Whether it’s applause or heckling, the emotional energy invested by wrestling fans can be a powerful force, ripe for manipulation. One of the oldest ways of playing off this is “turning” a wrestler — changing them from a babyface into a heel or vice versa. By turning a wrestler, a promoter can freshen up an act, or create new matchups. Few things inspire so much emotion in wrestling fans as a turn.
More than a few observers have noticed how face turns seem inevitable when a heel wrestler is built up as a monster. The saying, “Everyone loves a winner” is especially true in pro wrestling — consider, for example, the face turns of wrestlers such as the Undertaker and Abyss. But it’s an oversimplification to say wrestling has always been about clear-cut, black-and-white characters. Fans have been cheering unorthodox wrestlers for decades — the Crusher and Blackjack Mulligan are just two examples.
Nevertheless, the public’s ever-changing sensibilities have caused a dramatic change in how faces and heels are perceived. One of the most striking examples can be seen in the career of Bob Backlund. Back in the ’70s and early ’80s, Backlund was the quintessential babyface, an athlete who played fair and encouraged his fans to do the same. However by the Rock and Wrestling Era, Backlund’s comic-book all-American persona was beginning to wear thin. By the early 1990s, he’d become a hated heel — without changing any of the characteristics that had once made him a fan hero.
Heel and face turns can backfire if handled incorrectly. A promoter must be careful not to misjudge the public’s emotions when turning a wrestler. Jim Crockett Promotions learned this the hard way when they turned the Road Warriors heel. Despite the promotion’s best efforts, the fans continued to cheer them, forcing JCP to abandon the idea. A similar situation occurred in 2001 when “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was turned heel and WWE fans refused to boo him.
A promoter must also take care not to turn a wrestler too often, which is what happened to Lex Luger during the late 1980s. Promoters turned him so frequently that the fans simply stopped caring.
There’s a thin line between love and hate. Never was that more clear than when Pacific Northwest Wrestling fans watched “Playboy” Buddy Rose run in to save Billy Jack Haynes and Curt Hennig from a beatdown at the hands of Rip Oliver and the Clan (Oliver’s nickname for his henchmen, the Dynamite Kid and the Assassin). Even the announcers couldn’t believe it: “This is a man the fans have hated for eight years.” Rose was the wrestler who’d injured some of the promotion’s most beloved babyfaces — now, children were running into the ring to congratulate him.
What an amazing turnaround for the villain who had terrorized PNW. In some respects, he was the heel version of “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes. Like Rhodes, Rose was no paragon of physical fitness, but he was able to wrestle sixty-minute Broadways, selling for babyfaces as few others could. Rose had charisma too; but while Rhodes extolled the virtues of the American Dream, the Playboy extolled the virtues of winning at any cost. Anyone who underestimated him took his life into his own hands. He’d stolen many a victory during his PNW tenure, and popular babyfaces like Roddy Piper and Rick Martel had been sent packing when they put loser-leaves-town stipulations up against him.
Rose was so hated that fans actually chose to cheer some of the most despised men in wrestling rather than root for him. Men like Bull Ramos, and even the Kiwi Sheepherders (Butch Miller & Luke Williams) heard cheers after Rose had betrayed them: such was the hatred he generated with his biting promos and nefarious ring tactics.
As history has shown, the greater the fans’ loathing, the greater the effect when a heel becomes a babyface. The fans’ reaction to Rose’s turn was a testament to both the way the turn was planned and Rose’s effectiveness as a performer.
The Playboy had purchased the services of fellow heel the Dynamite Kid as part of his quest to capture the territory’s tag team championship. Rose and Dynamite found themselves facing local heroes Billy Jack Haynes and Curt Hennig in a two-out-of-three falls match — with the winner to receive a title shot against Rip Oliver and the Assassin. Things soured for Rose during the last of the three falls. He looked to have things well in hand when he grabbed and held Haynes for the Dynamite Kid to hit him from off the top rope. But as Dynamite flew through the air, Haynes moved, and Rose was left in the line of fire. Haynes covered him for the pin, winning the match and the title shot. A frustrated Dynamite Kid punched Rose, but the Playboy quickly regained his composure and stunned Dynamite with a kick to the gut. When Oliver and the Assassin came in for an interview, things got ugly. They restrained Rose, while Dynamite laid into him. Hennig and Billy Jack weren’t sure whether or not they should help, especially after all of the trouble he had put them through during their careers. The two babyfaces turned and walked away, but as they did, Oliver and the Assassin chose to attack them, no doubt trying to soften them up before their next title defense. Referee Sandy Barr went down when he tried to help Rose; and Rose himself was beaten further when the Dynamite Kid delivered a flying headbutt. Finally, Hennig and Haynes came in to clear the ring of the heels, saving Rose from further abuse.
