History Main / Face

* Wrestling/{{Bayley}} is one of the biggest Faces in NXT, and possibly one of the biggest female Faces in history. (She'd probably be the female John Cena if WWE had played their cards better.) It's especially notable that while the rest of her fellow [[FanNickname horsewomen]] (Wrestling/BeckyLynch, Wrestling/SashaBanks, and Wrestling/{{Charlotte}}) have had periods where they worked as both heels and faces at various points in their WWE careers, Bayley has ''never'' been a heel.

* Wrestling/SgtSlaughter may be remembered mostly as heel, but to those who were kids in the mid/late eighties, he is a face through and through. This perhaps due to his tendency to prove no one is harder than him and his [[NowBuyTheMerchandise involvement and endorsing]] of [[GIJoe certain toy franchise]] is what made him tremendously popular not just in the states, but in places like Latin America. He is the second most beloved face in the brand's history only beneath Hogan, for that matter.

6. The '''[[AlwaysABiggerFish Enforcer]]'''. More often then not, a bodyguard/powerhouse in a wrestling faction; usually implied to be tweener or anti-hero. It's similar to when the cops radio for some backup muscle for when things get too out of control. They can lure their opponents into a trap and let their bodyguards do some wreckage.

->''Wrestling/HaystacksCalhoun was probably the first traveling enforcer, moving from territory to territory back in the days before WWE bought them out. This was sort of Wrestling/TheUndertaker's thing back when he was full-time, both in and out of the ring. He was the voice of the company in the locker room.''\\\

3. The '''[[AllAmericanFace All-American]]'''. He is a real American. He fights for the rights of every man. He fights for what's right, he fights for your life. He feels strong about right and wrong. The whole concept of "America vs. The World" is 80's {{kayfabe}} distilled to its purest and most ludicrous form. Some of the biggest pops and most involved crowds have been the result of [[Wrestling/JackSwagger "We the People!"]] or "USA! USA!" chants against your EvilForeigner of the week. Draped in a flag, defending the honor of his country (separate to a degree from his heritage); it's almost the only way to guarantee a strong crowd reaction.

* The man called Sting could very well be the ultimate example. There have only been a couple of attempts to turn him heel over his near 30-year career and they have all been half-hearted and poorly-received. Most recently, when TNA put him in the Main Event Mafia, Sting was conspicuous in not participating in the beatdowns administered by his stable mates. They eventually threw him out for his disloyalty. He had another heel run in 2010 (an impersonation of Health Ledger's Joker), but the audience still would not accept it, so he became Film/AceVentura in Joker paint instead. Sting reportedly does not like to be a Heel and prefers to be a Face; this preference and his drawing power are likely why few have even tried to turn him over the years.

* [[Creator/HardGay Razor Ramon HG]] was a face in Wrestling/{{HUSTLE}} since his debut, and became the top face, leading their forces against Generalissimo Takada's monster army. (Much of what got him over in the wrestling world was not as well-received when he moved onto other TV programming.)

Wrestlers with any sort of non-white (e.g. WildSamoan) or otherwise "exotic" identity are an interesting topic. A non-[[EvilForeigner evil]] foreigner is a wrestler whose gimmick revolves around a group identity (usually patriotism). Alternatively, they may appeal to certain subgroup of [[ForeignCultureFetish xenophiles]]. Their entrance music and attire will heavily-invoke cultural symbols, if not being draped in a flag itself. Two commonly-cited examples are Wrestling/BrunoSammartino and Wrestling/PedroMorales, who were pushed to appeal to, Italian and Puerto Rican diaspora in the US, respectively. Wrestling/BobSapp was hired by [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling New Japan]] for looking like the kind of loony black man one would find in an anime.

Some fans draw a distinction between "face" and "babyface". It's argued that the latter should refer to the old-school, clean-cut, "eat your vegetables" type good guys, and the shortened version is simply anybody fans cheer for, including a wide variety of {{Antihero}}es, {{Nominal Hero}}es and {{Designated Hero}}es. Insiders in the pro wrestling business, however, use the two interchangeably. Some fans also call for the distinction of {{Tweener}}s for villains that receive a hero's welcome, though bookers and promoters themselves only slowly started embracing the concept in the late 1990s as, despite perceptions, most wrestlers wanted to be seen as pure face or heel for whatever show they happened to be working on.

