At WWE WrestleMania 41, Paul Heyman turned heel on both Roman Reigns and CM Punk by aligning with Seth Rollins and helping him win the main event of Night One.
Going into this year’s “Show of Shows,” there are a few WWE stars who could follow in Heyman’s footsteps in Las Vegas.
From longtime babyfaces to conflicted characters embracing the dark side, these heel turns could cause ripple effects that will be felt long after Mania.
Here are six potential heel turns at WWE WrestleMania 42.
6. Sami Zayn
At the WWE Royal Rumble 2026 premium live event, Drew McIntyre defeated Sami Zayn to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.
After suffering this loss, fans have seen a change in Zayn, who has showcased more frustration and anger than he has ever displayed.
Zayn eventually turning heel seems to be inevitable at this point and time considering his recent interactions with Cody Rhodes.
Helping Randy Orton defeat Rhodes at WrestleMania 42 could be Zayn’s way to fully embrace a new mindset that will allow him to finally become a world champion down the line.
5. Lyra Valkyria
Another WWE star who has shown some frustration on television as of late is Lyra Valkyria.
After losing recent some matches, Valkyria seemed to be showing some of her anger about coming up short in singles and tag team action alongside Bayley.
However, following a win over the Kabuki Warriors on Raw, Valkyria and Bayley will compete for the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships on the March 30 edition of Monday Night Raw and most likely at WrestleMania 42.
If they lose these matches on Raw and at Mania, this could lead to a logical heel turn for Valkyria at “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”
4. Ilja Dragunov
Over the past few weeks, Ilja Dragunov has been going through a crisis of confidence after a series of notable losses.
However, Dragunov put that aside to challenge Carmelo Hayes for the United States Championship on the March 20 episode of Friday Night SmackDown.
After coming up short in his bid to regain the US Title, “The Mad Dragon” might succumb to his own self doubt, bringing out a darker side of himself.
Dragunov turning heel might just be what he needs to finally capture the United States Championship for a second time at WrestleMania 42.
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3. Jey Uso
On the March 2 edition of Monday Night Raw, CM Punk took things to a personal level between him and Roman Reigns when he said that he will bury “The OTC” next to his late father.
This led to The Usos stepping up to Punk to demand an apology and has made the twins a permanent part of the build to this WrestleMania 42 main event.
Then on the March 23 episode of WWE Raw, it was Jey Uso who called the shot for Reigns to viciously attack Punk for the first time since their Mania match was made official.
After being one of the most popular stars on the WWE roster, Jey could turn heel and help his cousin overcome Punk to become the new World Heavyweight Champion at “The Grandest Stage of Them All.”
2. Stephanie Vaquer
At WWE Royal Rumble 2026, Liv Morgan won the Women’s Royal Rumble Match and earned a title shot at WrestleMania 42.
Following her decision to challenge Stephanie Vaquer for the WWE Women’s World Championship, both women have cut deep with insults about their journey in pro wrestling.
While Vaquer does have the support of the fans, there is an argument that Morgan may be the more popular of these opponents at Mania.
WWE performing a double turn where Vaquer turns heel, while Morgan turns babyface might benefit both ladies following “The Show of Shows.”
1. Cody Rhodes
On the March 13 episode of Friday Night SmackDown, Randy Orton turned heel on Cody Rhodes in a bloody beatdown to show what he was willing to do come WrestleMania 42.
Despite this attack, Orton has garnered cheers during this beatdown and the week following when he cut a heel promo.
After Orton received support from the audience even when he attacked Matt Cardona, WWE might be wise to revert course and make “The Legend Killer” the babyface in this feud.
This could lead to Cody finally turning heel for the first time since his WWE return in 2022 and betraying all of his morals to cheat to defeat his former mentor at WrestleMania 42.
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