I would say that Batista turning babyface was one of the greatest and most perfectly executed ever, the constant teasing, the slow build combined with the epic storytelling which led to the eventual turn paid off beautifully. It's another great example of a situation happening naturally and organically in terms of how to create the next big new star for the wrestling business
There's a 4 part video of the fued mostly an hour long by SmarkDown I believe. No filler strictly their entire fued it's great check it out whenever you can
I saw it coming and it felt so natural how it happened, I knew from when evolution started the Batista would be the one to cross paths with Triple H even after the Randy Orton fall out, the name "evolution" was the big clue
I agree its the best babyface turn of all time cause it had good build up. They showed him getting tired of Triple H's antics and slowly he was getting more popular.
People often talk about what a great guy DDP is these days. Considering how many were willing to give him a leg-up when they had the chance shows, that he was probably always a good guy. Forever a babyface.
I remember crying my eyes out when Savage and Elizabeth reunited. Such a heartfelt moment and Savage had just lost to the Warrior. The Batista face turn was so well done and built up slowly
I knew next to nothing about Svage and Elizabeth's career as a kid, barely anything and I still get teary eyed seeing that scene over and over again. It will never not be beautiful.
Bittersweet. The heartbreaking fact is at that time Randy and Elizabeth marriage already fell apart in reality, but kudos to them, they made audiences believe that in character, they reunited.
When Demolition got rid of Mr. Fuji and turned face, while at the same time the Powers of Pain turned heel was always one of my favorite double flips that seems to get lost in history.
@@andyandys5356 I remember the reason either Fuji or Jesse gave was that Demolition refused to follow their Manager's orders that night, and The Powers of Pain would listen to Fuji.
Virgil's face turn was off the chain. Some fans probably think I'm joking, but as a kid Virgil was over AF during his babyface turn. The pop after he clocked Ted DiBiase with the Million Dollar belt was huge. Btw, I love the mashup theme during The Undertaker segments.
I like how in the intro graphic you did for Austin’s face turn, the color slowly faded from Hitman’s frame as it filled Stone Cold’s, symbolizing the double turn. Great editing man
“Pillman’s got a gun” episode of Raw was what made me start cheering for Austin. Him beating up 2 goons outside of Brian’s house was unbelievable for the teenage me. I thought it was a shoot at the time 😂
Rock vs Hogan was a masterpiece, as well as a masterclass in how to read an audience and how to put your ego aside. That crowd was solidly behind Hogan, and both men understood exactly what needed to happen. As much as people wanted to see Austin vs Hogan, I don't think you'd get the same type of match as you got at Wrestlemania 18.
I can't believe you didn't even mention the Undertaker stalking Jake with his hand slammed shut inside the coffin, dragging it behind him. That was when his face turn was really solidified.
Mr. Perfect's face turn on Prime Time is one of my favorites too. I also like Andre The Giant's face turn at WrestleMania VI and Yokozuna's face turn on Raw. Good vid, WB. Hope you had a good break and looking forward to you coming back.
Yoko's I always remember for one of Vince's most weirdest lines ever on commentary in that segment, where he describes Cornette verbally raping Yokozuna.
The Perfect face turn on Prime time is one of my all-time favourites, for how in 20-25 minutes, Curt and Bobby managed to sell his turn despite how last minute it was because of Warrior leaving and Curt having been heel for years. Along with Savage, Flair and Scott all contributing to Perfect deciding to turn against Heenan and Flair to team up with Macho Man. It speaks volumes of Heenan’s talent, that all Heenan had to do was slap a guy and you were baying for his karma. Paul Heyman is probably the only other guy in the business today. Who can generate that sort of reaction from me like that. Heenan was one of those rare people in wrestling (Kurt Angle and Vince being other prominent names), that was fully prepared to make himself look foolish, take a beating, humiliation of any kind or be the butt of a joke (First Raw show alone shows how he would make the dumbest/simplest gag work). And right there, he takes the water poured all over him that never ceases to make me laugh and enjoy Heenan being owned once again.
Big Boss Man’s Face turn against the Million Dollar Man and Slick is way underrated. No build up, but somehow worked perfectly and made sense within the context of the angle between the Million Dollar Man and Jake the Snake.
I'm here at the Randy Savage entry and I started crying like a baby. I've never even seen that WrestleMania before and it hit me like a powerbomb right in the feels.
Here are some honorable mentions: 1. Sgt. Slaughter in 1984 which led to a lengthy feud with The Iron Sheik that culminated in a boot camp match. 2. Demolition in 1988 at Survivor Series which saw a double turn between Demolition and The Powers of Pain. 3. Virgil in 1991 at the Royal Rumble 4. Big Boss Man in 1990 on an episode of Superstars. 5. Andre the Giant in 1990 at Wrestlemania VI.