* The Caras/Sicodelico family in Mexico by and large. [[Wrestling/AlbertoDelRio Dos Caras Junior]] is the only one to ever be a heel (at least until the family went to Puerto Rico) and is still more known for his tecnico run there. And when he returned from his WWE heel run he was greeted by scores of hero-worshippers, as if it never happened, or indeed he had remained good during his entire stay up North. Mil Mascaras in particular has a similar reputation to Tiger Mask and Maeda but is shielded from any damaging criticism by his legendary status, being considered the third biggest name in lucha libre after El Santo and The Blue Demon.

** This is partly for publicity reasons. Cena does a ton of charity work for Make-A-Wish Foundation. So far he is the only person to fulfill 300 "wishes". With so many young kids looking up to him, Cena announced that he and the company have no plans to turn him heel. If Cena ever did turn heel, it would probably be a bigger swerve than Hogan's run in '96.
* Abe Coleman, (A.K.A. "The Jewish Tarzan", "The Hebrew Hercules" and "The Polish Cougar"). He shall be credited with innovating the drop kick if Antonino Rocca isn't (see below), but he's most famous for breaking the wrestling ring apart after slamming the 300-lb. Man Mountain Dean.

*** A decade before Naitch' there was Ernie "The Big Cat" Ladd (IWA), who never, ''ever'' stopped cheating. Over time, he gained recognition [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat for his sheer determination to cheat]], and was subsequently booked against less-popular heels of the 70s. Since his career ended when wrestling was still in the more divided territorial era, Ladd is mostly-remembered as a heel, though.

* It should be noted the baby face "promoter" used to be the default mode of every authority figure ever. Even before {{kayfabe}} was broken, most owners, staff, athletic commissions, governing bodies, TV executives, sponsors and the like used to find the idea of the fans turning on them--and by extension, the product--nightmarish. Even when there was an evil boss, said boss would always be below the 'real' boss in authority. A good example is Victor Quiñones leading W*iNG and IWA Japan against Wrestling/{{FMW}}. Everyone from Ray Gonzales, to Savio Vega, to Wrestling/{{Carlito C|olon}}aribbean Cool to Wrestling/JeffJarrett tried to takeover whatever was the biggest promotion on Puerto Rico at the time, but would always end up dismissed.

** Even when Wrestling/EricBischoff and the Wrestling/{{n|ewWorldorder}}Wo were running roughshod over WCW, they still had to answer to "Ted Turner", who frequently came down hard on them.

* Of course, Wrestling/TitoSantana, winner of the first Wrestlemania match ever, the first Mexican-American to win the intercontinental championship, remained a face his entire career.

* Wrestling/SgtSlaughter may be remembered mostly as heel, but to those who were kids in the mid/late eighties, he is a face through and through. This perhaps due to his tendency to prove no one is harder than him and his [[NowBuyTheMerchandise involvement and endorsing]] of [[GIJoe certain toy franchise]] is what made him tremendously popular not just in the states, but in places like Latin america. He is the second most beloved face in the brand's history only beneath Hogan, for that matter.

* "PARENTAL WARNING: The Sandman has been known to promote drinking, smoking, swearing and ass-kicking. Keep away from children." Jim Fullington is a perfect example of Wrestling/PaulHeyman's ability to hide flaws and accentuate strengths. An untrained construction worker whose gimmick is chain-smoking and getting drunk shouldn't be trading armbars and doing 450's, anyway.

* Kelly Kelly is a Diva who debuted in the "new" ECW in the spring of '06. She began as an "exhibitionist" who was always removing her clothes (at first just to entertain the male fans, and then to [[DistractedByTheSexy distract the heels]]) and was a love interest of Mike Knox, but apart from the distractions, she herself never did anything truly heelish. She eventually broke up with Knox, and starting around 2007 the "exhibitionist" gimmick was dropped as well. She's been a straight-up babyface ever since.(The easiest way for a WWE Diva to get heat nowadays is for them to do something bad to Kelly Kelly.)

