Most Understandable Heel Turns

[Yo-Yo's Roomie]

Even though it turned out he was a complete psychotic, I can understand why Backlund turned heel on Bret after their match. Bret wasn't being very gracious about winning that match.

[JaymeFuture]

Sting's in the Fall/Autumn of 1999 is classic for this thread, a heel turn so understandable almost every fan was on his side - the fact that Hulk Hogan had plunger-raped WCW for three years, bringing turmoil and doom like never before as he plays the ultimate traitor, chickenshit coward, bullshitter and cheap shot artist, puts a new shirt on and the announcers and Scheme Gene act like the name of the Virgin Mary has been tarnished anytime somebody questions the Hulkster's integrity. A classic example of the changing times, that people weren't going to go along with shit like that just because they were told to - Sting only ever got half-hearted boos with this as the reason for his "turn", and he went back without anybody batting an eyelid.

[Laz]

Ditto in TNA when Hogan/Bischoff came in. Sting was distrustful of the two guys who tried to burn his house down and he was supposed to be the bad guy for it.

[thebrainfollower]

My only objection to that Jayme is it seemed like everyone cheered when Sting bashed Hogan. So it's almost NOT a heel turn, it's more of a crowd turning with Sting lol. "Yeah we hate this jerk too". Like Cornette against the Dudes in Philly but everywhere.

[flyonthewall2983]

Is the Beefcake turn against him in WCW justified in any way?

[thebrainfollower]

Not that I ever saw. Did Beefcake even give a logical explanation for it? That feud is something I have chose to forget.

[Infinit]

Didn't Kevin Sullivan just get into Brutus's head?? Reason enough to turn lol

[Grimmas]

Bret Hart in 1997. It's made even more understandable by the fact that he wasn't a heel at all anywhere else other than America. He completely subverted the trope of villainous foreigner, in what was probably one of the most meta angles in wrestling history. I would even argue that he didn't lose as many American fans as the company would have suggested. There were a few of them in the Wrestling With Shadows movie. And I for one didn't like Bret up until then anyway (brother's favorite wrestler, so obviously not one of mine). But I liked how loose he could get on the mic now that he could speak his mind, specifically with regard to how much better Canada (actually) is better than America.

 

It's also made obvious by the fact that the WWF kind of moved on without him during his absence in 1996. His return was much ballyhooed, but seemingly overwhelmed by Austin getting hot. And his (at first kayfabe, but then very real) frustration at Shawn Michaels is obviously justified in retrospect. And above all that, I like that before he left for WCW, he wasn't mincing words about how he felt about the sleazy direction the company was going in.

Yeah, Bret was screwed by Americans right and left, so said fuck them and only supported non Americans. Very understandable.

[C.S.]

The whole Muhammad Hassan angle proved once and for all that WWE is completely and utterly incapable of sophisticated, complex, grown-up television, and all of its blather about being a variety show with something for everyone is either complete bullshit or a giant delusion.

 

The Brutus turn eventually turned out to be a "long con" when it was it revealed that The Zodiac was Hogan's spy in the Dungeon of Doom. Convoluted rubbish that made no sense, of course, but there are worse explanations out there.

[thebrainfollower]

Oh yeah I remember that. The Muhammed Hassan angle was terrible and showed clearly that Vince was not going out of the 80's in his political or social presentation.

[flyonthewall2983]

 

Bret Hart in 1997. It's made even more understandable by the fact that he wasn't a heel at all anywhere else other than America. He completely subverted the trope of villainous foreigner, in what was probably one of the most meta angles in wrestling history. I would even argue that he didn't lose as many American fans as the company would have suggested. There were a few of them in the Wrestling With Shadows movie. And I for one didn't like Bret up until then anyway (brother's favorite wrestler, so obviously not one of mine). But I liked how loose he could get on the mic now that he could speak his mind, specifically with regard to how much better Canada (actually) is better than America.

 

It's also made obvious by the fact that the WWF kind of moved on without him during his absence in 1996. His return was much ballyhooed, but seemingly overwhelmed by Austin getting hot. And his (at first kayfabe, but then very real) frustration at Shawn Michaels is obviously justified in retrospect. And above all that, I like that before he left for WCW, he wasn't mincing words about how he felt about the sleazy direction the company was going in.

Yeah, Bret was screwed by Americans right and left, so said fuck them and only supported non Americans. Very understandable.

 

 

I guess Ohio and Nevada doesn't count.

[Bierschwale]

Anvil & Pillman were Stampeders and hence adopted Canadians.