Afterward, the Dynamite Kid told announcer Dutch Savage that Rose was finished. The Playboy had paid him to be on a winning team, only to lose two falls in the match.
Then, in a promo that seemed completely out of character, a bloody Rose apologized to Dutch Savage, Don Owens, and all the wrestlers he had wronged in the past. He said he wasn’t going to change his style of wrestling but promised to change his attitude. Ultimately, Rose vowed revenge on Oliver and the Clan and acknowledged that the fans might not have a reason to believe him. Dutch Savage was dumbfounded.
Rose’s face turn would be complete when he saved Billy Jack Haynes and Curt Hennig from Oliver and the Clan. Bloody and bandaged, he then told Haynes and Hennig he understood they might not trust him, but that he hoped they would give him a chance. Rose recalled how Hennig was the first wrestler to put him out of wrestling, then swore on his mother that he was being sincere in asking Curt to form a tag team with him. Rose then extended his hand, and Hennig accepted, telling Rose he would be an asset in his own campaign against Oliver and the Clan. Next, the Playboy turned to Haynes. Just a year earlier, Rose had spit in Billy Jack’s face when he’d asked for a chance to break into wrestling. Now, he acknowledged Haynes’ drive to become a wrestler. A gracious Haynes also agreed to team with Rose to settle their individual grudges against their collective opponents.
Although it lasted only a year, this turn is a powerful example of how effective a properly executed turn can be. Rose would eventually return to the dark side, feuding with the faces of PNW once more before leaving to work in the AWA as part of a tag team with Doug Sommers. It is still talked about to this day by fans of PNW.
A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything.
Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity.
—Robert A. Heinlein
There’s always someone better than you . . . Paul Orndorff never subscribed to that theory, and yet reality was giving him a harsh lesson. No matter how hard he tried, he could not step out of the shadow of Hulk Hogan. After being blamed for his team’s loss at the inaugural WrestleMania, Orndorff made it clear he wasn’t going to be anyone’s scapegoat and quickly severed ties with his former manager and tag team partner “Rowdy” Roddy Piper, earning the cheers of WWF fans in the process. Orndorff soon became one of the more popular wrestlers in the Federation — but he was clearly not the most popular.
With a nickname like “Mr. Wonderful,” Paul Orndorff obviously was no stranger to pride. Factor in a hair-trigger temper and he was an explosion waiting to happen. A heelish “Adorable” Adrian Adonis recognized this and knew he had an excellent opportunity to capitalize on it.
When Orndorff appeared on an edition of Adorable Adrian’s talk segment, “The Flower Shop,” the ever-crafty Adonis stirred the pot, insinuating that Hogan didn’t really have Orndorff’s back. To make his point, Adonis asked Orndorff to try phoning Hogan. Orndorff agreed, but soon had egg on his face when Hogan didn’t answer his call. While he tried to ignore Adonis’ gloating, it was clear Orndorff’s ego had been bruised.
Adonis’ taunting led to Hogan and Orndorff appearing on “The Flower Shop” together. Hogan addressed the phone call, letting Orndorff and Adonis know that he had been busy working out, and that by the time he got to the phone, Orndorff had hung up. Hogan warned Adonis not to get between friends, then responded to a challenge from Bobby “The Brain” Heenan, pitting his behemoths, King Kong Bundy and “Big” John Studd, against him and Orndorff. Heenan was so confident in his team that he had issued a $100,000 reward to anyone who slammed Studd or pinned Bundy. At that point, it remained uncollected.
To prepare for the match, Hogan and Orndorff squared off against the rough and tumble Moondogs. Watching, it was clear that Orndorff had something to prove. Rather than relying on Hogan as a partner, Mr. Wonderful turned the contest into a handicap bout, going out of his way to show he could handle the Moondogs by himself.
After the match, it was clear that Hogan understood what was happening. While it was one thing to showboat against the Moondogs, it was another to try the same thing against Bundy and Studd. This was a team that had injured Hillbilly Jim — and put Andre the Giant on the shelf. Going into the match unfocused was a sure way to the emergency room.
Unfortunately, Orndorff went into the match acting as if he could take on Bundy and Studd himself. Mr. Wonderful started off strong, manhandling “Big” John Studd and keeping the giant-like wrestler off balance. And his performance was equally impressive when King Kong Bundy tagged in; Orndorff used his speed to avoid Bundy and strike back when openings arose. He even held his own when Studd came back in, attempting, though failing, to bodyslam Big John. When Bundy re-entered for a double-team, Orndorff dropkicked both wrestling colossuses, sending them out of the ring to regroup with Heenan. Mr. Wonderful basked in the fans’ cheers and pointed at himself while Hogan frantically motioned to tag in. His partner was doing well, but Hogan knew Orndorff couldn’t maintain this pace forever. Orndorff finally gave the fans what they wanted, and tagged in the Hulkster.