*** And talking about The Harts, [[Wrestling/DaveyBoySmith The British Bulldog]] had the same reaction back in UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} since his sole reason to turn heel[[PunchClockVillain -ish]] back in late '95 was nobody gave him a well deserved title shot.

->''PARENTAL WARNING: [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin Steve Austin]] has been known to promote drinking, swearing and ass-kicking. Keep away from children. Wrestling/CMPunk spoke truth to power and became the poster-child of this type of face in the Summer of '11.''\\\

* ''Swig o' beer for the Rattlesnake!'' Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin was a redneck rebelling against an undeserving authority. For the most part, he was a fun-loving good guy who had some had trust issues. Since he stopped wrestling, he's become more of an [[ScrewySquirrel anarchist]] who delivers Stunners to everyone around him for no real reason, but fans still cheer for him no matter what.

* Despite being the biggest heel in Memphis at the time, Sputnik Monroe is more remembered as a face because even if older male fans hated him, he was popular with the youth. He was also responsible tearing down the segregation of sporting events in Memphis, possibly the rest of Tennessee. He was the first man to be arrested for drinking in a "negro cafe" and in fact was arrested multiple times for "drinking with coloreds and mopery, defended by black lawyers at each case. This lead to his match against Billy Wicks, who was the hometown hero otherwise, becoming the match to draw the largest attendance in Memphis ever as young and black people flooded in to support Sputnik. Rustwood park had reached capacity at 13,000 but so many people came that they broke the outfield fences down trying to get in, making the crowd close to 18,000. Once wrestling was integrated, other sports followed suit. In spite of the damage to the ballpark, there were no actual riots at the integrated shows he worked.

* Jim Fullington aka The Sandman is a perfect example of Wrestling/PaulHeyman's ability to hide flaws and accentuate strengths. An untrained construction worker whose gimmick is chain-smoking and getting drunk shouldn't be trading armbars and doing 450's, anyway.

** Rey turned heel when the Filthy Animals were formed and they feuded with Wrestling/RicFlair for a bit back in 1999 after he lost his mask and the whole No-Limit Solders thing died. The Animals was partly responsible for luring Flair out to the middle of nowhere, where the New World Order ambushed him. He had to hitch a hay truck back to the arena. (Really.) Rey's maskless period, however, is [[CanonDiscontinuity no longer considered canon]] in WWE.

