Four SmackDown Stars Who Could Soon Turn Heel

Damian Priest’s recent betrayal of R-Truth has sparked fresh speculation about who else on Friday Night SmackDown might be next to cross over to the dark side. Four names in particular stand out as candidates for a heel turn in the coming weeks and months.

Tiffany Stratton is the most obvious possibility heading into her Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match on October 10. Stratton has built an unlikely friendship with Chelsea Green since the collapse of Green’s Secret Hervice, and that bond deepened further when Green won the Interim WWE Women’s Championship. Should Stratton walk away with the Money in the Bank briefcase, cashing it in on her own best friend to reclaim the title would be a natural and dramatic heel pivot.

Carmelo Hayes presents a different kind of case. Once a fixture at the top of the United States Championship picture with a steady stream of open challenges, Hayes lost the title to Sami Zayn and was shut out of the WrestleMania 42 card entirely. He’s barely been seen on SmackDown in the months since. A frustrated Hayes turning on his longtime friend Trick Williams in pursuit of regaining the U.S. title would give him a clear motivation and a fresh storyline.

Charlotte Flair’s alliance with Alexa Bliss has defined her character work over the past year, and the addition of Tatum Paxley to their corner against Jade Cargill and the Baddies has already produced visible friction between Flair and Paxley over their clashing styles. With a WWE Tag Team Championship opportunity on the October 9 SmackDown episode, a loss could be the breaking point that sends Flair back to her villainous roots.

Then there’s Cody Rhodes, whose hesitation to deliver a Cross Rhodes-ending Punt Kick to Randy Orton during their match on WWE’s Saturday Night’s Main Event has raised real questions about his mental state. Rhodes came up short against Orton, and the lingering doubt over whether he can pull the trigger when it matters has cast a shadow over the reigning top babyface of the brand. Given how long Rhodes has occupied the squeaky-clean hero role since his WrestleMania triumphs, a slow-burn heel turn would mark one of the more seismic character shifts SmackDown has seen in years.

None of these are confirmed plans, but WWE has shown a clear pattern lately of shaking up long-standing alliances on Friday nights, and each of these four relationships carries the kind of tension that tends to precede a swerve. Stratton’s Money in the Bank cash-in window alone makes her the one to watch most closely in the immediate term, while Rhodes’ arc feels like a longer story WWE could be building toward over months rather than weeks. Either way, SmackDown’s locker room dynamics look primed for more turmoil.