10 Most Effective Wrestling Babyfaces Of The 21st Century
Whose yard actually is it?
It's never been more difficult to portray a babyface.
Much like the heel role, the idea of what a wrestling hero should and needs to be has been subverted almost entirely in the knowing, post-kayfabe age. Look no further than Roman Reigns, the latest Vince McMahon pet project. His underdog schtick - in which he absorbs ungodly punishment before swatting away his opponents with a mere power-up crowd appeal and guttural roar - fails to resonate with the older, savvier portion of WWE's split audience because they know it to be a psychological shortcut aimed at inspiring hope within young children. Unlike Daniel Bryan, who similarly shook his head and clutched an injured body part to generate sympathy, Reigns is perceived as neither talented nor likeable enough to occupy the top spot.
Reigns is everything a wrestling babyface shouldn't be in a modern era watched by a loud subset of adult fans who have never had less scope to succeed at their own endeavours in the magnified shadow of the "1%": entitled, manufactured, smug.
One notable omission from this list is 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin; though he changed the business in the late nineties with his awesome antihero act, which connected firmly to the zeitgeist, he was out of action for much of 2000 and was subject to bizarre character experimentation upon his return.
Besides which, Austin never had to contend with the challenges faced by his successors in a post-cool heel age.
10. Bayley
Bayley, like many of her NXT peers, has been thus far unable to replicate her extraordinary success on the main roster - but she is so likeable and natural that it's more an indictment of the creative regime than her progression.
As basic and timeless as Bayley's loveable loser NXT act was on the surface, she was unable to adopt the tropes that served her inspirations so well. So many old babyface tricks have been rendered lame with the coherence of wrestling's inner workings. A babyface can't hold their arm steady just when it is thought to fall to the mat for a third time; it's a hollow ploy synonymous with the manipulators of old.
Bayley didn't have the luxury to go that far back in time - but she channelled the classic babyfaces of the NWA's 1980s heyday by fighting through a (supposed) broken hand during her greatest moment at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn 2015. That match was such an emotional masterclass that it didn't matter how technically proficient Banks was. All everybody wanted was to see that hand raised in victory.
Bayley's popularity has been symbolised by superfan Izzy - an embodiment of her ability to connect with even the most detached and disenchanted of smark audiences.