10 Ways WWE Can Fix Their Broken Face/Heel Alignment System
5. No More (Anti-)Heroes
It's easy to rip on the Attitude Era, but WWE's most successful period has destroyed the perception of what a babyface should be. Out went the principled, moralistic protagonists of old, and in came anti-heroes like 'Stone Cold' Steve Austin, who was a perfect fit for his era, but has poisoned the well forever.
WWE have been trying to recreate characters like Austin and The Rock for decades. It's no longer enough for a top face to be get by on traditionally 'good' values anymore: now, they must be cool, edgy, and subversive. This has resulted in the likes of Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose coming off as lame copies of the anti-heroes of old, rendering the archetype trite and dull.
Wrestling is fluid, and bookers must adapt to their era. Austin-type characters were perfect in the late '90s, so WWE were right to make the change, but their refusal to evolve beyond that is big factor in their inability to create new heroes. Nobody's calling for a return to the cheesy, outdated faces of old (right, Jason Jordan?), but it's about time the company stopped trying to build an army of cringeworthy badasses, and focused on genuine likeability instead.