The WWE Fans of the universe and professional wrestling in general can be fickle at times. Organizations invest time and money into developing great storylines and characters for the world, only to find that those things are constantly changing.
The only thing that is guaranteed in wrestling is that there will always be changes. Wrestlers will switch allegiances several times throughout their careers, going from babyface to heel.
These twists are part of the companies’ storytelling strategy and are often the result of hard work and planning behind the scenes. Then there are moments when the plans are turned on their head by the audience.
There have been many instances in the history of wrestling where fans and paying customers have reacted so violently that the company has had to change its plans. Wrestlers have been switched from heel to face or vice versa, just because the fans wanted it. Below are some of these cases.
Kurt Angle – 1999
The Olympic hero was a great addition to the squad. He brought legitimacy with himand he was a gold medalist coming home. He was going to be given a warm welcome. He had the support of everyone in the office, but the problem was that the fans couldn’t stand the sight of him.
Angle’s three I’s were his mantra, but made him unbearable for everyone. His debut as a face lasted all three minutes before the fans turned on him. The boos were loud and WWE decided to emphasize his heel qualities instead of building up another hero.
It was a smart move, reinforced by the scorn he received from the audience.
Rob Van Dam – 2001
The Alliance was founded by wrestlers who wanted to end the WWE. It was a group of heels that were consisting of former wrestlers from WCW And ECW. They all did a great job of making fans hate them, So save one.
RVD was the clear MVP of the Alliance. No matter how much the WWE tried to lump him in with the other heels, his popularity with the fans was undeniable. His high-flying work style combined with His charisma made him more popular than any other member of the Alliance for days.
No matter how hard they try, WWE could Only not keep this man in this box. As soon as the program was over Rob Van Dam was well on his way to becoming a top babyface.
The Stone – 1996/1997
There are about 3 cases that one could write about with The Rock. Fans have decided his fate for most of his career, but the first time this happened set the tone for his entire WWE career.
Rocky Maivia was the blue-chipper babyface who thrived in the New Generation. The problem was that it wasn’t the New Generation, and the fans had no A chorus of “Rocky Sucks” chants filled every arena he entered.
It was hard to break free from that, and when WWE realized this, they turned their powers around and made Rocky Maivia the villain. Nation of DominationThis is how The Rock was born and we know the rest of the story.
Hulk Hogan – 2002
The NWO was a fantastic heel faction in WCW. A faction that Vince McMahon hoped to repeat her success in WWE, but failed miserably. One of the main reasons for this failure was the fans’ refusal to accept Hulk Hogan as a villain.
Hogan faced The Rock in his first major program. and it didn’t go according to plan. The Rock was the biggest babyface in the company, but it was Hulk Hogan who received the ovation.
Fans missed the Immortal in WWE and refused to turn against their childhood hero. It wasn’t long before WWE returned Hogan to the red and yellow we’d all grown to love.
Randy Orton – 2004
Randy Orton had a rocket on his back in 2004. As part of evolutionHe would always the center of attention, but he also got big programs to sink his teeth into. The biggest of all was his chance to win the World Championship at SummerSlam.
It was a Victory that was shocking and triggered a babyface turn for the founder of RKO. A baby face a twist that didn’t work and was immediately rejected by the WWE audience.
The fans have not yet accepted Orton as a top player, and he was portrayed weakly against Triple H. It wasn’t long before Orton was being followed by boos or outright cries of indifference. WWE took notice and turned Orton back into a heel, setting him on his amazing path to becoming the Legend Killer.
Batista-2014
The Animal was a big comeback for WWE in 2014. He brought star power with him and the fans were initially open to his return. Until everyone realized what Batista would will do during his second run.
WWE wanted to bring the man to the main event and win the Royal Rumble. in process.
At any other time, a successful Batista return would have been great, but it came at the expense of the immensely popular Daniel Bryan. Bryan was the people’s choice, and the people rebelled against Big Dave being at the top of the card ahead of him.
Faced with the erupting hatred, the office had to transform Batista into the villain who dominated his second term.
CM Punk – 2011
CM Punk was always better as a heel. The work he did up until 2011 made him one of the best heels in the business. He had great programs with every wrestler he worked with and fans liked him as a heel, but then the tide changed.
When Punk threw his infamous pipe bomb on Raw, everything changed for the Second City Saint. He voiced the concerns of many viewers and became the anti-hero that everyone hid behind.
Wherever he went, he received applause, which grew louder the more he rebelled against the office.
WWE tried to counter Punk’s rise by having wrestlers do negative promos for Punk, but fans would have none of it.
The office was put in a position where they could either push Punk as the babyface the audience wanted, or continue down the path no one supported. They chose the former.
Daniel Bryan – 2012
Oh yes that WrestleMania 28 Match that changed the landscape of WWE. Bryan was on his way to the agree as a heel and did a great job before Sheamus fell over within seconds.
The WWE’s intention seemed to be to destroy Bryan in order to improve Sheamus. The fans would be so enthusiastic that Bryan was defeated, that they would completely forget the man. That didn’t happen.
The support for Bryan was overwhelming. The fans stood massively in the corner of the man The the office had no interest in any further. The fans loved Bryan’s style and his passion for wrestling and She expressed this opinion.
This voice grew louder and louder until the office had no choice but to push the heel Bryan and make him one of the best babyfaces of the last decades.
Seth Rollins – 2019
Seth Rollins is a great example of how a title run, if booked poorly, can turn fans against a champion. 2019 should have been his year. Rollins went over Brock Lesnar twice and secured his place in WWE history.
It should have been a defining moment for Rollins and turned him into an ultra-babyface.
When Lesnar was finished, he joined a program with The Fiend that all sorts not good. The games were long, painful confrontations and the atmosphere impressed no one.
It was a feud that turned fans against Rollins, and he was soon met with a chorus of hate. It was not to be expected for the man who killed the Beast, but it was saved when WWE Man Heel, and we got the visionary.
Rusev – 2017/2018
Rusev came into the WWE as the villain that the company liked to push. He was a foreign monster who high good against all the heroes the WWE had in its halls. Fans bought into his role as a villain and he spent his first few years as a viable villain, but then the winds of change blew against him.
After a victory over Randy Orton, Rusev celebrated that this day was Rusev’s day. It was a heel move that was should have earned him even louder cheers, but the fans were thrilled.
Soon, Rusev Day chats filled every arena that the Bulgarian Brute went into. It was such an organic thing that the WWE didn’t know what to do.
They kept him as a heel for a while, but the chants got too loud. Soon he was playing the babyface role and Rusev Day became a phenomenon.
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