WWE Stars Who Need to Turn Babyface or Heel in 2024

The 2024 edition of the Royal Rumble is approaching fast, and the WWE Universe can't stop talking about how the premium live event will impact the Road to WrestleMania 40.

While wrestling fans continue fantasy booking the biggest show of the year, there are a plethora of Superstars who need a significant character change in 2024, including Rhea Ripley, Randy Orton and CM Punk.

Here are the performers that need to turn babyface or heel in 2024.

Rhea Ripley

One of the most popular wrestlers in the business right now is Rhea Ripley, but her role as a top heel limits her future potential as a marketable cornerstone of the brand. As a result, she should turn face this year and become the face of the women's division with the likes of Becky Lynch and Bianca Belair.

Ripley and Dominik Mysterio have become two of the biggest heels in wrestling, but fans genuinely want to root for the women's world champion. To capitalize on this—and the pure hatred from the WWE Universe for Mysterio—Ripley should be kicked out of The Judgment Day after WrestleMania.

In one of the top matches at the April event, Ripley should lose her title to the Royal Rumble winner, leaving her dejected and without direction. With wrestling fans sympathetic to her struggles, Mysterio should lead the charge to kick her out of the stable, resulting in the former champion hitting the bottom of the barrel.

With full support from the WWE Universe, Ripley should rise from the ashes and destroy The Judgment Day before taking vengeance on the women's division and winning another major championship by the end of 2024.

Randy Orton

Despite the best efforts of the WWE Universe to keep Randy Orton a popular babyface, there are few Superstars as naturally diabolical as The Viper. With plenty of top faces on the Raw and SmackDown brands, Orton should turn heel after WrestleMania 40.

The entire roster is currently sitting in the shadow of undisputed world champion Roman Reigns, but there is plenty of room for another heel to operate with so many good guys presently setting their sights on the title, including Orton himself.

The uneasy alliance with AJ Styles and LA Knight has been fun, but Orton needs to begin looking out for himself at the Royal Rumble before going full-blown heel by attacking a popular face like Cody Rhodes after the April event.

The Viper has the slow and methodical style indicative of a classic heel, and his calculated mannerisms make him the perfect challenger to any high-flying face. Add in the fact that people will love him regardless of whether he's a heel or face, and Orton should become a cornerstone bad guy through most of 2024.

CM Punk

No matter how much Triple H and WWE Creative think of CM Punk and the impact his return made on the company, the nice-guy persona won't last long and frankly doesn't fit the former world champion at all.

It didn't work for long in AEW, and it won't work in WWE, especially considering how much of a hypocrite Punk looks like by tucking his tail and crawling back. Punk is doing what he mocked MJF for, showing up again only to be relegated to the main event of Night 1.

Just as Orton is better suited as a heel during a time when the roster needs bad guys, Punk should begin the slow process of turning heel after WrestleMania. While The Viper's turn should be abrupt and a highlight of the spring and summer, Punk's turn should simmer, with it eventually boiling over in the fall.

Punk will undoubtedly beat Rollins for the World Heavyweight Championship—if his knee injury doesn't force a title change beforehand—but when he starts to lose grip of the title in the fall after so many defenses, he should begin to use heel tactics.

With the desire to retain his title, Punk could begin to build out another Straight Edge Society-type stable that helps him win at all costs. The heel champion could be the cornerstone of the Raw brand until he eventually gets injured or walks out.

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