6 Heel Turns At AEW Redemption 2026

AEW

All Elite Wrestling has added a new pay-per-view to its schedule with the upcoming AEW Redemption 2026 event from Montreal.

While this will be the last stop before AEW All In London 2026, Redemption should hold some significance on the entire landscape of the company.

Having a few babyfaces turn heel at this huge show would instantly make this a memorable pay-per-view that stands out from the litany of epic events the promotion has had this year.

Here are six potential heel turns at AEW Redemption 2026.

6. Mina Shirakawa

Following AEW Revolution 2026, ‘Timeless’ Toni Storm was attacked in a brutal and bloody assault backstage.

This has left Mina Shirakawa on her own and in a distraught state at times despite having made some friends to help her along the way.

While it is not much of a focus at the time of this writing, the story behind who attacked Storm should become a major storyline before her eventual return.

Having Shirakawa reveal that she was the one who attacked her friend would totally change everything that the fans think about the former Wonder of Stardom Champion moving forward.

5. Tay Melo

On the June 6 edition of AEW Collision, Divine Dominion defeated TayJay to retain the AEW Women’s World Tag Team Championship.

After watching her tag team partner lose the match for their duo, Tay Melo looked like she was on the brink of completely breaking down.

Despite being the original all women’s tag team in AEW, TayJay might not have a long future ahead as a tandem.

Tay turning on Anna Jay would be shocking and severely damage their relationship, leading to a dramatic rivalry between the former friends.

4. Zayda Steel

Despite starting 2025 as the first female signee of the WWE ID program, Zayda Steel has wound up in All Elite Wrestling.

Becoming a member of SkyFlight and appearing regularly on Ring of Honor TV, Steel has impressed fans and critics alike with her charisma, confidence and improving in-ring ability.

At just 22 years old, Steel has a bright future ahead of her and could truly become a breakout star for the AEW women’s division.

After coming in as a babyface, Steel might be better suited for playing the heel role and could make her turn at AEW Redemption 2026 to place her in a stronger position following the event.

3. Buddy Matthews

Prior to suffering a serious ankle injury in early 2025, Buddy Matthews had recently turned babyface despite being a heel for much of his run in All Elite Wrestling.

Matthews has long been one of the most underrated and complete in-ring competitors in the world today.

While his Hounds of Hell stablemate Brody King remains a babyface, Matthews might be frustrated by how much time he missed while being on the shelf.

After over a year on the shelf, Matthews returning and immediately turning on Brody would be an excellent way to immediately showcase a new persona and create a moment that fans will not forget at AEW Redemption.

2. Keith Lee

Since December 2023, fans have not seen Keith Lee on AEW television with no signs of his potential return.

After close to a three-year absence, ‘The Limitless One’ was recently seen in a report as being discussed for his return to the promotion.

Considering these discussions have taken place, Lee could cause a systemic shift in All Elite Wrestling with the right idea behind his return.

Lee returning and turning heel would be very intriguing considering he has spent the majority of his career as a babyface and would give AEW a significant new monster heel to work with moving forward.

1. Jay White

At AEW Forbidden Door 2026, Adam Copeland and Christian Cage defeated The Dogs to retain the AEW World Tag Team Championship thanks to the returning Jay White.

‘Switchblade’ immediately got everyone’s attention by dropping David Finlay with the Blade Runner. Then on the July 1 AEW Dynamite, White cut his first promo in 459 days, calling out Finlay, The Dogs, The Death Riders and Will Ospreay.

After calling out Ospreay and The Death Riders, this could lead to some kind of feud with White somewhere down the road.

White turning heel could create some captivating directions, allowing ‘Switchblade’ to grow more as a character.

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• AEW
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