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Two of the wrestlers who rushed to Hogan’s aid (Dan Spivey and Sivi Afi) were intended as replacements for wrestlers (Barry Windham and Jimmy Snuka respectively) who had just left the WWF. |
The WWF champion continued the assault against Studd. Hogan unleashed a barrage of blows, wearing the big man down and making him furious. When Studd lost his cool and bounced off the ropes towards him, he gave the Hulkster the opening he needed. Using his momentum against him, Hogan lifted Studd up and bodyslammed him, delighting the crowd and enraging the heels. But they weren’t the only ones enraged. Mr. Wonderful slammed the ropes as Hogan posed in the ring, celebrating his successful slam. It was clear Orndorff was jealous of Hogan succeeding where he’d had failed just moments earlier. The fragility of the Hogan/Orndorff team was showing.
Energized by his successful slam, Hogan continued his offense; but then Studd caught Hogan with a clothesline and the tide suddenly turned. King Kong Bundy came in and the two men began double-teaming the champ, using their size and power to quickly smash through him. A desperate Hogan raked Bundy’s eyes and head-butted Studd, creating an opening to tag in the waiting Mr. Wonderful. But as Hogan backed into his corner, he accidentally knocked Orndorff off the apron. Any relief from his partner was now out of the question.
As Orndorff lay outside the ring, Bundy and Studd continued working over Hogan, beating him senseless. Vince McMahon and Bruno Sammartino wondered when referee Dick Wehrle was going to force one of the heels back to their corner — tag rules stated a team had only a five count before one member had to leave the ring. When it became clear that the gigantic duo was ignoring the ref, McMahon wondered why the referee didn’t disqualify them. With Hogan still being pummeled, Orndorff finally got to his feet and made his way back into the ring. Though no bell had rung, McMahon noticed that the ref had signaled for a DQ. Bundy and Studd didn’t seem to care.
With his partner down, Orndorff cleared the ring of the heels. As the two big men bailed, Orndorff helped the Hulkster to his feet, making the number-one sign as he raised the groggy Hulkster’s arm. But what looked like a gesture of friendship was actually the set-up for one of the most memorable heel turns in history. Lifting Hogan’s arm, Orndorff stunned the Hulkster with a clothesline. The already battered Hulk was no match for the devilish attack, which made Orndorff’s subsequent piledriver even easier to hit. When Orndorff lifted Hogan’s three-hundred-pound-plus frame into the air and drove his head into the mat he destroyed anything that remained of their friendship.
As Hogan lay helpless, Studd, Bundy, and Heenan returned to the ring, ready to finish him off for good. Fortunately for the champ, a contingent of babyfaces also rushed the ring, preventing any further damage. After the match, Orndorff found himself welcomed back into the fold of the Bobby Heenan Family as Heenan, Studd, and Bundy praised his actions. Even “Adorable” Adrian Adonis (the man who had instigated everything) was there to congratulate him. Heenan and the other members of the Heenan family chanted, “Wonderful. Wonderful!” as Orndorff paraded triumphantly backstage.
The betrayal started one of the hottest feuds of the 1980s as Orndorff battled Hogan across the country. Orndorff added insult to injury by making Hogan’s “Real American” his new entrance music. So hot was the feud that the two sometimes battled in more than one arena on the same day. In his autobiography, Heenan recalled finishing a match in one city and then hopping a jet to another for yet another contest. The feud’s success led to the epic card in Toronto known as The Big Event. It also included a memorable cage match on Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Interestingly, there was no real blow off to the Hogan/Orndorff program. When Andre the Giant began feuding with Hogan, Orndorff’s hatred for Hogan was as strong as ever. During a battle royal on SNME, Orndorff attacked Hogan as if nothing had been settled. But with the threat of Andre looming, there was no sense in continuing the hostilities.
Eventually, Orndorff’s hot temper would see him leave the Heenan Family once more, this time after Bobby Heenan told Mr. Wonderful to acknowledge that “Ravishing” Rick Rude had the superior physique. Orndorff took exception and quickly fired Heenan. As often happens in wrestling, the fans were eager to welcome a babyface Orndorff back.
Orndorff eventually left the WWF and began working for WCW both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. In 2005, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame.
