What about Kane? From what I could find he had 26 turns, more if you count all Glen Jacobs characters and not only Kane

Otjer candidates might be Sean Waltman and Edge? I seem to remember Waltman turning a lot once he abandoned the 123 kid gimmick, and Edge turned a lot to fill whatever role he was needed in. He's already been face-heel-face in his current run.

 

I wonder where Jericho would be? I admit I've not counted them up, but he is constantly re-inventing himself.

Edit - good shout out on Piper. Early in his career didn't he usually wrestle as a face in the north-west and as a heel in other places?

I wonder how many other territory guys used to do similar?

 

Big Show has to be at the top of this list. WWE turned him literally every other week.

 

I would say he's close. Dundee turned every few months over like a 30 year career.

 

Yeah Big Show just has to win this, Kane would be in there. Orton with how long his career has been surely will be up there too. Maybe Jericho could be a good shout? Edge?

 

Fun fact: Big Show turned 4 times in his first 12 months in WWE.

 

He turned more than that, I think.

 

Big Show came to mind. Not just in WWE, dude was turning left and right in WCW too.

 

Yeah The Giant aka Big Show was first to come mind to me too.

 

In more modern times, Dolph Ziggler has got to be up there.

 

WELLLLLLLLLL IT'S THE BIG SHOW.

The fact the starting post didn't have him is criminal. Glad to see others echoed what I think.

 

In history, the greatest heel turn is only 1. Hogan turning heel and forming the nWo at Bash at the Beach. It was the most historic and changed the very landscape of the wrestling business. It's still being talked about to this very day. No other turn had that kind of impact.

In recent times, the best one that I saw was when Jericho turned face (Festival of Friendship). Perfectly executed and had 0 to do with WWE creative (it was all Jericho).

 

Big Show is the obvious one. I think Y2J is sneakily one that turns every other year throughout his career. Even if the switch is very short term.

 

Guys stop making fun of Big Show or he will turn heel on your asses

 

8. Roddy Piper: He actually turned more often than folks remember during his entire career.

As I recall, he was a babyface for about fifteen years after his first heel run with WWF.

It's also pretty difficult for some wrestlers during the Russo era, as everything was so convoluted and weird, with wrestlers sometimes turning face to heel and back within just 1 show. There's a lot of stuff that would takes hours to go through and analyze

This was one of the big problems in the more chaotically booked years of the Monday Night Wars, particularly with shows written by Russo but also at pre-Russo WCW when they added Thunder to their weekly TV schedule. One of the big problems with the New World Order storyline, most specifically once Hogan-Sting had had their big payoff match and WCW had launched Thunder was just how tricky it was to follow the motivations of guys joining/leaving the group. I can look at the entirety of Bret's two years and change there and even with twenty years of hindsight, everything seems thrown together and I have no idea what the character's ultimate goal and allegiance was. Contrasted with his final year in the WWF where you can see what he is aiming for as a character. Similar problems with the storytelling with Sting, The Giant, and even Nash.

 

As I recall, he was a babyface for about fifteen years after his first heel run with WWF.

He had a career before WWF. California, Portand, Georgia, where he turned multiple times. You repeated my original point for me. His first heel run in WWF makes folks feel he rarely turned.

So he probably had 10 turns career wide. That's probably not top ten worthy, but not to be dismissed. I am not dissmissing your critic, I probably should not have him in here.

I mean there are easily territory performers who turned more. But that gets into the realm of "wrestlers who matter" turning.

 

Big Show had his fair share of turns as The Giant in WCW.

Started as a heel. Following this, he Switched back and forth each week, depending on who he was facing. Was in the Dungeon and out of the Dungeon at random. Was a face in his title match vs Hogan. Stayed face post losing the title, before turning heel and joining the NWO. He is then kicked out of the NWO and turns face again. This is only documenting the first year and a half of his career.

but, Show is a awesome heel and an awesome Babyface, so it didn’t matter what he was, he was great.

 

Most heel/face turns in a single year would be an interesting stat. How many times did Bret make a turn during his first year at WCW?