10 Shocking Heel Turns That Rocked WWE

7. The Rock Becomes The Corporation's Crown Jewel

The Corporation The Rock Shane McMahon Vince McMahon
WWE.com

Oh how Vince McMahon pulled the wool over fans' eyes in late-1998.

It was a thing of beauty to see the people flip from hating the smiling Rocky Maivia character to admiring The Rock's newfound sense of confidence. Soaking up the acclaim, the WWF then decided to irk everyone by pulling the rug from beneath them when the time was right.

Going into the '98 Survivor Series as the people's choice to become WWF Champion, The Rock would leave that pay-per-view with the gold. He did so as a heel though, accepting help from the McMahon family and taking his place as the crown jewel of The Corporation. Meanwhile, poor Mankind was left battered and with his title dreams in tatters.

When Vince and Shane raised The Rock's hand, fans couldn't help but be furious over how they'd been fooled. The wrestling fraternity doesn't like to feel controlled, so this was a wonderful example of how such fan ownership over the industry can create a monster heel.

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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.