The time-tested teacher meets student angle took an interesting twist when Bill Watts pitted long-time hero Mr. Wrestling II against his protégé Magnum T.A. Traditionally, it is the protégé who turns on his mentor, but the Cowboy was never afraid to think outside the box. Mid-South Wrestling featured some of the most innovative angles in history of the business.
After minor successes in Florida Championship Wrestling, when Terry Allen came to MSW Bill Watts began to build him into a main-eventer. His belly-to-belly suplex was touted as a powerful finishing move, and Allen’s good looks helped him get over with female fans. His resemblance to Tom Selleck’s “Magnum P.I.,” gave birth to the nickname of Magnum T.A. Slowly but surely Terry Allen was becoming a star.
His rise to the top in MSW was helped along by a mentor: Mr. Wrestling II, a popular masked wrestler who unlike most hooded grapplers, wrestled a clean scientific style. Magnum learnt much from the popular veteran, and it wasn’t long before the two formed a successful team, chasing the region’s tag championship.
Things were looking good, but they got even better when Magnum was awarded an unexpected shot at Butch Reed’s North American heavyweight championship (the territory’s most prestigious title). Reed wanted to defend his belt against the up-and-coming star, apparently feeling that the less-experienced Allen would be easy to turn back. Reed couldn’t have been more wrong. Allen fought with a skill and intensity that overwhelmed the champion. When the final bell rang, Magnum T.A. was the new North American champion.
Allen’s reign was short-lived (since the title match was unsanctioned, Allen’s title was not official), but a new title shot was on the horizon. On December 25, 1983, Magnum and Mr. Wrestling II defeated Jim Neidhart and Butch Reed to capture the Mid-South tag team championship. The win was the culmination of Magnum’s hard work and the training he’d received from Mr. Wrestling II.
Magnum’s good fortune continued when he was named the number one contender for the North American title. His luck ran out, however, when his mentor lashed out during the contract signing between Magnum and the latest champ, the Junkyard Dog. During the ceremony, the masked man made it clear he felt Magnum was too green to have a chance. He then criticized JYD (a fellow baby-face), accusing him of cowardice in wrestling someone who was obviously going to be an easy opponent. When Magnum tried to calm Mr. Wrestling II down, he was slapped in the face.
Seeing what his title opportunity was doing to his friend, Magnum offered to hand the title contract to him. Mr. Wrestling II responded with more anger, slapping Magnum again. Despite this treatment, Magnum continued to support his mentor, tearing the contract up and refusing to let it ruin their friendship.
Over the next few weeks, Magnum’s relationship with Mr. Wrestling II continued to deteriorate. Things came to a head during a tag team title defense against the Midnight Express (Dennis Condrey and Bobby Eaton). The Midnights had quickly worked their way into contention for the Mid-South tag championship and they were hot on the heels of the titleholders. On March 13, 1984, the Midnights faced the champions, and a match stipulation meant that the losing team would receive ten lashes from a belt. When Mr. Wrestling II walked out on him during the match, Magnum learned just how much his mentor had changed. Despite a brave battle, Magnum fell to the challengers, losing the tag team titles in the process. He prepared to accept his stipulated punishment, the only bright spot being that fellow babyface Terry Taylor manned up and offered to take five of the ten lashes.
At this point, Allen had to accept that despite his best efforts, he and Mr. Wrestling II were through. His mentor had become a full-fledged heel; he cheated his way to victory over the Junkyard Dog for the North American title, and began breaking in a new protégé, Mr. Wrestling III. Betrayed, T.A. engaged Mr. Wrestling II in a series of matches. In the end, Mr. Wrestling II would discover just how good his teaching was when Magnum defeated him to become the new North American champion. The lessons Magnum learned would come in handy when he left MSW to work for Jim Crockett Promotions, where his star would rise to even greater heights.
No matter how successful a tag team is, it’s only a matter of time before they split. Anyone who’s watched professional wrestling for a while knows that it’s one of the sport’s conventions. There are always exceptions, but for every team that’s stayed together, ten have broken up. Smart promoters know that there are very few things as exciting as two former teammates trying to rip out each other’s throats. But to get the fans to really care you need that all-important breakup angle — and it’s never been done better than when Shawn Michaels called it quits on the Rockers. It was so successful that to many WWF fans, the Rockers are as well known for their breakup as they are for anything they achieved during their partnership.
When Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty got together in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), many fans wrote them off as one of many poor imitators of the Rock and Roll Express. Known as the Midnight Rockers, Jannetty and Michaels quickly proved they were second to none, lighting up the dim tag landscape of the AWA, and recapturing fans for a promotion that was dying a slow death. During their run, they captured the AWA world tag team championship on two separate occasions: observers could see this was only the beginning.
