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Babyfaces and heels have been a part of wrestling ever since the beginning, and AEW has many talented wrestlers who can play both the roles very well. Looking at the AEW roster, many wrestlers fit extremely well in the face/heel divide.
Wrestlers turning face or heel is a big part of wrestling and is bound to happen at least once in a wrestler's career. Hulk Hogan was considered a career babyface. When he turned heel and joined the NWO, it was one of the biggest shocks in wrestling history. With that being said, let's look at five current babyfaces in AEW who'd make good heels.
5. AEW Star Eddie Kingston
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When Eddie Kingston first arrived in AEW in July 2020, he debuted as a heel and did extremely well in the role. Kingston had a title match against Cody Rhodes (AEW TNT Champion at the time), created a stable with The Butcher, The Blade, Penta El Zero M, and Rey Fenix, and had an incredible feud with Jon Moxley.
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However, after Kenny Omega and Moxley's exploding barbed wire deathmatch for the AEW World Championship at Revolution, Kingston saved Moxley from an explosion (a small explosion) and turned face in the process.
Kingston was a phenomenal heel, and while his face turn was unexpected, it hasn't been all that bad. But Kingston's mannerisms, the way he cuts promos, and his in-ring style seems to be tailor made for a good heel.
Even though Kingston and Moxley don't seem to be attached to the hip anymore, having Kingston turn on Moxley down the road would get The Mad King major heat with the fans.
4. AEW Star Sammy Guevara
Sammy Guevara was an absolute heat magnet for AEW during his time in The Inner Circle. Even though he is great at being both a heel and a face, Guevara did (and still would) make for an amazing heel.
When The Inner Circle was a heel faction in AEW, Guevara stuck very close to Chris Jericho, forming Le Sex Gods and helping Jericho attack The Elite and Jon Moxley. He also had very good feuds with Matt Hardy and Darby Allin.
AEW fans loved to hate Guevara when he was with Jericho solely because of his microphone work. Guevara had a fantastic way of getting the crowd to hate him. Guevara can be annoying as a heel, but it doesn't get him "go away" heat; it just makes fans hate him even more.
Guevara as a heel is braggadocious and extremely cocky. It's said that the best gimmicks in wrestling are those when the wrestler takes his own personality, and dials it up to 10, and Guevara did just that.
3. AEW Star Thunder Rosa
Much like Kingston and Guevara, Thunder Rosa was a heel after her debut. When Rosa debuted in AEW, she challenged then-AEW Women's World Champion Hikaru Shida to a title match at AEW All Out. Her debut match came less than two weeks after she defeated Serena Deeb. Even though she was a heel, many fans thought she was being presented more like a tweener.
After successfully defending the NWA World Women's Championship against Ivelisse, Rosa was attacked by Diamante and Ivelisse and was saved by Hikaru Shida and turned babyface. Following an absolutely incredible unsanctioned lights-out match with Britt Baker, Rosa signed a full-time contract with AEW.
Rosa is a fan favorite in AEW. When Ruby Soho debuted at the Casino Battle Royal at All Out, fans went crazy when the last two women were Soho and Rosa.
While Rosa hasn't had much time to show what she can do as a babyface, her look, and in-ring style translates very well into a heel persona. AEW's women's roster has been trending upwards over the past year, and having a talent like Rosa run wild on the top women's babyfaces would be a great sight for fans.
2. AEW Star Darby Allin
Darby Allin is a top star in AEW. Not only is he big with the AEW fans, but fellow AEW stars all seem to love him. After signing with AEW, Paul Wight said that if he could turn heel, he would love to wrestle Allin. When CM Punk made his long-awaited return to the ring, AEW booked him in a feud with Allin.
If Darby turned heel, it'd feel like one of the biggest betrayals in wrestling today. Darby is a dark character (in the visual sense) and the darkness adds a cerebral feeling to Black's heelish persona.
The turn practically writes itself. Sting is one of the most beloved personalities in wrestling. He has been by Darby's side ever since Sting arrived in AEW.
Having Darby turn on Sting would generate some serious heat with fans. Plus, if Sting wanted to formally retire from in-ring competition, what better person in AEW to retire the Icon Sting? It would take careful booking to make the turn work, but AEW has shown that they can book in a way where anything is possible.
1. AEW Star CM Punk
CM Punk's AEW debut will go down as one of the biggest moments in wrestling. After seven long years away from the squared circle, CM Punk decided to join a roster of talents such as Darby Allin, Jungle Boy, Jon Moxley, and more.
Punk can easily be a fantastic heel as we've all seen. However, Punk's AEW debut came in his hometown of Chicago and there was no chance of him getting booed. Punk could literally come out and deliver an hour-long lesson on the anatomy of the human body and the crowd would cheer every single minute of it.
In AEW, Punk is the best babyface candidate to turn heel. His heel promos are incredible! His heelish mannerisms and heelish in-ring style is what made some young wrestlers want to be wrestlers in the first place.
Punk vs. Darby worked even though it was a babyface vs. babyface, but those matches can't be all a wrestler has in his career. At some point, Punk is going to have to become heel if AEW fans want to see a Punk vs. Jungle Boy feud.
AEW could even make Punk and Colt Cabana a team, and use their real life situation as a vehicle to get Punk to turn heel on Cabana.
Anyway, if AEW decides to do it, they'd have a star that can be both a babyface and a heel, and excel in both. It shouldn't take long before AEW fans, and maybe even Punk himself, decide it's time for another heel CM Punk pipebomb.
