5 Unforgettable WWE heel turns still talked about today 

Professional wrestling is, perhaps above all else, a true art form. Aside from the incredible skills of its performers and stunning displays of athleticism, there is always a work of art on show when Superstars take to the ring.

As fans, we suspend belief every time we tune into WWE programming; prepared to invest in the performers we see before us and engage in their weekly dramas, storylines, and feuds. While wrestling has adapted incredibly in this regard over the years, there is still no doubt that, at its heart, WWE lives on the Good vs Bad mantra that has been sewn into fans' minds for generations.

We still like to distinguish between who is the good, the babyface, and who is bad, the heel, and tailor our actions accordingly. Of course, it isn't always just the good guys getting cheered! As a result, then, it is always a landmark moment in the career of a performer when they switch from one persona to the other.

Most commonly, this tends to be the switch from good to bad, known as turning heel. It can be completely unexpected, or it can be something that has brewed insidiously for years. No matter what, these turns provide for memorable moments.

Here, we'll showcase some of the biggest and best heel turns that fans still remember fondly today.

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#5. Owen Hart

The Rocket Owen Hart turns on his brother.

The late, great Owen Hart sadly died at the age of 34 in 1999, in one of the most tragic moments to impact WWE in generations.

He left behind him not only a loving family but also a career that, while cut short, was still packed full of incredible matches and moments.

Arguably one of the greatest of these moments came when Owen turned heel back in 1994, at the expense of his brother, Bret Hart. Tensions had been simmering ever since the Survivor Series months prior when the two had a heated exchange after winning a tag team match.

They managed to patch things up, though (or so we thought). Back together as a combined unit, they challenged The Quebeckers for the tag team titles at the 1994 Royal Rumble. The finish came as Bret, unable to stand on a weakened knee, collapsed in the middle of the ring, leaving the referee no choice but to call off the bout and award it - and the retention of the titles - to The Quebeckers.

Furious that Bret hadn't tagged him into the match when he'd had the chance, Owen finally snapped and kicked his brother's leg out from underneath him, leaving him writhing in agony.

The two would feud for years to come, their rivalry including the historic WrestleMania 10 match in Madison Square Garden. Owen beat Bret that night in a superb match, with Bret going on to win the WWE title later that night.

#4. The Rock

The Rock is born

When fans think of The Rock now, they remember the most electrifying man in sports entertainment, a real hero and arguably one of the most popular performers in history.

But while the multi-time former World Champion turned genuine A-List Hollywood star has millions (...and millions!) of fans all around the world, it is worth noting that his incredible rise to stardom in WWE owes much to his run as a heel.

After his debut in 1996, The Rock won the Intercontinental title. Unfortunately, so sickly was his babyface persona, Rocky Maivia, that fans began to shun him. They would boo him rather than cheer him and let WWE officials know in no uncertain terms that he wasn't to be their fan favorite.

WWE then did what, at times, it does better than anyone else in the world. By 1997, the Floridian had lost the IC title to Owen Hart and, after, would turn heel by aligning himself with heel faction, the Nation of Domination. Shortly after that, the young upstart would begin referring to himself as The Rock.

The rest, as they say, was history...

#3. Bob Backlund

Bob Backlund here wrestling Razor Ramon in one of his last matches as a babyface

Bob Backlund is one of the greatest wrestlers to ever feature in WWE. That's not my opinion - the stats back it up. Between 1978 and 1983, Backlund reigned supreme as WWE Champion, holding the record for the second-longest title run in the history of the entire company.

He left WWE not long after his defeat but would return some eight years later. Much like that Grandma you remember fondly but never see, Backlund was welcomed back warmly by WWE fans. But, by then, they'd moved on to become interested in other things as part of the company's New Generation.

WWE capitalized on this excellently and weaved it into a storyline to help Backlund turn heel in sensational circumstances in July 1994. Having primarily been a whiter-than-white babyface for many of his previous years, it was a significant surprise for fans to see him snap and slap WWE Champion Bret Hart after the duo looked set to shake hands after a match with one another.

Backlund took it further, locking his painful chicken wing on The Hitman, looking every bit the maniacal character he was supposed to.

Backlund, then 45, was involved in a lengthy rivalry with Hart that, at Survivor Series 1994, saw him beat Bret in a submission match (not without the help of Bret's brother Owen, of course) and become WWE Champion once again.

It was a reign that lasted a matter of days - Kevin Nash beat Backlund at a live event in Madison Square Garden to snare the title. Still, the veteran's return and descent into insanity is one that's stayed etched in the memory.

#2. Paul Bearer

The Undertaker is beaten down by Bearer and Mankind

Back in the early and mid-1990s, there were a handful of things you could put your house on in WWE.

You could be sure, for instance, that Bret Hart would say in any given interview that he was 'The best there is, best there was, and best there ever will be.'

You'd be right to assume Vince McMahon would claim 'What a maneuver!" during any commentary of his. Perhaps the most significant certainty of them all, however, was that Paul Bearer would be found at the side of The Undertaker. That was, until he wasn't...

Undertaker and Bearer had been a duo more or less ever since 'Taker joined WWE, barring a brief stint managed by Brother Love. Bearer guided the Deadman to the WWE title in 1991 and, a year later, was at his side when he won in front of 80,000 fans at SummerSlam in London.

In 1996, though, one of the most dastardly heel turns of the era took place when Bearer turned his back on his long-time ally. It happened at SummerSlam 1996 when Undertaker was battling Mankind in a Boiler Room Brawl.

The winner was to be the man who reached the ring and gained possession of the sacred urn, held by Bearer. That looked set to be 'Taker until, inexplicably, he struck The Phenom on the head with it before aiding Mankind to the win. Fans were dismayed.

The two would be reunited once again before Bearer's death in 2013, but that incredible turn of events in 1996 won't be soon forgotten.

#1. Tatanka

Lex Luger and Tatanka backstage before the latter's sensational heel turn

If you were watching WWE back in 1994, this one wouldn't need much of an introduction but, for those that weren't, here we go.

While headlines before SummerSlam 1994 were being dominated by the match between The Undertaker and The Undertaker (yes, you read that correctly) or the steel cage WWE title match between Bret Hart and Owen Hart, one of the most intense feuds was actually another - that between Lex Luger and Tatanka, two babyfaces.

Back then, Ted DiBiase, the Million Dollar Man, was flashing the cash to many Superstars in his quest to build the Million Dollar Corporation, a line-up of bought henchmen. DiBiase left fans reeling when he suggested he'd managed to secure Luger to his clan - something which seemed unthinkable given Luger was a dyed-in-the-wool American hero who would never sell himself out for money.

DiBiase was convincing, though, and Tatanka was sure the Million Dollar Man was right. He would spot, for instance, DiBiase sheepishly leaving Luger's dressing room. He'd see the same man at ringside watching Luger's matches, and he even managed to catch Luger in the act with a fistful of DiBiase's money.

Luger denied the whole thing forcefully and with passion, saying he'd never sell out. But had he? The tensions between the two former friends reached a peak when they met in the ring at SummerSlam 1994 in Chicago.

Luger and Tatanka were wrestling when out would come DiBiase. To cheer on Luger, perhaps? That's what many thought.

In a cruel twist, however, it was revealed that it was Tatanka, all along, who'd sold out and taken DiBiase's cash. He brutally attacked Luger after the match was over before embracing his new manager, revealing it had been a plot all along and that he'd "fooled the whole stinkin' country..."

Wow.