Of course, it wasn’t long before Vince McMahon signed the Midnight Rockers for his WWF. Unfortunately, in short order the duo’s notorious partying allegedly got them booted out. They returned to the AWA, to rebuild and wait for a second chance.
When they finally rejoined the WWF, Michaels and Jannetty became known simply as the Rockers. Their lightning fast double-team moves quickly won over fans who hadn’t seen such fast-paced action since the British Bulldogs. To many, the Rockers seemed destined for at least one run with the WWF tag championship.
But despite their ability and popularity, Michaels and Jannetty were never more than a mid-level tag team. They had their share of victories, but they were never quite able to establish themselves as a dominant force. Why they stalled is a topic of debate. Some blame a match in which the Rockers accidentally injured a novice wrestler, costing the WWF (as well as Michaels and Jannetty personally) a large sum of money. Others have pointed to a rumored dispute between the Rockers and the WWF over their payoffs.
Whatever the reason, Shawn Michaels came to the realization that his career as a tag specialist had gone as far as it could. As 1992 dawned, Michaels convinced WWF officials to split up the team. On January 11, the Rockers appeared on “The Barber Shop,” a notoriously lame talk segment hosted by Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake.
Beefcake introduced his guests for the week, calling them a tag team rumored to be on the verge of splitting up. Out came the Rockers, and Beefcake asked them to comment. Michaels quickly spoke up, referring to himself as the team captain as an incredulous Marty Jannetty looked on, and said the rumors of a split were unfounded. The Rockers, he said, were as strong as ever.
But the look on Jannetty’s face said different — the Rockers were definitely in trouble. Marty spoke then, bringing up recent matches the team had lost, a missed championship opportunity against the Legion of Doom, as well as another match they’d nearly lost because of Michaels spending more time flirting with female fans than focusing on wrestling. Shawn Michaels fired back, noting a recent match in which Jannetty had “helped” him into losing to Ric Flair.
Things came to a head as Jannetty delivered an ultimatum. He told his partner he was going to turn his back, and that when he turned back around, Michaels could forget about their problems and work on making the Rockers tag team champions, or he could simply walk away.
Unfortunately for Jannetty, Michaels came up with a third option. When Jannetty turned back around around to face him, Michaels shook his hand and hugged him. The Rockers looked to be back together as HBK lifted his partner’s arm in victory. Then, in a flash, he delivered a superkick to Jannetty’s jaw, knocking him senseless. As he watched Jannetty on the floor of the Barber Shop set, he eyed a window. He then grabbed his dazed ex-teammate and threw him headfirst through the “plate glass.” Blood poured from Jannetty’s head as Brutus Beefcake came to his aid, preventing any further assault.
Shawn Michaels would go on to incredible success as a singles wrestler, while Jannetty faded from the WWF save for a brief feud with Michaels after this incident and a short-lived run with Al Snow as the New Rockers.
They were two of the greatest World Wrestling Federation superstars of all time. Individually, both men had attained the pinnacle of success: the WWF championship. They were unstoppable, until they met the foe that no team can overcome — jealousy. The night Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage went from teammates to mortal enemies still stands as one of the greatest heel turns in history.
In 1985, Randy “Macho Man” Savage finally hit the big time after years of stealing the show in territories like the Championship Wrestling Association. Savage possessed the muscular look the WWF looked for, along with incredible charisma, and the combination made him a natural during the Rock and Wrestling Era. Given his abilities, it wasn’t long before he battled Hogan for the WWF title, putting on memorable matches in Madison Square Garden and across the country. Little did fans know that was just the appetizer to an even bigger feud.
Savage’s abilities made him incredibly popular and a babyface turn was inevitable. After his turn, only one goal remained — the WWF title, which Savage won in a tournament held to crown a new champion (the previous champion Andre the Giant, had been stripped of the belt after he tried to hand it over to the Million Dollar Man). Savage’s opponent was Ted DiBiase, the man who had just tried to buy the title. He was facing more than just one opponent, however. DiBiase had stacked the deck by buying the aid of the Giant. Fortunately, the Macho Man wasn’t without his own backup. Hulk Hogan (who had been eliminated earlier in the tournament) came to Savage’s aid when both Andre and DiBiase’s bodyguard Virgil interfered in the match, and Savage was eventually able to score the pin.
This unlikely alliance of former foes became known as the MegaPowers; the dream team was accompanied by Savage’s manager, Miss Elizabeth. When DiBiase stepped up his efforts to wrest away the title, Hogan teamed with the Macho Man, at Summer Slam, against DiBiase and Andre the Giant. From then on the MegaPowers became an unstoppable force that demolished any and all competition.
