10 Failed Heel Turns Of Popular Wrestlers

At WrestleMania X-Seven, 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin did the unthinkable when he "sold his soul to Satan" and aligned himself with Mr. McMahon in front of 67,000 people.

Timing is everything in wrestling and, while the concept seemed good on paper, it was clear that the fans still loved Austin at the time and the turn felt forced. The fact that the initial turn took place in Austin's home state also didn't help matters; if there's one place that isn't going to boo 'The Texas Rattlesnake', it's probably going to be Texas. Meanwhile, the logic behind the alliance with McMahon also seemed false and contrasted the years of feuding that preceded it.

But the WWF weren't simply going to drop the idea at the first hurdle. Vince McMahon and his team tried their best to generate heat for 'Stone Cold' and, on occasion it worked well. Having the Texan viciously bully Spike Dudley in front of his girlfriend and rough up Michael Cole at ringside were great heat-seeking performances; meanwhile, his assault of long-time friend, Jim Ross in his home state of Oklahoma was also a strong decision.

At times, the heel turn definitely did work and this is perhaps never more evident than his WWF Championship defence against Chris Benoit in Benoit's hometown of Edmonton. However, the WWF often had to rely on exceptional circumstances - such as location - to get fans to really turn on the beloved 'Rattlesnake'.