WWE has been built on a foundation of dastardly heels and all-conquering babyfaces. Granted, these days it seems that about 80% of the roster flits far too often from one role to another, or simply just gets a nonplussed reaction no matter what they do (hey, Sheamus!). Whilst their roles and characters may have changed over the years, there are some special performers who are equally as fantastic at being a no-good bad guy or a baby-kissing good guy. Its a tough act to be able to pull off both personas to a high standard, but its certainly not impossible. Now many fans have been crying out for a Roman Reigns heel turn for the past few months, with the rationale there being that a solid run as a great, cocky, natural heel would do wonders for Roman and cause him to transform into the man when he inevitably turns face again somewhere down the line. Similarly, Seth Rollins recent heel run and stunning in-ring work has him set up to be the biggest babyface in the company when he returns from his current injury issues. Its amazing how being a good bad guy can eventually lead a superstar to becoming a great babyface - heres eleven guys who masterfully used their time as a heel to transition into being a fantastic babyface.
11. Randy Savage
From just hearing the name Randy Savage, you automatically think of one of the very greatest wrestlers that the business has ever seen. The Macho Man was the man. The thing is, Savage was such a detested heel during his early WWF years that it was unthinkable to think he would ever become a good guy, let alone become one of the most revered and popular babyfaces in the history of the company. Debuting as the arrogant 'top free agent in the business', Savage was hated enough as it was but when he began bullying and berating his manager (and real-life wife), the eve-popular Miss Elizabth, that hatred increased tenfold. Of course, the respect for Savage amongst the fans grew to the point where he was the most over guy in the company (sorry, Hulkamaniacs) and would be the one left as WWF Champion once WrestleMania IV was in the books. To Savages credit, hed turn back heel to feud with Hogan and engage in a memorable retirement angle with Ultimate Warrior that ended in arguably the most emotional moment in Mania history. This, in turn, led to Savage returning as a huge babyface to battle the nefarious Jake The Snake Roberts and Macho even got another WWF Championship run after beating the villainous Ric Flair at WrestleMania VIII.
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.
