12 WWE Face & Heel Turns That IMMEDIATELY Backfired
9. The Miz Just Isn’t Likeable (2012)
Some wrestlers are born to be babyface or heel. Charlotte Flair springs to mind as somebody who's naturally an elitist villain, whereas Ricky Steamboat always worked best as a mild-mannered but very accomplished in-ring technician who had a sweet rapport with fans worldwide. Forcing square pegs into round holes with workers like that is never the best idea, but knowing that won't stop WWE trying from time to time.
Enter The Miz.
Yep, in 2025 he's a WWE lifer who's cherished for being such a world class a**hole on screen. That's undeniable, and there is something to be said for legacy stars becoming likeable by default over time. It's one of those, 'He's an insufferable jerk, but he's our insufferable jerk" situations. Arguably, Miz had that tag on him way back in 2012, so it was puzzling that WWE's writers thought they could turn such an excellent heel into a genuinely adorable goody two shoes.
Suddenly, rather than berating fans and demanding they listen to him, The Miz was acting like the least-cool Saturday morning kid's TV host ever. Remember when substitute teachers seemed cool when you were 10 but then got grating once you turned 14? Yeah, that. Even Ric Flair stopping by to gift Miz his figure four finisher didn't work.
Nobody wanted to see Miz wooing. It was too forced. "Too forced" would perfectly sum up this shortlived babyface attempt as a whole. At least our Mike managed to learn from this failure and become a slightly less-irritating baby years later. He was born to be a heel though. There's no getting away from that!