5 WWE Ruthless Aggression Era Heel Turns That Worked (& 5 That Failed)
In the Ruthless Aggression Era, WWE had a stacked roster from top to bottom, with a great variety of wrestlers who offered something different to the table. With so many roster members, the era also featured its fair share of faces that turned heel.
RELATED: 5 Heel Turns In 2021 That Worked (& 5 That Didn't)
A heel turn can save a wrestler's career and that's been proven multiple times. However, some villainous turns can also prove deteriorating, as a heel turn can fail due to multiple reasons.
10 Worked: JBL
Throughout his WWE career, JBL went through a lot of ups and downs in order to reach the mountain top. During his initial run as Bradshaw, JBL was mostly featured as an undercard tag team wrestler. But in 2004, things changed for the better.
As his tag team partner Faarooq left WWE, JBL was left to be a singles wrestler again. Knowing SmackDown lacked a lot of top heels in 2004, WWE repackaged Bradshaw as JBL, an arrogant rich Texan that had a lot of controversial social and political views. The heel turn proved effective, as JBL had a long run as WWE Champion and became one of the top heels in the company.
9 Failed: Kerwin White
In 2005, Chavo Guerrero underwent a losing streak on television. After being attacked by The Mexicools, Chavo denounced his Hispanic heritage and underwent a full gimmick change, becoming Kerwin White in the process.
RELATED: 10 Things Wrestling Fans Should Know About Chavo Guerrero's Career
Kerwin White consisted of a middle class white man who expressed extremely racist views. It was an extremely risky gimmick that fans struggled to take seriously. The gimmick was dropped after Eddie Guerrero's unfortunate death in November 2005.
8 Worked: Kane
When Kane made his debut in 1997, he made an immediate impact as a monster who held no mercy towards his opponents. But as time went by, Kane's character slowly changed, as he embraced a more human side and even had a couple of fun and comedic moments.
In 2003, Kane was no longer viewed as an unstoppable monster. However, after losing a match against Triple H, he was forced to unmask, and fans saw a brand new side of Kane. A lot of fans dispute against Kane losing his mask, but it undoubtedly made him the monster he used to be in the first months of his WWE career. Character progression is never a bad thing, and Kane's character needed a fresh start.
7 Failed: Eugene
Eugene is one of the most controversial characters in WWE history, but he was undoubtedly over as a babyface during his time. His initial momentum was halted because of a knee injury, but fans still embraced Eugene as a babyface they would cheer for.
In 2006, Eugene formed a tag team with Hacksaw Jim Duggan. They had an extremely short lived run, and after losing a match against The Spirit Squad, Eugene turned on Duggan and became a heel for the first time in his career. This heel turn was incredibly forgettable, as Eugene's heel run was scrapped just a few weeks later.
6 Worked: Booker T
In the Ruthless Aggression Era, Booker T was mostly a face, who would float around the midcard but also be involved in some top storylines. In 2005, Booker T's wife Sharmell became involved on WWE television and paved the way for Booker T to become a heel again.
Booker T became the 2006 King of the Ring by defeating Bobby Lashley and became King Booker. Booker adapted to this gimmick really well, and he became one of the best King of the Ring winners in history. Booker also got his first chance to be the World Heavyweight Champion and his reign was extremely successful.
5 Failed: Big Show
In 2006, WWE decided to bring back ECW as its own separate show and fans couldn't wait to see how it would pan out. At ECW One Night Stand 2006, RVD became the WWE and ECW Champion, but due to outside the ring reasons, this title reign had to end.
Big Show defeated RVD for the ECW Championship and turned heel in the process. This title win didn't have a positive reception, as fans almost started a riot and started throwing trash in the ring. Big Show's title reign killed any excitement for the ECW brand and it didn't help Big Show in any way.
4 Worked: Triple H
When Shawn Michaels made his WWE return in 2002, Triple H wanted to make amends with his former friend. As the two were in the ring going through the usual D-Generation X promo routine, Triple H shockingly turned on Michaels and hit him with a Pedigree, turning heel in the process.
A week later, Triple H ran Shawn's head through a car window and Shawn had no choice but to challenge Triple H to a match at SummerSlam 2002. The two had a classic for the ages and while Triple H lost, he walked out of the match with even more heat, by attacking Shawn with his sledgehammer. This heel turn led to Triple H becoming one of the top heels of the Ruthless Aggression Era and also led to the formation of Evolution, which made stars out of Randy Orton and Batista.
3 Failed: Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy is a wrestler that has established himself as one of the most beloved figures in WWE history. However, he was actually once a heel on WWE television, but it was extremely short-lived and forgettable.
RELATED: 10 Harsh Realities Fans Of Jeff Hardy Need To Realize
In 2003, Jeff Hardy was reaching the end of his first WWE run, as he was dealing with some drug issues and burn out. He turned heel by attacking Rob Van Dam and Shawn Michaels, but turned face just one month later. A Jeff Hardy heel turn could've been successful, but it happened at the wrong time.
2 Worked: Edge
When Edge made his return from a long neck injury in 2004, he immediately became one of the top babyfaces on Raw. However, Edge still wasn't being featured as a certified main eventer, but things started to change when he turned heel in late 2004.
At WrestleMania 21, Edge became the first ever Money In The Bank holder. A few months later, Edge was paired with Lita and with fans realizing Lita had cheated on Matt Hardy with Edge in real life, the pair gained nuclear heat. Edge ended up cashing in his briefcase to win the WWE Championship and became entangled in a long feud with John Cena throughout 2006. Edge became so detestable, and his heel turn made him a main event player in WWE.
1 Failed: Shelton Benjamin
When Shelton Benjamin went on a long losing streak in late 2005, he began appearing in segments with his kayfabe mom, in which Shelton's mom would verbally berate him and accompany him to the ring in order to start winning matches again.
This change of character did feature some hilarious segments, but it wasn't the best way to utilize Shelton's talents. He did enjoy some success during this run with his momma, but Shelton was much better as a babyface.
