face turn

noun

A situation in which a wrestler previously identified as a villain changes to being considered a hero.

Opposite
heel turn
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Meanings

nounface turn (plural face turns)

plural face turns · alternative heel/face turn · alternative heel-face turn

  1. governmentA situation in which a wrestler previously identified as a villain changes to being considered a hero.

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

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

    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.

    2000, Brian Solomon, Pro Wrestling FAQ, →ISBN

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

    2017 November 12, Blake Oestriecher, “5 WWE Stars who Badly Need a Character Change”, in Forbes

    Antonyms: heel turn

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA situation in which a wrestler previously identified as a villain changes to being considered a hero.

Opposite
heel turn

Origin

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".

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

face turn. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/face%20turn

MLA

“face turn.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/face%20turn. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “face turn,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/face%20turn.

Source: face turn on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.