The goal of the face in wrestling is simple: be the hero the fans can look up to. Rey Mysterio, John Cena, The Rock in WWE - all have gotten the opportunity to smile, high-five crowds, and interact with the fans backstage.
But what happens if the audience repudiates the face? Sure, not everyone wants to see the heel win, as that would mean a sad ending to a feud, but sometimes the hero has so much going against them that in the fans' eyes, the roles must be essentially reversed. These examples are what you get when circumstances conspire to turn popular opinion against the hero.
10 Bianca Belair
Now this may prove to be a very controversial take, considering Belair's continuing popularity, especially among young girls, but by WrestleMania 39 fans were ready to see her lose the title. WWE had blown a golden opportunity when it had the EST retain against Bayley at Extreme Rules despite Damage CTRL's interference, but it still had another chance with a newly reinvented Asuka.
While Belair had built up a decent run, many were eager to see Asuka end her WrestleMania drought. But alas, it was not to be. The Empress of Tomorrow did get her revenge at Night of Champions, but once again, an opportunity to keep the EST fresh was wasted.
9 Randy Orton
Remember the early 2000s? The first time WWE attempted to make Randy Orton a hero? Yeah, that did not go so well. The experiment began when Evolution (and more particularly Triple H) betrayed Orton during his World Heavyweight Championship celebration on Raw, culminating in a massive beatdown.
The problem was, that fans were not exactly buying into him as a hero, so he lost the title in short order to Hunter and would not regain it until after he returned to his old villainy. While he did eventually turn face again, he was a little more comfortable in the role the second time around.
8 Cody Rhodes
The Codyverse, where everything was wholly distinct from the fascinating society that is All Elite Wrestling's intermingling arcs. While his initial run was good, Cody Rhodes never seemed to get to grips with his decision to avoid the AEW World Title. While it allowed him to build up a reputation as a star-maker, perhaps that legacy would have been better cemented had he established himself as a nepotistic heel champion first.
Instead, he felt like an extra in Kenny Omega's playground who was being shoved down the fans' throats simply because he was an ex-Fed - a tag that he ultimately shed.
7 Charlotte Flair
Genetic superiority? Nepotistic undertones? An air of entitlement? There are a plethora of reasons why Charlotte Flair is infinitely better as a heel than a face.
When the Queen was first drafted to SmackDown in 2017, she somehow turned face, and to her credit, she was initially doing well. But when Becky Lynch started regaining her momentum the following year, that was when it all fell apart. This all culminated at SummerSlam 2018 - after being pinned by Charlotte in a title match, Becky snapped. From then on, fans wanted Charlotte out of her high throne.
6 Hulk Hogan
Not even the Hulkster has been immune to fan antipathy, as the rise of Bret Hart shows. In the early days of the WWE, Hogan was easily the face of the company, telling the fans to "say your prayers and eat your vitamins, brother!"
But when Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels rose to the scene as superior workers with the same amount of charisma (if not greater), they gravitated towards the two and turned their backs on Hogan - which carried over into his WCW stint. He clearly felt betrayed and would turn that resentment into the New World Order.
5 Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo
In an alternate universe, Sammy Guevara and Tay Melo would have been the most popular couple in AEW, on par with Seth Rollins and Becky Lynch.
Instead, what fans got was a very obnoxious pair of people who could not seem to realize that public displays of affection were meant to be done only sparingly. Such flagrancy helped to hurt their standing as babyfaces - to the point that they had to be turned heel just to save their chemistry. Perhaps their impending parenthood will change perspectives...
4 Seth Rollins
As of late, Seth Rollins is making a killing as the "Freakin'" "Visionary", combining his babyface overness with the smugness that has defined his heel runs.
That being said, his "Monday Night Rollins" gimmick was nearing its shelf life by 2019. A forced partnership with then-girlfriend Becky Lynch, an unremarkable angle with Brock Lesnar, and some bad comments served to push his character over the edge, and by the time he fought the late Bray Wyatt at Hell in a Cell, he had lost much of his goodwill, with fans expecting The Fiend to demolish that heroism - which he did.
3 Rocky Maivia
Can Rocky Maivia be considered the blandest babyface in wrestling history? Many fans think so. From the stereotypically blue outfit to the corny smile, Rocky Maivia was, by all accounts, a catastrophe.
He was stuck in a changing landscape that favored black-lad edginess over clean-cut appeal, and this was ever more evident when fans literally chanted "Die, Rocky, Die!" at him. To refresh him, WWE had Maivia join the Nation of Domination, turn heel, and let him loose on the mic. And so was born Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock - the Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment.
2 John Cena
John Cena is, without a doubt, one of the most polarizing wrestlers ever. On one hand, he has established himself as one of the company's best faces, both on and offscreen. On the other, fans have long thought he was one of the most overpushed members of the roster.
Remember the burial of the Nexus? They were white-hot when they debuted, but their defeat at the hands of Cena at SummerSlam stunted their potential. Or how about the numerous title reigns that fans think he did not deserve? Still, opinions of him eventually improved with hindsight, because of the next person on this list.
1 Roman Reigns
Here is the reason why John Cena has been remembered more fondly. Even when Roman was getting the blatant push, fans were unwilling to accept him, and they would boo him out of buildings. But the company kept trudging along until he took a break from programming before WrestleMania 36.
His current Tribal Chief run ultimately redeemed him as a performer, and maybe he deserves a new babyface run, this time with him looking to restore his good standing - unless he lashes out at the fans and becomes the Rookie Killer...
0 Comments