History DracoInLeatherPants / ProfessionalWrestling

** Wrestling/{{Umaga}} was a heel for the entirety of his WWE run. But he was such a badass in the ring (not to mention that, aside from the occasional unprovoked attack, he never really did anything underhanded) that there were quite a few instances of crowds cheering him. During his match with Batista at [=WrestleMania=] XXIV, there was noticeable section of the crowd chanting for Umaga. And during Umaga's return to [=SmackDown=] in 2009, he was consistently cheered by the crowds until he started antagonizing Wrestling/CMPunk.

* Wrestling/RandySavage came into WWF as a trash-talking DirtyCoward who mistreated his manager Wrestling/MissElizabeth. But as time went on, fans started cheering Savage due to his charisma and workrate in the ring, to the point that he was being cheered by at least half the audience during his match with Wrestling/RickySteamboat at '''[=WrestleMania=] III''' despite having crushed Ricky's larynx heading into the match. As a result, Savage started toning down the heel tactics and eventually joined forces with Wrestling/HulkHogan to form Wrestling/TheMegaPowers, cementing Savage as a babyface. Then he won the WWF World Heavyweight Championship at ''[=WrestleMania=] IV''' and became second only to Hogan as WWF's most popular wrestler. Savage turned on Hogan in 1989 and still managed to get mixed reactions and this remained true in every subsequent heel run he had since.
* {{Inverted|Trope}} with Wrestling/RomanReigns; at his lowest point, almost anyone who wrestled Roman became this. Roman wasn't a heel ([[InsaneTrollLogic despite all evidence to the contrary]]), but at the time he was arguably the greatest anti-face in wrestling history. He managed to get WrestlingMonster Wrestling/BraunStrowman cheered like a hero by having the big man beat him so brutally he was ''coughing up blood.'' Fortunately for him, this has died down after he was RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.

* Wrestling/KennyOmega is a [[ItsAllAboutMe egomaniacal]], [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] SmugSnake who sees everyone, even his so-called [[TrueCompanions "brothers"]] in the Wrestling/BulletClub as stepping stones on his way to world domination. He's [[NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught routinely cheated in big matches]], [[KickTheSonOfABitch attempted to get rid of Club members that question his leadership multiple times]], and even got his position in the first place by [[TheStarscream going behind]] Wrestling/{{AJ Styles}}' [[TheStarscream back]]. Yet he's so charismatic and genuinely skilled in the ring that fans all around the world love him, and his leadership took the Club to bigger heights than ever, in both terms of mainstream popularity and merchandise sales. His Draco-ness reached such a peak that when Wrestling/CodyRhodes attempted to oust him from his position of power, ostensibly for the Bullet Club's sake, that ended up turning him into [[RonTheDeathEater the biggest heel in all of wrestling]] despite having some very valid reasons to do so. The same could be said for when the Tongan members of Bullet Club finally decided to strike Omega and all of his Elite partners from the group, despite Omega's tenure having completely shifted the Club's direction and damaged the cohesive unity that Bullet Club once stood for.

** Ironically, he now plays this straight: Roman went from a widely-detested {{face}} to a critically acclaimed {{heel}} when he returned in 2020, and many have praised his subsequent growing CharacterDevelopment and intense matches, despite his brutal NoHoldsBarredBeatdown against Jey Uso (and, at Hell in a Cell 2020, Jimmy Uso).

