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Counting down the WWE’s top 5 double turns.
The double turn in professional wrestling is a rare sight. The act of turning a heel into a baby face and vice versa at the same time is a very daunting and sometimes problematic idea. Many things need to be in place to pull off this feat. The timing needs to be right, the drama needs to be heightened, and most importantly, the crowd needs to be read perfectly. Although seldom used, the double turn has been a tool used in the past to propel some of the most important angles in the company and in some cases, shaped the WWE’s future for years to come.
With risk sometimes comes reward and the double turn is about as risky as they come and some of the rewards have paid off tenfold. In the slides ahead we will take a look at some of these moments and delve into why some were major developments in the history of the WWE.
Some were major story lines, some not so much, but ahead we break down the WWE’s top 5 greatest double turns of all time.
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5. Demolition, Mr. Fuji, and The Powers of Pain
Ax and Smash, better know as Demolition entered the then-WWF in January of 1987 and immediately began to run roughshod over the tag team division’s elite. The destructive duo laid waste to teams like the Hart Foundation, The British Bulldogs, and Strike Force, the latter of which was in a tag team title winning performance at Wrestlemania IV in March of 1988. The team would then go on a remarkable, record-breaking 478-day title reign as champs and firmly entrench themselves as one of the best tag teams in WWF history.
Like many others in the past and future, with this massive success, came fanfare. Although portrayed as a vicious heel tandem, Demolition slowly but surely started to get some followers. The WWF took full advantage of the budding support and at Survivor Series 1988, as Mr. Fuji, their manager, and lifetime heel betrayed his team in favor of the newer, younger Powers of Pain, a babyface duo.
The turn worked to perfection as the villainous Fuji masterminded the Powers of Pain all the way to a tag team title shot at Wrestlemania V. And although unsuccessful in their quest, the feud between the 2 powerhouse teams was must-see television for about 4 months and added yet another name to Demolition’s resume. Although not the most important of the double turns as far as the big picture goes, this was one of the first examples of the rare angle and proved it could be successful.
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4. Paige and AJ Lee
Norwich, England’s Paige could possibly go down as one of the most misused superstars the company has ever had. Before Charlotte, Sasha Banks, Bailey, or Becky Lynch ever became the elite of the women’s division, Paige was the woman predicted to be one of the most successful prospects in the WWE. Currently on hiatus due to violations of the company’s wellness policy, the 24-year old’s career seems all but dead in the water.
Paige’s career destruction wasn’t all her fault however as it began shortly after being promoted to the main roster. The creative team made mistake after mistake with her including the #4 double turn on this list with AJ Lee. Most people would assume that winning the Diva’s title on your first appearance on RAW as a 21-year old would be a springboard for bigger things, but not for Paige.
After the win, AJ took a break from TV and the WWE decided to have Paige feud with likes of Alicia Fox and Cameron. And although she kept the belt through these feuds, she dropped a lot of the matches against the two lower-tier women making her look vulnerable and not nearly like the young buzz-saw that carved up the women of NXT for about 18 months while becoming the first ever NXT women’s champion. Her “lame duck” status as champion was further cemented when AJ came back 3 months later to a massive crowd ovation as a baby face, and took the belt immediately back from the suddenly heel Paige.
This double turn was without question a colossal failure and Paige never really got back on track despite another run with the belt. This was one of the scenarios where the risk certainly did not pay off.
3. Alberto Del Rio and Dolph Ziggler
The idea of a heel Dolph Ziggler and babyface Alberto Del Rio engaging in a feud over the World Heavyweight Championship sounds insane, right? Well, that’s exactly what went down in the spring of 2013 as the two men were entangled in a vicious feud over the “Big Gold Belt”.
Since his repackaging after leaving the Spirit Squad in the Fall of 2008, Ziggler had been seen as a heel. He had all the characteristics. Cocky, cunning, manipulative,and narcissistic. He was a perfect for the role. The problem was that the WWE fans had different feelings about “The Showoff”. They loved his in-ring capability and slick mic work and by the time he feuded with John Cena over the Money In The Bank briefcase he captured at the pay per view’s namesake in 2012, he was all the way over as a baby face yet still operating as a heel.
