heel/face turn

heel/face turn

English

Etymology

From professional wrestling, in which the wrestler playing a villain role is called the "heel" and a wrestler playing the heroic role is called the "face".

Alternative forms

• heel-face turn

Noun

heel/face turn (plural heel/face turns)

1. A shift in which someone who has been identified as a villain changes to be considered a hero.
   • 2000, Brian Solomon, Pro Wrestling FAQ, →ISBN:

     In order to retain viewers, both promotions did their best to load their respective shows with as much action and as many dramatic twists as possible, including pay-per-view quality matches, title changes, heal/face turns, and shocking debuts on a weekly basis.

   • 2017 November 12, Blake Oestriecher, “5 WWE Stars Who Badly Need A Character Change”, in Forbes:

     Here are five superstars who would benefit tremendously from a character change, whether that be a heel/face turn or an entirely new gimmick.

   • 2018 July 29, Corey Jacobs, “Bray Wyatt wrestled as a full-blown babyface on Saturday night”, in Wrestling News:

     WWE has been known to do heel/face turn experiments at live events.

Usage notes

This form, with a forward slash, is used consistently by writers commenting on professional wrestling, while the hyphenated form is used by writers who apply the term in other contexts.