10 Wrestling Heel Turns That Never Should Have Happened
7. Rikishi (WWF, 2000)
Remember the days when the massive Rikishi would don a pair of colourful shades, stand alongside his partners in Too Cool and dance to some antiquated hip-hop? Fans lapped that kind of thing up, but there was no joy to be found from the big Samoan's heel run in late-2000.
Seemingly struggling to find a suitable solution to the 'Who Done It?' storyline involving Steve Austin being run over by a car at Survivor Series 1999, the WWF's brain trust thrust Rikishi into the role of perpetrator. Meekly offering up that he had run down Austin for The Rock, the former babyface Rikishi was quickly moved sideways and Triple H was revealed as the true mastermind.
Fans just didn't want to boo Rikishi, and the awkward heel turn felt so sudden. Often, shocks can work, but there was a lack of cohesive storytelling to the Samoan's switch; rather than turning him into a dynamic heel, Rikishi's career nosedived. Worse, revealing Triple H as the real villain undermined Rikishi, scooped up all his heat, making his turn a pointless one which had people scratching their heads.
Oddly, an injury to his eardrum came at a great time for Rikishi. Completely flopping as a heel, he was put back in a more familiar babyface role upon his return in May 2001. Unfortunately, that short-lived comeback resulted in another shoulder injury and more time off.
Any heartfelt reactions from the audience towards Rikishi were ruined by his ill-advised heel turn.