2024 has been the year of the heel turn in the WWE. This villainous character dynamic has been a staple in the industry since its inception. It’s the typical ideal thing to capture the attention of a viewer and get them invested: good vs evil.
But in the real world things aren’t always so black and white. In film there’s always a bit of nuance and exposition that explains why bad guys are the way that they are. That nuance has made its way to the wrestling world this year in full-force.
How? The establishment of the justifiable heel.
It hurts a fan’s heart to see one of their former favorites turn their back on them. But nothing shuts up a heated audience more than spelling out the consequences of the actions that led them to that point.
With that in mind, here’s some of the red-hot justifiable heel turns of this year and what led them there.
Liv Morgan
Liv Morgan has been hellbent on her revenge tour since making her return at the Royal Rumble in January. This tour has resulted in her becoming Women’s World Champion, opening the show at this year’s SummerSlam and a prominent fixture of Monday Night Raw every week.
But it also saw her go from the beloved underdog to the sly, manipulative heel. In a very heated rivalry against Rhea Ripley, Morgan has taken everything from her. Her championship. Her group. And now her man, Dominik Mysterio.
Morgan’s liplock with Mysterio was one of the most heat-generating moments of the year. Why is Morgan dead set on making Rhea Ripley’s life a living hell?
Well in 2023, Morgan was holding another title, the Women’s Tag Championships with Raquel Rodriguez. They’d first have to vacate the titles when Morgan suffered a real-life shoulder injury in May. But she was able to return and regain these titles a month later.
Then, Ripley blindsided Morgan before a title defense. This caused Morgan to lose her title and miss nearly six months of action. Morgan has every reason to harbor her feelings towards Ripley. Despite the Eradicator’s universal love, she wronged Morgan, and Morgan is basking in the sweet taste of revenge.
Finn Balor
As for Morgan’s Judgment Day stablemate, it’s a bit more complicated. Balor and the Judgment Day were already heels. But this “turn” came when Balor cost his former brother Damian Priest his World Heavyweight Championship.
Going back to the inception of the Judgment Day, Edge was the founding member alongside Priest and Ripley. That was until the two aligned with Balor and turned on Edge. With the Judgment Day, Balor found himself back in the primetime of Raw.
He of course won tag gold alongside Priest and JD McDonagh. But beyond that he found himself challenging Seth Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship twice, at Money in the Bank and SummerSlam a year ago. The dark cloud looming above the matches, Priest’s status as Mr. Money in the Bank.
In both matches, Balor would get distracted and ultimately lose due to Priest teasing a mid-match cash-in.
So, since Priest cost Balor his spotlight at SummerSlam 2023, it only makes sense that Balor cost Priest his spotlight at SummerSlam 2024. An easily justifiable heel arc.
Carmelo Hayes
Carmelo Hayes will be remembered as one of the core pillars of the NXT 2.0 era. A winner of the 2021 Breakout Tournament, two-time NXT North American Champion, and eventually NXT Champion.
Throughout his rise, he was joined by Trick Williams, serving as his muscle and tag team partner. However, Williams would slowly start to become a bigger singles star and got very popular with the fans, and he broke up the duo in chase of singles stardom, even winning the NXT North American title himself. Which happened to be the same night that Hayes would lose the NXT title.
This would just be the beginning of the rift between Trick Melo Gang. Williams entered a #1 Contender’s Match against Hayes, but would be viciously attacked prior to the match. For months, Williams’ attacker was a mystery, until Hayes took a chair to the back of Williams following an NXT Championship match against Ilja Dragunov.
At face value, it’s a story about jealousy. But when you look from Hayes’ perspective, he felt betrayed that Williams would leave his side in chase of singles gold after everything he’d done for him. His actions may have been irrational, but the heel turn was justifiable.
Chad Gable
Before being haunted by the Wyatt Sicks, Chad Gable was one of the hottest babyfaces in wrestling aligned with Alpha Academy alongside Otis, Maxxine Dupri and Akira Tozawa. Gable had been praised for his Olympic background, distinct wrestling style, and his stature that instantly presents him as an underdog.
