WWE’s Top Babyfaces

The WWE is as much about drama as it is about wrestling, and in order to have good drama, you need good guys and bad guys, somebody to root for and somebody to root against. Even though the villains may be rooted for just as much, you need the contrasting personalities to create stakes and suspense, and the wild world of professional wrestling supplies both with aplomb. 

In the WWE, the heroes are known as the babyfaces (or just faces), as opposed to the villainous heels. The babyfaces play by the rules, and they treat the referee and audience with respect. The WWE has had many great faces who we root for to defeat the rude, cheating heels, and it can be hard to narrow down the greatest of them all, but we have tried anyway. Read on for the four greatest babyfaces in the WWE’s history.

Bruno Sammartino

Bruno Sammartino is not just one of the greatest wrestlers ever, but also one of the most beloved. He set fans crazy, and it isn’t hard to see why. He dominated in the ring, but he also had a great personality that charmed everyone. On top of that, his story was inspiring, with all of the difficulties that he went through and was able to overcome.

He grew up in Italy during the Nazi’s occupation of the country, and his childhood was truly frightening and saw him witness many horrific events. Few wrestlers can claim such a background, and knowing what he went through, it is no surprise that his family chose to immigrate to America where they would be free. Once he got there, he quickly began to better his life, getting into weightlifting and wrestling in high school as a way of dealing with bullies, and it put him on a path to his eventual superstardom which included being nicknamed “The Living Legend” and getting the all time record for holding the men’s World Title the longest.

The Rock

There is no doubt that Dwayne Johnson is one of the most charismatic figures in the history of the WWE, and he has since taken that charisma and become one of the world’s biggest movie stars. However, when he started out in wrestling, he hardly had any personality at all in his first incarnation as a babyface by the name of Rocky Maivia. Thankfully, he was given the chance to reinvent himself, and he became an arrogant heel as The Rock.

His popularity surged, and he soon became one of the biggest names in the WWE, acclaimed for his signature wit. As this happened, he changed from being a heel and went back to being a face again. There were more turns from face to heel and heel to face, but whatever he was, fans could not get enough of what The Rock was cooking, and nowadays, neither can movie audiences.

Stone Cold Steve Austin

Stone Cold Steve Austin is another WWE superstar who audiences got to cheer for as both a face and a heel. At first, being the villain that he was, it bothered him how much adoration he got from fans. He was the bad guy, after all, and his actions were meant to inspire boos, not cheers. However, Austin was undeniably appealing, and you couldn’t hate him even if you wanted to. He was too cool not to root for.

Ultimately, the federation realized they had to take advantage of the sensation they had, and they made him a babyface. He still went against expectations, being more of an anti-hero than was typical for faces, but there was no way Austin could stay a heel forever given how much audiences loved him. There were more turns to come, and he never stayed face or heel for too long, but no matter what he was, there was no denying that he was among the greatest stars in the WWE. 

Hulk Hogan

Few people in the history of the WWE have been such an essential part of the company’s brand as Hulk Hogan was in the 1980s and 1990s. He was a true global wrestling phenomenon, and he embodied good values as a true babyface should, telling his fans not to forget to take their vitamins and say their prayers. He was one of the first wrestlers to truly become a mainstream star outside of the wrestling world, with the CBS cartoon “Hulk Hogan's Rock 'n' Wrestling” playing a major role in expanding the audience.

It was a prime period for the federation, and Hogan was at the front of it. With his signature look and all-American persona, he was widely recognizable and much beloved. On top of his personality, though, was his wrestling prowess, and he was a five-time WWF Champion and had the second longest reign in history. He later turned heel, reinventing himself, but we all knew deep down that Hulk was the good guy, always looking out for us.