7 Worst WWE Turns Of 2017
Turning into a flat, generic, lifeless big man overnight? You can't teach that...
Showing compassion, worry and forgiveness for a friend in equal measures, the facial expressions worn by one Sami Zayn at Hell In A Cell hammered home his heel turn. Everything about the alignment switch was realistic. There was a motive (saving an old friend from certain doom), there was history between those involved and, best of all, there was expert execution.
If only every heel or babyface turn could be so good, but perhaps that itself is unrealistic. WWE's creative team seemed to run out of material for some this year, and that's when they reached for the heel/baby turn card like a child who can't choose which toy to play with. Talent can't take all the blame, you know.
The frustration comes when realising that those writers can weave superb and natural stories. Take Sheamus and Cesaro callously turning heel on The Hardy Boyz at Payback as one example, or the organic babyface rise Braun Strowman experienced this year as another.
Enjoy them, because (much like Sami's brilliance in October) they're in the minority...
7. Charlotte Flair
Beginning the year as Raw's seductively cold 'Ice Queen', Charlotte Flair was stripped of that majestic heel aura when she was traded to SmackDown as part of the Superstar Shakeup in April. In place of the sneering villainess fans had come to know and enjoy, she was tasked with becoming a cheery figure. It's still a struggle for her.
The core problem with Charlotte's turn was that it didn't come for any good reason. All of sudden, fans were expected to embrace her as a nice person despite her stellar work as the arrogant focal point of Raw's female ranks. Overnight, Flair was buddying up with Becky Lynch again and smiling at children. Where was the motive?
This is a major issue in WWE's turn policy. Real people don't just change like that, and there needed to be more of a story to justify Charlotte's sudden buoyancy. The only reason she's so low on this list is because she remains one of the best in-ring workers WWE have on their books. If only her turn had been as meticulous as her matches.