A heel/face turn can completely change a fighter’s career. We already saw, for example, how Roman Reigns’ heel turn changed the game, or when Batista turned face and became a megastar, or when Daniel Bryan turned babyface to have one of the best underdog stories of all time.
Knowing the importance of a face change and what it can mean for the future, it is worth reviewing the last 10 face changes in WWE. Some face turns went under the table and it seems like they won’t mean anything to the careers of these fighters, but there were other face turns that were certainly great and are leading the characters to something good.
10 nikki cross
Nikki Cross recently became a babyface, so it’s too early to tell if this change pans out well or not. For now, it seems that Nikki became a baby for the simple reason that she is lonely and wants friends.
Cross helped Candice LeRae defeat Piper Niven so that her face would become official. Frankly, Cross was working well as a heel, but we’ll have to wait and see if Triple H has any babyface plans for her.
9 Natalie
Natalya became a babyface in October 2022. The change was almost imperceptible, but she changed her attitude when she faced Shayna Baszler in a singles match. Baszler broke Natalya’s nose, which somehow helped make her face lopsided.
Natalya participated in the Women’s Elimination Chamber match, which took place in Canada, so she enjoyed a warm welcome and performed well in front of her fans. Other than that, it looks like this face turn isn’t going anywhere.
8 shotzi
Shotzi’s babyface makeover was the right decision, hands down. Shotzi does not excel in the ring or on the microphone, because his greatest strength is his charisma, but as a heel, he could not exploit it to the fullest.
Now as a babyface, Shotzi can use her charisma and energy to win over fans. Shotzi’s highlight as a babyface was a promo for his match against Rousey in survival serieswhich was unfortunately mediocre.
7 Santos Escobar & Legacy Of The Ghost
Santos Escobar recently turned babyface when he showed his respect for Rey Mysterio. Consequently, the rest of Legado del Fantasma (Zelina Vega, Joaquín Wilde and Cruz del Toro) also showed up.
It seemed that Legacy of the Ghost was fine as a heel team, but babyface’s career could be interesting. Also, there aren’t many babyface factions out there. As of this writing, Santos Escobar is winless as a babyface and has lost three matches.
6 charlotte style
Charlotte Flair returned on the December 30, 2022 episode of Friday Night SmackDown. She challenged Ronda Rousey to a match for the SmackDown Women’s Title and defeated her to win the title. The Queen celebrated the victory with the fans, making her face official.
Frankly, Charlotte Flair has never been a prominent babyface, but so far, fans treat her well and support her in her struggles, even though she most likely won’t last long as a babyface. Flair will likely be rude again by the end of the year.
5 Seth Rollins
People were waiting for Seth Rollins’ face change for a long time, since he had been one of the most beloved rude for months. Seth finally went babyface in November 2022, though he didn’t do any act to make that clear right away, aside from high-fiving fans.
It should also be mentioned that when Rollins hit the Stomp on The Miz three times, it wasn’t exactly an honorable act. So Rollins’ babyface career has potential, but he needs to give his character a clear direction.
4 Sheamus and the fighting brutes
Sheamus (and consequently Ridge Holland and Butch) went babyfaced during their feud with Gunther and Imperium. Sheamus changed faces at the right time because fans loved his matches and his “banger after banger” thing.
The face swap helped Sheamus outdo himself once again, he poured his heart and soul into his matches against Gunther, reminding fans just how good Sheamus can be.
3 becky lynch
Becky Lynch had an excellent heel career as Big Time Becks, but in SummerSlam 2022, after losing to Bianca Belair, Lynch turned his face. The Man was injured but was again the deciding factor in the women’s WarGames match at Survivor Series 2022.
Since then, Becky has feuded with Damage CTRL, and won the Women’s Tag Team Championship with none other than Lita. It was fun to see Becky Lynch heel, but her fans wanted to root for her, so Triple H gave them what they wanted.
2 kevin owens
Kevin Owens always stands out, whether as a heel or a babyface. He was doing a great job as a heel, which led to him starting the first night of WrestleMania 38 in a match against the legendary Stone Cold Steve Austin.
Owens became a babyface in August and returned to his boxer persona, and fans loved it. Since then, he has put on great promotions, delivered great performances and starred in one of the greatest storylines in WWE history.
1 sami zayn
Among the last 10 face changes in WWE, Sami Zayn’s is the best, without a doubt. Sami turned to face Royal Rumble 2023, when he hit Roman Reigns with a chair to protect his friend Kevin Owens. The crowd erupted and we had a memorable moment.
In Elimination Chamber 2023, Sami Zayn was the hottest babyface around, seemingly besting Cody Rhodes, and fans really wanted Sami to take down Roman Reigns, despite not being a credible challenger. Now, Zayn and Owens are back together, and they’re the ideal team to dethrone the Usos.