Like many of the great tag teams in wrestling history, the duo’s greatest enemy turned out to be themselves. As time passed, fans saw that the Macho Man was becoming jealous of the time Elizabeth was giving to Hogan. Savage was used to being the sole object of her attention and fans could tell that he was beginning to grow tired of the arrangement. Matters escalated when Hogan accidentally eliminated Savage from the Royal Rumble. Only the intervention of Miss Elizabeth prevented the two partners from fighting each other then and there.
During an episode of The Main Event (a prime-time wrestling special on NBC), Hogan and Savage squared off against the team of Akeem and the Big Bossman. The Twin Towers (as the heel team was known) had met the MegaPowers before in an elimination match at Survivor Series. Now, the two top teams in the WWF would go head to head. The size and power of the Twin Towers made them formidable foes. Both teams would have to be at the top of their game.
Things were going well for the MegaPowers until Savage was thrown out of the ring by Akeem. The Macho Man accidentally collided with Elizabeth, knocking her out cold. An anxious Hulk Hogan raced her back to the dressing room for medical treatment, leaving the Macho Man to fend for himself. Hogan remained with Elizabeth until she regained consciousness and told him to return to Savage — in an acting performance that foreshadowed Hogan’s tour de force in Mr. Nanny, the Hulkster prayed Elizabeth would survive and told her, “Randy didn’t mean to hit you.”
Back in the ring, Savage fought on, no doubt wondering where Hogan was. Amazingly, he managed to survive until his partner returned, mounting a comeback against both Akeem and the Bossman. Savage was none too pleased with Hogan’s absence and he paid him back in kind by leaving him on his own in the ring. To make it clear how upset he was, Savage tagged the Hulkster in by slapping him in the face.
Savage raced back to the dressing room, where in one of the all-time great Macho Man moments, he gave Elizabeth a verbal beatdown as she lay helpless on the gurney. Savage told her he was the star of the show and that she had forgotten that. Thanks to her and Hogan, he’d been relegated to a back seat in the team.
After defeating the Twin Towers, Hogan returned to the dressing room where he and Savage began to argue. Savage accused Hogan of lusting after both the title and Elizabeth. He berated his partner for being a jealous ex-champion. All the while, Elizabeth pleaded with the two to stop fighting. Finally Savage exploded, smashing Hogan over the head with the WWF title belt. As Hogan lay helpless on the floor, Savage went at him with his fists. The lovely Elizabeth tried to intervene but Savage tossed her aside.
Then, in one of wrestling’s greatest live bloopers, Brutus Beefcake rushed into the room before he was supposed to, inexplicably said “Sorry,” and walked off.
Savage continued his attack and went to hit Hogan with the belt again but was stopped by Beefcake (hitting his cue this time), who received a beating from Savage for his efforts. Finally, WWF officials arrived to stop further carnage, but not before Pat Patterson got pummelled as well.
The fuse had been lit and at WrestleMania V, the MegaPowers exploded. Hogan and Savage squared off in one of their best matches ever. The two would meet again several times over their careers but nothing compared to the hype built by this incredible angle.
If turning one wrestler heel or babyface is tricky business, imagine the complexity a promoter faces when trying to turn two wrestlers at the same time. Such a move is rare in the history of the sport, and for a good reason — it’s like playing with dynamite. Still, when done correctly, it is a thing of beauty.
Bret “The Hitman” Hart and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin had been feuding for months when Vince McMahon decided to make Austin a babyface. Few were surprised: Austin’s redneck character had become too popular. Ever since “Austin 3:16,” a Stone Cold face turn seemed plausible. The WWF’s new philosophy, WWF Attitude, made it inevitable.
At that time, McMahon believed wrestling fans had become more sophisticated; they no longer wanted absolutes, and black and white characters were being replaced by shades of grey. The new WWF superstars would no longer be super-heroes or supervillains. Yes, there would still be those that fans cheered and others they booed, but in the Attitude era wrestlers would be more realistic, involved in situations that mirrored life in the real world.
Bret Hart epitomized the traditional babyface. He wasn’t as one-dimensional as Bob Backlund or Hulk Hogan, but he portrayed someone who children could look up to. In Hart’s mind, it was what his fans expected. When McMahon suggested he switch from hero to heel, Hart wasn’t so sure.
McMahon convinced him that he could continue to be a babyface while performing in his native Canada and abroad. But when he wrestled in the U.S., he would be seen as self-righteous, someone who extolled the Canadian way of life and looked down on what he perceived as the questionable morality of America.
