5 Worst Heel Turns in the WWE

#3 Ryback attacks John Cena for not "having his back" in 2013

A huge fan favorite was buried to give John Cena his first title defense under his latest title run.

Ryback was quickly pushed to the top of the card in the WWE after he returned from injury in 2012. After squashing various local talents and career jobbers, The Big Guy was inserted into a WWE Championship feud with CM Punk after John Cena was injured in September. Ryback would be screwed out of his opportunities repeatedly, even being beaten down by the debuting Shield at Survivor Series 2012.

Ryback fought the Shield for months after being pushed out of title contention, though he never got a win over the Hounds of Justice. Eventually, after losing two feuds back to back, he would go on to face Mark Henry at WrestleMania 29, losing there as well. On the Raw after Mania, The World's Strongest Man assaulted John Cena, but Ryback made the save.

However, Ryback immediately turned on Cena, beating down the WWE Champion. Over the next few weeks, he blamed Cena for not having his back during his crusade against The Shield, but would ultimately be crushed by Cena.

Love or hate him, Ryback was red hot with the WWE Universe, even after losing three straight feuds. The WWE had a star in The Big Guy but instead tossed him to John Cena, and he would be put on the list of promising talent that the leader of the Cenation buried.

About the author

Greg is a pro wrestling writer at Sportskeeda. He has been an avid wrestling fan since he was able to do elbow drops off bunkbeds at the age of three. He's gone through the highs and lows of the Attitude Era, Ruthless Aggression, and PG eras and lived to tell the tale, with his favorite wrestler of all time being Diamond Dallas Page. His other favorite star is the late great Bray Wyatt.

Greg has contributed to sites like Bleacher Report before joining Sportskeeda in 2017 as a content writer and editor. If you've ever checked out the various wrestling shows through our live coverage, chances are you've read Greg's work. Apart from the world within the squared circle, he also keeps track of other sports such as American football, baseball, golf, boxing, and MMA.

His goal with his writing is to be able to mentally take readers right into the action through his words. Greg strives to ensure his readers get nothing but the best and most accurate information by always checking and using only the best and most reliable sources.

Know More

Edited by Riju Dasgupta