5 Superstars who have never turned face in WWE

Adam Cole BAY BAY!
Adam Cole BAY BAY!

As pro wrestling fans, we have seen our favorite Superstars sway between their good and bad sides throughout their careers. A WWE Superstar's push in the company is always based on how well their character does among the fans. If a wrestler's gimmick grows stale over time, he/she is more than likely to turn face or heel to get a renewed push.

We have seen some of the most popular babyfaces in WWE history like 'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan, John Cena, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and The Rock turn evil at some point in their careers. Cena did it with his 'Doctor of Thuganomics' gimmick in the early 2000s while Hulk Hogan shocked the wrestling world when he turned heel and formed the nWo (New World Order) in 1996. On the flip side, we have also seen villains like Ted DiBiase, Randy Orton, Edge get pushes as the good guys.

If we talk about WWE's recent history, we have witnessed the likes of Daniel Bryan, Bayley, and Seth Rollins make smooth transitions to heels in order to keep their characters fresh. We have also seen the likes of Kevin Owens, Drew McIntrye, AJ Styles turn face for the same reason.

Thus, it is surprising when a Superstar remains the bad guy for an extended period of time. On that note, here are five such WWE Superstars who have never turned babyface in WWE.

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#5 Wade Barrett

Wade Barrett
Wade Barrett

When you talk about WWE Superstars who didn't live up to their potential, Wade Barrett's name has got to be on the list. Although the Brit did win the Intercontinental Championship five times and the King of the Ring tournament in 2015, Barrett failed to win the WWE World Championship, something he was tipped to do when he led Nexus' invasion of RAW in 2010.

Barrett created a lot of hype during his initial days on the main roster, most memorably feuding with John Cena and even forcing the Leader of the Cenation to join the Nexus after winning their match at Hell in a Cell in 2010. Barrett was one of the top heels of the company at that time and even challenged for the WWE Championship on three occasions.

Eventually, his character lost steam and he had to change his gimmick to "Bad News Barrett" - another heel who used to deliver "bad news" to the roster. After winning King of the Ring in 2015, he became "King Barrett" - yet another arrogant heel, before his eventual release from the company in 2016.

One can only imagine if adopting a babyface gimmick sometime during his run could have changed his fortunes. It is hard to see WWE re-signing Wade Barrett anytime soon.

#4 Andrade

Andrade
Andrade

Over the past few months, Andrade has become a household name on WWE programming. El Idolo, alongside manager Zelina Vega, has stepped up and featured heavily on RAW since WrestleMania in the absence of some of the company's top stars. Currently, Andrade has teamed up with Angel Garza and looks set to challenge The Street Profits for the RAW Tag Team Championships in the near future.

Andrade has all the makings of the next great Latino heel, reminding many of the late WWE Hall of Famer Eddie Guerrero. During his initial days in WWE's development brand, NXT, the 30-year-old did not have a defined heel or face persona, which changed after he turned on his Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic partner Cedric Alexander and has been a heel ever since.

Having Zelina Vega by his side, Andrade went on to win the NXT Championship from Drew McIntyre and held the belt for 140 days. He has also held the United States Championship on the main roster, although it was a rather forgettable reign.

Vega has played the role of his manager extremely well, frequently running distractions and delivering cheap shots to his opponents. The sky is the limit for Andrade, and time will tell if he'll be able to live to the 'Latino Heat' Eddie Guerrero's legacy.

#3 Baron Corbin

King Corbin!
King Corbin!

Baron Corbin is one of the most despised heels in WWE today. He has a natural ability to generate heat from fans, which is also a huge credit to his trash-talking abilities on the microphone and his vexing gimmicks.

Corbin started off in NXT in 2012 and for eight years now, he has been a been character, donning various gimmicks. During his early days on the main roster, he earned a name for himself by repeatedly attacking WWE Superstars smaller than him. His moveset certainly complemented his villainous character, with The End of Days and Deep Six being two of the most lethal-looking moves in WWE today.

Corbin went on to win the Money in the Bank briefcase in 2017 and looked set to become the next WWE World Champion, but strangely lost the cash-in match against then-champion Jinder Mahal. Since then, he has adopted the "Constable Corbin" gimmick - an authority figure who was also the General Manager of RAW for a brief amount of time in 2018.

More recently, he changed his gimmick to "King Corbin" after winning the 2019 King of the Ring tournament. Corbin has always found a way to get on the nerves of fans and critics alike, which is why it is expected that the man who retired WWE Hall of Famer Kurt Angle will stay a heel throughout his run in the company.

#2 Shayna Baszler

Shayna Baszler
Shayna Baszler

Shayna Baszler is one of the top heels in WWE right now. Although she hasn't yet made the impact that she was expected to on the main roster (which is largely because of Becky Lynch taking time off WWE due to her pregnancy), she is still one of the top names on RAW. Throughout her time in NXT, The Queen of Spades was portrayed as a menacing heel who would ruthlessly rip through her opponents with her MMA moves.

Ever since debuting on NXT in 2017, Baszler has always played the wicked heel who would go to any heights to win matches. When she debuted on RAW in February this year upon her promotion to the main roster, she bit Becky Lynch on her neck, which is undoubtedly one of the most shocking visuals from this year.

Baszler's Kirifuda Clutch is one of the most devastating submission maneuvers in WWE today, and her ability to make her opponents tap out has earned her the "Submission Magician" nickname.

The 2019 NXT Female Performer of the Year is currently not involved in any feud, but she can be expected to attack the current RAW Women's Champion Asuka to set up a dream match between the two. Hence, it is unlikely that The Queen of Spades will turn face anytime soon.

#1 Adam Cole

Adam Cole
Adam Cole

Adam Cole took the pro wrestling world by storm when he made his WWE debut at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III and attacked newly crowned champion Drew McIntyre along with his Undisputed Era stablemates Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly.

The Panama City Playboy is currently the longest-reigning NXT Champion, holding WWE's Black and Gold brand's premier title for a record 389 days and counting. During his time as the champion, Cole has defended his title against all the top names on the NXT roster under all types of stipulations.

The former Ring of Honor Champion has often got help from Fish, O'Reilly, and Roderick Strong to get over the line, but he has had a perfect heel champion's reign so far. Yes, the distraction created by The Undisputed Era members often help him, but he always defeats his opponents in a legitimate manner, which is the perfect example of an in-ring technician playing his character to perfection.

Great things are expected from Adam Cole when he eventually makes his switch to WWE's main roster. He has already defended his NXT Championship against Seth Rollins on RAW last year, a match which ended in a disqualification victory for Rollins after an attack by The Undisputed Era. There is no doubt in my mind that Cole will be one of the biggest heels on the main roster whenever he leaves NXT.

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Edited by Raunak J
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