Jimmy Garvin joining his "brother" Ronnie was a good one to come to mind. Also the Micheal Cole forced turn after Jerry having a heart attack def made me look at him different
For Perfect's turn, it was ALL about subtext. From Hall and Flair insinuating that Perfect was healthy, but didn't have enough to beat either one, even at 100 percent, to Heenan being Heenan, the true golden weasel that he was, to Vince being, as Darryl Reaugh once put it, a fecal disturber. Probably the most perfect USA Network moment prior to the creation of Raw.
My town didnt get cable until 1993, so i dont remember this. I always watched superstars and sat night main event as a kid on the antenna. Great babyface turn!!
I am a big fan of Rowdy Roddy Piper's face turn in 1986. It started very subtly when he left the ring in Wrestlemania 2 and went away for several months. They did a masterful job of capitalizing on it when he returned.
Rowdy Roddy Piper turned face when he replaced Bobby Hennan on a podcast which The Brain hated and started mocking Piper wearing a kilts to wearing a skirt.. Hennan got Ravashing Rick Rude in involved which started a feud between the two..Piper cost Ravashing Rick Rude the Intercontinental title to The Ultimate Warrior..
Have to say my fav all time face turn by far is Nikita Koloff joining Dusty, the crowd pop was unreal as in the mid 80's 3/4 of the crowd if not more thought Koloff was from Russia!!
It can be difficult to play an antihero in pro wrestling, but SCSA is the perfect example, and one I like to show examples of in some of the university literature courses I teach.
The Randy Savage-Elizabeth reunion, along with the Hogan-Rock match, was and still is ICONIC. I remember when Hogan returned to the WWE, that audience chanted his name for a good five minutes before he was able to talk. NO ONE wanted to boo him. I have three honorable mentions from the Crockett era: - Jimmy Garvin rushing in to save his “brother” Ronnie from a fireball attack by Jim Cornette. - Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express being viciously attacked by Paul E Dangerously and the Original Midnight Express. This was a precursor to “invasions” that we’re used to seeing today. - Baby Doll getting slapped and abused by Tully Blanchard and being saved by Dusty Rhodes.
The Macho Man Randy Savage turning face after he had enough of the greatest Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man when Honky started saying that he's a better Intercontinental Champion than The Macho Man but when Honky won it Savage was in the locker room to congrulate him with the other heels.. it started a feud between the two stars.. The Honky Tonk Man and The Hart Foundation did a serious number on Savage as Honky hit him over the head with his guitar and pushed Elizabeth on the floor
Great vid as always! Austin's rise was just unstoppable. The second he dropped the Ringmaster gimmick and went on his own and was allowed to speak on the mic, along with the intensity of his wrestling, he was alwaya going to be the top guy and (in my view) the GOAT. That promo he did on ECW where he basically said how he was going to become the greatest is still mindblowing. He just knew.
Bret Hart v. Stone Cold is the best "double turn" in wrestling history... I still get chills when I watch the end of that match just as much as I did when I watched it live! As far as solo face turns go... I'll have to give it to Steve Austin. The WWF, though they did indeed, didn't *need* to try a face push... it happened organically, whether they liked it or not! Honorable mention DEFINITELY goes to Hollywood Hogan's WWE post-nWo face turn. Great list, Ryan. And Merry Christmas! Edit: WM 7.... I was 10 years old, and I still got goosebumps and shed a happy tear when Liz and Randy reunited!
Nice to see all the love the Perfect face turn is getting. This is definitely one of my favorites thanks to both Heenan and Perfect. I didn't get Prime Time where I lived so I only recently saw it in its entirety. I just saw a few clips that were shown on Superstars. 30 years later, I couldn't believe how well it was executed. And of course, not only was he turning face but he was returning to the ring for the first time in over a year.
So many of these are brilliant. Mr Perfect on Prime Time is so incredibly well done by everybody involved and of course the so-called double turn at Wrestlemania 13 is a masterpiece, although really that was the American fans who turned heel on Bret (he was still the babyface to me and the rest of the world, dammit!).
Heel turns are more fun, but damn, some of these face turns were pretty damn good. I think I must have gotten something in my eye during this video, while watching Miss Elizabeth come to Macho Man's aid.
I just started watching this video and right away, Batista's face turn was legendary! It wasn't rushed, everyone involved played their role perfectly and we got one helluva payoff.
The Mr perfect face turn was foreshadowed previous to royal rumble 92 because he signed a contract that said he could not compete...and it was because Bobby Heenan didn't want him to interfere with Ric Flair becoming WWF champion. i don't think it was specifically for the survivor series of that year but they were alluding to it for months.. for the story line warriors departure was a great way to try out that angle. great times!!
Andre turning face at WM6 in his last televised match was a big one for me. I also enjoyed Orndorff turning on Piper’s Pit after Mania 1. Virgil turning on DiBiase was big at the time. Macho turning the first time was also a big deal. Lastly, even tho it didn’t amount to anything, Sandow finally turning got a huge reaction.
I think Orndorff's subsequent heel turn on Hogan overshadowed this. Also, remember Orndorff was on the face side in the video for Land of 1,000 Dances.
