10 Best WWE Heel Turns Of The 2010s
8. Daniel Bryan - SmackDown 2018
In November 2018, Daniel Bryan joined Shinsuke in the "Turning Heel By Hitting AJ Styles In The Nuts" club.
It took place just five days before Survivor Series and Styles' scheduled champion-vs-champion match against Brock Lesnar.
Bryan was scheduled to face Styles for the title on SmackDown after their match at Crown Jewel got called off when Daniel developed a nasty case of morality.
The two were having a typically stellar match, but the finish took this match to legendary status. When the ref's back was turned, Bryan went low on AJ, booting him in his Aces and Eights.
Bryan then hit the Running Knee and pinned AJ to become the new WWE Champion. This was the dawning of the "New Daniel Bryan" character; Bryan's semi-psychotic eco-warrior gimmick that completely revamped his career.
Turning a beloved babyface like Bryan heel was a huge gamble by WWE. Luckily, D-Bry had the skills to pull it off and give one of the best heel performances seen in years.
Bryan has enjoyed great success as a heel ever since, defending his WWE Championship at WrestleMania 35 and forming a profitable partnership with Rowan.