Top 10 Hated Wrestlers Who Became Loved

Getting heel heat is great. It means the baddie is doing their job well. But while Sean Waltman got a variation named himself with “X-Pac Heat,” it was anything but positive. Instead, the fans were incredibly bored of the character and despised him. Also known as “Go Away Heat,” fans felt X-Pac had barely changed since he was in the nWo in 1996. Throw in betraying Kane during their well-received tag team in the then-WWF, and the fans had no love left for X-Pac. After leaving the company in 2002, Waltman battled personal and substance issues. He overcame them and found a new lease on the independent circuit, completely transforming his reputation. As such, the two-time WWE Hall of Famer is now hugely respected.

With a backstory of winning an Olympic gold medal with a “broken freakin’ neck,” Angle’s WWF debut was heavily publicized with vignettes. However, this was the wrestling industry in the late ‘90s, where edgy and attitude ran supreme. As such, the fans quickly turned on the American hero’s tired trope. Angle leaned into the hatred, turning heel and ramping up the obnoxiousness, leading to the iconic “You Suck” chants. Eventually, he turned face and became a comedy character. But it was his run from 2006 as the Wrestling Machine in WWE and TNA that cemented him as one of the best to grace the ring. When Angle returned to the WWE in 2017, those “You Suck” chants were now done with a lot of love.

In 1995, Rhodes returned to the WWF for the second time. However, rather than going by “The Natural,” he was decked out in gold and black paint, a blonde wig, and a gold unitard. It was the birth of “The Bizarre One,” Goldust. With suggestive and unusual mannerisms, fans didn’t know what to make of the character. In fact, even other wrestlers had issues with the gimmick. With every return to the WWE, Goldust found something new to entice the fans while leaving poorly received gimmicks like WCW’s Severn and TNA’s Black Reign in the bin. It was Rhodes joining AEW in 2019 that really improved his image. As a grizzled veteran who can still wrestle, fans have really taken him to heart.

With his backstage politics, his behavior towards Chyna, and constantly being in the main event, fans had grown to really hate Triple H. So much so he’s been voted the “Most Hated Wrestler of the Year” by Pro Wrestling Illustrated, a record 5 times. Even with him leaning into a heel character throughout most of his career, Triple H was very divisive in the ring. He was especially hated in the early 2000s after the despised Katie Vick story with Kane and feuds with former WCW stars. What really changed Triple H’s perception among fans was his work on turning NXT into the biggest and best development brand in wrestling. Signing indie darlings and making them into stars drew a lot of love. His current role as Chief content officer has been credited by many for the recent rise in WWE’s popularity.

As the “Rated R Superstar” began his ascent to the main event, a real-life scandal side-tracked it. Even though Edge had been a heel, it was a new level of heat in 2005 when he had a real life affair with Lita, who was dating one of his close friends, Matt Hardy. With Hardy’s firing after going public with the ordeal, Edge was getting nuclear heat. Hardy was brought back for a worked shoot story against Edge, which cemented the Canadian as one of the industry’s biggest villains. After his forced retirement in 2011, all that drama was forgotten, especially when he returned to the ring in 2020. Today, Adam Copeland can be found being serenaded by AEW fans with his entrance song.

After growing to fan favorite status as “The Doctor of Thuganomics,” Cena quickly became the face of the WWE as he morphed into “SuperCena.” With that, his reputation with hardcore fans plummeted. The 2006 event “ECW One Night Stand” really highlighted this problem. With fans holding threatening and insulting signs, Cena was heavily booed as his shirt was thrown back at him. Did this change anything? Not really. For the next 13 years, Cena was essentially the same character. While this resonated with kids, it didn’t with many adults. However, as he began focussing on acting and reduced his work in WWE, when he does come back, it’s with thunderous applause. With time, fans have recognized how talented the leader of the Cenation is.

As the quiet, intimidating powerhouse of The Shield, Reigns enjoyed marvelous popularity with the group. However, when they broke up, his positioning as the new face of the WWE soon frustrated fans. After all, they’d already made their dislike of Cena’s character known. So, Cena 2.0 wasn't going to land. As such, Reigns was heavily, heavily booed, especially when given despised storylines like the dog food feud with Baron Corbin. After years of calls for Reigns to turn heel, fans got their wish in 2020. Now the “Tribal Chief,” Reigns leaned into the hatred perfectly. He, along with the Bloodline, became one of the company’s most-watched segments. Even when he turned face again in 2024, Reigns was still reigning with fans.

A member of a wrestling dynasty and with a squeaky-clean character, Rocky Maivia made his debut in 1996. However, since this was the ‘90s, fans didn’t want dull heroes and nepotism. Not even lifting the Intercontinental Championship helped as Maivia soon drew astonishing levels of heat, with some fans chanting or holding up signs stating, “Die Rocky die.” Things had to change. And, boy, did they. Rechristened The Rock, he joined the Nation of Domination in 1997, allowing him the chance to showcase his electrifying charisma. With his popularity quickly rising, The Rock turned face, increasing his standing even more as he became one of the industry’s most celebrated wrestlers and crossed into the mainstream as a successful Hollywood actor.

After growing frustrated as Stardust, Rhodes left the WWE in 2016. From there, he began rewiring his career on the indie scene, leading to him working with Ring of Honor, TNA, and New Japan. This guided Rhodes to become one of the main contributors to forming AEW. However, over time, his once-stellar reputation with the fans began to collapse. Rhodes’s star had fallen after the ill-received feud with Anthony Ogogo and seemingly not turning heel. During one match, Rhodes’s weight belt was thrown back at him by a fan. In 2022, the American Nightmare jumped back to the WWE with an incredible reception from the audience. Since then, he’s built on it, turning him into one of the company’s biggest merchandise sellers.

When he turned on Marty Jannetty in 1992 and became “The Heartbreak Kid,” Michaels's incredible ring work and charisma caused him to be elevated in the company. However, with that power came a lot of backstage issues and politics, often attributed to substance issues. In 1998, after a back injury, Michaels retired from wrestling. In 2002, he made an astonishing return. Yet what made it more special was the personality change. Gone was the obnoxious attitude. Instead, Michaels did what he could to lift other wrestlers. Hence, he only had one brief single title run with the World Heavyweight Championship in 2002. A more focused HBK, who was somehow even better in the ring, turned all those who previously hated him into die-hard supporters.



What other previously hated wrestlers who are now beloved did we miss from the list? Let us know below!