Trish Stratus & 7 Other Legends Who Returned To WWE And Turned Heel

Whenever a wrestling legend returns to WWE the company typically places them into a babyface role because the natural reaction from fans is for them to cheer. Seeing someone that they respect making their way back or another run is a situation fans appreciate seeing and WWE capitalizes on the nostalgia aspect.

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However, there are opportunities for great storylines with these returning legends by having them turn heel. It doesn't happen often, but occasionally WWE will switch things up after a legend has returned to the business and those heel turns can end up being very surprising and enjoyable in the long run.

8 Trish Stratus

Trish Stratus is a recent example of a legend turning heel after returning to the business, despite having a brief run as a babyface first. Stratus coming back to team with Lita and Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 39 was a great babyface moment and fans loved seeing her back.

However, she has since decided to turn on Lynch by attacking her from behind. It shook things up for her character and has opened up some big dream match scenarios for WWE to tap into moving forward.

7 Edge

When Edge shocked the world by returning to wrestling following retirement it was obvious that he was always going to be beloved. He got a massive pop and that continued in his subsequent storylines where the Rated-R Superstar remained one of the most popular members of the roster.

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However, that changed when he attacked AJ Styles and turned heel while creating The Judgment Day faction as well. Ultimately that didn't work out and he was replaced by Finn Balor, but it was a quick experiment to put him back as a heel.

6 Batista

When Batista returned and won the 2014 Royal Rumble match the idea was certainly for him to be a top babyface as WWE presumed fans would love seeing the Animal back. He had a legendary run, but at that time it was Daniel Bryan who everybody cared about the most.

That truly forced WWE's hand because the audience simply didn't want to see Batista in the spot he was being given. It led to WWE turning him heel to go along with the storyline, and in the end that run was more successful once that happened.

5 Brock Lesnar

When Brock Lesnar first made his return to WWE he was already seen in a legendary manner simply due to how long he had been gone, what he achieved in his original spell, and what he did during his break. He received a hero's welcome when he first returned, but that led to an immediate heel turn.

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After showing a brief second of respect to John Cena, he pulled him in for an F5 and left Cena laying. It was a big moment for Lesnar, kickstarting an incredible spell for him as a talent.

4 Mickie James

When Mickie James first started working for WWE again she was pushed as a veteran who people respected by having a fantastic match against Asuka during her time in NXT. However, when James reappeared in WWE it was on the main roster, and this time it was as a heel.

She popped up as a masked wrestler during a steel cage match between Alexa Bliss and Becky Lynch to help Bliss retain her SmackDown Women's Championship. It led to James turning heel in the process, with this being both an enjoyable return but an immediate heel turn in the same moment.

3 Chris Jericho

Chris Jericho has never had a problem mixing between being a babyface and a heel, and that was clear throughout his entire run with WWE. While he still competes to this day, albeit for AEW, Jericho has been seen as a legend for a long time now.

That was the case when he returned to WWE in 2016, initially to a huge pop in the Royal Rumble match. However, it didn't take long for him to turn heel after his brief friendship with AJ Styles was brought to an end as Jericho attacked him and created a storyline instead.

2 Roddy Piper

Roddy Piper was always a legendary heel, but when he returned as a legend in 2003 it would have been easy for WWE to simply tap into his nostalgia for a babyface run. However, that wasn't the plan and instead, he attacked Hulk Hogan at WrestleMania 19, instantly turning heel again.

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It was a role that suited him as Piper is naturally gifted at riling up the fans with his promos, and that is what he was able to do throughout that period.

1 Kevin Nash

Kevin Nash's return to WWE in 2011 was a shocking one as nobody was speculating that it was going to happen. He instantly injected himself in the main event scene as he attacked CM Punk, and while he initially claimed that was under orders from Triple H, that turned out to not be true.

Not only was Nash acting like a heel against Punk, but he also turned heel on his own friend and Kliq member. That is what led to him and Triple H having a match against each other, with Nash pushing