly so. The WWE should work out how to book him first before they change his disposition willy nilly. Batista was a hugely over face before 2009 and Cena didn't turn before then so Orton's turn is in no way indicative that the WWE has found a new face to replace Superman. As said earlier, Cena's heel turn will be in about 3/4 years time and it'll be huge.

[Slagaholic]

Edge & Christian re-uniting is perfect for the Unified Tag Titles. Especially if they're heels.

[The Shape]

Am I the only one who wants Edge & Christian to be friends again?

 

No, I think it'd be awesome. I remember when they teamed up once in 05 I think it was, both were bad guys but they weren't getting along at all, now as faces I think it'd be fun, as heels I don't think it'd work. Edge needs to stay as he is for years and Christian will always have a fanbase, plus he's one of the few guys capable of being booked as a face in WWE without becoming a completely generic personality. If he ever does reach the top it'll be a huge moment, they can push him another level now and the Edge reunion might be the way to start. They've done the feud. There is literally nothing new between them that they could base a feud off since they did it when Edge won King of the Ring in what, 2001? It'd be pointless.

[lazorbeak]

Kane is just stale. There's nothing left for him to do and turning him psychotic again is much like putting the mask back on him, doesn't make alot of sense and has already been done. He's just running the clock down on autopilot until he decides to give it up.

 

Christian, probably was going to get involved on Edge's side in the Jeff Hardy attack feud until the WWE wanted to swerve us all. I dunno, I thought with Edge turning face it made sense for Christian to win the MITB and cash in, possibly turning heel for a nice feud. Didn't happen, again probably as a swerve. Justifying it though, Christian is capable of getting himself hugely over on his own, Swagger needed the belt to do it. More so because the WWE couldn't be bothered to build him properly.

 

 

Cena isn't gonna turn face any time soon and rightly so. The WWE should work out how to book him first before they change his disposition willy nilly. Batista was a hugely over face before 2009 and Cena didn't turn before then so Orton's turn is in no way indicative that the WWE has found a new face to replace Superman. As said earlier, Cena's heel turn will be in about 3/4 years time and it'll be huge.

 

Agreed 100% on Kane: there is nothing he can do that we haven't seen before. At this point in his career all he can do is teach monsters to work and put over young guys. How weird is it he's been without his mask about as long as he had it?

 

As far as the Christian stuff, it's not really a swerve if there's nothing presented on programming making anyone think it was a reality. Nothing on WWE television or other media ever said anything about Christian working with Edge against the Hardy Boyz, and anyone that thought a guy who had never main evented in the company previously was just going to be tossed into a top feud was living in a fantasy world or read too many terrible copy/paste wrestling sites. WWE doesn't see Christian as a top guy, and honestly for all the Christian marks out there I don't blame them. He's decent in the ring, good on the mic, but he's also 36 and doesn't look like a star. Chris Jericho pretty much gives you everything Christian does, but better.

 

I don't really get the logic in delaying the inevitable Cena turn by years, either. Everyone talks as though his merchandise sales are off the charts amazing, but if Orton had more merchandise available, it's not as though it wouldn't sell. It's not as though nobody under 18 bought a Steve Austin shirt in 1998. The situation also really isn't comparable to Batista because of Batista's age and general brittle-ness he was never going to be WWE's franchise guy. Again, I'm not saying turn Cena tomorrow, test the waters first by seeing if Orton is the real deal and the reactions he's been getting for the past month aren't some freak phenomena.

 

I mean, yes, Hogan's heel turn was huge when it happened in 1996, but wouldn't it have been far more effective in 1992, so he could work with guys like Bret Hart and HBK? Why delay Cena's heel turn until people are completely sick of seeing him as a face? Do we really have to endure John Cena vs. the Yeti before we see him as a heel again? Also for potential lost revenue for kids (who still have Rey, Hornswoggle, Kofi Kingston, and maybe even Orton), it's not as though heels don't move merchandise in 2010: it's just that different fans are buying them. Hell, even in 1996, didn't Hogan sell far more shirts after he turned? Granted the NWO wasn't just Hogan, but my point is even then people bought heels' merchandise.

