3 WWE heel turns in 2019 that worked and 2 that didn't

#4 Heel turn didn't work: Rusev

Rusev cemented his status as one of the most popular Superstars in WWE during his “Rusev Day” run alongside Aiden English and Lana throughout 2017-18.

Although the man himself has said in media interviews that WWE failed to fully take advantage of the fan-driven phenomenon, it looked as though “The Bulgarian Brute” would receive a renewed push as a good guy following his United States Championship triumph over Shinsuke Nakamura on Christmas Day 2018.

However, that did not turn out to be the case, as WWE’s decision-makers opted to put the two rivals together as a heel tag team when their feud came to an end after the 2019 Royal Rumble.

The team of Rusev & Nakamura, managed by Lana, got off to a winning start against Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson on SmackDown Live before failing to win any of their next eight televised matches as a team.

Despite remaining on the same brand in the 2019 Superstar Shake-Up, the two men separated shortly after WrestleMania 35, with Rusev taking a break from WWE television.