Randy Orton has performed as a babyface since 2023. (Credit: Michael Marques/WWE via Getty Images)
WWE via Getty Images
WWE has executed some significant heel turns in 2025, including notable moves to the dark side for top talents like Paul Heyman, Bron Breakker and Becky Lynch.
Many of those moves have paid off well for WWE, too. Breakker is on the cusp of super stardom while Lynch is a top villain on Raw. Of course, Naomi, currently sidelined while pregnant, was able to reach new heights this year after an epic heel turn that catapulted her to a Money in the Bank win, an unforgettable cash-in and a Women’s World Championship reign.
Not every star WWE moves to the dark side will achieve similar levels of success, but there are numerous marquee names who badly need a gimmick overhaul right now. If that doesn’t come in the form of a complete change in character, it should come in the form of a move to the dark side.
Here are five top WWE stars who desperately need a heel turn in the months ahead.
Nikki Bella
As much name recognition as Nikki Bell has in and outside of WWE, she’s fighting an unwinnable battle as a babyface on Monday Night Raw.
After being away from WWE for the better part of a decade, Bella, a beloved performer but not an elite in-ring worker, returned to a WWE women’s division that is significantly better than the one she left behind in 2018. The caliber of in-ring work from the majority of the women’s division is incredibly high, particularly on Raw on the babyface side.
It’s going to be borderline impossible for Bella to surpass Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer, Rhea Ripley, Iyo Sky or even AJ Lee as a fan favorite on Monday nights. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Bella can’t be a valuable part of Raw’s roster for the long haul.
A much more natural villain, Bella is going to have to turn heel to succeed on Raw, unless by some miracle her sister Brie joins WWE and returns to in-ring action.
Sheamus
After losing to Rusev at WWE Clash in Paris, Sheamus once again disappeared from WWE TV as he tends to do.
But WWE clearly still has long-term plans for “The Celtic Warrior,” who recently re-signed with WWE on a five-year deal and remains one of the company’s best in-ring performers. Known for putting on “banger after banger,” Sheamus is currently a popular fan favorite, but like other legends in a similar spot on the card, he has limited room for upward mobility as a babyface.
As a heel, however, Sheamus would have a fresh crop of potential opponents, whether on Raw or SmackDown. Some names who come to mind are Jey Uso, LA Knight and Penta on the red brand alone. While Sheamus’ days as a world championship contender are likely behind him, there is still space for him to have a consistent spot on the card.
Sheamus can work the microphone and is one of WWE’s most reliable in-ring performers, making him the ideal candidate to excel as an upper midcard villain.
LA Knight
LA Knight and Jey Uso have spent the better part of the past couple of months beefing on Raw, despite being two of WWE’s most likable stars.
Fellow babyfaces failing to get along is nothing new, but there comes a time when WWE needs to do something substantial with Uso and Knight. Or else, what’s the point? Having these beloved fan favorites at odds with one another only to avoid any sort of real payoff whatsoever does nothing for all the stars involved.
With the Usos tag team reuniting and Jey remaining arguably Raw’s most popular star, it’s highly unlikely that Jey would turn heel. Knight, however, has done just about everything he can as a babyface during this run, minus winning a world title. After repeated failures in his attempts to win championship gold, Knight is the ideal candidate to turn heel as his frustration reaches a boiling point.
With Jey still incredibly over with the crowd too, WWE has an easy route to take, with Knight turning on Jey to cement the move, especially after Jey defeated Knight in controversial fashion on last week’s Raw.
Randy Orton
Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre reportedly pitched a match finish at WWE WrestlePalooza in which Randy Orton would have inadvertently cost Rhodes the WWE title.
That surely would have been infinitely more interesting than what actually happened at WrestlePalooza, but instead, Orton returned on SmackDown last week and sided with Rhodes against The Vision. Rhodes and Orton have been loose allies over the past couple of years, and during that time frame, Orton has teased two things: wanting to win the WWE title and doing whatever it takes to make that happen.
Indeed, what that might take is a heel turn of epic proportions, with Orton betraying his friend after losing to Rhodes at Night of Champions earlier in 2025 and consistently being unable to put himself in position to win the WWE title. It’s been roughly two years since Orton began teasing a turn on Rhodes. Now, it’s time to go all in.
With Rhodes holding the WWE title and loosely partnered with Orton again, the stage is set for the Orton turn to happen. If it doesn’t, then WWE will have missed a massive opportunity to create a compelling angle on SmackDown for the brand’s most prestigious prize.
Bayley
Bayley has spent the past several weeks doing a Jekyll and Hyde cosplay in a storyline with Lyra Valkria, hinting that the voices in her head are telling her one thing one day and something entirely different the next.
Yet, Bayley remains a babyface, with no official betrayal of Valkyria happening as of yet. One would assume, however, that this is the ultimate destination for Bayley’s character arc. After winning the 2024 Royal Rumble and capturing world championship gold at WrestleMania 40, Bayley sort of fizzled out as a fan favorite, even getting replaced by Becky Lynch at WrestleMania 41 in her tag team match alongside Valkyria.
That was a storyline device utilized to cement Lynch’s heel turn, but for the better part of six months, Bayley has been somewhat of the afterthought in this story. That should change very soon. After a very successful run as a heel and an up-and-down one as a babyface, Bayley badly needs a chance of character.
That character change has already begun, and WWE needs to commit to it with a full-blown heel turn as soon as possible.