11 WWE Heels That Were So Good They Became Babyfaces

By Andrew Pollard /

6. Shawn Michaels

From the moment he threw Marty Jannetty through Brutus€™ Barbershop window (we Jannetty fans still haven€™t forgiven or forgotten), Shawn Michaels became a great mid-card heel as the cocky, brash, egotistical, narcissistic Heartbreak Kid. Shawn would defeat Davey Boy Smith for the Intercontinental Title (again, we Davey Boy fans still haven€™t forgiven or forgotten) and then spend the next few years being a guy who was in the upper part of the card yet not quite a main eventer. He€™d be fighting for the IC belt one week, then would unsuccessfully challenge Bret Hart for the WWF Championship the next week before dropping back down to a mid-card feud. Returning as a good guy after a post-WrestleMania XI break, it would be his journey to WrestleMania XII and win over The Hitman that cemented Michaels as a truly great babyface. For me personally, as someone who sees Bret Hart as the single greatest wrestler who ever lived, it€™s hard to say this, but after that €˜Mania, Shawn became the most popular performer in the company, embracing the undersized, underdog element of the Heartbreak Kid and embarking upon against-the-odds victories over gargantuan opponents like Sid and Diesel. Michaels was likely best as a cocky prick (hey, Brad Maddox!) heel, but his run as the WWE€™s top babyface in the mid-90s marked him as one of the best good guy performers of his generation.