I know the overall story was not executed well, but Shawn Michaels’s face turn in 1995 is something that has always stuck with me. I was only a 10 year-old kid when it happened, and seeing Big Daddy Cool and The Heartbreak Kid hug again, this time as good guys. after being rivals for several months made me really happy.
The weird thing about Savage's turn was that he "retired" as a wrestler to a great ovation and saluted the crowd as a baby face would but then when he first switched to commentary he took on the role as the heel commentator with Vince and Piper for a few months.
I know the double turn at WrestleMania 13 of Austin and Bret was iconic, but Steve Austin turned Babyface to me personally with his Royal Rumble performance. He came in at 5 and he was alone in the ring multiple times. Even though he cheated to win, the crowd popped when he won. And so did i.
The face turns of DDP, Batista, and Austin are my favorites. On the subject of Austin's face turn: While he never completely changed his character to get cheered, he did do a few small things to help interact with the crowd. The big one was the "Gimme a Hell Yeah!" call/response he started doing with the audience. The Rock would do similar little things as a babyface: Letting fans sing along with his catchphrases (the millions.... and millions, smell what The Rock is cookin'). He would even say "They are chanting his name," with the audience then chanting "ROCKY!"
Rock turning in 1999 was a big one considering his first face run failed his heel run was successful so it was quite the 2 year journey from one face run to the next
Always had a soft spot for DDP he was one of my fav WCW wrestlers as well as the 90s Fabulous Freebies lol remember watching them late at night on ITV (I think it was) during the early 90s. Good memories
An old NWA great was when Nikita Koloff turned face on a random house show, 5k ppl at best, at first everyone is confused when he comes out with Dusty, then the match starts and he helps Rhodes, for a small crowd that place goes absolutely ballistic. It's on CZcams.
I remember watching that Jake the snake, Macho man, Undertaker incident live thinking Jake is psychotic he is really gonna hit Liz he sold it so well! I was like thank you Undertaker!
DDP was by far one of my favorite turns. He was really introduced and ingratiated during his feud with Raven and the Flock a bit before the Team WCW storyline
I remember watching the show when Undertaker saved Miss Elizabeth/Macho Man from that chair shot. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The Undertaker as a face at that point in time was just unfathomable.
I was in the Toronto Skydome (as it was called then) for WrestleMania X8. I had brought a friend who wasn't really a wrestling fan but would watch it occasionally with me and agreed to come with me to the show. He was blown away by the crowd's reaction to Hulk Hogan. They were chanting "HO-GAN! HO-GAN!" so loudly that the entire Skydome was literally shaking and we could feel it in floor level seats (We had a really awesome full view of the ring 🙂). My friend took a quick look at the entire crowd, turned to me and just said "Wow." He was completely awestruck at the reaction. It was such an incredible turn to witness because the crowd literally made it happen. Much to the WWE's credit as well as all of the performers involved, the on the spot audible called to cement the face turn with Hall and Nash rushing in to chastise Hogan for shaking Rock's hand and then attacking him only for Rock to rescue him and then share the famous Hogan posedown was the absolute right call. Lita and Jazz had their match right after and boy did the entire crowd feel sorry for them for having to follow that up.
Before watching this video.. I REALLY hope that the Undertaker's original face turn is mentioned. When he stopped Jake from hitting Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair as she made her way backstage through the curtain, my mind literally melted. I couldn't believe that my favorite wrestler was about to be a GOOD GUY. It was such a big deal and I couldn't fall asleep that night.
Your videos are so damn amazing always they could easily be 90 minutes and I'd still be surprised it was over so fast! Insane how hooked in I get on your videos; it's almost like digging into the fanny pack!
GREAT video (as always) and I really liked the points you made about face turns being more of a long game. Having said that, I'll say this with absolutely no shame: I cried when the Macho / Elizabeth moment happened. I still get choked up even watching clips of it, but I cried pretty hard when it happened live.
The 2nd face turn by Paul Orndorff in 1987 was one I could never figure out. His 1986 heel turn against Hogan was classic and generated so much heat. Yet.. one year later he turned face, teamed up with Hulk at Survivor Series as if nothing had happened.
I think a face turn can be difficult because it is too easy to wonder if there is some nefarious motivation. Like with MJF recently flirted with face behavior, it is harder to trust.
Are YOU NOT on Vacation?? 😂😂😂 Thank You for these sets of Videos Brother, Brother!! They Distract me from my unfortunate Reality.. I Appreciate your Work!! Passion!!
I remember very well in late 1980’s when everyone started loving and cheering Ric Flair in the NWA as him and the other Horsemen were trying their best to go over as the biggest heels around
The segment with HBK talking to Naitch. I wish you had that segment with audio. 😭 Hell I'm crying now. 👶Dang now Macho and Miss Elizabeth got me going again. 😢
Just like DDP saying he pitch it to Nash and Nash was like, hit me with the cutter too, and DDP was like, I'm already hitting Scotty with it, Eric isn't going to let me hit you with it too.
