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

**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-wrestling-which-guys-were-heels-in-the-ring-but-good-guys-in-real-life-and-vice-versa/778603
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [January 30, 2017, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-wrestling-which-guys-were-heels-in-the-ring-but-good-guys-in-real-life-and-vice-versa/778603 "2017-01-30T19:16:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 1
**Showing post:** 27

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### Author: ![D\_Odds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/d_odds/32/2882_2.png) [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [February 1, 2017, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-wrestling-which-guys-were-heels-in-the-ring-but-good-guys-in-real-life-and-vice-versa/778603/27 "2017-02-01T19:38:24Z")

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> [@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:

> [@Pro Wrestlers who were always either "faces" or "heels".](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pro-wrestlers-who-were-always-either-faces-or-heels/676561/2):
>
> Rick Steamboat was always a face. He wanted to try to be a heel, but Pat Patterson told him no.
> 
> [Ricky Steamboat Interview](http://www.neoseeker.com/forums/6120/t343410-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)

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