Tommaso Ciampa and the 10 Most Heartbreaking WWE Heel Turns of All Time

NXT TakeOver: Chicago featured some incredible action from the best and brightest in the promotion, but the end of the show is what everyone was talking about the next day.

After failing to defeat The Authors of Pain in a ladder match for the NXT tag titles, Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano received a standing ovation from the crowd.

What came next wasn't so much shocking as it was depressing. While waving to the crowd before heading backstage. Ciampa proceeded to destroy his best friend with a devastating attack.

Wrestling history is filled with moments like this, but some betrayals are harder to process because of the relationship between the two people involved.

This slideshow will look at 10 of the most heartbreaking heel turns in WWE history.

10. Paul Bearer and the Undertaker

Few managers are as synonymous with their clients as Paul Bearer is with The Undertaker. They were the most feared duo in WWE, but all good things must come to an end. 

It all happened during one of Taker's most famous matches, the Boiler Room Brawl against Mankind. The fight was violent and fun at the same time, which isn't always easy to pull off.

As the battle was coming to a close, The Undertaker was about to take possession of the urn from Bearer to secure the win, but the real-life funeral director had other plans. 

He smashed Taker over the head with his own urn, shocking millions of fans in the process. Nobody saw it coming because Bearer and Taker were as close as a manager and talent could be.

It set in motion a fantastic storyline, and eventually, the two would reconcile, but the moment Bearer turned on The Deadman will stand as one of the most shocking turns of all time.

9. Sgt. Slaughter Turns His Back on America

Patriotism has defined the gimmick of many Superstars over the years, but nobody comes close to Sgt. Slaughter.

This is a guy who was so American he was asked to be part of the G.I. Joe cartoon to perform public service announcements.

The early '90s was a difficult time due to Desert Storm. WWE took a big risk by taking it's most American Superstar and turning him into a Saddam Hussein supporter.

Many kids still believed wrestling was real back then, so it made Slaughter's heel turn even harder to accept, especially for military families who looked up to him as a role model.

The angle drew some bad press, but Vince McMahon likely knew that would happen. The most important thing was bringing eyes to the product, and a story about betrayal usually does the trick. 

8. Steve Austin Joins The Alliance

Steve Austin was about as anti-establishment as you could get during the Attitude Era, so it was almost incomprehensible to think about him joining forces with The Alliance. 

Stone Cold had been WWE's top draw for a few years at this point, but the company had plenty of other big stars to fill the babyface role.

The turn happened during the Invasion storyline. Booker T was facing Kurt Angle for the WCW Championship when Austin decided it was time to turn on WWE.

Stone Cold had good runs in WCW and ECW before going to WWE, so the angle made sense, but it was still sad to see the hero fans loved turn his back on them.

7. Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano

Ciampa and Gargano, known collectively as DIY, rose through the ranks to become the most popular tag team in NXT during 2016.

They came into the company at the same time and formed an alliance, but they were both known more for their work as singles stars before joining WWE.

They quickly established themselves as one of the most exciting duos, and it looked like they would end up going to the main roster as a team after gaining so many fans.

When Ciampa put Gargano through a few tables at TakeOver, he destroyed their friendship and our dreams of seeing them win the WWE Tag Team Championships at the same time.

If their match during the Cruiserweight Classic is any indication, they are going to tear the house down every time they step into the ring together, but it doesn't make their breakup hurt any less.

6. Matt and Jeff Hardy

WWE has featured brother tag teams for decades, but few have reached the same heights of popularity as The Hardy Boyz.

Matt and Jeff instantly connected with fans during a time when alternative culture was becoming a bigger part of the mainstream.

Watching a friend turn on a friend is difficult, but watching someone betray his brother hits a little too close to home for anyone who has a sibling.

Jeff found more success than Matt as a world champion, so the story of jealousy practically wrote itself. They were able to produce some great matches as rivals, especially when a hardcore stipulation was involved.

