WWE Reportedly Planning More Babyface And Heel Turns

WWE recently proved with Brock Lesnar that a babyface turn can do wonders for a wrestler’s career, and now, even more seismic character shifts could be on the way.

According to a report from WrestlingNews.co, WWE is planning on moving additional superstars to the dark side—or vice versa: “WrestlingNews.co was told that fans should expect more turns for several stars in the coming weeks as Vince McMahon feels that some of the talent is being miscast right now.”

During Lesnar’s lengthy feud with Roman Reigns, “The Beast” transformed from a classic, quiet villain to a jovial, happy-go-lucky fan favorite. That turn was more successful than just about anyone could have predicted, as the new babyface version of Lesnar was a hit with fans and headlined a record-setting WrestleMania 38, one that shattered revenue, attendance and social media records.

Lesnar’s face turn freshened him up in a way that was badly needed, but he isn’t the only marquee star who has recently changed roles. So did his long-time nemesis Reigns in 2020, and Reigns has been on the best run of his career since then. Similarly, WWE is getting the most out of the well-paid Edge, who has moved from a beloved babyface legend to his more natural heel role during his feud with AJ Styles, who also recently cemented himself as a babyface. Just this past week on SmackDown, WWE also seemed to move forward with a heel turn for Xia Li, who was gotten lost in the shuffle during her brief run on the blue brand and seems to be already transitioning to an antagonistic role.

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There are a number of other key stars who’ve also dramatically altered their character over the past year, including Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton and Becky Lynch. Ironically enough, one could argue that Lynch—despite being a great villain—is one of the stars who is “being miscast right now.” Even though Lynch is putting in some great work as a heel, she’s still so beloved that she could easily pull off a face turn and no one would flinch.

The same is true of Lynch’s real-life husband Seth Rollins. Fans saw the way that Reigns’ heel turn transformed him into a “needle mover”—at least according to his WWE catchphrase—and as Rollins has developed into one of the hottest performers in WWE, he could benefit similarly from a babyface turn. After all, the positive crowd reactions Rollins has been getting in recent months—combined with his elite performances in the ring and on the microphone—suggest that he’s in line for a babyface turn soon, perhaps after his feud with Cody Rhodes.

With McMahon reportedly believing a number of stars are miscast in their current roles, speculation about who those stars are will undoubtedly run rampant. A quick scan of the WWE roster, however, makes it clear which names stand out as stars who could (or perhaps should) be moving to the other side of the fence. One blatantly obvious one is Ronda Rousey, who isn’t gaining any traction as a faux fan favorite and continues to struggle to gain the affections or interest of fans.

While the majority of WWE’s current main roster stars are well-positioned in their current spots, the majority of its high-profile stars—like Orton or Sasha Banks, for example—have proven to be more than capable of working in a face or heel role and quickly and seamlessly transitioning to those roles. Likewise, we have seen stars who seemed to fit one role so well—like Chad Gable as a babyface—excel after unexpectedly moving to the other side of the fence.

After seeing the success that major names like Reigns and Lesnar have had in roles that, comparatively speaking, they haven’t spent much time in, WWE would be wise to toy with the idea of turning some superstars who have gotten all they can out of their current role.