This might not count but when Undertakers second face turn came when he came back as the American Badass in 2000. He was heel in late 98 to late 99, left because of injury then came back in 2000.
the hogan turn had another aspect that a lot of people seem to forget. the nwo story never had a good conclusion in wcw. the rock saying damn it the rock believed in him changed everything. the fallen hero vs the new icon. no screwy finish, no nwo run in, and a clean loss. story wise, hogan was humbled. when hogan first turned at bash at the beach, he talked about the fans turning on him, but the story of the match was that hogan's ego had been what really came between and only someone like the rock could over power it.
Dude, you're such a f*cking badass!! You've created THE best wrestling history channel in existence, anywhere!! This kind of passion + abilities to edit a killer video makes this channel un-f*cking-beatable!
You only talked about the first half of the Undertaker's turn. He didn't completely turn until the episode of The Funeral Parlor with Jake the Snake when Jake questioned him about it and then eventually slammed a casket shut on Undertaker's hand. Undertaker chased Jake while dragging the casket. Jake kept hitting him with the chair but Undertaker kept coming after him.
What about Greg The Hammer Valentine turning face after Jimmy Hart accidently cost him a match by hitting with the microphone.. Brutus Beefacake too after being kicked out of The Dream Team..
I would say that Batista turning babyface was one of the greatest and most perfectly executed ever, the constant teasing, the slow build combined with the epic storytelling which led to the eventual turn paid off beautifully. It's another great example of a situation happening naturally and organically in terms of how to create the next big new star for the wrestling business
There's a 4 part video of the fued mostly an hour long by SmarkDown I believe. No filler strictly their entire fued it's great check it out whenever you can
lolno
I saw it coming and it felt so natural how it happened, I knew from when evolution started the Batista would be the one to cross paths with Triple H even after the Randy Orton fall out, the name "evolution" was the big clue
@@malikevans2615 where? on this channel?
I agree its the best babyface turn of all time cause it had good build up. They showed him getting tired of Triple H's antics and slowly he was getting more popular.
People often talk about what a great guy DDP is these days. Considering how many were willing to give him a leg-up when they had the chance shows, that he was probably always a good guy.
Forever a babyface.
DDP's turn was one of the best turns ever! I'll never forget watching that live! It was a great moment that you can't replicate.
He should've been the guy to beat Goldberg for the belt and ended his streak.
@@andraethegiant1987 Maybe...never thought about it actually. I do think they should've handled it differently tho.
I remember crying my eyes out when Savage and Elizabeth reunited. Such a heartfelt moment and Savage had just lost to the Warrior.
The Batista face turn was so well done and built up slowly
I knew next to nothing about Svage and Elizabeth's career as a kid, barely anything and I still get teary eyed seeing that scene over and over again. It will never not be beautiful.
And Savage and Elizabeth got married at Summerslam 1991.
To quote Bobby Heenan, maybe your shoes were too tight
Bittersweet. The heartbreaking fact is at that time Randy and Elizabeth marriage already fell apart in reality, but kudos to them, they made audiences believe that in character, they reunited.
@@leadsin99er Yeah, tragic really, but they managed to create an all time moment nonetheless
Legit face turns from dastardly heels are some of the best moments in wrestling ever
Triple H 2002 was incredible
When Demolition got rid of Mr. Fuji and turned face, while at the same time the Powers of Pain turned heel was always one of my favorite double flips that seems to get lost in history.
Damn, I have to look into this
Did they give a reason why powers of pain sided with Fuji that night
I was at that Survivor Series.
@@andyandys5356 I remember the reason either Fuji or Jesse gave was that Demolition refused to follow their Manager's orders that night, and The Powers of Pain would listen to Fuji.
Funny thing is, if you watched it live you actually thought Fuji had turned face by getting beaten up by Demolition for no reason.
Virgil's face turn was off the chain. Some fans probably think I'm joking, but as a kid Virgil was over AF during his babyface turn. The pop after he clocked Ted DiBiase with the Million Dollar belt was huge.
Btw, I love the mashup theme during The Undertaker segments.
I like how in the intro graphic you did for Austin’s face turn, the color slowly faded from Hitman’s frame as it filled Stone Cold’s, symbolizing the double turn. Great editing man
“Pillman’s got a gun” episode of Raw was what made me start cheering for Austin. Him beating up 2 goons outside of Brian’s house was unbelievable for the teenage me. I thought it was a shoot at the time 😂
Randy Savage's face turn always get me emotional! And Batista's face turn, oh boy, i was just a teenager when it happened and it was the best!
Rock vs Hogan was a masterpiece, as well as a masterclass in how to read an audience and how to put your ego aside. That crowd was solidly behind Hogan, and both men understood exactly what needed to happen. As much as people wanted to see Austin vs Hogan, I don't think you'd get the same type of match as you got at Wrestlemania 18.
Somebody PLEASE refer this comment to The Bucks and Omega
I can't believe you didn't even mention the Undertaker stalking Jake with his hand slammed shut inside the coffin, dragging it behind him. That was when his face turn was really solidified.