* For said brother's part, Wrestling/TheUndertaker can usually be reliably cited as a standing model of dark justice: however, he has at times abused his macabre image of power to commit frightening acts of evil, almost bordering on BewareTheSuperman. Take, for example, the time period in which he became a [[Wrestling/MinistryOfDarkness minister of darkness]], claiming he set the fire at the funeral home on purpose, trying to embalm Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin alive on a table backstage, assembling a {{Hollywood Satani|sm}}c {{cult}} which routinely engaged in kidnapping and symbolic HumanSacrifice of [[EqualOpportunityEvil men and women alike]], including Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's daughter Wrestling/{{Stephanie|McMahon}}—and somehow ended up merging its way into a plot to take the title off Steve Austin by the very same mad chairman whose company they originally wanted to take over. Or the period in which he forced [[Wrestling/JimRoss a guy]] to literally kiss Vince's ass, assaulted [[Wrestling/RicFlair a legend's]] son unprovoked, put a [[Wrestling/JeffHardy fa]][[Wrestling/MattHardy mi]][[Wrestling/{{Lita}} ly]] in the hospital, and beat the hell out of [[Wrestling/HulkHogan another legend]] with a chain just because he felt he [[DudeWheresMyRespect wasn't getting enough respect]]. He was clearly the heel in those time periods, yet the respect he commanded kept him cheered through most of it. At other points in time he's also at least symbolically burned [[Wrestling/{{Edge}} a man]] to [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Hell]], routinely [[FinishingMove Tombstoned]] physically lesser parties such as [[Wrestling/VickieGuerrero women]] and [[Wrestling/PaulHeyman managers]] for getting in his path, and nearly {{killed|OffForReal}} [[Wrestling/PaulBearer some]][[Wrestling/MuhammadHassan one]] at the Great American Bash two consecutive years—but those are more the hero black.

** On an episode of Raw, Wrestling/{{Edge}} called Orton out on this; claiming that his (apparently insincere) dedication to the fans following returning from a career-threatening injury didn't net him the same kind of fan support Orton had, although Orton was playing the same selfish jerkass character he always was. Hell, immediately before Edge spoke, Orton got a massive pop for [=RKOing=] guest host Wayne Brady.

* Wrestling/{{Kane}} deserves a mention. Kane once [[ContinuityCavalcade gave himself]] [[ListOfTransgressions a mention]]. The short version: he's [[CardCarryingVillain the Devil's]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Favorite Demon]]. The long version: he grew up [[TheUnfavorite locked in a basement]], suffering severe [[PhysicalScarsPsychologicalScars psychological and emotional scarring]] when [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker his brother]] [[OutOfTheInferno set his parents on fire]]. From there, he shifted around among a series of mental institutions until he was grown, at which point he buried his brother alive. Twice.[[note]]Three times, actually.[[/note]] Since then, he's set [[Wrestling/JimRoss a couple]] [[Wrestling/MontelVontaviousPorter of people]] [[KillItWithFire on fire]] and [[WouldHitAGirl abducted]] [[Wrestling/{{Lita}} various]] [[Wrestling/KellyKelly co-workers]]. Oh, and he, uh, [[UnnecessaryRoughness once electrocuted]] [[Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon a man's]] [[GroinAttack testicles]]. Years ago, [[DiscontinuityNod he had a girlfriend named Katie]], but [[AbortedArc let's just say that didn't turn out too well]]. His [[{{Kayfabe}} real father]] is a guy named Wrestling/PaulBearer, who he recently trapped in a meat locker. He's been [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe married]], divorced, [[WeddingSmashers broke up]] his [[Wrestling/{{Lita}} ex-wife's]] [[Wrestling/{{Edge}} wedding]] and [[FinishingMove Tombstoned]] [[RefugeInAudacity the priest]]. And, [[ForTheEvulz for reasons never quite explained]], he has an [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking unhealthy obsession with torturing]] [[UsefulNotes/HistoricalPeopleToKnowInMLB Pete Rose]]. Yet, either because fans felt sorry for the character due to the various tragedies that shaped his psyche or because they respected the performer so damn much, he's remained one of WWE's most popular wrestlers throughout his career whether face or heel. That is, until he went [[Wrestling/TheAuthority Corporate]].

