Babyface you thought couldn't be a great heel but then was

[dirkburton]

I saw someone on a forum saying Ricky Steamboat could have never been a great heel, but he was never given the chance. The same thing was said about Rick Martel for years, and then he proved everyone wrong with The Model. Who are some other white meat babyfaces you never thought could pull off being a great heel but ended up being such a great heel, it's weird to go back and watch their babyface matches now because it's such a departure. Martel and Shawn Michaels are two that instantly come to mind for me. Dustin Rhodes to Goldust is another good one.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Being a babyface is significantly more difficult than being a heel - so honestly, it makes complete sense to me that any great babyface would be a great heel. Being a babyface is just so much harder work, especially with the shifting tides of fan opinion.

The same reason it's never that surprising to find out a great comedy actor can do drama, especially super dark drama.

[salz4life]

Honestly, Bayley.... I thought they/she had done such a good job making her so damn likable that no one would want to boo her. I was wrong and she has done really well at the heel thing. I still wish we could've seen how a heel Ricky Steamboat would've been like.

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

Apr 26, 2023 9:58:36 GMT -5 salz4life said:

Honestly, Bayley.... I thought they/she had done such a good job making her so damn likable that no one would want to boo her. I was wrong and she has done really well at the heel thing. I still wish we could've seen how a heel Ricky Steamboat would've been like.

I think we got a taste of it when he snapped and started beating the hell out of Luger with a chair in ‘89. I don’t know how his promos would have been, but in regards to actions, I think he would have been a good one.

[celtics543]

Honestly, I didn't think Hogan could be the best heel of all time after his babyface run.

And I'd throw in babyface announcer Vince McMahon becoming the biggest heel of the Attitude era.

[ace]

It only lasted a few months before he got himself into trouble, again…but heel Jeff Hardy was so much more entertaining to me than babyface Jeff Hardy has ever been

[Instant Classic]

Jeff Hardy in TNA, even though it didn’t last long.

[Magic knows Black Lives Matter]

For me, Bayley. She was a very specific kind of face that I thought any heel turn would come off as forced. Now, I think her heel work is leaps and bounds above anything she did as a face.

[Citizen Snips Has Left]

Apr 26, 2023 9:38:12 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Being a babyface is significantly more difficult than being a heel - so honestly, it makes complete sense to me that any great babyface would be a great heel. Being a babyface is just so much harder work, especially with the shifting tides of fan opinion.

The same reason it's never that surprising to find out a great comedy actor can do drama, especially super dark drama.

I think Sting is one of the very few guys who was a tremendous babyface but his brief heel turns were usually lousy.

[tafkaga]

Davey Boy Smith

[Wieners=$$$]

I remember Steamboat wrestling Tiger Mask II(Misawa) in Japan, and receiving some boos from the crowd. I don't remember if he changed his style for the match to play up to the crowd's reaction. I feel like it was a pretty straight forward fight. I think I'm going to rewatch this match.

[IgnahtaSempria]

I've said this in previous threads, but it's always surprised me that white meat babyface Tyler Black became such a slimy heel as Seth Rollins, while violent psycho Jon Moxley somehow became the hottest face around.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

Apr 26, 2023 11:36:11 GMT -5 Citizen Snips Has Left said:

Apr 26, 2023 9:38:12 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

Being a babyface is significantly more difficult than being a heel - so honestly, it makes complete sense to me that any great babyface would be a great heel. Being a babyface is just so much harder work, especially with the shifting tides of fan opinion.

The same reason it's never that surprising to find out a great comedy actor can do drama, especially super dark drama.

I think Sting is one of the very few guys who was a tremendous babyface but his brief heel turns were usually lousy.

There was the germ of good ideas in some of them, but they never leaned into it enough and made people want to boo him

[ChitownKnight]

I remember people being all wtf about Sami’s heel turn in 2017 and it ended up being the best thing for him

[Aceorton]

During the Flyin' Brian years, I had no idea that Brian Pillman could pull off being such a great dirtbag heel.

[Ozman]

My pick is Bob Backlund. I never thought that this goofy, plain ass babyface would be one of the most entertaining heels of the New Generation.

[dangerousdanpotato]

Apr 26, 2023 14:11:29 GMT -5 Aceorton said:

During the Flyin' Brian years, I had no idea that Brian Pillman could pull off being such a great dirtbag heel.

This was the first heel turn that I experienced. I was SHOCKED. I couldn't believe one of the good wrestlers went bad. Especially a nice, clean-cut guy like Flyin' Brian.

[dangerousdanpotato]

Dominik Mysterio

Jericho from blah WCW cruiserweight to conspiracy theorist, Dean Malenko-baiting heel.

[saneiac]

Trish Stratus. She started out as a heel managing Test and Albert, but there was nothing especially heelish (or interesting) about her. Then she grew into a good wrestler with a bubbly likable personality that seemed genuinely her. When she turned heel on Jericho, I thought it would go horribly, but she changed up everything about herself. She smiled different. She walked different. She spoke different. It ended up being brilliant.

[Tiger Millionaire]

Scottie Steiner