With the possibility that some WWE stars could be shifting to a more dastardly version of themselves, there may be some heel turns incoming.
Ahead of WrestleMania 42 there are seemingly some shifts on the horizon with several stars likely to return with revenge on their minds and boasting a notable shift to the dark side.
Here are seven WWE heel turns that may be coming soon.
7. Tiffany Stratton
Featuring in the WrestleMania 42 adverts, Tiffany Stratton certainly doesn’t have the attitude of a babyface.
Calling her opponents’ smiles fake and their outfits tired, it would seem that the sassiest version of Tiffy Time could be on the verge of returning.
Out of action since dropping the WWE Women’s Championship to Jade Cargill at Saturday Night’s Main Event on November 1, 2025, Stratton could certainly return with a brand new attitude.
Possibly aligning with the new tag team of Nia Jax and Lash Legend, Stratton could also go it alone as a heel whether she flips brands to WWE Raw or stays put on SmackDown.
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6. Bianca Belair
A potential heel turn in the WWE women’s division could arise with the return of Bianca Belair.
While it entirely depends on whether or not Belair is set to return to Raw or SmackDown, her storylines could be equally compelling as either a heel or a babyface.
However, since she has been out of action since April 2025, it could be that Belair ends up returning to much fanfare and slowly reveals that she has embraced the dark side since fans last saw her.
Able to be a more intriguing slow turn, Belair’s actions – much like Drew McIntyre’s – could be justified by a certain sect of the audience while others would consider that she had gone bad.
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5. Randy Orton
Out of action since early October, Randy Orton could be set to return as a heel character rather than the more affable version of The Viper he has been portraying.
While it seems that he is too beloved to actually go fully dark heel again, there is a case to be made for why Randy Orton may end up more effective in the ring if he were to bring back some of his more vicious instincts.
With the heel iteration of Randy Orton known to stop at nothing to claim victory, there is a hesitancy in the babyface version of his character to go too far in certain situations.
Able to ride the line between heel and face very easily, Orton could craft an entirely new version of what it means to be a WWE anti-hero in 2026.
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4. Santos Escobar
While Santos Escobar wasn’t a babyface in his last appearances in WWE, it would make sense to see his return met with some initial confusion about where his allegiances might lie.
Able to pull off a rare moment where the audience may think a returning star is headed one direction and they abruptly do something unexpected, it could be that Escobar flips expectations upon his return.
While it has not been reported if he is expected to be a heel or a babyface, it has been noted that Escobar is likely planned for singles action upon his return and with a shift in his character.
Able to revive his CMLL character El Hijo del Fantasma or someone entirely different, Santos Escobar could certainly bring a new face of evil to WWE.
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3. Charlotte Flair
One WWE star that took a somewhat unlikely babyface turn in 2025 was Charlotte Flair.
After seemingly being presented as an attempt at a babyface when she first returned to action after an extended time out with injury at the Royal Rumble 2025, audiences weren’t entirely receptive to the softer version of Flair.
However, after her tag team with Alexa Bliss gained popularity and served to humanize The Queen in the latter half of 2025, she may be set to return to the dark side. Recently noting that she does hope to return to her evil Queen iteration in the future, she was grateful for this current run with Alexa Bliss for the experience.
Conversely, it could end up being Alexa Bliss who turns heel on Charlotte Flair in a shake-up of the expected, leading to an equally intriguing feud between the two with a wounded version of Charlotte arguably more interesting rather than a return to being a heel.
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2. Bayley
There is something suspicious still going on with Bayley, whether or not her actions are still seemingly those of a babyface.
With intriguing and nuanced backstage interactions as well as her behavior during entrances and matches, there is still a sense that Bayley has turned heel – or at least is about to.
Yet to reveal herself as a heel though, Bayley seemingly continues to cultivate a partnership with Lyra Valkyria, potentially only to violently turn on her in the end.
With WrestleMania 42 on the horizon, it may be sweet revenge for Bayley to end up turning on Valkyria ahead of the big event and vowing to destroy her in Las Vegas after she was replaced at the last minute last year.
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1. Austin Theory
The last time he appeared on-screen, Austin Theory was the more likable member of the A-Town Down Under tag team.
With Grayson Waller seemingly perpetually selling out Theory and being generally more disloyal, Theory came out more sympathetic in the duo before being quickly written off TV in a backstage segment.
Waller noted that Theory was injured, dragged him down anyway and therefore their partnership was over – ending a tag team without a real payoff.
Seemingly paving the way for there to be a future heelish reveal of a new and improved version of Austin Theory, there could still be a big push ahead for the former Untied States Champion as a bad guy.
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