{"id":126554,"date":"2024-08-24T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2024-08-24T12:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/?p=126554"},"modified":"2024-08-23T05:17:32","modified_gmt":"2024-08-23T09:17:32","slug":"times-wwe-fans-forced-face-heel-turn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/2024\/08\/24\/times-wwe-fans-forced-face-heel-turn\/","title":{"rendered":"Times WWE Fans Forced a Face or Heel Turn"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The <strong>WWE<\/strong> Universe and professional wrestling fans, in general, can sometimes be fickle. Organizations put time and money into cultivating great storylines and characters for the world, only for those things to constantly change. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The only thing that is guaranteed in wrestling is that change is going to keep happening. Wrestlers will switch allegiances and move from babyface to heel several times in their careers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">These turns are a part of the companies\u2019 storytelling and are often the result of a lot of hard work and planning done behind the scenes. Then, there are the times when plans are thrown on their head by the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Many times in wrestling history, the fans and the paying customers have reacted so strongly that they forced the company to change their plans. Wrestlers are switched from heel to face, or vice versa, all due to the fan&#8217;s want for it to happen. Below are some of these times.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Kurt Angle \u2013 1999<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qrDjBim__p8?si=nnfu-BtyVy6damLE\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Olympic Hero was a great addition to the roster. He brought legitimacy <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">with him<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">, and he was a gold medalist come home. He was supposed to receive a warm welcome. He had the support of everyone in the office, but the problem was the fans could not stand the sight of him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Angle\u2019s three I\u2019s were his mantra but made him insufferable to all. His debut as a face lasted <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">all of<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> three minutes before the fans turned on him. The boos were resounding, and WWE decided to lean into his heel characteristics instead of building another hero. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It was a smart move that was spurred by the scorn he received from the audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Rob Van Dam \u2013 2001<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IIlRqYAgKtw?si=IXmJy_hny13iNM0q\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Alliance was built of wrestlers who wanted to end WWE. It was a group of heels <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that were<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> formed of former wrestlers from <strong>WCW<\/strong> and <strong>ECW<\/strong>. They all did a great job of getting the fans to hate them, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">well<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> save one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>RVD<\/strong> was the clear MVP of the Alliance. As much as WWE tried to lump him in with the rest of the heels his popularity with the fans was undeniable. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">His high-flying working style <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">combined with<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> charisma for days made him more popular than any member of the Alliance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Try as they may WWE could <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">just<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> not keep this man inside that box. Once the program was over\u00a0<strong>Rob Van Dam<\/strong>\u00a0was on the fast track to being a top babyface.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Rock \u2013 1996\/1997<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uHK-X-z0YZs?si=PPsYtLpQzf5kIUKx\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There are about 3 instances that could be written about with <strong>The Rock<\/strong>. The fans have been deciding his fate for most of his career, but it was the first time this took place that set the tone for his entire WWE tenure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Rocky Maivia<\/strong> was the blue-chipper babyface that thrived in the New Generation. The problem was it was not the New Generation, and the fans <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">weren\u2019t having any<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> of it. A chorus of \u201cRocky Sucks\u201d chants filled every arena he entered into. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It was a hard blanket to get out from under and when WWE realized this they pivoted and turned Rocky Maivia heel, joining the <strong>Nation of Domination<\/strong>. Thus, The Rock was born, and we know the rest of the story.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Hulk Hogan \u2013 2002<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The <strong>NWO<\/strong> was a fantastic heel faction in WCW. A faction that <strong>Vince McMahon<\/strong> was hoping to replicate their success in WWE, but it failed miserably. One of the biggest reasons for this failure was the fan&#8217;s refusal to accept Hulk Hogan as a heel.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Hogan was pitted against The Rock for his first big program, <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">and it<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> didn\u2019t go according to plan. The Rock was the biggest babyface in the company, but it was <strong>Hulk Hogan<\/strong> who got the ovations. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The fans missed having the Immortal One in WWE and refused to turn against their childhood hero. It wasn\u2019t long before WWE turned Hogan back to the red and yellow that we all came to love.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Randy Orton \u2013 2004<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KHW6OIjdwtA?si=RmuPuHOQQ0WUhFJD\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Randy Orton<\/strong> had a rocket strapped to his back, in 2004. As part of<strong> Evolution<\/strong>, he <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">was always going to<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> be front and center, but he was also given big programs to sink his teeth into. The biggest of all was his World Championship opportunity at <em><strong>SummerSlam<\/strong><\/em>. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It was a <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">victory that was shocking<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and triggered a babyface turn for the creator of the RKO. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">A babyface<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> turn that didn\u2019t work and was instantly rejected by the WWE audience.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The fans didn\u2019t buy Orton as a top guy, just yet, and he was made to look weak against <strong>Triple H<\/strong>. It wasn\u2019t long before the boos, or outright cries of indifference followed Orton around. WWE took note and switched Orton back to a heel setting him on his fantastic Legend Killer path.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Batista \u2013 2014<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/RXGjvK4E1LQ?si=5uMoa4KXZ76c4Z8i\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Animal was a huge return for WWE, in 2014. He brought star power with him and the fans initially were receptive to his return. That is until everyone realized what Batista <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">was going to<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> be doing during his second run. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE intended to push the man to the main event, winning the Royal Rumble <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">in the process<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Any other time a successful Batista return would have been great, but it was done at the expense of the immensely popular <strong>Daniel Bryan<\/strong>. Bryan was the people\u2019s choice, and the people rebelled against Big Dave being at the top of the card over him. