Sportskeeda WWE Awards 2016: Face of the Year
The inability to produce baby faces that fans can rally around has been a major criticism WWE has faced for a while now. And it would be wrong to say that 2016 changed this. Apart from certain names that benefited from their past glory, WWE failed to create baby faces that won over the WWE Universe.
Just like all the years that went by, WWE did have Superstars that were ‘faces’ on paper. The storylines were designed to project them as good guys but this is not the only factor that decides whether a wrestler is a successful babyface. It also depends on the how the fans react to him.
The most recent success story that we could point out as an example is that of Daniel Bryan. Bryan’s WrestleMania run a few years back showcased the perfect recipe for a baby face. He was a good guy on paper and he had immense support from the fans.
Such a Superstar that succeeds on both grounds was something that WWE missed this year around. They had names like Roman Reigns who were baby faces on paper, but when it came to fan support, Reigns struggled.
This has been the story of almost all the babyface Superstars in the company. But within their limitations and restrictions, a good portion of them did excel and we will be ranking them in this list.
The ranking is based on the fan poll that we conducted on our Facebook Page.
#10 Bayley
A rare specimen of a pure babyface, Bayley spent a good portion of 2016 down in NXT. She made her main roster debut mid-way through 2016 but when we are talking about baby faces, it’s hard to exclude someone like Bayley.
She is incredibly hard to hate and with the pleasant character that she showcases, Bayley is someone that deserves to be acknowledged whenever there is a talk about faces.
Unlike her companions from the Four Horsewomen, Bayley was kept away from main roster gold in 2016 but did end up treating us to some memorable performances. Towards the end of 2016, Bayley was put into the Raw Women’s Championship scene.
2017 could see Bayley win the title from Charlotte but as for 2016, the year should be seen as a warm-up for the former NXT Women’s champion.