10 WWE Heels Who Were Actually Babyfaces In Disguise

6. Jim Ross

Jim Ross WCPW
WWE.com

Jim Ross is a beloved wrestling institution these days. Widely regarded as the greatest commentator in wrestling history, JR is still very much "the voice of WWE" for fans who grew up on his work with Jerry Lawler in the announce booth. His passion and emotion drew fans into the action in a way nobody has ever been able to match, and when he said "Mick Foley is broken in half!" or "Stone Cold is shaking hands with Satan himself," he didn't just make you believe it, but feel it.

Unfortunately, WWE tried turning Good Ol' JR heel on two separate occasions. The first attempt came in 1996, when he aligned himself with fake Diesel & Razor Ramon, and it went over predictably poorly. WWE didn't learn from their mistakes, however, and after returning to television after a bout with Bell's Palsy in 1999, JR found himself replaced by Michael Cole, and wasn't best pleased about it.

He hired 'Dr. Death' Steve Williams as a bodyguard and hijacked Raw with his own personal announce booth, but nobody bought the respected announcer as a heel. It didn't help that nobody particularly liked Cole either, and when JR attacked him with a kick to the crotch, the fans cheered. WWE saw that the turn wasn't working and reinstated Ross as Raw's lead announcer shortly after, but the whole angle is best forgotten about.

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Channel Manager

Andy has been with WhatCulture for eight years and is currently WhatCulture's Wrestling Channel Manager. A writer, presenter, and editor with 10+ years of experience in online media, he has been a sponge for all wrestling knowledge since playing an old Royal Rumble 1992 VHS to ruin in his childhood. Having previously worked for Bleacher Report, Andy specialises in short and long-form writing, video presenting, voiceover acting, and editing, all characterised by expert wrestling knowledge and commentary. Andy is as much a fan of 1985 Jim Crockett Promotions as he is present-day AEW and WWE - just don't make him choose between the two.