6 Heel Turns At WWE SummerSlam 2026

WWE

WWE SummerSlam 2026 is shaping up to be one of the company’s biggest premium live events of the year.

Outside of the star studded card with Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, CM Punk vs. Cody Rhodes and Oba Femi vs. Brock Lesnar in Hell In A Cell, there could also be some shocking heel turns throughout the night.

From stars needing to take dirty tactics to win gold, to long awaited turns to the dark side, SummerSlam could see a number of memorable moments courtesy of talent altering their characters in a major way.

Here are six potential heel turns at WWE SummerSlam 2026.

6. The Bella Twins (Nikki & Brie Bella)

Back at WWE WrestleMania 42, Nikki Bella was unable to compete thanks to an ankle injury that sidelined her for the event.

In her place, Paige made her return after over four years away from the company to team with Brie Bella to defeat The Irresistible Forces, Bayley and Lyra Valkyria and Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair to win the WWE Women’s Tag Team Championships.

The Bella Twins are widely regarded as one of the more iconic acts that the WWE women’s division has ever seen, but Brie and Nikki have done their best work as heels in the past.

With the WWE Hall of Famer on the road to recovery, fans could see Nikki make a return from injury and reunite with Brie to turn on Paige at SummerSlam 2026.

5. Shinsuke Nakamura

Shinsuke Nakamura has not been seen on WWE television consistently over the past few months.

“The King of Strong Style” feels like someone in need of a bit of refresh to once again become a featured star on the WWE main roster.

Prior to his current absence, Nakamura was involved in a storyline with Tama and Talla Tonga, which could lead to WWE putting the former NJPW stars together.

Following the fallout of The MFTs, Nakamura and The Tongans creating something new at WWE SummerSlam 2026 could prove to be the right decision for everyone involved.

4. Ilja Dragunov

Another WWE star that has not appeared on the company’s programming as of late is Ilja Dragunov.

At the tailend of 2025, Dragunov was considered one of the best in-ring workers in the company and had a successful reign as WWE United States Champion following his return from a torn ACL injury.

While he was featured on Friday Night SmackDown at the start of 2026, it has now been months since fans have seen “The Mad Dragon” compete inside the squared circle on the blue brand.

Potentially needing a drastic change to regain some momentum, Dragunov could return and turn heel where he might be needed to provide some balance to the babyface-heavy SmackDown men’s division coming out of WWE SummerSlam 2026.

3. Royce Keys

Since signing with WWE at the start of 2026, Royce Keys has been getting featured more and more on the company’s television.

While he is a member of the SmackDown roster, Keys made his Monday Night Raw debut on the July 13 episode in a DQ win over Jimmy Uso.

Now, Keys is set to team with LA Knight and Solo Sikoa to face The Bloodline’s Jacob Fatu and The Usos in a six-man tag team bout at WWE SummerSlam 2026.

Offering a twist in this story, Keys could choose to stand by his “brother” Fatu and turn on his partner to become a new “Honorary Uce” in The Bloodline moving forward.

2. Tiffany Stratton

For the past few years, Tiffany Stratton has developed into one of the most popular female stars on the entire WWE roster.

While she spent her NXT run and beginnings on the main roster as a heel, Stratton has developed into a star who always received some of the loudest cheers of anyone in the WWE women’s division right now.

Despite her crowd reactions, Stratton seems more suited to be a heel, especially with her natural mannerism and character work.

Considering the likes of Rhea Ripley, Charlotte Flair and Alexa Bliss are all babyfaces on the blue brand, it would make sense for Stratton to once again turn heel to reinsert herself into the top mix at WWE SummerSlam 2026.

1. Cody Rhodes

There is a bit of ambiguity when it comes to Cody Rhodes’ babyface work in recent months.

“The American Nightmare” is always ready to do the right thing, but when dealing with the likes of Drew McIntyre, Randy Orton and GUNTHER, Rhodes has been more than willing to use any means necessary to retain the Undisputed WWE Championship.

After GUNTHER cost him his title opportunity, Cody Rhodes will now challenge CM Punk for the title at the WWE SummerSlam 2026 premium live event. That is providing Sami Zayn and GUNTHER don’t win their tag team match against Punk and Rhodes at Saturday Night’s Main Event, as Zayn and GUNTHER could join the WWE SummerSlam title match if they are victorious.

Rhodes using unruly tactics to get the job done against his friend in Punk at WWE SummerSlam 2026 will show just how far he is willing to go to regain the Undisputed WWE Championship for a fourth time.

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