* It appears that any wrestler who has been around long enough becomes a face by default.
** Wrestling/RicFlair was probably the funniest example, as all of his heel mannerisms had long since slipped into nostalgia by the end of his career. He was even cheered for running in fear from Wrestling/BigELangston after his chops failed to hurt him!
** A decade before Flair there was Ernie Ladd (IWA), who never, ''ever'' stopped cheating. Over time, he gained recognition [[DickDastardlyStopsToCheat for his sheer determination to cheat]], and was subsequently booked against less-popular heels of the 70s. Since his career ended when wrestling was still in the more divided territorial era, Ladd is mostly-remembered as a heel, though.
** Wrestling/TheUndertaker became a face by default. This was through a combination of his all-around talent and [[BuriedAlive grave-digging]] zombie gimmick.
*** Undie's brother Wrestling/{{Kane}} is another face by default. He tries really hard to be heel and generally does a good job and gets booed. The moment he stops performing over the top acts of evil though the fans are back to cheering for him.
** Wrestling/RobVanDam is somewhat borderline. He was a heel when he first came over from ECW in 2001, but by that time he was so popular even among WWE fans that he got cheered anyway.
** Before Kelly Kelly came along, Wrestling/TorrieWilson filled the same role. Torrie was a heel as part of the WCW and ECW Invasion storyline, but turned Face and defected when she fell for Wrestling/YoshihiroTajiri. She would spend the next four years as WWE's favourite GirlNextDoor. She made a heel turn in 2005 but that didn't stick because fans just loved her too much. It was a similar case with her fellow WCW alumnus Wrestling/StacyKeibler. Stacy was able to remain heel longer than Torrie - a whole year in fact - but fans loved her too much. She also became a face and remained that way for the rest of her career.
** ODB in TNA has never been able to stay heel for very long. She was a boisterous, big-tittied lush who lived in a trailer park. She started out as a heel in TNA, but became very popular with the fans ([[CriticalDissonance if not the critics!]]). She was able to get heel heat in other companies and returned to TNA in 2011 as a heel, but TNA's fans didn't take to it and she reverted to face within a month.
** Wrestling/TripleH seemed to be heading this way after turning face in 2006, having spent most of his career as one of the most despicable heels. However, in 2013, he cost Daniel Bryan, easily the most "over" superstar at the time (and probably in the last fifteen years) the WWE championship, and unsurprisingly everyone booed him like crazy. Two months later, the same thing happened with Bryan and ''Wrestling/ShawnMichaels''... While Shawn quickly reverted back to being a full-fledged face, Hunter has remained heel since that day in August.
* A face [[SociopathicHero doesn't have to be a decent person]], so long as they get fans to cheer them. A common cited example of this is Wrestling/RandyOrton's second face run, where half of his feuds were started by his own need to be [[EvilerThanThou the most BAMF around]]. Sometimes the enemy would be shown to be just as evil or worse than him, but not always. Becoming face by default in 2010 being the only thing he changed about his character is who he attacked.
*** A similar thing happened with Kaientai during their "face" run, although they were buried and sent back to Puerto Rico for getting too popular. A Kaientai Dojo did eventually surface in Japan despite.
** Wrestling/ZackRyder. Hated for bad jokes, arrogance, entrance music, hair style, goggles, see through jacket, pants with different leg lengths, and his signature taunt "Woo Woo Woo!" Oddly enough though, many Smart Marks are fans of Zack Ryder. Though this may have something to do with his theme song... Ultimately it got him to full time Facedom by late 2011.
** Act Yasukawa in Wonder Ring STARDOM. Her heel turn failed to take, even with her membership in the "Monster Army" . She spat rum on a fan chanting her name once, only to get more fans chanting her name and begging to get spat on, too.
* There are certain instances when the designated face is not the face in the bill, but the one who "plays local", especially if his in-ring performance is outstanding. The same may be true for other hometown heroes that wind up wrestling for foreign promotions.
** The Great Khali has always been a hero in the Indian market. It was only in the US that he was booed. Khali is a standout example as he is practically a legend in India! By the time he came to the Americas, though, he was no longer very mobile (his knees turned to powder from all those bumps he took), so the fans didn't see what the big deal was.
** This also applies to Wrestling/BretHart, who will always be face in Canada no matter how he's booked. Even when he was the biggest heel in the company in 1997, all he had to do was drive the border and he was a face again.
*** And talking about The Harts, [[Wrestling/DaveyBoySmith The British Bulldog]] had the same reaction back in UsefulNotes/{{Britain}} since his sole reason to turn heel[[PunchClockVillain -ish]] was nobody gave him a well deserved title shot.
** Wrestling/KofiKingston and [[Wrestling/RonKillings R-Truth]] (at least under that name) both had short heel stints but were otherwise lifelong babyfaces through their decade-long runs in WWE.
** A lot of North Americans [[AmericansHateTingle don't get the appeal]], but Wrestling/HiroyoshiTenzan is a face by default in Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling, due to his undying loyalty to the company.
** Kelly Kelly get booed when she was in Wrestling/BethPhoenix's [[AHeroToHisHometown hometown of Buffalo New York]] as a result, even though "The Glamazon" was the obvious heel in all their other matches.
* It should be noted the baby face "promoter" used to be the default mode of every authority figure ever. Even before {{kayfabe}} was broken, most owners, staff, athletic commissions, governing bodies, TV executives, sponsors and the like used to find the idea of the fans turning on them--and by extension, the product--nightmarish. Even when there was an evil boss, said boss would always be below the 'real' boss in authority. A good example is Victor Quiñones leading W*iNG and IWA Japan against Wrestling/{{FMW}}. Everyone from Ray Gonzales, to Savio Vega, to Wrestling/{{Carlito C|olon}}aribbean Cool to Wrestling/JeffJarrett tried to takeover whatever was the biggest promotion on Puerto Rico at the time, but would always end up dismissed.
** All attempts to turn the fans against Wrestling/JimRoss fail miserably. Yes, face/heel extends to commentators. Not even WWF's biggest competitor, WCW, were [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JervegQY4hQ permitted to take shots at Ross]], even though the fans seemed to hate everything else WWF.
** Billy Corgan of Music/TheSmashingPumpkins became one in a public relations move to try and save TNA (and later NWA). It was not a ratings stunt, this was real. His involvement and visibility was a positive for TNA because the actual chairman, Dixie Carter, looks like a ''Real Housewife'' from central casting. (After 8 years of running TNA she had no idea what kayfabe was.) On-screen, he's a pretty neutral character, something the business sorely needs.
** Even when Wrestling/EricBischoff and the Wrestling/{{n|ewWorldorder}}Wo were running roughshod over WCW, they still had to answer to "Ted Turner", who frequently came down hard on them.
** An exception that proves the rule was Savio Vega's stint in the World Wrestling League, which he successfully took control of after turning face around the same time company founder Richard Negrin turned heel ([[WrittenInInfirmity Negrin had health issues that prevented him from running the company in a reliable enough fashion for many wrestlers]]). The baby face wrestlers such as Glamour Boy Shane were quick to forgive Vega of all past misdoings, in a region were grudges persisting in spite of face turns is usually the norm and in fact had been in WWL until Vega was officially in charge.