The Hardys appear to be happy working as a tag team again, but given their history, it wouldn't be surprising to see WWE have them feud again at some point in the future. 

5. Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan

During the wrestling boom of the '80s, Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan were two of the biggest stars on the planet. 

When they formed the tag team known as The Mega Powers, fans lost their minds. Seeing two of their favorite Superstars working together was a bigger deal than anything else happening in the industry.

Both men had big egos and a desire to be the best, so their partnership was doomed from the start. However, few expected the catalyst for their breakup to be Miss Elizabeth.

Savage took exception to how close Hogan and his wife had become, and the jealousy drove him to attack The Hulkster and end their alliance for good.

The two would later bury the hatchet in WCW as members of the New World Order, but their feud in WWE will always be remembered as one of the most personal.

4. Seth Rollins Shatters the Shield

The Shield may have started off as a heel faction doing other people's dirty work, but they quickly became the most popular stable since DX.

Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins stole the show multiple times in six-man tag matches, which is not an easy thing to do.

When Rollins struck Reigns in the back with a steel chair and sided with The Authority, the WWE Universe let out a collective "Oh my God!"

The Kingslayer immediately became the biggest heel in the company, and for once, the WWE Universe actually responded accordingly with chants of "You sold out" and "Rollins sucks."

Reigns has since become the most hated man in the company, but a full-blown Shield reunion might be the key to turning things around for The Big Dog.

3. Bret Hart and Steve Austin

The double turn featuring Austin and Bret Hart will go down in history as the best combination heel and face turn, but fans were still upset when it happened.

Bret Hart had been a hero most of his career, so seeing him refuse to release Austin from the Sharpshooter at WrestleMania 13 was almost unthinkable.

As the blood streamed down Stone Cold's face and Ken Shamrock tried to intervene, the crowd began to realize what was happening. The Hitman was no longer the upstanding do-gooder we all thought he was.

Hart would go on to turn his back on all of his American fans and form the new Hart Foundation with Owen Hart, Jim Neidhart, Brian Pillman and The British Bulldog, while Austin became one of the most popular wrestlers in the world.

2. Hulk Hogan Joins the NWO

Hart may have been a hero to many, but Hogan was as close to a genuine superhero as you could get during his time in WWE and WCW.

When Scott Hall and Kevin Nash started making life difficult for the WCW locker room, nobody expected Hogan to be their secret weapon.

When he hit his trademark leg drop on Savage instead of attacking Hall and Nash at Bash at the Beach '96, the crowd turned hostile and began throwing anything it could find into the ring.

Countless kids grew up idolizing Hogan because of his never-give-up attitude, so watching him turn his back on everyone who supported him through the years was gutwrenching. 

This turned out to be the key to revitalizing The Hulkster's career, but at the time, it brought a tear to the eye of children everywhere.

1. Shawn Michaels and Marty Jannetty

Trying to pick the 10 most heartbreaking heel turns out of the countless betrayals we have witnessed over the years was difficult, but choosing what would fill the No. 1 spot was easy.

Shawn Michaels began his career as a tag team specialist with Marty Jannetty as The Rockers. They were a popular act with every demographic, so it seemed like they would be around for a long time.

Unfortunately, nothing good can last forever. After it appeared the two had worked out their issues during a segment in Brutus Beefcake's Barber Shop, Michaels Superkicked Jannetty and used his head to shatter a window.

Taking the nickname The Heartbreak Kid was appropriate after such a devastating moment. It may have been a reference to his success with women, but it also worked to indicate how fans felt after seeing Michaels turn heel.

This memory is burned into the mind of every wrestling fan who saw it happen, and for good reason. It was violent, surprising and memorable for all the right reasons.

These 10 heel turns were all great moments for the Superstars involved because it allowed them to evolve as performers, but they were also upsetting to fans who loved cheering for them. What is your most heartbreaking heel turn of all time?