10 Real-Life Wrestling Heels Who Turned Babyface

5. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels
WWE.com

Was a heel because...

Shawn Michaels was a troubled man who projected his issues onto an entire company. As the leader of the Kliq faction, he applied a stranglehold over creative, and if you weren't pally with him, you were f*cked. His constant swipes at Bret Hart were perversely amusing, granted, but they cloaked the WWF in a toxic cloud. He threw a tantrum at Vader for stiffing him, and yet buried Sid for not doing anything in the same year of 1996. There was no pleasing the man, unless he devised a quick-witted Hitman burial, which delighted him no end. He treated the European Title - a potential breakthrough vehicle - like a pair of Bret Hart merch shades.

Turned babyface by...

Helpfully thinning out the North American animal population.

No, he found God, and elected to live a better life for his family and his soul. This didn't matter quite as much as his outstanding pro wrestling matches, obviously. He could have accused John Cena of "taking the Mickie" and still been received as a demigod. He stopped being a complete sh*theel to Bret Hart, which also helped enormously.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!