5. The '''AntiHero'''. Heels are allowed to be flawed people, and so are almost inherently more interesting than babyfaces. Solution? Be punk rock and go rebel. This guy is more an anti-authoritarian, comedic dick, rather than a true hero. He stands up for himself against the bosses, calling legends like [[Wrestling/KevinNash Nash]] "Old and irrelevant", and does whatever he wants to whoever he dislikes and whenever he pleases. It's not "out of character" for him to do dickish things, since the entire point is that the heel made it O.K. to do. At the same time, he is a human with real human failings. That's why the Wrestling/AttitudeEra babies worked.

->''A decorated member of the United States Marine Corps needs your support.'' AND HIS NAME IS [[Wrestling/JohnCena JOHN CENA!]] ''Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan played this gimmick to the point of parody: he would interrupt other countries' anthems.'' \\\

Some fans draw a distinction between "face" and "babyface". It's argued that the later should refer to the old-school, clean-cut, "eat your vegetables" type good guys, and the shortened version is simply anybody fans cheer for, including a wide variety of {{Antihero}}es, {{Nominal Hero}}es and {{Designated Hero}}es. Insiders in the pro wrestling business, however, use the two interchangeably. Some fans also call for the distinction of {{Tweener}}s for villains that receive a hero's welcome, though bookers and promoters themselves only slowly started embracing the concept in the late 1990s as, despite perceptions, most wrestlers wanted to be seen as pure face or heel for whatever show they happened to be working on.

[[folder:Fictional examples]]