[Gabbo]

Interesting point on Kane being without the mask for so long. It now means that this year will be the 7th year without it, meaning as many years with it as without...

 

 

I read somewhere that Cena's merch in 07, made him the 3rd highest selling merch superstar in the WWE ever. Behind Hogan and Austin, that report even said his best year outsold Austin every year bar 1998.

 

I dunno how much truth is in that.

 

---

 

You seemed to imply it wasn't a swerve because it was only what the fans thought not what they put across. That's what a swerve is. A swerve isn't showing Matt Hardy as the attacker, then next week revealing it to be Christian. It was probably mostly only smarks/IWC that thought it was Christian, but they still swerved the smarks.

 

The logic in delaying the inevitable Cena turn is that it just isn't right now. Cena's been under worse pressure from crowds before and they kept him face so why do it now? They're building new heels like McIntyre, Sheamus, DiBiase, Swagger and Punk so why turn him heel and cut down his variable feud potential. Also, there's a romantic notion that much like Hogan being face for 10-12 years and then forming the nWo, Cena's much anticipated turn will also pull the business out of a slump.

 

Hogan in 1992 would have had no-one to feud with. He was practically semi-retired anyway. He basically refused to put Bret over, HBK was feuding with Rick Martel in the midcard, Davey-boy wasn't reliable, Vince wanted Macho Man to call it a day, Ultimate Warrior had just been sacked and Flair wanted out. The only decent feud would have been The Undertaker. That's even before factoring in the huge steroid scandal that ripped the WWF open and prompted Hogan to leave the business. The WWE in 1992 was in a mess. WCW in 1996 gave Hogan an entire promotion to feud with, a feud even his ego would have considered appropriate.

[Linsolv]

Next Hogan feud: HOGAN vs. EXISTENCE. The world? Too small. Death? Too ambiguous. Hogan vs. Existence in a loser leaves town match. Hogan, of course, will refuse to do the job, and we will return to the Void.

[lazorbeak]

I read somewhere that Cena's merch in 07, made him the 3rd highest selling merch superstar in the WWE ever. Behind Hogan and Austin, that report even said his best year outsold Austin every year bar 1998.

 

I dunno how much truth is in that.

 

Even if true, that was 3 years ago. All wells eventually run dry. My point is, why wait until the well is completely tapped before moving on?

 

You seemed to imply it wasn't a swerve because it was only what the fans thought not what they put across. That's what a swerve is. A swerve isn't showing Matt Hardy as the attacker, then next week revealing it to be Christian. It was probably mostly only smarks/IWC that thought it was Christian, but they still swerved the smarks.

 

Certainly didn't mean to imply: what I meant to do is flat out say that is not a swerve. Here's the definition:

 

Swerve: a sudden change in the direction of a storyline to surprise the fans...

 

Since there was no sudden change, by definition, it's not a swerve. It's not just a term for generically making people would think something would happen and then that thing doesn't happen. Was it a swerve that Steve Austin didn't appear at this year's Wrestlemania? I mean, he was rumored to appear!

 

So no, that's not what a swerve is. A swerve is when you book one way, and then rapidly change directions (or "swerve") to put things another way. When The Rock was booked as the underdog babyface challenger for the 1998 Survivor Series Tournament, but then Vince McMahon wanted him to win and announced he was his corporate champion, that was a swerve. When Christian signs a contract and people just assume that means he will work a program with the Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian but nothing is ever said to re-enforce that belief because it's a dumb rumor, that is not a swerve.

 

The logic in delaying the inevitable Cena turn is that it just isn't right now. Cena's been under worse pressure from crowds before and they kept him face so why do it now? They're building new heels like McIntyre, Sheamus, DiBiase, Swagger and Punk so why turn him heel and cut down his variable feud potential. Also, there's a romantic notion that much like Hogan being face for 10-12 years and then forming the nWo, Cena's much anticipated turn will also pull the business out of a slump.

