10 best face vs face matches in WWE history

Sometimes, good guys fighting each other can be better than your standard 'good vs. evil' contest... — Sometimes, good guys fighting each other can be better than your standard 'good vs. evil' contest

Most pro wrestling matches follow a simple yet time-tested formula: a babyface (good guy) vs a heel (bad guy) in some kind of struggle between good and evil. Sometimes rivalries between opposing sides went to ridiculous extremes in terms of story complexity (The Undertaker vs Kane, for example), or went far beyond two opposing sides deciding which is better inside a wrestling ring (in Austin vs McMahon, for example). Yet despite all these exceptions, the standard format for a wrestling match and its associated feuds/rivalries/storylines is a protagonist vs an antagonist.

Then there are the exceptions to the rule. In some cases, two opposing evil forces will face each other to pursue a storyline. We see these kinds of contest more in New Japan, where allegedly ‘evil’ stables (such as the Bullet Club and Suzuki-gun) face off. In WWE, these matches are few and far between, as the audiences don’t really know for whom to cheer, given that both wrestlers are supposed to be booed (a prime example was the Hell in a Cell Match between the Big Bossman and The Undertaker at WrestleMania XV).

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the rare matches between two forces of good, or face-vs-face matches. These matches tend to be simpler in approach because they feature two wrestlers that the fans like, facing each other in a more simplistic contest of which one of them is better. These have led to some of the best wrestling matches in WWE history, as these matches tend to not only have great drama and excitement but also great crowds that were far more invested in these matches as they wanted ‘their’ hero to beat the other hero.

Here are ten of the best face vs face matches in WWE history.

#10 The Undertaker vs Batista – WrestleMania 23

Two big men wanting to prove which of them was better

When this match was announced, many people thought it was a bad idea. After all, Taker hasn’t always meshed well with other big men, and fans were growing tired of seeing him in plodding and ‘methodical’ matches with such wrestlers.

Yet this match was refreshingly exciting and intense, with Batista doing a phenomenal job of working with The Undertaker. The match had many exciting spots, including a running powerslam through one of the announcer’s tables and a few moves off the top rope by the 300-pound Batista.

It was easily one of the best matches on the card and solidified both men as impressive workers despite being bigger than most of the roster.