* The professional wrestler of ''Manga/AirGear'' is Rika, however it is Ikki who gets slapped with the "babyface" label for his behavior on the inline skating circuit
* {{Subverted| trope}} in ''Manga/{{Bleach}}'' with Mask De Masculine, who is a text book técnico luchador but he works for the bad guys. If ''Bleach'' was a professional wrestling story there is a good chance this would almost certainly be played straight, Mask De Masculine even follows the rules enforced by most promotions. He insists there be an equal number of opponents on each side of a conflict to face off one on one, [[TagTeam one at a time]], with no foreign objects. Thing is, ''Bleach'' is a story about death gods with swords hunting down displaced souls. About the furthest thing from professional wrestling.
* Not a wrestling example, but Hercule from the ''Manga/DragonBall'' series acts like the typical wrestling hero and the main characters, despite being better fighters than him, are all willing to do the job so that he will look good. He was even instrumental in the defeat of one of the series most powerful villains in a scene which had obvious parallels to the power of the Hulkamaniacs.
* In ''VideoGame/HitmanAbsolution'', there is an achievement for stealing the All-American's disguise (The Patriot), then beating the Monster (Sanchez) with your bare fists, in the arena. From then on, getting a Silent Assassin rating is practically a shoo-in, since the crowd wants to see violent, gladiatorial combat.
* Mask de Smith from ''Videogame/{{Killer7}}'' was apparently a face during his wrestling days. A former fan calls him "Babyface" (though you'd think they'd call him "tecnico," given he's a MaskedLuchador).
* An in-universe example is found in ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorneyDualDestinies'', Case 2: the Amazing Nine-Tails, who managed to revitalise the once near dead village of Nine Tails Vale and is a heroic icon for them. Learning about the man behind the mask is crucial to uncovering the truth of the case.
* Even the 'western' characters in ''VideoGame/StreetFighterII'' revere Zangief, a pro wrestler who trained himself by fighting bears in Siberia. In a time when any [[DirtyCommunist "Champion of the proletariat"]] starts as a mere ideological enemy, they have a change of heart or [[EnemyMine teaming up]] with the westerners for the greater good. In-universe, "The Red/Iron Cyclone" is not just a national and ideological hero, but a beloved face by children, fellow wrestlers and wrestling fans world-wide.
* While ''Manga/TigerMask'' manga is the story of [[HeelFaceTurn a heel's journey to baby face]], every wrestler who has since used the gimmick has been a face by default. The first official wrestler to be recognized as [[Wrestling/SatoruSayama Tiger Mask]] by New Japan caused ratings to increase by 25% whenever he was featured on a show, further ensuring this would be his role.
* In one episode of ''Series/XenaWarriorPrincess'', Xena decides the best way to save her friend Joxer (who has offended the Amazon tribe) is to stage a SquashMatch, with Xena playing to the crowd before "killing" Joxer with an overly dramatic {{finishing move}}.
[[/folder]]

** After his [[AngryWhiteMan scandal]] was made public, some shoot interviews [[RealLifeWritesThePlot accused some roily managment]] of his career as a whole like putting himself over and buring promising talent [[ForTheEvulz just because]], all of this due to his [[AwesomeEgo name and fame]]. Then again, no one can say all of his own claims about his legacy weren't [[FallenHero right all along]]. An attendance of 93,173 fans on his match on Wrestling/AndreTheGiant and being one of the very few who beated him clean, his contribution on making business a nation-wide phenomena, [[FakeRealTurn being beaten clean himself a rare and unncany event]], [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson the]] [[Wrestling/TheBigShow number]] [[Wrestling/TripleH of]] [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin wrestlers]] [[Wrestling/{{Edge}} influenced]] [[Wrestling/JohnCena by]] [[Wrestling/TheNastyBoys him]]... and so on.

1. The '''[[IncorruptiblePurePureness Whitemeat]]'''. The hero who gets beat up constantly, before heroically and miraculously snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The whitemeat places particular emphasis on morality and virtue. (Cheating heavily is part of being a heel.) We're told that they're fighting against all odds to win the titles he's striving for. He/she has a tendency to always trust wrestlers, no matter how many times they've betrayed him/her in the past: {{Wrestling/Sting}} had a history of joining tag teams or stables full of vicious backstabbers when he really should have known better (leading to the phrase "Sting-level [[GoodIsDumb dumb]]"). He/she exists mostly to carry out good deeds and make the kids happy.

Most female wrestlers are booked as half-heel, half-face. This appears to be by design, with little concern about the heel/face dynamics. Mildred Burke, crowned NWA World Women's champion based on her matches with Clara Mortenson, popularized female wrestling in the U.S. during the thirties. But she was frozen out of the industry, leading her to take her own promotion overseas. (Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and South America can trace their womens' wrestling to Burke.) As a result, there remains a specific sort of female babyface in the States who struggles to earn respect while [[YouGoGirl competing in a "male" division]], but they can just as easily draw heat by harassing the male babyfaces. Wrestling/{{Chyna}} and Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} are two noteworthy Tweeners who competed in areas they didn't 'belong' in.