 

And in six months, he will have feuded with all of those guys close to being ready: he's already wrestled Swagger repeatedly and worked a program with Sheamus. But since I'm not saying turn him right now I don't see where we even disagree here.

[Self]

As for the Matt/Christian switcheroo swerve... The whole angle was about a mystery attacker, who shoved Jeff down the stairs and ran his car off of the road. Matt later claimed he did this because he was jealous of Jeff being a Champion... only Matt was ECW Champion when the attacks happened, AND I think he helped Jeff win the belt in the first place. I dug the brother vs brother thing, but there were a bunch of niggling plotholes which made me think they switched directions at the end there. Either that or bad writing from the get-go.

 

Wasn't Kane heel like 6 months ago, forming a team with Mike Knox until they just sorta forgot about it? Kane's one of those guys who gets natural babyface pops at house shows (oddly similar to Rhino in that respect) so why not let him keep going? Unless he can reinvent himself in a unique and interesting and worthwhile way (or he's going to be pushed hard) why turn him now?

 

If Orton can take the reigns, maybe Cena can be turned, but it's not something to be taken lightly. Heel Cena has to be AWESOME to be worthwhile. More awesome than Punk and Batista and Jericho, who were never as valuable babyface as Cena in the first place. Cena doesn't have to bottom out before being turned, but I'd at least wait until he's clearly overtaken by fresher babyface characters.

 

Could be like the Hogan turn. Could be like the Austin one. It's a gamble.

[lazorbeak]

The only problem with the Austin turn was timing. If you don't have the Invasion, the Alliance, a whole huge new group of guys for Austin to work with, Austin as a babyface would've been old hat. He'd worked exhaustively with Undertaker, he'd just had a pretty mediocre feud with Triple H, beaten Rock for the second time at Wrestlemania, I totally understand that decision except for the part where Vince buys the competition, shrinks his own market share and has Steve Austin, anti-establishment guy lead the freaking Alliance. It could've worked though. The general awesomeness of some of heel Austin's promos are testament to what could've been if the whole Alliance fiasco hadn't happened.

[QFresh]

The problem with Kane is that nobodies really gonna care what he is as long as there's some fire in his entrance... You know why that makes sense... Just because, that's why.

 

Christians turn, as I said before would make for a wicked element on Smackdown given that both Edge, and Jericho are there. Even though it's been done, Vitamin C anyone? I'd be all about it.

 

John Cena... It should've happened, and it didn't. Now it can't happen. Not until somebody steps it up, but in terms of what's to come from the WWE talent pool, you need a face Cena.

[ChrisKid]

<blockquote data-ipsquote="" class="ipsQuote" data-ipsquote-username="QFresh" data-cite="QFresh" data-ipsquote-contentapp="forums" data-ipsquote-contenttype="forums" data-ipsquote-contentid="27502" data-ipsquote-contentclass="forums_Topic"><div>The problem with Kane is that nobodies really gonna care what he is as long as there's some fire in his entrance... You know why that makes sense... Just because, that's why.<p> </p><p> Christians turn, as I said before would make for a wicked element on Smackdown given that both Edge, and Jericho are there. Even though it's been done, Vitamin C anyone? I'd be all about it.</p><p> </p><p> John Cena... It should've happened, and it didn't. Now it can't happen. Not until somebody steps it up, but in terms of what's to come from the WWE talent pool, <strong>you need a face Cena</strong>.</p></div></blockquote><p> </p><p> For the kids</p>

[ChrisKid]

<p>I think maybe R-Truth as heel may be good rapping about people's issues while coming down to the ring and I think JTG as a heel might work i mean just imagine a heel R-Truth tagging with a newley turned JTG versus The Hart Dynasty</p><p>

Could call them Cryme and Rhyme</p>

[The Shape]

Could call them Cryme and Rhyme

 

I like it!