[Memphis Mark]

Tommy Rich. When TR returned to Memphis after his first run in Georgia , the fans gave him the cold shoulder. The fans have either forgotten about Tommy or they resented him leaving for GCW . Anyway , Tommy turned heel during a TV match with Dundee.and attacked the Lawler who was at ringside with Lance. This is when Lawler was out with his broken leg. Tommy said the fans could all go to hell. The fans did disrespect Wlidfire and he was totally justified in his actions.

[CarpetCrawler]

It's basically inferred in the build-up that Heenan got in his ear about how Hogan never gave him a shot at the title. I always thought that was the germ of the feud.

 

Yeah. They teased for ages in late-86 the fact that Heenan was the only one to show up to Tunney's reinstatement hearing of Andre. Gorilla would prod him about it on Prime Time and Challenge constantly but Heenan was always very quiet about it. Then the trophy segment in 1987 happened, which only helped prove to Andre that what Heenan said was actually true. I always figured it was just their way of saying that during Andre's suspension Heenan somehow reached out to him.

[Judy Bagwell]

Is the Beefcake turn against him in WCW justified in any way

no logic of any description can redeem that turn, the only way I think this went down was that Ed went down on Terry and was promised a PPV main event for swallowing

The subsequent match set a new record for back rakes

[SomethingSavage]

 

Is the Beefcake turn against him in WCW justified in any way

no logic of any description can redeem that turn, the only way I think this went down was that Ed went down on Terry and was promised a PPV main event for swallowing

The subsequent match set a new record for back rakes

 

 

Christ. Really?

[thebrainfollower]

Ouch

 

I just think Hogan loved the whole friend turning angle and thought Beefcake, being the longest established and closest of his friends would have the most impact. In WWF this might have worked okayish but not in WCW where fans either didn't like Hogan, didn't care about Beefcake, or both.

[Judy Bagwell]

nobody knew or cared these guys were "life" long friends especially the WCW faithful. Leslie hadnt put on a good match since the parasailing accident and in 94 was bloated and horrible in ring

as a reveal it was on par with the gobbeldy gooker except the Gooker could have carried the bulkster to a better match

[C.S.]

The Beefcake turn might've been a big deal for WWF fans. I actually thought it was cool as a kid...at first. The Three Faces of Fear stable with Sullivan, Beefcake, and Tenta wasn't half-bad either. The only miscalculation was thinking the match was big enough to main event Starrcade. Then again, Starrcade had become marginalized by then anyway. The yokels in Dubya See Dubya could never decide if they wanted it to be their WrestleMania. Half the time, it was an afterthought compared to Halloween Havoc, Bash at the Beach, etc.

[DMJ]

nobody knew or cared these guys were "life" long friends especially the WCW faithful. Leslie hadnt put on a good match since the parasailing accident and in 94 was bloated and horrible in ring

as a reveal it was on par with the gobbeldy gooker except the Gooker could have carried the bulkster to a better match

I'd agree that nobody cared, but it was pretty firmly established that they were best friends. In the months prior, Beefcake and Jimmy Hart were at Hogan's side for pretty much ever appearance he did in WCW (including the Mystery Man gimmick/Tonya Harding angle that led to Beefcake's heel turn). There's also the fact that they teamed up in SummerSlam 89's main event. So, yeah, I'm totally with you that this feud didn't raise anyone's interest, but on paper, you have the most popular, money-making star in the world getting turned on by a guy who had spent the better part of the previous decade serving as his right-hand man and most trusted sidekick. As far as I know, Beefcake hadn't been a heel for even longer. On paper, it should've done gangbusters...but, by that point, as you pointed out, Beefcake had zero credibility, Hogan's act was stale, and fans had already seen this sort of angle with not only Andre and Savage but also Tugboat and, to a much lesser degree, Sid (who came in as a bit of a tweener but seemed to be a Hogan ally prior to the 92' Rumble).

[goc]

The Beefcake turn might've been a big deal for WWF fans. I actually thought it was cool as a kid...at first. The Three Faces of Fear stable with Sullivan, Beefcake, and Tenta wasn't half-bad either. The only miscalculation was thinking the match was big enough to main event Starrcade. Then again, Starrcade had become marginalized by then anyway. The yokels in Dubya See Dubya could never decide if they wanted it to be their WrestleMania. Half the time, it was an afterthought compared to Halloween Havoc, Bash at the Beach, etc.

Bischoff has said he always saw Halloween Havoc as the biggest event of the year. The only time they ever really made Starrcade the biggest PPV of the year during the Bischoff era was 97.

[Ricky Jackson]

It was also the millionth time a friend had turned on Hogan, so that didn't make it feel very shocking or important

[flyonthewall2983]

Weren't the Rockers heels in Alabama or somewhere in the South for allegedly not wanting to be idols of their less-than-attractive female fanbase? Their words (allegedly), not mine.