12 WWE Face & Heel Turns That IMMEDIATELY Backfired
1. Batista Isn’t The People’s Choice (2014)
Are they saying "Boo-tista"? Big dishy Dave Batista had previously left WWE as a spoilt brat/crybaby heel in 2010, but was all set to return as a hero 4 years later. The problem here was that WWE’s fanbase had moved on to newer things - they'd evolved, if you like, and they wanted a Daniel Bryan push badly. People set their hearts on seeing a technical mastermind that Vince McMahon likely found dull rocket to the top of the pack.
Batista was in the way of that.
Things came to a head quickly when 'The Animal' won the 2014 Royal Rumble and was booed out of the building for doing so. WWE had no choice but to run with this and turn him heel all over again so he could moan about Bryan’s popularity (thus not-so-subtly returning to his crybaby antics from 2010) like someone whining via X that a wrestler they've never heard of is booked on a WWE-meets-AAA crossover show.
Except, well...Batista really should've known what he was in for. He'd have realised that fan rebellion was right around the corner had he been tuning into WWE programming since 2012. Bryan had charmed everybody alongside Kane as part of 'Team Hell No'. Actually, he'd been making folks chuckle since his days as a heel who shouted "NO" in the face of "YES" alongside AJ Lee.
Batista's Rumble win was meant to be greeted like the best thing ever, but it was volleyed right back at McMahon and his writers like it was 2025 and they'd booked Bill Goldberg to squash everybody on Raw.
What other WWE babyface or heel turns immediately backfired? For more wrestling, check out 15 WWE Gimmick Changes That IMMEDIATELY Backfired and 15 Times WWE Stars Made Cameos BEFORE They Were Famous!