5 WWE Superstars who should never have turned heel

WWE has a lot of characters on its weekly television shows. At the core of this programming lie multiple storylines interwoven to form a product fans can tune into every week.

The basic principle of storytelling is that there must be conflict. An antagonist can take the form of an ideal, a force of nature, or in the case of the traditional hero's journey, a villain. Pro wrestling follows this concept, and WWE crafts most of its stories around a heroic babyface and a villainous heel.

Superstars often turn face or heel when a particular storyline calls for it. Turns can also happen when the company wants to try something new. If you ask fans which kind they pay more attention to, it is definitely a face-to-heel turn.

Unfortunately, while WWE has had its Tribal Chiefs and Rocks, it has also produced some absolute stinkers. Some heel turns were so bad fans genuinely questioned the point of turning the superstar in the first place.

Here are five WWE Superstars who should never have turned heel.

#5. Goldberg's heel turn can't save the sinking ship

No one in their wildest dreams saw Goldberg turning heel

WCW’s rapid decline in its final days was a sad sight to see. However, instead of going out in a blaze of glory, the company decided to make one misguided decision after another. One of the worst was turning their biggest star heel after his resounding success as a fan-favorite.

That is exactly what happened to Goldberg thanks to his former employers. WCW wanted to spring a big surprise on their fans by turning the beloved star heel against top babyface Kevin Nash in 2000. But the turn was not well-received. In fact, the fans didn’t even boo Goldberg when it happened.

Coupled with the legend’s disinterest and the creative bankruptcy around him, WCW had no choice but to turn him face again shortly after.

#4. Rikishi gets thrown to the wolves

Rikishi’s infamous “I did it for The Rock” confession is now a meme. It's also a reminder that sometimes WWE creative are just genuinely devoid of ideas.

Steve Austin getting run over by someone in a parking lot was an engrossing story, with fans curious to know who the attacker was. However, fan-favorite Rikishi admitting to the deed almost immediately torpedoed the angle.

The Samoan was popular at the time, and him suddenly trying to kill Austin on The Rock's behalf was something fans simply couldn't accept. Even Rikishi looked as though he didn't want to be involved.

Luckily, WWE quickly pivoted. Rikishi was declared innocent and Triple H was revealed to be the true mastermind behind the incident. All was well again, but it had been a boneheaded move that almost immediately fell apart.

#3. WWE kills all of Ryback’s momentum

As far as images taken before disaster go, this ranks up there with the best

Ryback was genuinely a revelation when he first burst onto the WWE scene. The comparisons to Goldberg were credible, and everyone thought they were seeing the next big thing in the business.

However, all those hopes were dashed when WWE decided to turn him heel, and for the silliest reason. Ryback simply decided to attack John Cena over absolutely nothing, cementing his turn to the dark side. He then faced off against the Leader of the Cenation, but was handily defeated.

The Big Guy never recovered from that loss and spent years without any direction. It all began with that heel turn, and it culminated in him leaving the company for good.

#2. Fans reject the idea of heel Becks

The failure of this one was perhaps temporary, given Becky Lynch’s original heel turn helped her become the megastar she is today. However, it still doesn’t excuse how poorly it was thought out.

Lynch was clearly the fan favorite over then-SmackDown Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair. However, WWE decided the champion must be cheered, and concluded that the only way to get that was to turn her opponent heel.

Fans had other ideas, however, and continued to cheer on the Irish Lass Kicker and boo Flair. The support skyrocketed to such an extent that the company was forced to turn her face again. Lynch then underwent a character shift into The Man, and the rest, as they say, is history.

#1. WWE orchestrates the ultimate deal with the devil

The most shocking heel turn in WWE history

It couldn’t be anything else. Steve Austin’s heel turn sent shockwaves across the WWE Universe, with the most beloved face embracing his dark side in a twist no one saw coming.

At WrestleMania X-7, Austin shook hands with longtime nemesis Vince McMahon after shockingly accepting his help to win the world title. It was just bad timing, with The Texas Rattlesnake himself admitting later that they jumped the gun on his heel turn.

Although the middle finger-raising antihero did his best, fans struggled to come to terms with his villainous nature. Thankfully, he soon returned to being the darling of the masses, and all was well with the world.