Pro Wrestling: Which Guys Were Heels In The Ring, But Good Guys In Real Life (And Vice Versa)?

[D_Odds]

@Sir_T-Cups

My knee-jerk reaction to this is to say John Cena, but I think he was a bit heelish in his debut and his early years before he became “JOHN CENA! (cue the music).”

I’ll also defer to the historians on this one, but I believe Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat never played heel.

Maybe the Bushwhackers?

From an older thread:

@D_Odds

Rick Steamboat was always a face. He wanted to try to be a heel, but Pat Patterson told him no.

Ricky Steamboat Interview

Ricky Steamboat: Oh sure, sure. It was the early nineties, I think '91 when I was working with the WWF and I went up to Pat Patterson and told him I wanted to try and work as a heel as least one time in my career. Paterson looked at me and said: “Steamboat, you’re the consummate baby face. I can send you out to the ring with a chainsaw and you can cut off both of Hulk Hogan’s arms, and the fans just wouldn’t believe it.” I was kind of let down by it because I really did want to try and work as a heel.

The Bushwackers were a nasty heel team as the New Zealand Kiwis and then The Sheepherders before coming to the WWF.

(found that old thread looking for the Paterson quote - go Google)