10 Wrestling Face/Heel Turns That Shouldn't Have Worked (But Did)

Cold, calculating, and downright terrifying, Jake 'The Snake' Roberts is rightly regarded as one of wrestling's greatest heels. The man dripped pure evil from every pore, and is best known for his promo work, which remains among the strongest the business has ever seen. While other heels screamed and shouted, the sinister Roberts slowed things all the way down, delivering his words in a creepy baritone that has been replicated many times over the years, but never bettered.

Roberts was a born villain, but he had a surprisingly effective run as a babyface in the late '80s. One of WWE's most over wrestlers, Jake turned to feud with the universally reviled Honky Tonk Man, then ran afoul of the Heenan Family, before moving on to a lengthy rivalry with Ted DiBiase, producing one of his career's most memorable promos.

Jake had become so popular prior to the turn that WWE were forced to a cancel a potential feud with Hulk Hogan, fearing that crowds would chant for Roberts, not 'The Hulkster.' A character as malevolent as Roberts drawing Hogan-esque cheers at the height of Hulkamania seemed unthinkable a year prior, but it speaks volumes of Jake's versatility as a performer.