Mr. Perfect's face turn on Prime Time is one of my favorites too. I also like Andre The Giant's face turn at WrestleMania VI and Yokozuna's face turn on Raw. Good vid, WB. Hope you had a good break and looking forward to you coming back.
Yoko's I always remember for one of Vince's most weirdest lines ever on commentary in that segment, where he describes Cornette verbally raping Yokozuna.
The Perfect face turn on Prime time is one of my all-time favourites, for how in 20-25 minutes, Curt and Bobby managed to sell his turn despite how last minute it was because of Warrior leaving and Curt having been heel for years.
Along with Savage, Flair and Scott all contributing to Perfect deciding to turn against Heenan and Flair to team up with Macho Man.
It speaks volumes of Heenan’s talent, that all Heenan had to do was slap a guy and you were baying for his karma. Paul Heyman is probably the only other guy in the business today. Who can generate that sort of reaction from me like that.
Heenan was one of those rare people in wrestling (Kurt Angle and Vince being other prominent names), that was fully prepared to make himself look foolish, take a beating, humiliation of any kind or be the butt of a joke (First Raw show alone shows how he would make the dumbest/simplest gag work). And right there, he takes the water poured all over him that never ceases to make me laugh and enjoy Heenan being owned once again.
Perfectly Macho
I marked out so much. Perfect was one of the handful of heels I actually liked as a kid.
Big Boss Man’s Face turn against the Million Dollar Man and Slick is way underrated. No build up, but somehow worked perfectly and made sense within the context of the angle between the Million Dollar Man and Jake the Snake.
I'm here at the Randy Savage entry and I started crying like a baby. I've never even seen that WrestleMania before and it hit me like a powerbomb right in the feels.
I thought I was the only one! I'd never seen it either and it just made me emotional!
It's okay. I saw it when it happened and have seen it dozens of times since, and it still makes me cry.
@@thenextsteveblackman The moment when pomp and circumstances begins to play was just awesome...
@@thenextsteveblackman its one of my favorite WrestleMania matches ever and I watched it live as a kid and I was jumping up with excitement
Savage had two top babyface turns in the WWF, that's how great his run there was.
I love that organic turn in 2002 when Triple H came back from his torn quad at MSG. Like that crowd was not gonna boo him no matter what.
Here are some honorable mentions:
1. Sgt. Slaughter in 1984 which led to a lengthy feud with The Iron Sheik that culminated in a boot camp match.
2. Demolition in 1988 at Survivor Series which saw a double turn between Demolition and The Powers of Pain.
3. Virgil in 1991 at the Royal Rumble
4. Big Boss Man in 1990 on an episode of Superstars.
5. Andre the Giant in 1990 at Wrestlemania VI.
I liked Andre turning on his partner Haku and his manager The Brain
That Bossman turn is still my favorite, I got it saved on CZcams when I feel like watching it.
Never understood how a team called the Powers of Pain could start off face
I think Lex Luger's babyface turn in 1987 was booked quite well.
Loved the tag team match at the 88 Survivor Series that saw the double turn
Jimmy Garvin joining his "brother" Ronnie was a good one to come to mind. Also the Micheal Cole forced turn after Jerry having a heart attack def made me look at him different
The Jimmy Garvin turn came out of nowhere. You're correct.
I agree about Jimmy. That's one of the most surprising face turns I've seen.
Cole was still a heel but slowly was becoming neutral when Lawler had his heart attack . Heart attack & how Cole handled it turned him face
For Perfect's turn, it was ALL about subtext. From Hall and Flair insinuating that Perfect was healthy, but didn't have enough to beat either one, even at 100 percent, to Heenan being Heenan, the true golden weasel that he was, to Vince being, as Darryl Reaugh once put it, a fecal disturber. Probably the most perfect USA Network moment prior to the creation of Raw.
My town didnt get cable until 1993, so i dont remember this. I always watched superstars and sat night main event as a kid on the antenna. Great babyface turn!!
I watched the Mr perfect segment the other day. I was 5 years old at the time. I remember bits and pieces of it. It was well put together
@@joshuathomas390 Watched it just yesterday, the perfect face turn.
Using a a Darryl Reaugh razorism to describe turns in pro wrestling...YES!!!
I watch that segment at least once every couple months. Everybody was great. Razor was 👑
Randy Savage is my favorite of all times.
Macho Man was the greatest, The Maddness forever.
The Macho King back to Macho Man face turn with Miss Elizabeth was the greatest face turn of all time
Truly amazing how they successfully turned Stone Cold face and Bret Hart heel in the same match. I don’t think that’s easy to pull off.
The best part about the turn is both didn’t change it was very subtle
I agree. That double-turn was absolutely brilliant, and I don’t think that anyone was able to replicate it.
Great stuff
@@GirolamoZanchi_is_cool well Austin 3:16 says I just whipped your ass!
People cheered for stone cold by the end of that match. And Brett had become a whiny little bit*h!
I am a big fan of Rowdy Roddy Piper's face turn in 1986. It started very subtly when he left the ring in Wrestlemania 2 and went away for several months. They did a masterful job of capitalizing on it when he returned.
