5 failed WWE heel turns that nobody bought

It is often easier to be hated than loved in the WWE.

To be a face, you need to toe that line between endearing and pandering, making sure to give the crowd what they want without making it too obvious.

For a heel though, being an effective bad guy may be as simple as attacking whomever the fans cheer, and refusing to explain yourself.

Despite this, there have been attempts to turn some Superstars heel, that for one reason or another, didn't pan out.

Though the company had the best of intentions, fans just couldn't get behind these WWE Superstars embracing their darker side.

Here are five WWE heel turns that completely failed with the crowd and what exactly went wrong.

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#5: Shawn Michaels

The Heart Break Kid made some very vaid points when he turned on Hulk Hogan in the Summer of 2005.

When Shawn Michaels returned to WWE in the Summer of 2002, he came back as one of wrestling's most beloved stars.

Not only a burst of nostalgia for older fans, the Showstopper's antics in the ring helped gain a new, younger fanbase who would always cheer HBK.

That all changed in 2005, when Michaels attacked Hulk Hogan, who had recently returned to the company with the crowd on his side.

Explaining himself, Michaels said how Hogan was working off a legacy he'd made decades ago, whilst Shawn himself was out entertaining for fans every night.

And to be fair, he was right.

Everything Michaels was saying was true, and fans came to recognise it.

By the time their Summerslam match came around, many fans were aligned with HBK, and though WWE tried their best with this heel turn, fans couldn't help but cheer the Showstopper.

#4: Big Cass

After suffering a knee injury in his Summerslam 2017 match, Cass would return on SmackDown Live the next year.

With his seven-foot demeanour and aggressive promos, there was a time when Big Cass could have definitely gotten over as a monster heel.

Unfortunately, when Cass did turn heel in 2017, that time had come and gone.

Turning on long-time partner Enzo Amore, fans just couldn't see Cass as a heel, and his matches with the Certified-G were lacklustre to say the least.

Returning as part of the SmackDown Live brand in 2018, things seemed to be looking up for Cass, as he entered a feud with the recently-unretired Daniel Bryan.

Though this could have been a fresh start for Cass, his tenure with WWE didn't last much longer, as after going against the company's wishes during a segment, and reported heat backstage following various incidents, the decision was made to let the seven-footer go.

#3: 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin

Austin's turn was a cut-off point for many wrestling fans.

WrestleMania X-Seven may be regarded by many as the greatest WWF pay per view of all time, but the ending of the biggest show of the year left many fans confused.

In the main event match between Steve Austin and The Rock, it was Mr McMahon who made the difference, aligning with his old nemesis Austin to end the biggest show of the year on a bit of a downer.

Though Austin's reasoning for the turn (doing anything to win the WWF Championship), the heel turn backfired in multiple ways.

Many fans simply refused to boo the Rattlesnake, who had become just short of a folk legend in the wrestling community.

Even worse, many fans saw this moment as the time to cut-off from wrestling, as the WWF viewership never reached the same heights it was at before this heel turn.

#2: Rob Van Dam

Despite trying to end the WWF with the Alliance, RVD still couldn't get booed.

Fans may be scratching their heads thinking of a time when RVD was heel, but it did indeed happen (kinda) in the WWF.

Joining the company in 2001, Van Dam came with a wealth of fans from his time in ECW, so it seemingly made sense for the Extremist to join the Alliance: a consortium of WCW and ECW stars.

The only problem, was the Alliance was a heel group and no-one could really boo RVD.

Though Van Dam remained loyal to the Alliance (even participating on their team in the Survivor Series winner takes all match), fans simply refused to boo this so-called heel.

Eventually, commentators Jim Ross and Paul Heyman had to reference how despite being an Alliance member, Van Dam was beloved by the WWF crowd, as his so-called heel turn was dead on arrival.

#1: Rikishi

After a near-year investigation, Rikishi was revealed as Stone Cold's would-be assassin.

At Survivor Series 1999, the wrestling world was shocked when Stone Cold Steve Austin was run down by an unknown assailant.

For nearly a year, speculation and conspiracy theories ran wild, with Superstars from The Rock to Steve Blackman all being accused at one point in time.

After an eleven-month investigation, the truth came out as it was revealed that Rikishi was the hitman all along!

The crowd were not pleased.

Despite this heel turn thrusting the super-heavyweight into the main event picture, fans loathed the idea of the fun-loving, dancing Samoan doing this act.

As Rikishi's heel turn floundered (with the big man being decimated at No Mercy 2000 by Austin), changes had to be made.

Very quickly, it was revealed that Rikishi was working on the orders of Triple H, one of Austin's oldest foes.