5 Babyfaces who returned to WWE as heels

Modified Aug 14, 2019 03:30 GMT

#2 Hulk Hogan, 2002

After what was possibly the greatest run of any WWE Superstar, Hulk Hogan left the company in 1993.

By that time, he had become arguably the biggest Superstar in the business. In WCW, Hogan remained a babyface for a while, before turning heel at Bash at the Beach 1996, a moment that changed the course of wrestling history and gave birth to the nWo.

Did you know a top WWE Superstar just wrestled outside the company? More details HERE

After WCW folded, Vince McMahon brought back the nWo, consisting of Hogan, Kevin Nash, and Scott Hall. The villainous trio ran rampant on two of WWE's top Superstars, The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin.

This resulted in The Rock defeating Hogan at WrestleMania 18 in one of the biggest dream matches in WWE history, while Austin put down Hall in another match on the same card.

#1 The Rock, 2003

SummerSlam 2002 saw Brock Lesnar dethrone The Rock and win his first WWE title. During the match, the crowd turned on The Brahma Bull and began booing him for leaving WWE for Hollywood.

In early 2003, The Rock came back to WWE. This time though, he was donning a completely different persona. The People's Champ had now become a Hollywood sellout, who looked down upon the fans and bragged about his movie career. He instantly became a genuinely hated villain, after delivering legendary heel promos in Toronto and Indianapolis.

About the author

Abhilash Mendhe is a pro wrestling journalist at Sportskeeda with nearly five years of experience. He completed his MBA from the Symbiosis Institute of Telecom Management in 2016 and worked with multiple banking institutions, including Tech Mahindra. While he started writing WWE articles for Sportskeeda in 2019 as a hobby, it eventually became a significant part of his professional journey.

Abhilash checks his articles thrice before sending them to the editing team, ensuring his work is highly accurate and reliable.

He has interviewed prominent pro wrestling personalities like Noam Dar, Angry Miz Girl, Brendan Cobbina, and Jesse Lambert. Abhilash is a big fan of AEW star Orange Cassidy, as he believes the former International Champion’s on-screen gimmick of an extremely lazy guy resonates with him.

Given the opportunity to script WWE’s next big storyline, Abhilash would treat fans to the second installment of The Bloodline Civil War. He would book Roman Reigns to re-form The Bloodline with The Usos and Sami Zayn upon his comeback. The angle would see The Tribal Chief-led group go head-to-head with The Rock, Solo Sikoa, Tama Tonga, and Jacob Fatu in a blockbuster family feud.

When not reporting on pro wrestling, Abhilash likes to work out, go on walks, read, and explore new eateries.

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Edited by Alan John