I came here to say this :)
Adrian Adonis and Jimmy Hart were awesome heel antagonists. They were crucial.
@@jefferyalberter9922 absolutely agree.
Rowdy Roddy Piper turned face when he replaced Bobby Hennan on a podcast which The Brain hated and started mocking Piper wearing a kilts to wearing a skirt.. Hennan got Ravashing Rick Rude in involved which started a feud between the two..Piper cost Ravashing Rick Rude the Intercontinental title to The Ultimate Warrior..
@@deansmith9914 if you're speaking of 1989, Rowdy Piper was already a face when he returned to WWF that summer.
Have to say my fav all time face turn by far is Nikita Koloff joining Dusty, the crowd pop was unreal as in the mid 80's 3/4 of the crowd if not more thought Koloff was from Russia!!
It can be difficult to play an antihero in pro wrestling, but SCSA is the perfect example, and one I like to show examples of in some of the university literature courses I teach.
The Randy Savage-Elizabeth reunion, along with the Hogan-Rock match, was and still is ICONIC. I remember when Hogan returned to the WWE, that audience chanted his name for a good five minutes before he was able to talk. NO ONE wanted to boo him.
I have three honorable mentions from the Crockett era:
- Jimmy Garvin rushing in to save his “brother” Ronnie from a fireball attack by Jim Cornette.
- Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express being viciously attacked by Paul E Dangerously and the Original Midnight Express. This was a precursor to “invasions” that we’re used to seeing today.
- Baby Doll getting slapped and abused by Tully Blanchard and being saved by Dusty Rhodes.
The Macho Man Randy Savage turning face after he had enough of the greatest Intercontinental Champion The Honky Tonk Man when Honky started saying that he's a better Intercontinental Champion than The Macho Man but when Honky won it Savage was in the locker room to congrulate him with the other heels.. it started a feud between the two stars.. The Honky Tonk Man and The Hart Foundation did a serious number on Savage as Honky hit him over the head with his guitar and pushed Elizabeth on the floor
Daniel Bryan's face turn around mid-to-late 2012 was gold.
Great vid as always!
Austin's rise was just unstoppable. The second he dropped the Ringmaster gimmick and went on his own and was allowed to speak on the mic, along with the intensity of his wrestling, he was alwaya going to be the top guy and (in my view) the GOAT.
That promo he did on ECW where he basically said how he was going to become the greatest is still mindblowing.
He just knew.
Honorable mention: The return of HHH in 2002 after injury.
Yes, injured as a heel but returned to RAW to one of the loudest pops ever.
I still watch it from time to time. When he starts going crazy with the crowd I still get goosebumps.
I AM THE GAME! AND YOU CAN BET YOUR ASS IM BACK!
Triple H is my idol so I agree with this 💯
Bret Hart v. Stone Cold is the best "double turn" in wrestling history...
I still get chills when I watch the end of that match just as much as I did when I watched it live!
As far as solo face turns go... I'll have to give it to Steve Austin. The WWF, though they did indeed, didn't *need* to try a face push... it happened organically, whether they liked it or not!
Honorable mention DEFINITELY goes to Hollywood Hogan's WWE post-nWo face turn.
Great list, Ryan.
And Merry Christmas!
Edit:
WM 7.... I was 10 years old, and I still got goosebumps and shed a happy tear when Liz and Randy reunited!
Nice to see all the love the Perfect face turn is getting. This is definitely one of my favorites thanks to both Heenan and Perfect. I didn't get Prime Time where I lived so I only recently saw it in its entirety. I just saw a few clips that were shown on Superstars. 30 years later, I couldn't believe how well it was executed. And of course, not only was he turning face but he was returning to the ring for the first time in over a year.
So many of these are brilliant. Mr Perfect on Prime Time is so incredibly well done by everybody involved and of course the so-called double turn at Wrestlemania 13 is a masterpiece, although really that was the American fans who turned heel on Bret (he was still the babyface to me and the rest of the world, dammit!).
I've been hooked on watching your videos lately. As someone born in the mid 80s, wrestling was a big part of my childhood. So much nolstagia
What a delight, I was thinking of Babyface turns the other day and wondered why so few videos exist about them, great timing!
The Perfect turn was awesome to watch in real time
One that stands out for me is the BigBossMan face turn early in 1990 against Ted Dibiase and Slick..
Great stuff 👍
The 3 faces of Foley at the rumble is unmatched...👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
Heel turns are more fun, but damn, some of these face turns were pretty damn good. I think I must have gotten something in my eye during this video, while watching Miss Elizabeth come to Macho Man's aid.
I just started watching this video and right away, Batista's face turn was legendary! It wasn't rushed, everyone involved played their role perfectly and we got one helluva payoff.
I know someone who totally cried when Elizabeth and Randy reunited at WrestleMania VII.
Spoiler Alert: It was me.