->''[[Wrestling/RickySteamboat Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat]] is one of the {{Trope Codifier}}s for these babyfaces, and was notable for never being a heel once in his entire career. Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr headed down the same path.''\\\

->''PARENTAL WARNING: [[Wrestling/JimFullington The Sandman]] has been known to promote smoking, drinking and ass-kicking. Keep away from children. Wrestling/CMPunk spoke truth to power and became the poster-child of this type of face in the Summer of '11.''\\\

1. The '''[[IncorruptiblePurePureness Whitemeat]]'''. The hero who gets beat up constantly, before heroically and miraculously snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The whitemeat places particular emphasis on morality and virtue. (Cheating heavily is part of being a heel.) We're told that they're fighting against all odds to win the titles he's striving for. He/she has a tendency to always trust wrestlers, no matter how many times they've betrayed him in the past: {{Wrestling/Sting}} had a history of joining tag teams or stables full of vicious backstabbers when he really should have known better (leading to the phrase "Sting-level [[GoodIsDumb dumb]]"). He/she exists mostly to carry out good deeds and make the kids happy.

1. The '''[[IncorruptiblePurePureness Whitemeat]]'''. The hero who gets beat up constantly, before heroically and miraculously snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The whitemeat places particular emphasis on morality and virtue. (Cheating heavily is part of being a heel.) We're told that he's fighting against all odds to win the titles he's striving for. He has a tendency to always trust wrestlers, no matter how many times they've betrayed him in the past: {{Wrestling/Sting}} had a history of joining tag teams or stables full of vicious backstabbers when he really should have known better (leading to the phrase "Sting-level [[GoodIsDumb dumb]]"). He exists mostly to carry out good deeds and make the kids happy.

2. The '''[[BadassNormal Underdog]]'''. Many bookers still think a "World Champion" has to resemble the classical image of a pro wrestler. They're hung up on the look. The character of a face is different, though. The average guy's build (Cruiserweight/Light Heavyweight) makes him the natural underdog. He understands that he's outclassed by the likes of Cena, Styles, and Haitch, so he picks his movements very carefully. A cunning performer knows how to create and take advantage of underhanded opportunities in the ring. The underdog beat the system, got over, won the title and got the girl? Every normal guy's dream.

->''Wrestling/HacksawJimDuggan played this gimmick to the point of parody: he would interrupt other countries' anthems.'' ''A decorated member of the United States Marine Corps needs your support.'' AND HIS NAME IS [[Wrestling/JohnCena JOHN CENA!]]''\\\

4. The '''[[NobleSavage Brother From Another Motherland]]'''. Wrestlers with any sort of non-white (e.g. WildSamoan) or otherwise "exotic" identity are an interesting topic. A non-[[EvilForeigner evil]] foreigner is a wrestler whose gimmick revolves around a group identity (usually patriotism). Alternatively, they may appeal to certain subgroup of [[ForeignCultureFetish xenophiles]]. Their entrance music and attire will heavily-invoke cultural symbols, if not being draped in a flag itself.

->''Two commonly-cited examples are Wrestling/BrunoSammartino and Wrestling/PedroMorales, who were pushed to appeal to, Italian and Puerto Rican diaspora in the US, respectively. Wrestling/BobSapp was hired by [[Wrestling/NewJapanProWrestling New Japan]] for looking like the kind of loony black man one would find in an anime.''\\\

5. The '''[[ActionGirl Daring Darling]]'''. A good female babyface is a potential role model for young girls, so her clothes are meant to convey tradition and athleticism, and by extension, they draw an enormous ammount of pop from fans. Mildred Burke, crowned NWA World Women's champion based on her matches with Clara Mortenson, popularized female wrestling in the U.S. during '30s but she was frozen out of the industry, leading her to take her own promotion overseas. Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and South America can trace their women's wrestling to her.

->''Wrestling/WendiRichter was a solid performer who fell victim of a real-life episode named as "The Original Screwjob"[[note]] Predating [[Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob the most famous one]] for 12 years.[[/note]]. The easiest way for a WWE Diva to get heel heat nowadays, is for them to do something bad to Wrestling/KellyKelly.''\\\

6. The '''[[{{Acrofatic}} Fat Guy]]'''. Mass × Acceleration = Force. In some ways, the look and the wrestler are intertwined: It imbues them with a sort of "don't give a fuck" mentality. It also helps him stand out, since the majority of the roster is cut, and that might catch peoples' eyes more. Also, "cut" sometimes doesn't translate well into actual ring performance, since a lot of that is for show. Beware, though: there is a line of separation between, say, Wrestling/MarkHenry and {{Wrestling/Yokozuna}}. When you're built that large, you have to work your weight into your gimmick and play to the WrestlingMonster trope.

