5 Face Turns and 5 Heel Turns That Need to Happen in Women's Wrestling in 2024

2024 is upon us, and when a new year closes in, it turns the wheels in the heads of many wrestling fans, myself especially. The New Year predictions usually come in the following categories: new champions, pushes, main roster callups (WWE), the dreaded releases, and the subject of this story, turns. Who's turning face? Who's turning heel? Who needs either change more? So many fans rack their brains figuring out which hero will turn to the dark side, or which villain will see the light. And yes, I'm one of those many fans concocting such predictions, especially in women's wrestling.

I had been wanting to write this for a while, but originally, I was only going to focus on heel turns. However, I decided to do both, because as much as I love villainesses, I love heroines as well. The heroine makes the villainess, and vice versa. This doesn't just cover WWE, it covers a few other promotions as well, and the list is as follows:

10. Ruby Soho (Face)

We've seen recent signs of this on AEW programming, but as of now, the trigger hasn't been pulled yet. I do want a face turn for Ruby Soho mainly because I want her separated from Saraya. Plus, the heel run hasn't been working for her. Saraya, Ruby, and Toni Storm formed the villainous Outcasts stable, but it's clear that Ruby's the big time third wheel. Saraya's seen as the leader, and Toni keeps getting the title, so where did Ruby really fit in? It does look like Ruby's on the way to turning face, and here's hoping we get that swerve in the New Year.

9. Mickie James (Heel)

I'm going to be honest; I've wanted Mickie James to turn heel for about a few months now. We all know that Mickie, if needed, has been an amazing villainess in the past; from her feud with Trish Stratus back in 2006, to her arrogant heel gimmick in Impact in 2013, and even with her villainous return to WWE in 2017. Right now, for all intents and purposes, Mickie is still in Impact, and I could easily see her playing that villainous legend role; similar to Trish in WWE earlier this year. However, if Mickie does return to WWE once more, we could see her on the SmackDown brand with her husband, Nick Aldis, and they could become an evil corporate couple, with the evil Mickie in the role of a corrupt boss for SmackDown's women's division. One more heel run from Mickie James would be amazing.

8. Gisele Shaw (Face)

I still remember Gisele Shaw back when she was in WOW as Princess Azteca. Azteca was a fierce, strong, and passionate babyface gimmick; a character who was easy to support. With that said, I was surprised when Gisele debuted in Impact and established herself as a heel, and even more surprised to see her playing that role so well. Being a heel definitely works for Gisele, but for the last few months, I've wanted a face turn for Gisele. She can easily get fans behind her big time; I've seen it before on WOW. I also believe that a face turn would lead to a Knockouts World Championship run for Gisele, if given the proper chance.

7. Tegan Nox (Heel)

Tegan Nox has been long overdue for a heel turn, quite frankly. I've wanted to see an evil Tegan Nox for over a year, because she has the attitude to pull it off. This can be written very easily; Tegan could be simply tired of being nice, or tired of being overlooked, or a little of Column A and a little of Column B. I actually found myself hoping for Tegan to join Damage CTRL months ago, which would be the ultimate twist of irony, as she would have been aligned with Dakota Kai, and we know their history. In any event, Tegan Nox definitely needs to go heel in 2024.

6. Cora Jade (Face)

My reason for badly wanting Cora Jade to become a face again is a simple one: I absolutely hate her heel run. I hated her heel turn; it literally made no sense whatsoever. One week, Cora and Roxanne Perez win the tag titles, and the next week, Cora's attacking Roxanne. Why? Literally the only thing I liked about the swerve was Cora's evil and crazed expression during her betrayal. What would follow is Cora being portrayed as a spoiled crybaby, when we all know she's better than that. Plus, Cora is absolutely going nowhere as a heel. They need to turn her face again, it's the only way she'll get anywhere.

5. Raquel Rodriguez (Heel)

I really have enjoyed seeing babyface Raquel Rodriguez for the last two years, especially in the main roster. It is a nice change of pace, and she has proven to be a very convincing heroine so far. With that, though, it's been two years. I think it's high time that 2024 sees Raquel go back to being the vicious, maniacal, leather trenchcoat wearing villainess that I enjoyed seeing on NXT. Heel Raquel could remind us of who she was and had always been: a ruthless and physically powerful force who could dominate the women's division. Part of me fears that with Nia Jax playing that villainous powerhouse role on Raw, we may not see Raquel's evil side return for a while. However, should one of them move to SmackDown in 2024's draft, we could see Raquel turn heel on whatever brand she's on and take on that aforementioned role.

4. Alisha Edwards (Face)

I honestly think it's time for Alisha Edwards (as well as her husband, Eddie Edwards) to turn face, I really do love the "ride or die" heel gimmick that the couple has been portraying for several months now, and I did love that when Eddie became the leader of the villainous Honor No More stable, they didn't turn Alisha right away. That's always tempting with couples: when one turns, the other follows right after. They made us wait for it, so when it happened, it was an awesome occurrence. With that said, I think the time is right for both halves of the couple to become babyfaces. Alisha is a bit more natural when she's on the side of good than when she's on the dark side. I can see the couple turning face in 2014.

3. Jordynne Grace (Heel)

I have the patience of a saint (I waited 21 years for a Stanley Cup), but when it comes to this, it's wearing thin. For (at least) two years, I've wanted a heel turn from Jordynne Grace, and honestly, I think there were opportunities to do it. Jordynne can definitely pull this off; she has the look of a killer action movie villainess. Just put that persona in there and have her be brutally vicious in the ring. She has the physique and talent to do it. Jordynne has a title shot against Trinity coming up next month at Hard to Kill, the event that is supposed to mark the official return and rebirth of TNA Wrestling. That definitely should be the exact night that we finally see an evil Jordynne emerge.

2. Bayley (Face)

Let me go on record on Vocal that I was vehemently against WWE turning Bayley heel from the get-go. This was forced. This was WWE fans refusing to give Bayley's face character a fair chance no matter how over she was, and WWE folded. "But she needed this," they say. Did she really? Bayley was already getting more than even Becky Lynch and especially Sasha Banks. The last thing Bayley needed was a character change. The change gave her even more time when she should have been scaled back a bit. Damage CTRL should have ended months ago. From the looks of it, it might at this moment. Currently, we're seeing Bayley slowly being pushed out of the very entity she created last summer, and I would have to think this would lead to Bayley turning face. Now, should the "Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Waving Tubemen" return? The Family Guy fan in me says, "Hell yes!," but let's make that a bit of a slow burn, too.

1. Liv Morgan (Heel)

Every time I look at Liv Morgan, I want her to turn heel so badly. If there's anyone who could pull off portraying a deranged villainess with a killer mentality and a maniacal cackle, it's Liv Morgan. The photo of Liv is from the contract signing from a few years back between her and Becky Lynch, and even though Liv was the babyface, she looked like a very awesome villainess in the all leather outfit. Liv has been a heel once in WWE, but that was when she was one-third of The Riott Squad. This heel run, if we get it, should top that big time. Liv would be on her own and have a very fiendish demeanor as she attempts to return to the top of the mountain. As I mentioned before, the evil Liv could also be portrayed as a psychotic character as well. Seriously, put this girl in movies as a villainess; that needs to happen, too!

So that's my list. I definitely don't expect all of them to happen in 2024. Just a few of them would be nice, especially Liv, Bayley, and Jordynne. In any event, here's hoping 2024 is another epic year for the true stars of wrestling: the women's division!