The Mr perfect face turn was foreshadowed previous to royal rumble 92 because he signed a contract that said he could not compete...and it was because Bobby Heenan didn't want him to interfere with Ric Flair becoming WWF champion. i don't think it was specifically for the survivor series of that year but they were alluding to it for months.. for the story line warriors departure was a great way to try out that angle. great times!!
Andre turning face at WM6 in his last televised match was a big one for me. I also enjoyed Orndorff turning on Piper’s Pit after Mania 1. Virgil turning on DiBiase was big at the time. Macho turning the first time was also a big deal. Lastly, even tho it didn’t amount to anything, Sandow finally turning got a huge reaction.
I think Orndorff's subsequent heel turn on Hogan overshadowed this. Also, remember Orndorff was on the face side in the video for Land of 1,000 Dances.
Kurt Angle's 2001 face turn is also worth mentioning, prior to and especially after 9/11.
That Savage turn still brings a tear to my eye each time I watch it.
I know the overall story was not executed well, but Shawn Michaels’s face turn in 1995 is something that has always stuck with me. I was only a 10 year-old kid when it happened, and seeing Big Daddy Cool and The Heartbreak Kid hug again, this time as good guys. after being rivals for several months made me really happy.
The weird thing about Savage's turn was that he "retired" as a wrestler to a great ovation and saluted the crowd as a baby face would but then when he first switched to commentary he took on the role as the heel commentator with Vince and Piper for a few months.
Nothing beats The Macho Man and Stone Cold turn 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
I know the double turn at WrestleMania 13 of Austin and Bret was iconic, but Steve Austin turned Babyface to me personally with his Royal Rumble performance. He came in at 5 and he was alone in the ring multiple times. Even though he cheated to win, the crowd popped when he won. And so did i.
The face turns of DDP, Batista, and Austin are my favorites.
On the subject of Austin's face turn: While he never completely changed his character to get cheered, he did do a few small things to help interact with the crowd. The big one was the "Gimme a Hell Yeah!" call/response he started doing with the audience. The Rock would do similar little things as a babyface: Letting fans sing along with his catchphrases (the millions.... and millions, smell what The Rock is cookin'). He would even say "They are chanting his name," with the audience then chanting "ROCKY!"
Great stuff as always. Got me to shed a 😢 tear in remembering savage face turn with miss Elizabeth.
I still remember WrestleMania VII. I was 11 (42 now) at the time and the emotion has stuck with me. That was a fantastic moment.
that flair and hunter match was so good. He really put on a great show in north carolina. I wonder whos idea it was to do that for flair...
Rock turning in 1999 was a big one considering his first face run failed his heel run was successful so it was quite the 2 year journey from one face run to the next
The 2nd best slap of all time. When vince slapped him the crowd went crazy. That knew it was over. First is Orton slapping Taker and takers response.
Underrated Often Forgotten Baby face Turn Nikita Koloff Joining Dusty Rhodes Forming The Super Powers
Distractions are very appreciated right now. Thanks Ryan! Best upload yet!
Always had a soft spot for DDP he was one of my fav WCW wrestlers as well as the 90s Fabulous Freebies lol remember watching them late at night on ITV (I think it was) during the early 90s. Good memories
An old NWA great was when Nikita Koloff turned face on a random house show, 5k ppl at best, at first everyone is confused when he comes out with Dusty, then the match starts and he helps Rhodes, for a small crowd that place goes absolutely ballistic. It's on CZcams.
I remember watching that Jake the snake, Macho man, Undertaker incident live thinking Jake is psychotic he is really gonna hit Liz he sold it so well! I was like thank you Undertaker!
Wardlow babyface turn was also very well executed
This is a Certified Hood Classic 🔥
DDP was by far one of my favorite turns. He was really introduced and ingratiated during his feud with Raven and the Flock a bit before the Team WCW storyline
Ah this guy has even got the ending music perfect! What a channel!
I remember watching the show when Undertaker saved Miss Elizabeth/Macho Man from that chair shot. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. The Undertaker as a face at that point in time was just unfathomable.
Yeah I remember each and every face turn of these and they were indeed awesome. Especially Randy Savage, Undertaker and Hulk Hogan
Perfect's turn was perfectly executed.
I was in the Toronto Skydome (as it was called then) for WrestleMania X8. I had brought a friend who wasn't really a wrestling fan but would watch it occasionally with me and agreed to come with me to the show. He was blown away by the crowd's reaction to Hulk Hogan. They were chanting "HO-GAN! HO-GAN!" so loudly that the entire Skydome was literally shaking and we could feel it in floor level seats (We had a really awesome full view of the ring 🙂). My friend took a quick look at the entire crowd, turned to me and just said "Wow." He was completely awestruck at the reaction. It was such an incredible turn to witness because the crowd literally made it happen. Much to the WWE's credit as well as all of the performers involved, the on the spot audible called to cement the face turn with Hall and Nash rushing in to chastise Hogan for shaking Rock's hand and then attacking him only for Rock to rescue him and then share the famous Hogan posedown was the absolute right call. Lita and Jazz had their match right after and boy did the entire crowd feel sorry for them for having to follow that up.
