WWE’s 5 Best Career Faces

The tale of good vs. evil is the original trope that forms the backbone of a professional wrestling storyline. Although time has progressed and stories have developed, the battle of Hero vs Villain still holds strong today. While wrestlers have jumped the line between face and heel over the years — looking at you, Big Show — some have maintained their beliefs and kept on the straight and narrow.

To make this list, they’ve had to have been with the WWE for a sizable part of their career and not be primarily known for any heel run during that time.

We’ve looked at the conniving antagonists that make up the worst of the worst, but now it’s time for the beloved role-models that the kids can look up to and say: “One day, I want to be just like them.”

 

5. Jeff Hardy

‘The Charismatic Enigma’ has been a fan favourite throughout his long, muddled career. Making his name by jumping off of high things and falling through hard things, Jeff gave the fans an alternative to the muscle-bound behemoths of the main event with his unique look and wrestling style.

When it comes to moments, few have had more in their careers than Jeff: the thirty-foot Swanton Bomb against Randy Orton, the Swanton Bomb to Punk in ’09, the Swanton Bomb to Bubba Ray at SummerSlam 2000 – I’m starting to see a theme here.

There have been a couple of maligned attempts at heel turns over the years, the short lived one in 2003 or the 2010 TNA turn come to mind, but none have managed to diminish the adoration of the fan favourite in a way that had any impact.

You just can’t hate Jeff Hardy.

 

4. Rey Mysterio

The only man comparable to John Cena in his affinity with kids, the greatest ever underdog has transcended generations and remained just as beloved throughout. Rey can only ever work as a face, being a man of his size in a world of giants would fail without his spirit to overcome the odds. It’s this gusto that made him more than just another cruiserweight, that made him a hero to the common fan.

For wrestling to work it requires a suspension of disbelief, you need to accept that something can happen even though it shouldn’t. Rey winning against someone twice his size is incredibly unlikely, it’s what makes losses less damaging to his character, as it is expected, and just makes you want him to overcome even more.

This is the endearing quality that makes him a bona fide face and nothing less.

 

3. John Cena

Purveyor of gaudy merch and hero to children everywhere, John Cena has pushed the motto of “Hustle, Loyalty, Respect” for much of the PG and Ruthless Aggression eras. He has been the perennial face of WWE since leaving his Thuganomics persona behind, apart from an occasional return for his more “kid friendly” incarnation. While his heel run could be looked back upon fondly, it still pales in comparison with the scope and stature of his current role.

Everyone has been calling for a heel turn for so long that it’s become an in-joke. The fact is that he is a marketable commodity in both the WWE and Hollywood means that a heel turn could be financially damaging. Plus, you can’t make the man who has taken part in the most Make-A-Wish requests than anyone else a bad guy.

 

2. Bruno Sammartino

If you’re here reading a list about professional wrestling, then you probably already know of Bruno Sammartino, but for a majority of wrestling fans below a certain age he may be lesser known. It doesn’t help that a majority of Sammartino’s career was untelevised.

Bruno is the longest reigning champion in WWE history, but without prior knowledge of that fact, it may come as quite shocking. The WWE Hall of Famer held the title for a grand total of four thousand and forty days over the course of two separate runs: over eleven years in total, a record which may never be broken.

He is a rarity among wrestlers having never once turned heel and remaining a hero in the eyes of the fans for its entirety — it is said that people cried after his first record breaking run ended to the villainous Ivan Koloff. In the modern wrestling climate of rapid title switches, we may never see the likes of Bruno Sammartino again.

 

1. Ricky Steamboat

In the early years of professional wrestling a heel turn was more of a rarity – this is what keeps Sammartino from the top spot – as kayfabe was still firmly intact. Ricky Steamboat is one of the few to maintain such a role in the post territory days, channelling the likes of Tito Santana, Pedro Morales or Verne Gagne in the process. This is what puts Ricky ahead of the rest as being able to maintain popularity as a career face, in the post-transition from the early years of professional wrestling, makes for an impressive feat.

‘The Dragon’ also has the distinction of being one of the best in-ring talents ever, having classic matches against a highlight reel of Hall of Famers during his illustrious career. But, while never the most affluent in terms of titles while in the then-WWF, he more than made up for it in memorable performances with his Wrestlemania 3 clash with Randy Savage being the clear go to in that regard.

Ricky Steamboat holds the distinction of being one of the few to transcend the eras of professional wrestling while both innovating along the way and maintaining the better parts of wrestling heritage that were rapidly disappearing.

Check out the best of Ricky Steamboat here.