His underdog arc would reach its pinnacle last year amidst a feud against dominant heel champion Gunther. Gable would be the first man on the main roster to get a victory against the former Intercontinental Champion, albeit via count-out.
Gunther and Gable maintained an electric two-month feud that ended with Gunther beating Gable in front of his family and making his daughter cry. From then on, Gable fought through hoops attempting to get his hands on Gunther one last time.
Insert Sami Zayn. Zayn won a gauntlet match to earn a championship match against Gunther on the grandest stage of them all, WrestleMania 40. In preparation for battle, Gable was one of Zayn’s biggest supporters, teaching him everything he learned in his duel with the Ring General.
The payoff? Zayn became the first person on the main roster to pin Gunther, ending his reign at 666 days. In exchange for his support, Zayn granted Gable a title match on the following week of Raw. In his hometown, Zayn would beat Gable and celebrate with his wife after the match.
This was the man that essentially was everything that Gable wanted to be. He dethroned Gunther. He got to celebrate title wins in front of his family. Everything that Gable wanted, Zayn took.
And thus, a justifiable heel turn occurred when Gable came up short yet again.
Roxanne Perez
Before becoming one of the best champions in wrestling this year, Roxanne Perez first held the NXT Women’s Champion as “The Prodigy.” Having won the 2022 Breakout Tournament, she went on to dethrone the third longest reigning NXT Women’s Champion, Mandy Rose.
Her title reign would be cut short however after collapsing following a defense against Meiko Satomura at Roadblock in 2023. Perez would lose the title to Indi Hartwell in a 6-woman ladder match at Stand & Deliver. Perez would claw for opportunity after opportunity to get back the title she never got pinned to lose, but it would constantly be derailed.
Triple threat matches, mid-match cash-ins, being blindsided by Blair Davenport, Izzi Dame and Kiana James. There was an obstacle at every corner for The Prodigy. At 2024’s Roadblock event, Perez had enough and attacked the NXT Women’s Champion Lyra Valkyria.
Perez’s justification is really the way that the fanbase betrayed her, in her mind. There was no outrage over Perez not getting her fair rematch for the title she never lost. Everyone was quick to accept Tiffany Stratton and Becky Lynch at the top of the NXT Women’s Division.
Perez easily plays the scorned babyface, and is a very justifiable heel.
Wes Lee
Wes Lee has been a staple of the black and gold brand. He’s athletic, he’s charismatic. He’s the longest-reigning NXT North American Champion of all time.
And there was a possibility he would’ve never touched those heights if his longtime partner Zachary Wentz (formerly known as Nash Carter) wasn’t fired from the WWE. Lee and Wentz made waves as a duo in NXT as MSK. They won the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic and won the tag titles twice, quickly becoming one of the most popular duos in wrestling.
Once Wentz left WWE, he returned to TNA where he and Lee first made waves as a part of the group The Rascalz alongside Trey Miguel. They would win tag gold together in TNA, and Wentz would also win the TNA X Division Championship. All while Lee remained in WWE.
When NXT and TNA announced a partnership, Wentz would return to WWE alongside Miguel to keep Lee from announcing his retirement. The Rascalz would officially reunite and defeat Gallus and No Quarter Catch Crew. Lee and Wentz would chase after gold together one more time, losing to Nathan Frazer and Axiom at the Great American Bash.
Immediately after, Lee would attack Wentz and Miguel, shouting “You left me alone!” repeatedly. He would later explain that everyone doubted him once Wentz left, and his doubters influenced him to become one of the best wrestlers in the business.
And while he was paving his way, his former stablemates were nowhere to be found. Lee felt abandoned, betrayed. He also felt like he was the glue that kept The Rascalz together on the indies, and refused to let them ride his coattails any longer.
Knowing their history, this is probably the most justifiable heel turn.
Who have been some of your favorite heel turns? Do you think this trend is going to continue moving forward?
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