Cheering for the heel isn't something new in pro wrestling. It’s common for fans to find some heels so amazingly cool that they can’t help rooting them on. The Freebirds, the nWo, The Inner Circle, and more groups just get fans cheering them on in a “we love to hate them” way. Too often, promoters mistake that for fans wanting to see these folks as babyfaces which don’t always work. Yet it’s amazing when a supposedly perfect heel becomes a fantastic face.
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The best ones are guys who barely alter their act, doing things just like they did as heels yet getting cheered for it. While some did have later heel turns, they still made terrific babyfaces as well to show their fantastic charisma as performers. While there are scores of examples, these are 10 of the biggest cases where a heel was so awesome that they became a spectacular babyface to keep fans cheering.
10 John Cena
Fans have long wished WWE would try John Cena as a heel again as he was effective at it early in his career. While he entered WWE in 2002 as a face, Cena was pretty bland. Then he hit upon the rapper gimmick that gave him a new attitude, leading to him as a heel clashing with Brock Lesnar and the Undertaker.
But Cena’s act won fans over, with laughter more than boos at his lyrics and crowds cheering him on. He finally made a full turn to become U.S. Champion and launch his incredible career. As much as some want Cena to go heel, the constant cheers are a reminder of how popular he is with fans.
9 Eddie Guerrero
While he could be a face now and then, Eddie Guerrero spent most of his time in AAA and WCW as a scuzzy heel. He kept that up in WWE until he was let go over personal issues in 2001. When Eddie returned, he kept up as a heel, including the “lie, cheat, steal” persona.
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Instead, fans loved it, so WWE had him become a babyface. This led to Eddie winning the WWE Title and keeping up as a beloved figure. He would turn heel turn for his feud with Rey Mysterio, yet Eddie seemed ready to go back to being a face before his untimely death. Guerrero pulled off the greatest cheat of all by stealing the hearts of fans as a bad guy.
8 The Road Warriors
When the Road Warriors burst on the scene in 1983, nothing like them had been seen before. It wasn’t just the leather outfits, spikes, or face paint. There was also their ferocity, tearing through opponents with ease and enjoying it.
While booked as heels in the AWA, the cheers became louder and louder until they just melded into faces. Tellingly, when they tried to become heels again in 1988, not even attacking Sting worked as fans just loved cheering The Road Warriors' sheer awesomeness.
7 Razor Ramon
The famous story is that when Scott Hall cooked up Razor Ramon, Vince McMahon had never seen Scarface so he assumed Hall invented the whole thing. Razor was a great heel with his arrogance, the accent, and beating down guys, yet fans gravitated to how cool the character was. By early 1993, WWE couldn’t prevent Ramon from becoming a face and his popularity grew when he won the Intercontinental Title.
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He’d hold the belt multiple times as one of the biggest stars of his time. Even when he was the heel in WCW, Ramon still had his cheers as Razor’s image made “The Bad Guy” one of the New Generations’ biggest heroes.
6 Shawn Michaels
It’s funny to see Shawn Michaels as a bright and happy babyface with The Rockers. He pulled off one of the greatest heel turns ever, attacking partner Marty Jannetty to embark on a great heel run. Michaels was spectacular working the arrogant jerk persona, but he backed it up with brilliant matches against Razor Ramon and others.
The cheers became louder, so when WWE pulled the trigger on a turn, HBK was soon the most popular guy in the company. He was actually better as an arrogant wrestler than a smiling babyface, but it's notable how his 2002 comeback made him better than ever as a hero.
5 The Undertaker
If anyone seemed impossible to be a babyface, The Undertaker was it. Why would anyone cheer for this undead zombie in funeral clothes who talked in a spooky and scary voice? Yet when Undertaker pinned Hulk Hogan for the WWE Title at the 1991 Survivor Series, the cheers were audible.
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He kept it up, and WWE soon turned him face even as they kept his mysterious aura intact. The Undertaker spent years cheered whether as the “Dead Man” or “American Badass" and the huge respect for him from other wrestlers is a testimony to how well The Undertaker made this fantastic act work.
4 Randy Savage
"Macho Man" Randy Savage was one of those guys who had his act figured out from the start. He already had the skills and a fantastic aura in the ring and added to it with the robes, the promos, and the “Macho Man” label. His act with Elizabeth as his manager was brilliant, with Savage getting a long run as Intercontinental Champion.
Even when he’d brutalize Ricky Steamboat, Savage would be respected by fans with cheers. WWE finally had him turn face against Honky Tonk Man and then win the WWE Title. His “Macho King” heel turn was great, but Savage went back to being a face soon as one "Macho" star.
3 Hulk Hogan
It’s hard to remember, but Hulk Hogan did start as a monster heel when he began his career. That included facing Andre the Giant and in the AWA. Yet Hogan’s charisma was so astounding that keeping him the bad guy didn’t work. They tested it by having a “scheduling conflict,” putting him against other heels and the fans backed Hogan.
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That led to his rise challenging for the AWA World Title. Hogan then went to the WWE and the rest is history. Sure, his later heel turn with the nWo is notable, but it’s astounding how Hogan went from a generic figure to the patron saint of fan favorites.
2 The Rock
If ever an injury was the break of a lifetime, Dwayne Johnson was it. The fans loathed classic babyface Rocky Maivia, complete with horrible chants and it looked like the end of his career. When he had to take time off for an injured leg, Johnson returned with a new moveset and a different attitude.
Slowly, the arrogant Rock took over with his wild promos boasting of his greatness. Yet the fans slowly gravitated to it, chanting along with his catchphrases, and by early 1999, WWE had to turn him face. While he’s had a heel run here and there since then, The Rock’s Hollywood fame proves fans just can’t hate him that much.
1 Steve Austin
In his commentary days, Vince McMahon summed it up best: “the more Steve Austin cheats, the more they cheer him, don’t ask me why!” Austin was a brilliantly arrogant heel from the start of his career who got fans riled up with his ego, but he backed it up in the ring.
He started in WWE as “The Ringmaster” and then “Stone Cold” yet the fans cheered him on despite brutal attacks on others. The double turn with Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13 was masterful as Austin kept on beating up guys, but this time fans cheered on a man who would have been a classic heel in another time period.