* Wrestling/{{Kane}} deserves a mention. Kane once [[ContinuityCavalcade gave himself]] [[ListOfTransgressions a mention]]. The short version: he's [[CardCarryingVillain the Devil's]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Favorite Demon]]. The long version: he grew up [[TheUnfavorite locked in a basement]], suffering severe [[PhysicalScarsPsychologicalScars psychological and emotional scarring]] when [[Wrestling/TheUndertaker his brother]] [[OutOfTheInferno set his parents on fire]]. From there, he shifted around among a series of mental institutions until he was grown, at which point he buried his brother alive. Twice.[[note]]Three times, actually.[[/note]] Since then, he's set [[Wrestling/JimRoss a couple]] [[Wrestling/MontelVontaviousPorter of people]] [[KillItWithFire on fire]] and [[WouldHitAGirl abducted]] [[Wrestling/{{Lita}} various]] [[Wrestling/KellyKelly co-workers]]. Oh, and he, uh, [[UnnecessaryRoughness once electrocuted]] [[Wrestling/ShaneMcMahon a man's]] [[GroinAttack testicles]]. Years ago, [[DiscontinuityNod he had a girlfriend named Katie]], but [[AbortedArc let's just say that didn't turn out too well]]. His [[{{Kayfabe}} real father]] is a guy named Wrestling/PaulBearer, who he recently trapped in a meat locker. He's been [[AndNowYouMustMarryMe married]], divorced, [[WeddingSmashers broke up]] his [[Wrestling/{{Lita}} ex-wife's]] [[Wrestling/{{Edge}} wedding]] and [[FinishingMove Tombstoned]] [[RefugeInAudacity the priest]]. And, [[ForTheEvulz for reasons never quite explained]], he has an [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking unhealthy obsession with torturing]] [[UsefulNotes/{{Baseball}} Pete Rose]]. Yet, either because fans felt sorry for the character due to the various tragedies that shaped his psyche or because they respected the performer so damn much, he's remained one of WWE's most popular wrestlers throughout his career whether face or heel. That is, until he went [[Wrestling/TheAuthority Corporate]].
* For said brother's part, Wrestling/TheUndertaker can usually be reliably cited as a standing model of dark justice: however, he has at times abused his macabre image of power to commit frightening acts of evil, almost bordering on BewareTheSuperman. Take, for example, the time period in which he became a [[Wrestling/MinistryOfDarkness minister of darkness]], claiming he set the fire at the funeral home on purpose, trying to embalm Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin alive on a table backstage, assembling a {{Hollywood Satani|sm}}c {{cult}} which routinely engaged in kidnapping and symbolic HumanSacrifice of [[EqualOpportunityEvil men and women alike]], including Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's daughter Wrestling/{{Stephanie|McMahon}}—and somehow ended up merging its way into a plot to take the title off Steve Austin by the very same mad chairman whose company they originally wanted to take over. Or the period in which he forced [[Wrestling/JimRoss a guy]] to literally kiss Vince's ass, assaulted [[Wrestling/RicFlair a legend's]] son unprovoked, put a [[Wrestling/JeffHardy fa]][[Wrestling/MattHardy mi]][[Wrestling/{{Lita}} ly]] in the hospital, and beat the hell out of [[Wrestling/HulkHogan another legend]] with a chain just because he felt he [[DudeWheresMyRespect wasn't getting enough respect]]. He was clearly the heel in those time periods, yet the respect he commanded kept him cheered through most of it. At other points in time he's also at least symbolically burned [[Wrestling/{{Edge}} a man]] to [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Hell]], routinely [[FinishingMove Tombstoned]] physically lesser parties such as [[Wrestling/VickieGuerrero women]] and [[Wrestling/PaulHeyman managers]] for getting in his path, and nearly [[KilledOffForReal killed]] [[Wrestling/PaulBearer some]][[Wrestling/MuhammadHassan one]] at the Great American Bash two consecutive years—but those are more the hero black.

* [[Wrestling/JessicaKresa ODB]] has never been a successful heel in Wrestling/{{TNA}}. She initially was one in 2007 but her trailer park [[TheLadette Ladette]] character proved popular with fans and she was turned face. She was brought back as a heel in 2011 to feud with the very over Wrestling/VelvetSky but after that was over she was turned face yet again because of how popular she was.
* The Age Of The Fall in Wrestling/RingOfHonor had a significant portion of the audience insisting how they were "correct" or "awesome". (They were basically a political group with a {{theme park| version}} understanding of American health care [[HostileShowTakeover out to highjack as much of Ring Of Honor's time as possible so they could spread their message]]) Yes, the same Age Of The Fall with the lengthy entry on XPacHeat. Wrestling fans are weird.
* Back in '08-'09, they were trying to turn Wrestling/RandyOrton into a monster by having him viciously attack his opponents' family members, and then punting them in the skull. Except he was cheered when he did it to Wrestling/JohnCena's father, and when he did it to the [=McMahon=] family while Wrestling/TripleH was handcuffed to the ropes, he got what was probably the loudest pop of the year (''especially'' when he attacked Stephanie). Rumours were that the angle with him and Legacy was meant to have Ted [=DiBiase=] Jr. turn face but the fans rooted for Orton anyway which had him being booked as a face despite retaining many of his heel characteristics.

