As the heels turn: nothing can revive a flagging wrestler's career like a move to the dark side. These are our picks for the 10 most notable heel turns in recent wrestling history

Wrestling Digest, June, 2003 by Keith Loria

WHEN THINGS ARE GOING BAD or ratings are needed, one of the most called upon angles in wrestling is the heel turn.

The heel turn dates back to the earliest days of the sport, and almost every wrestler, at one time or another, has made the dastardly pivot from baby face to bad guy--or vice versa. A heel turn can re-ignite a career or jump-start an emerging superstar.

The most common reasons for the heel turns are jealousy, money, and women, the latter usually a big reason for tag-team partners to split.

In fact, the heel turn is the best way to have a tag-team competitor make the leap to single competition, as it creates an instant feud with lots of interest on the singles circuit.

Even WWE owner Vince McMahon has made the turn, becoming a huge heel over night during his lethal feud with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Here is a look at some of the best, most surprising, and most successful heel turns in the recent history of wrestling.

1. HULK HOGAN JOINS NWO

To most wrestling fans, the most effective and shocking heel turn in history was when Hulk Hogan joined forces with Scott Hall and Kevin Nash as a leader of the NWO. "Macho Man" Randy Savage was getting pummeled by the Outsiders at WCW's 1996 Bash at the Beach pay-per-view. Hogan then appeared to the delight of the cheering fans to apparently make the save on his friend, but the Hulkster shocked the wrestling world when he landed his patented leg drop on the fallen Savage, crushing the hearts of the millions of Hulkamaniacs around the world. Hogan proceeded to rip off his shirt to reveal the NWO logo and the face of wrestling was changed for years to come.

2. OWEN HART ESCAPES HIS BROTHER'S SHADOW

In the early `90s, Owen Hart constantly toiled in the shadow of his big brother Bret. You could see that he was getting fed up with always being reminded of his brother's success. So, when Owen turned on Bret--and also the entire legendary Hart wrestling family--it wasn't very shocking, but it was very well done. The heel turn came at the Royal Rumble in 1994, and Owen's attack on Bret was ferocious. The brother-vs.-brother feud carried nicely into Wrestlemania X, where Owen pinned his brother for a surprising win to open the event. After that performance, Owen was a star single performer up until his fatal fall at the Over the Edge pay-per-view in 1999.

3. THE ROCKERS GET ROCKED

As the Rockers, tag-team partners Shawn Michaels and Marty Janetty were as popular as they came. They dressed cool the girls loved them, and they had a high-flying dynamic style that complemented each other perfectly. Whether it was Demolition, the Brain Busters, or even the Bulldogs, the Rockers could hold their own with any team in the federation. Then Michaels and Janetty had a bad-luck string of losses, and they started to have little arguments in the ring. Both men started wrestling solo as their animosity built up. They eventually shook hands to make up, but then Michaels super-kicked his partner through a glass window, leaving Janetty was a bloody mess. The feud that followed wasn't as big as it could--and should--have been, but it elevated Michaels to an elite singles performer.

4.THE KING STARTS A NEW REIGN

Jerry "the King" Lawler was one of the biggest fan-favorites in wrestling history, and his reign of popularity in the South as the top baby face drove different federations for years. When he entered WWE for the first time, he immediately tarnished his image by developing a feud with then-fan-favorite Bret Hart, surprising many who figured Lawler would continue his babyface ways. The King further implied his heel tendencies by hitting legendary entertainer Tiny Tim over the head with his own ukulele on TV--anything to stress the point that he was now bad. Lawler took great pride in his crown, and Hart made sure to use that against him every chance he could, creating a great feud.

5. THE GIANT CHANGES SIDES

After Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant was the biggest--and we're not talking about just size here--fan-fave in WWE during the `80s. The "Eighth Wonder of the World" would battle any and all big men that came along, but because he was always second fiddle to Hogan, his heel turn angle played upon the fact that Andre was tired of never getting a legitimate title chance. Finally, during a "Piper's Pit" segment Andre took action. Hogan was doing his usual "eat your vitamins" spiel when Andre approached his friend and ripped the shirt off of him, Hogan's chest was bloody and Piper took delight in repeating the words, "You're bleeding, you're bleeding." Tears rolled down the Hulkster's face and a great battle began.

6. THE GUNNS SQUARE OFF

Brothers Billy and Bart Gunn were a very formidable tag team. They were charging up the ranks and seemed to have a great future as champions ... but then she came into the picture. The "she" was the beautiful and conniving WWE Diva Sunny, who could get everything she wanted, and what she wanted was Billy--or so he believed. Billy turned on his brother because that's what the sexy Sunny wanted him to do to prove his love. Had Sunny not made things dark for the brothers Gunn, Billy and Bart may have gone on to become one of the best brother tag teams in wrestling history.