Hart had taken some time off after dropping the WWF championship to Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania XII. During that time, Austin established himself. After defeating opponent after opponent, Austin began to call out Hart.
“The Excellence of Execution” (a nickname given to Hart by WWF announcer Gorilla Monsoon) answered Stone Cold’s challenge, defeating him by pinfall at the Survivor Series pay-per-view. But Austin continued to plague Hart, cheating him out of a Royal Rumble victory in 1997. The two fought again at the In Your House: Final Four pay-per-view where Hart won the WWF championship. The next night, on Raw, Austin continued to make the Hitman’s life miserable, this time costing him the title during his match with “Psycho” Sid.
While Hart was still wildly popular, Austin’s fanbase exploded during their battles. The two continued feuding, and eventually faced each other in a submission match at WrestleMania 13, with former Ultimate Fighting Championship star Ken Shamrock serving as special referee. The match stipulation called for victory only when an opponent submitted. The match went back and forth with both men refusing to surrender. Finally, Hart locked Austin in his finisher, the sharpshooter. Despite a dogged effort, Austin could not escape the hold. Still, he refused to quit. Shamrock finally called for the bell after Austin passed out from an apparent combination of pain and blood loss.
After winning the bout, an angry Bret Hart refused to let go. He had experienced enough of Austin’s taunts and attacks to last a lifetime. Several moments passed before Shamrock intervened and Hart broke the hold. The fans cheered for Austin, despite the fact he’d lost.
The story behind the match went like this: Austin’s refusal to quit would be the turning point in the fans accepting him as a babyface, while Hart’s poor sportsmanship would cost him his once loyal followers. The reality was that Austin was already over. The bout at WrestleMania was simply the WWF’s way of officially recognizing Austin as a babyface. Hart’s actions at WrestleMania would be used to help explain his heel turn when he cut scathing interviews about the fans in the U.S.
Greg “The Hammer” Valentine and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair: the blonde bombers were arguably the toughest team in Jim Crockett Promotions. They not only battled the promotion’s top babyface teams but actually managed to hospitalize the feared heel duo of Gene and Ole Anderson. Their NWA world tag team championship reigns further solidified their reputation as the best in the area. Valentine and Flair ruled the roost as partners, but their destinies eventually took them separate ways. When Valentine left JCP to pursue the World Wide Wrestling Federation title in New York, Flair turned babyface and began hearing cheers.
But when Flair began having problems with heel manager Gene Anderson and his charge Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, opportunity seemed to knock. Valentine returned to JCP, and acknowledged that while he and Flair had different philosophies, he wanted to reunite their legendary team one last time. Valentine told Flair he had seen the light and was a changed man. No doubt aware of Valentine’s past, Flair nonetheless agreed to the partnership and they teamed against Jimmy Snuka and the Iron Sheik. Flair would soon get a refresher course in what Valentine was capable of.
The match was a brutal bout; Flair absorbed endless punishment from Anderson’s team but the resilient Nature Boy held on. If he could just make the tag, everything would be fine. He struggled on, but as he reached his corner, everything became clear: he’d been betrayed. Valentine jumped from the mat apron, hanging Flair out to dry.
Flair was eventually pinned, but his troubles were just beginning. Valentine entered the ring and a four-on-one beatdown began. A nearly lifeless Flair was held; Valentine took Gene Anderson’s cane and smashed it across his face. As the cane broke, so did Flair’s nose. Flair was old school, and believed injuries had to look legit. This time would be no exception.
Flair appeared on television with his nose in a protective brace. As videotape of the attack aired, he painfully recalled each moment leading to Valentine’s betrayal. The Hammer had taken liberties, and he would pay.
It was the start of a war that saw the two men trade Flair’s United States heavyweight championship in brutal matches night after night. Eventually, the Nature Boy would triumph and get the revenge he had been seeking.
Heroes may not be braver than anyone else. They’re just braver five minutes longer.
—Ronald Reagan
In 1983, a simple walk back to the dressing room turned into one of the bloodiest feuds in WWF history. Sgt. Slaughter had earned a reputation as one of the toughest men in the sqaured circle. His former Marine drill sergeant character exercised brutality in the ring and earned him the hatred of wrestling fans. Slaughter disdained those who he saw as weak and undisciplined. Whether it was whipping Bob Backlund with a swagger stick or blind-siding Pat Patterson after an interview, Slaughter had a way of throwing his weight around and riling up the fans.
Despite the widespread hatred for Sarge, all it took was a confrontation with the even-more hated Iron Sheik for him to earn the love of fans everywhere. After winning a match, Slaughter left the ring and was on his way back to the dressing room when he ran into the Iron Sheik. Neither man would move. Both men had tremendous pride and for Slaughter, there was the undeniable element of patriotism.