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The hatred pouring out gave the office no choice but to switch Batista to the heel character that dominated his second run.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">CM Punk \u2013 2011<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/vSbNUGEJV6Q?si=2q5sectNzLdea3LU\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>CM Punk<\/strong> was always going to be better as a heel. The work that he did leading into 2011 established him as one of the best heels in the business. He had great programs with every wrestler he was matched with, and the fans were digging him as a heel, but then the tide changed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Once Punk dropped his infamous pipe bomb on Raw everything changed for the Second City Saint. He voiced the concerns of many in the audience and became the anti-hero that everyone could get behind. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">He got cheers wherever he went and those just got louder the more he fought the office.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE tried to counteract Punk&#8217;s rise by having wrestlers cut negative promos for Punk, but the fans were having none of it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The office was put in a position where they could either push Punk as the babyface the audience wanted or continue on the path that not one person supported. They opted for the former.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Daniel Bryan \u2013 2012<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/zF_kEtYlfBc?si=bEBjbNq8MmBC7iDV\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Ah yes that <em><strong>WrestleMania 28 <\/strong><\/em>match that changed the landscape of WWE. Bryan was heading into the <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">match<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> as the heel, and doing a great job of it before Sheamus went over in seconds. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The intent of WWE seemed to be to squash Bryan for the betterment of Sheamus. Fans would be so <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">elated<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> that Bryan was vanquished that they would forget all about the man. This was not what happened.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The support for Bryan was overwhelming. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The fans were massively in the corner of the man <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> the office had no interest in pushing <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">any<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> further.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> The fans loved Bryan\u2019s style and passion for wrestling and <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">they<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> voiced that opinion. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">That voice became louder and louder until the office was given no choice but to take the heel <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Bryan<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and make him one of the best babyfaces of the past few decades.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Seth Rollins \u2013 2019<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Rs5ilSH5q-M?si=FVgeu0e0we-kpTQ2\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Seth Rollins<\/strong> is a great example of how a title run if booked poorly, can have the fans turn on a champion. 2019 should have been his year. Rollins went over <strong>Brock Lesnar<\/strong> twice and etched his place into WWE lore. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It should have been a defining moment for Rollins and made him an ultra-baby face.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">When Lesnar was done, he entered into a program with The Fiend that was <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">all sorts of<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> not good.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> The matches were long slogs and had an atmosphere that impressed no one. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It was a feud that turned the fans against Rollins, and he was soon met with a chorus of hate. It was not expected for the man that slayed The Beast, but it was saved when WWE turned the <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">man<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> heel, and we were given the Visionary.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Rusev \u2013 2017\/2018<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/yT6cJJRcBfk?si=hkUMzCy-lRiklGfd\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><strong>Rusev<\/strong> came into WWE as the heel that the company loved to push. He was a foreign monster that matched <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">up<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> well against all the heroes that WWE had in its halls. The fans bought his heel persona, and he spent his first few years as a serviceable heel, but then the winds of change blew his way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Following a victory, over Randy Orton, Rusev had a celebration where he proclaimed that that day was Rusev Day. It was a heel move <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">that was<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> intended to have him get even louder jeers, but the fans loved it. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Soon the chats of Rusev Day filled every arena that the Bulgarian Brute <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">walked into<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. It was <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">such an organic thing<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> that WWE didn\u2019t know what to do. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">They kept him as a heel for a while, but the chants became too loud. He was soon playing the babyface role and Rusev Day became a phenomenon.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">More From LWOS Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Header photo \u2013 WWE \u2013 Stay tuned to the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Last Word on Pro Wrestling<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> for more on this and other stories from around the world of wrestling, as they develop. You can always count on LWOPW to be on top of the major news in the wrestling world, as well as to provide you with analysis, previews, videos, interviews, and editorials on the wrestling world. You can check out an <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">almost<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> unlimited array of WWE content on the\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/watch.wwe.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">WWE Network<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> and\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.peacocktv.com\/watch\/home\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Peacock<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The WWE Universe and professional wrestling fans, in general, can sometimes be fickle. Organizations put time and money into cultivating great storylines and characters for the world, only for those things to constantly change. The only thing that is guaranteed in wrestling is that change is going to keep happening. Wrestlers will switch allegiances and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4518,"featured_media":126563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2192,4,3],"tags":[1432,1634,140,56,245,6638,58,1734,202,76,550],"class_list":["post-126554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-wrestling","category-wwe","category-wwe-universe","tag-batista","tag-bryan-danielson","tag-cm-punk","tag-daniel-bryan","tag-kurt-angle","tag-miro","tag-randy-orton","tag-rob-van-dam","tag-rusev","tag-seth-rollins","tag-the-rock"],"modified_by":"Michael Joseph Sugue, Manager","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4518"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=126554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/126563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/prowrestling\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}