* Wrestling/BeckyLynch's FaceHeelTurn in 2018 was one of the most spectacular backfires in wrestling history. Consider: Even in today's era of Kayfabe long being dead, most wrestlers who turn heel will get at least SOME boos and/or take some time for the crowd to start cheering them again (even beloved Smark favorite CM Punk got this). Becky turning on Charlotte at Summerslam 2018 IMMEDIATELY drew the absolute loudest pop from the crowd all night. She's since ditched her steampunk attire for, well, leather, which only made her more attractive in a rough-and-tumble way; called out the fans for not supporting her only for them to affirm that they actually did with such conviction that it disrupted the entire rest of the promo; failed to crack a smile in weeks prior to her ensuing title match against Charlotte, with everyone cheering on everything she said and did in her anger; and has even stolen Seth Rollins' nickname of "The Man" ever since beating Charlotte - and almost the entire wrestling crowd just continuously ate it up, seeing her as the closest thing WWE has had to Stone Cold Steve Austin in a long time.

* Dakota Kai's FaceHeelTurn at NXT [=TakeOver: WarGames=] was marked by a vicious attack on her best friend Tegan Nox, including victimizing her injured leg and stealing her knee brace as a trophy, and a CavalryBetrayal by leaving Rhea Ripley and Wrestling/CandiceLeRae to face a [=WarGames=] match with a numbers disadvantage. Not to mention her later confessing that she'd secrety attacked Mia Yim backstage at said event to get herself a spot on Ripley's team to set up everything she did afterwards and calling Yim a "hood rat". Yet so many wrestling fans act like she did nothing wrong simply because her motivation for all this was that she was gutted to not get picked for said [=WarGames=] match, ignoring that her understandable frustration doesn't justify warping into a sadistic no-goodnik.

** Ironically, he now plays this straight: Roman went from a widely-detested {{Face}} to a critically acclaimed {{Heel}} when he returned in 2020, and many have praised his subsequent growing CharacterDevelopment and intense matches, despite his brutal NoHoldsBarredBeatdown against Jey Uso (and, at Hell in a Cell 2020, Jimmy Uso).

* Wrestling/CMPunk, after turning back heel in the middle of 2012 following a full year as the company's top babyface, continued to get cheered despite his character mutating from a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold cocky but genuine wrestling revolutionary]] to outright [[ItsAllAboutMe respect-demanding]] [[{{Jerkass}} jackass]]. This was understandable at first, considering most of his heel run early on consisted of feuding with a SmugSuper BaseBreakingCharacter and a face commentator prone to MoralDissonance who both couldn't even admit that, being a long-running WWE Champion considered by many to be a leader for the young talent in the back, his claim to "Best in the World" status had some legs. Even Punk's later dickish habit of constantly interrupting legends was admissible, considering how many times a Hall of Famer would come up and tell him he had to fight Wrestling/JohnCena for the infiniteth time to validate his career. However, the self-proclaimed habitual line stepper would achieve new lows not seen since the death of Wrestling/EddieGuerrero, first when he taunted Wrestling/JerryLawler for his real-life heart attack the night of Lawler's official return to commentary, then when he interrupted Wrestling/TheUndertaker's tribute to the late Wrestling/PaulBearer less than a week after the latter's real-life death just to put himself over as the man who'll defeat Undertaker at [=WrestleMania=], even using Bearer's name in the process. Even Wrestling/VickieGuerrero felt he deserved to be punished. Yet fans ''still'' cheered for him.