10 Amazing Heel Turns That WWE Immediately Ruined
Those fantastic heel turns WWE totally dropped the ball on.
When done well, there are few things better in professional wrestling than a great heel turn. Whether it's a gradual turn to the dark side or an immediate in-the-moment embrace of villainy, some of the most noteworthy moments in the industry's history have come when a star has left their good guy/gal roots behind.
In the case of, say, Roman Reigns, his long-demanded heel turn saw him become the Tribal Chief and spearhead what has been one of the greatest story arcs wrestling fans have ever seen. By WWE finally pulling the trigger on a Roman heel run, that has seen Reigns become a truly iconic villain over the past three years. Everyone involved in the Bloodline saga deserves plentiful praise, but the anchor to all of this has been Roman Reigns and his maniacal ways.
While Reigns' turn at SummerSlam 2020 has led to a generational run for the Head of the Table, not all great WWE heel turns have been followed up by such a brilliant run for those involved. In fact, there have been some phenomenal turns to villainy which have been followed by some truly dreadful dross over the years.
With that in mind, then, here are ten fantastic heel turns that WWE absolutely dropped the ball on.
10. Shinsuke Nakamura
Things were going oh so well for Shinsuke Nakamura in early 2018. Having debuted on the WWE main roster the prior year, the King of Strong Style won the 2018 Royal Rumble - last eliminating Roman Reigns - and was lined up to challenge for AJ Styles' WWE Championship at WrestleMania 34.
Of course, Nakamura and Styles had put on an all-timer at Wrestle Kingdom 10, and thus expectation was high for another classic at the Showcase of the Immortals.
While that 'Mania match slightly disappointed - being just fine, not great - a loss to AJ here caused Shin to turn heel post-match, laying out the Phenomenal One with a low blow. A low blow? Well, that's certainly a good way to cement a villainous turn...
The problem is, this surprising turn was followed by low blow after low blow after low blow after low blow after... you get the idea. For what felt like the next six months of programming, Nakamura developed an obsession with punching Styles in the dribbler. In reality, it was actually three months, but this dragged on across SmackDown episodes and across three further PPVs.
As a result of this, Nakamura became somewhat of a joke figure, not least in how he still couldn't dethrone AJ as the WWE Champion. Likewise, for Styles, it made him look like a total idiot for taking so long to just wear a cup.