How WWE Has FINALLY Solved Its Babyface Problem

Randy Orton Riddle
WWE

Morrison received a monster of a reaction at Money In The Bank, and Miz's betrayal of him on RAW the other week drew, by WWE standards, a massively sympathetic reaction. Both Riddle and Morrison draw "Awwww" noises from an audience that has forgotten what a pop feels like or doesn't care for what a pop sounds like. This article was pitched before Morrison was obliterated by Omos in two minutes on RAW, but wins and losses do not matter. In WWE, daft patter matters.

This is an audience that has been conditioned for years to receive the WWE babyface as a geek. When this is performed on purpose, it actually gets over. WWE has for years insisted on removing itself from the energy, soul and archetypes of traditional professional wrestling. Is this the final, improbably successful metamorphosis from professional wrestling to sports entertainment?

Do fans identify and sympathise with hapless nice guy geeks because WWE has embraced that which it can actually do? Seriously, no facetiousness here whatsoever this time: is this mode of storytelling, no matter how whacky, actually resonating with the audience because the audience can sense it's an earnest and organic expression of something that the creator can actually get on board with?

None of this is subjectively great, just to make that clear. But it's working, and it's preferable to that with which WWE was running off its audience.

CONT'D...(5 of 6)

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!