My Top 5 NXT Heel Turns

   Heel turns in wrestling have always interested me, especially when done well.  You've got the Rockers' breakup on The Barber Shop and Hulk Hogan joining the nWo as two of the top heel turns in the history of the business, for instance.  In its short time, especially on the WWE Network, NXT has really become a phenomenon and sometimes the moments that happen there get overlooked.  For this particular piece, I will be counting down my Top 5 NXT heel turns.  

#5 - Alexa Bliss helps Blake & Murphy

   When Alexa Bliss first debuted in NXT, her character was completely different than it is now.  She was very bubbly and basically dressed almost like Tinkerbell, with a sparkly blue outfit and a tutu.  When she turned heel, I didn't see it coming.  Blake and Murphy were NXT Tag Team Champions at the time and were set to defend the Titles against the popular Enzo Amore and Big Cass, who had Carmella by their side.  At that time, I felt Carmella didn't belong and thought she was going to turn on Enzo and Cass to join up with Blake and Murphy.  To my surprise, that's exactly what Alexa Bliss did.  She came out during the match and cost Enzo and Cass the Tag Team Titles, becoming the manager for Blake and Murphy, bringing up both theirs and her relevance.  Today, Little Miss Bliss is one of the biggest heels in the women's division.

#4 - Austin Aries says No Way to Jose

   Austin Aries was a beloved star from the Indy's and Impact Wrestling and the fans welcomed him with open arms to NXT.  In fact, I witnessed his NXT debut match at Takeover in Dallas two years ago.  Because he was so respected, he started there initially as a babyface.  Someone new making their way in was No Way Jose, who was both powerful in the ring and in personality.  He was a Dominican that loved to dance but he could get serious in the ring.  Jose was usually pretty good at getting others to dance and he tried to do so with Austin Aries.  At first, Aries politely declined but eventually Jose won him over and the two started to dance in the ring and towards the back.  Aries was really getting into it and seemed to be enjoying himself.  Both men made their way to the commentary table and climbed on top to dance some more.  Suddenly, Aries attacked Jose and gave him a beating.  Aries was there for one reason only and it certainly wasn't to be silly.

#3 - Roderick Strong becomes Undisputed

   Since his arrival in NXT, Roderick Strong was a fan favorite that loved his family.  One trait he had was the ability to gain respect from his peers.  After a strong showing in a challenge to United Kingdom Champion Pete Dunne, who was certainly rough around the edges, Dunne came to respect Strong for taking the fight to the Bruiserweight.  They came together as a last minute replacement of Mustache Mountain in the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic.  Their Cinderella story brought the team to the finals against the previous winners, the Authors of Pain, with the winners to take on the Undisputed Era's Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly for the NXT Tag Team Championships at Takeover: New Orleans this past April.  However, during the match, the Undisputed Era, along with leader Adam Cole, attacked both teams with the intention of not having to defend their Titles.  However, this backfired, as NXT General Manager William Regal ruled that the finals of the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic, as well as the NXT Tag Team Championships, would be decided in a Triple Threat Match between the teams at Takeover.

   The Undisputed Era ran into a problem when Bobby Fish was injured.  Adam Cole had his own match to worry about, trying to win the new NXT North American Championship in a six-man Ladder Match.  With Fish's injury, Regal wanted a decision from Cole.  Either the Undisputed Era would be forced to relinquish the Tag Team Titles or Cole would be forced to pull double duty at Takeover.  Cole chose the latter to save his stable.  Earlier in the night, Cole ended up winning the North American Title.  Later on, he would team with O'Reilly against Strong/Dunne and the AOP.  During the match, Strong suddenly turned on Dunne and helped the Undisputed Era retain the Tag Team Titles.  He then joined the Undisputed Era.  He took over Cole's spot as Tag Team Champions so Cole could concentrate on his North American Title.  The Undisputed Era was now stronger than ever and fans were legitimately shocked at the actions of Roderick Strong.

#2 - Best Friends No More

   Since his arrival in NXT in 2012, Sami Zayn was the ultimate underdog, as he fought and clawed his way into the NXT Championship picture.  He finally had a shot at Takeover: Fatal Fourway but came up short in the match against Tyler Breeze, Tyson Kidd, and NXT Champion Adrian Neville.  Zayn was able to get a one on one match for the Title against Neville at Takeover: R-Evolution in the main event.  Meanwhile, Zayn's best friend Kevin Owens was to make his NXT debut at the same Takeover to start out the show.  Owens impressed many in his debut by defeating CJ Parker to a great ovation from the crowd.  Later, after a tough battle, Sami Zayn defied the odds and became the new NXT Champion.  The first of many to greet him was his best friend, Kevin Owens.  Many others came out to celebrate with the new Champion and even Neville congratulated Sami.  After the hoopla, Zayn and Owens shared the ring together and embraced.  As they were leaving ringside, Owens suddenly nailed Zayn with a clothesline and proceeded to Power Bomb him onto the edge of the apron.  The best friends then became bitter rivals.  This was a great turn, as were the others I've mentioned, but there is one in NXT that tops them all.

#1 - DIY Is Dead!

   This, in my opinion, is the biggest and best heel turn in NXT history, which has led to arguably one of the best heels currently in the WWE landscape.  DIY was a tag team consisting of Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa, two men who have known one another for many years and were the best of friends.  While on paper, this sounds similar to the dynamic of Zayn and Owens, the turn involved here was much more impactful.  While the two competed against each other in the Cruiserweight Classic tournament, they had their sights set on tag team glory.  Undeterred by their failure to win the 2015 Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic tournament, they tried again in 2016, losing to the Authors of Pain in the semi-finals.  DIY began a rivalry with The Revival in 2016 when they challenged them for the NXT Tag Team Titles.  Though they came up short at Takeover: Brooklyn II, DIY finally defeated The Revival to become the new NXT Tag Team Champions at Takeover: Toronto that November, and the underdogs' dream had come true.

   Unfortunately, their reign was short lived, as they lost the Titles to the Authors of Pain two months later at Takeover: San Antonio in January of 2017.  At Takeover: New Orleans, DIY failed to regain the Titles in a Triple Threat Match with the AOP and The Revival.  DIY had one more shot at the AOP's Tag Team Championships in May at Takeover: Chicago, this time in a Ladder Match.  The match was nothing short of spectacular, as both teams went toe to toe and tore the house down.  In the end, it was just not DIY's night, as they said goodbye to their hopes of once again becoming NXT Tag Team Champions.  Moments later, something unbelievable took place.  As Gargano and Ciampa made their way to the stage, arm in arm, Ciampa suddenly threw Gargano straight into the stage wall.  When Gargano came to and realized what was happening, Ciampa continued the attack with a running knee strike.  The impact this has had on NXT has been incredible.  Ciampa has turned into one of the best heels and Gargano has garnered even more fans for himself.  This feud began in May of 2017, is still going on today, and no one is tired of it yet, which is amazing considering the times we are in.  To me, this is by far the number one heel turn in NXT history.

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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