This sentiment was all but echoed the night after Wrestlemania 29 when Ziggler, to the crowd’s delight, cashed in the aforementioned briefcase against Del Rio on RAW. Del Rio at the time was in the middle of a brief run as a face based on Creative trying to freshen up what had become a pretty stale heel character from ADR. However, shortly after Dolph took the belt he was struck with a legitimate concussion and was off TV for close to a month. His return match was also his first title defense at Payback in June, against Del Rio. During the bout, Del Rio, although he walked in as a babyface, employed the heel role as he repeatedly targeted the head of his recently concussed opponent and walked out a heel. But Ziggler would not give in and showed more courage in his 15 minutes with Del Rio then he had in his whole career. By the end of the tilt, Del Rio was champion again but Ziggler was the fan favorite of the two.
Since this double turn, Ziggler has unquestionably been one of the most popular superstars in the WWE while Del Rio has been cut loose twice. This double turn, proved inconsequential for ADR’s career, but was a major jump start for “The Showoff”.
2. The Rock and Mankind
We all know the career path of The Rock. A happy-go-lucky babyface that was completely rejected by the fans, to Nation of Domination member, to Corporate Champion, to mega-star. But what a lot of people forget about is the 2-month long period after he left The Nation and before he became Mr. McMahon’s hand-picked champion. During that period, The Great One was red-hot with the fans as he helped out Stone Cold Steve Austin in his feud with Kane and The Undertaker while cutting some of the most legendary promos in his storied career.
Mankind, on the other hand, was working an angle as Vince’s surrogate son, doing all his dirty work and therefore getting a spot in the the Deadly Games Tournament for the WWF Championship at that year’s Survivor Series. He had an easy road in the first 2 rounds as he quickly dispatched Duane Gill and Al Snow before defeating Austin in the semi-finals thanks in large part to a chair shot from Gerald Briscoe.
The Rock took out The Big Bossman, Ken Shamrock, and The Undertaker to punch his ticket to the finals and what seemed like a pretty straight forward story line between the young, popular star and the chosen next champion. However, in a major swerve, Vince betrayed Mankind and gave the belt to The Rock in a replay of the Montreal Screwjob.
The Rock immediately became the most hated man in the WWF and Mankind would become the feel-good story in a feud that lasted another 3 months and included various title changes and vicious battles. The Rock, now as heel would main-event that following Wrestlemania against Austin and would never lose his spot near the top of the pecking order.
1. Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin
Was there ever any doubt what was No. 1? The Bret Hart vs. Steve Austin match at Wrestlemania XIII was not only the best double turn in wrestling history, it is not only one of the best matches in wrestling history, it was also the match that set the landscape for the next 6 years in the WWF/WWE. In one single match a baby face star was born and established legend became the biggest villain in the company.
Quick back story. After ditching the failed “Ringmaster” gimmick and running through the competition in a 1996 King of the Ring tournament-winning effort, Stone Cold set his sights on 3-time World champion Hart. After months of promos mercilessly insulting Hart, The Hitman returned from a short hiatus to battle Austin at that year’s Survivor Series. Not as good as their WM 13 encounter, the tilt at Survivor Series was still outstanding and proved that the feud should go on. And that it did, as Austin ramped up his antagonism of Hart while also costing him a win in the 1997 Royal Rumble match and then the WWF title itself to Sycho Sid on RAW.
So by the time the two met at Wrestlemania, the animosity was at an all time high. The two men took it to each other like never before and Austin bled like a sieve. But something funny began happening about halfway through their 22-minute encounter. The sold out crowd at the Rosemont Horizon,, in Illinois started slowly but surely to root for Austin and by the time Hart had Austin in the Sharpshooter which eventually rendered Stone Cold unconscious, almost every fan in the arena was on his side. Hart compounded his new heel ways by continuing the attack on Austin after the bell until stopped by special guest referee, Ken Shamrock.
Austin walked out of stadium that night and the Attitude Era officially began with the Rattlesnake as it’s spokesman. In just 22 minutes the two hall of famers changed everything about the wrestling business and the best double turn in the company’s history led to the WWF/WWE taking over the wrestling world indefinitely.
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