10 Great Babyface Wrestlers Who Became SHOCKINGLY Good Heels
2. Daniel Bryan
Similarly to the Bayley and Zayn situations, it seemed impossible that WWE could ever turn Daniel Bryan heel after WrestleMania XXX.
Following his legendary WWE Championship victory in New Orleans and then his tragic retirement, the American Dragon was practically canonised by the wrestling faithful. When he returned to the ring, a stint as a villain seemed even more unlikely.
However, if there's one thing that was ever going to make him flip the switch, it was trees.
Bryan embraced the hate in late 2018 by cheating to win the WWE title from AJ Styles. This sparked his demented eco-warrior phase. He would call fans 'fickle', lament the company for being major polluters, and even ditch the famous leather belt in favour of one made of hemp. This sounds ridiculous, but Bryan made it work. This title run is one of the best parts of his career and it led to the superb 'KofiMania' moment at WrestleMania 35.
As likeable as he is, Bryan is always more interesting when he's a heel. He portrays pure evil better than just about anyone, which is even more impressive when you know how nice he is in real life.