Before watching this video.. I REALLY hope that the Undertaker's original face turn is mentioned. When he stopped Jake from hitting Miss Elizabeth with a steel chair as she made her way backstage through the curtain, my mind literally melted. I couldn't believe that my favorite wrestler was about to be a GOOD GUY. It was such a big deal and I couldn't fall asleep that night.
Your videos are so damn amazing always they could easily be 90 minutes and I'd still be surprised it was over so fast! Insane how hooked in I get on your videos; it's almost like digging into the fanny pack!
GREAT video (as always) and I really liked the points you made about face turns being more of a long game. Having said that, I'll say this with absolutely no shame: I cried when the Macho / Elizabeth moment happened. I still get choked up even watching clips of it, but I cried pretty hard when it happened live.
LOL i love Randy Savage inviting Heel Undertaker to his wedding 🤣, great video dude, a couple of these i had no idea
The 2nd face turn by Paul Orndorff in 1987 was one I could never figure out. His 1986 heel turn against Hogan was classic and generated so much heat. Yet.. one year later he turned face, teamed up with Hulk at Survivor Series as if nothing had happened.
Luger's face turn vs Yokozuna was remarkable as it came out of nowhere 😁
But stupid and made no sense
I think a face turn can be difficult because it is too easy to wonder if there is some nefarious motivation. Like with MJF recently flirted with face behavior, it is harder to trust.
Are YOU NOT on Vacation??
😂😂😂
Thank You for these sets of Videos Brother, Brother!!
They Distract me from my unfortunate Reality..
I Appreciate your Work!! Passion!!
Not a dry eye in the entire stadium. Thank you, Randy and Elizabeth!
That 5/6 months slow buildup for Batista was amazing
Piper turning babyface against Adorable Adrian is #1. Hands down.
Mr P.'s face turn is still probably my all time favorite! Wooooo! I did not care much for his face run, but I loved the initial turn!
Miss Elizabeth running down to thrash Sherri still put a tear in my eyes.
Big Show turned back and forth between babyface and heel several times....and that was just this morning at the grocery store!
Jake asks Taker who's side he was on. Taker replies with "Not yours."
As a kid it seemed like an eternity where Savage was out of the ring. Mad to think now it was only really a few months. What a great era.
The days when summer break felt 6 months long
Cannot believe you left out Big Boss Man's face turn in 1990 on the brother love show, how could you leave out such an awesome moment?!
I remember very well in late 1980’s when everyone started loving and cheering Ric Flair in the NWA as him and the other Horsemen were trying their best to go over as the biggest heels around
Macho man turning face at WM 7 was one of, if not, THE greatest baby face turn in WWF/E history
The segment with HBK talking to Naitch. I wish you had that segment with audio. 😭 Hell I'm crying now. 👶Dang now Macho and Miss Elizabeth got me going again. 😢
The writers back then 👏
My favorite turn was Jimmy "super fly" Snuka after his match with Don "magnificent" Muraco back in the early 1980s.
Just like DDP saying he pitch it to Nash and Nash was like, hit me with the cutter too, and DDP was like, I'm already hitting Scotty with it, Eric isn't going to let me hit you with it too.
This might not count but when Undertakers second face turn came when he came back as the American Badass in 2000. He was heel in late 98 to late 99, left because of injury then came back in 2000.
Face turns are underrated af.
I don’t know how you could leave out Virgil turning on Ted DeBiase 😂
the hogan turn had another aspect that a lot of people seem to forget. the nwo story never had a good conclusion in wcw. the rock saying damn it the rock believed in him changed everything. the fallen hero vs the new icon. no screwy finish, no nwo run in, and a clean loss. story wise, hogan was humbled. when hogan first turned at bash at the beach, he talked about the fans turning on him, but the story of the match was that hogan's ego had been what really came between and only someone like the rock could over power it.
Dude, you're such a f*cking badass!!
You've created THE best wrestling history channel in existence, anywhere!!
This kind of passion + abilities to edit a killer video makes this channel un-f*cking-beatable!
I had to watch the Perfect turn. After watching this video.
That really is very well done
You only talked about the first half of the Undertaker's turn. He didn't completely turn until the episode of The Funeral Parlor with Jake the Snake when Jake questioned him about it and then eventually slammed a casket shut on Undertaker's hand. Undertaker chased Jake while dragging the casket. Jake kept hitting him with the chair but Undertaker kept coming after him.
Jake: Whose side are you on, anyway?
Taker: Not yours!
Crowd: explodes.
What about Greg The Hammer Valentine turning face after Jimmy Hart accidently cost him a match by hitting with the microphone.. Brutus Beefacake too after being kicked out of The Dream Team..
Nikita Koloffs face turn after Magnum T.A.'s car wreck was epic!
Mr. McMahon during the "Invasion" angle was a good Face turn... He seemed funny as a stressed and desparate boss... Lol
Steve Austin earned my respect in that submission match.