Although it had been two years since the resolution of the Iranian hostage crisis, memories of that dark time in American history were fresh. The Iron Sheik proudly proclaimed his heritage as an Iranian at every opportunity, infuriating fans (although at the height of the hostage crisis, the Iron Sheik’s Iranian heritage was downplayed over concerns for his safety).
After this run-in, Slaughter led the crowd in the Pledge of Allegiance, sealing his turn. All of his past sins were forgiven, as he led the WWF’s fight against the hated Sheik. Slaughter was suddenly the patriotic babyface, battling the forces of evil that sought to defame the good name of the United States.
Slaughter’s turn came at a time when patriotism was on the rise. President Ronald Reagan presented a very black-and-white picture of the world which many citizens found refreshing in a post-Vietnam era. After the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the Cold War threatened to go hot. Americans realized that war was once again a possibility and foreign heels were suddenly once again something for promoters to exploit. Russians began appearing in every promotion, as did Russian sympathizers such as Jim Neidhart and Krusher Krushchev.
Of course there were always old standbys like the Sheik. Unlike many American-born wrestlers who claimed to be from abroad (Fritz Von Erich and Baron Von Raschke are just two examples), the Iron Sheik was the real deal. He had competed in the Olympics for Iran and was rumored to be a former bodyguard of the late Shah. Early in his career, the Sheik worked for Verne Gagne as a trainer for hopeful wrestlers.
Bob “Sgt. Slaughter” Remus first got into wrestling when a reporter friend told him about a story he was doing on Verne Gagne’s wrestling camp. After a grueling tryout, Remus was told he was welcome to come back. Bitten by the wrestling bug, he ended up working for Gagne in the American Wrestling Association (AWA), initially as Bob Remus, and later under a mask as Super Destroyer Mark II. Super Destroyer II was managed by Lord Alfred Hayes until Bobby Heenan returned to the AWA and Destroyer turned on Hayes to join Heenan.
In 1980, Remus entered the World Wrestling Federation as Sgt. Slaughter. He battled some of the WWF’s top babyfaces, including Andre the Giant, Bob Backlund, and Pat Patterson. After a successful tour of duty in Jim Crockett Promotions, Slaughter returned to the WWF, where he challenged Backlund again for the WWF heavyweight championship. Slaughter continued to brutalize WWF babyfaces until January 1984, when he confronted the Iron Sheik about his anti-American comments. The former Marine had heard enough from the heel bashing the United States and he soon found himself in a brutal feud with the one-time WWF champion.
The feud with the Iron Sheik catapulted Slaughter to the top, and his popularity rivaled that of Hulk Hogan. Slaughter’s program with the Sheik allowed him to main-event WWF house shows in one area while Hogan worked in another. As Slaughter commented in Raging ’80s, “We really had it going on, Hogan sold out the West, I sold out the East. Then, Hogan would sell out the East and I’d sell out the West. We were a powerhouse.”
The matches between the two men were bloody. The fans wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Neither man could get a conclusive victory until Slaughter challenged his Iranian foe to a Boot Camp match, Slaughter’s version of a Texas death match. Madison Square Garden hosted the event and it’s still remembered as one of the all-time brawls. Naturally, Slaughter won, ending the feud.
After his program with Slaughter, the Iron Sheik continued with his anti-American ways, this time teaming with “Russian” wrestler Nikolai Volkoff. The two would go on to feud with the popular team of Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham (better known as the U.S. Express), winning the WWF tag team titles at WrestleMania.
Despite his immense popularity, Slaughter’s WWF career seemed to stagnate after facing off with the Sheik. A feud with Niklolai Volkoff seemed repetitive, as did Slaughter’s taking a young wrestler under his wing (“Private” Terry Daniels). Eventually, the Sarge butted heads with WWF owner Vince McMahon over merchandise revenue. He went to work for Verne Gagne’s AWA, continuing as a patriotic babyface.
In 1991, Slaughter proved that anything can happen in the WWF. The Sarge returned during the U.S. confrontation with Iraq over its invasion of Kuwait. Rather than storming in as a patriotic babyface, Slaughter turned his back on the United States, siding with “Iraqi” wrestlers General Adnan and Col. Mustafa (Sarge’s old sparring partner, the Iron Sheik). Slaughter’s anti-American crusade saw him capture the WWF championship from the Ultimate Warrior, holding the belt hostage until Hulk Hogan liberated it at WrestleMania. The controversial program saw Slaughter put his family into protective custody after repeated death threats.