Few moments are as memorable in WWE and pro-wrestling storytelling as a well-executed heel turn.
In a year that saw John Cena turn heel – and then go back on it just a few months later as his retirement approaches – seeds are being planted for several babyface stars who could soon make a similar shift to the heel side of the roster.
Here are six current babyfaces who could turn heel in WWE soon.
6. Randy Orton
Despite currently being one of WWE’s most over babyfaces, the majority of Randy Orton’s near two-and-a-half decade WWE career has been spent as a heel.
Few would have had it on their bingo card at the beginning of the year that Orton and John Cena would reignite their career-long rivalry – with Orton as the super-over babyface and Cena as the heel.
At Night of Champions, in the finals of King of the Ring, Orton lost to Cody Rhodes after pulling back from “punting” Rhodes in the head and later telling Rhodes he would not hold back next time.
This appears to be planting the seeds for another clash between the two – this time for Rhodes’ Undisputed WWE Title – potentially following an Orton heel turn.
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5. Tiffany Stratton
With still only three years of in-ring action under her belt, current WWE Women’s Champion Tiffany Stratton remains inexperienced but continues to improve between the ropes.
Her character work, however, remains her strongest asset.
Currently pushed as a babyface and over with the fans, her presentation and mannerisms give off palpable heel energy.
There are little signs yet of a heel turn on WWE programming, but it seems all but inevitable.
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4. Zaria
Zaria was signed by WWE last year, arriving in NXT where she has been paired with Sol Ruca as part of an odd-couple team.
Working as DELTA on the Australian indies, Zaria had impressed as a powerhouse monster heel.
There have been subtle seeds planted for a breakup between Ruca and Zaria, with the Australian quietly eyeing Ruca’s North American Title.
Sooner rather than later, the pair will likely split, with Zaria assuming the role she is naturally more suited to – and at that point, she is likely to excel.
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3. Alexa Bliss
When Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair recently began their “frenemy” tag team, it was reportedly meant to be a short-lived affair that would end in a feud.
The team instead got over with the crowd and, rather than immediately breaking up, won the Women’s Tag Team Titles at WWE SummerSlam.
However, an eventual breakdown is no doubt coming, with one likely turning heel on the other.
One surprise has been the recent crowd reaction to Charlotte Flair, who has been cheered by fans that have booed her for years, making it seem early to turn her – meaning the eventual outcome could be a Bliss heel turn.
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2. Asuka
On the August 11 edition of Raw, the seeds were planted for an imminent Asuka heel turn – this began when IYO SKY turned down Asuka and Kairi Sane’s offer to be at ringside for SKY’s bout with Judgment Day’s Roxanne Perez.
The finish of the match saw Perez push SKY into Asuka, who came to ringside anyway, leading to Perez scoring the pinfall – arguing backstage over this, Asuka shoved SKY before walking off, leaving Sane visibly conflicted.
WWE has reportedly long wanted to do a program between Asuka and SKY, and it appears that this is finally happening.
Whether Sane will turn heel alongside Asuka remains up in the air.
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1. Cody Rhodes
It is widely known that The Rock wanted Cody Rhodes to turn heel at the beginning of the year, with the John Cena heel turn initially intended for Rhodes.
The original idea may been nixed, but that does not mean a heel turn is not in Rhodes’ future — in a recent interview with sports broadcaster Kay Adams, he noted that he was at the “tail end” of his babyface run.
This statement was more than a spot of foreshadowing, and a turn appears to be coming – the only question is when.
There are things left to do for Rhodes as a babyface, including a feud with a heel Randy Orton, but a Rhodes heel turn could be one of 2026’s biggest WWE storylines.
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