7. The '''AntiHero'''. Heels are allowed to be flawed people, and so are almost inherently more interesting than babyfaces. Solution? Be punk rock and go rebel. This guy is more an anti-authoritarian, comedic dick, rather than a true hero. He stands up for himself against the bosses, calling legends like [[Wrestling/KevinNash Nash]] "Old and irrelevant", and does whatever he wants to whoever he dislikes and whenever he pleases. It's not "out of character" for him to do dickish things, since the entire point is that the heel made it O.K. to do. At the same time, he is a human with real human failings. That's why the Wrestling/AttitudeEra babies worked.

8. The '''[[AlwaysABiggerFish Enforcer]]'''. More often then not, a bodyguard/powerhouse in a wrestling faction; usually implied to be tweener or anti-hero. It's similar to when the cops radio for some backup muscle for when things get too out of control. They can lure their opponents into a trap and let their bodyguards do some wreckage.

Sometimes, those responsible for airing the show having to make a public "appearance," be it in the form of the company owner, a proxy such as a General Manager or a representative from an athletic commission to level the playing field when the babyfaces are up against particularly unfair odds, assigning match stipulations to ensure cheap finishes will not recur. Unlike the heel authority figure, they usually don't appear frequently enough to develop a character; just enough to establish their existence so fans won't be confused if a ruling is made.[[note]]While Vince [=McMahon=] ''is'' the company owner in addition to managing ''Raw'', even this was solved via GeorgeJetsonJobSecurity (i.e. the "board of directors") when Vince logically got fed up and tried to fire the loose cannons in his federation.[[/note]]

Most female wrestlers are booked as half-heel, half-face. This appears to be by design, with little concern about the heel/face dynamics. Mildred Burke, crowned NWA World Women's champion based on her matches with Clara Mortenson, popularized female wrestling in the U.S. during '30s. But she was frozen out of the industry, causing her to take her own promotion overseas.[[note]]Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and South America can trace their women's wrestling to Burke.[[/note]] As a result, there remains a specific sort of female baby face in the US despite, one who struggles to earn respect while [[YouGoGirl competing in a "male" division]], but they can just as easily draw heat by harassing the male babyfaces. Wrestling/{{Chyna}} and Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} are two noteworthy Tweeners who competed in areas they didn't 'belong' in.

* Kelly Kelly is a Diva who debuted in the "new" ECW in the spring of '06. She began as an "exhibitionist" who was always removing her clothes (at first just to entertain the male fans, and then to [[DistractedByTheSexy distract the heels]]) and was a love interest of Mike Knox, but apart from the distractions, she herself never did anything truly heelish. She eventually broke up with Knox, and starting around 2007 the "exhibitionist" gimmick was dropped as well. She's been a straight-up babyface ever since.

Most female wrestlers are booked as half-heel, half-face. This appears to be by design, with little concern about the heel/face dynamics. There remains a specific sort of female baby face in the US despite, one who struggles to earn respect while [[YouGoGirl competing in a "male" division]], but they can just as easily draw heel heat by harassing male babyfaces. Wrestling/{{Chyna}} and Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} are two noteworthy Tweeners who competed in areas they didn't 'belong' in.

* {{Wrestling/Lita}} was eternally a face too, due to her OneOfUs nature. Little girls looked up to her, little boys wanted to hang with her - and her daredevil streak made her really exciting. She did turn heel towards the end of her time in WWE, but that was only because a real life affair scandal caused fans to chant obscenities at her anyway. As with Trish, [[HeelFaceReturn she's always a face when she returns]] to WWE.

1. The '''[[IncorruptiblePurePureness Whitemeat]]'''. The hero who gets beat up constantly, before heroically and miraculously snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The whitemeat places particular emphasis on morality and virtue. (Cheating heavily is part of being a heel.) We're told that he's an underdog, fighting against the odds to win the titles he's striving for. He has a tendency to always trust wrestlers, no matter how many times they've betrayed him in the past: {{Wrestling/Sting}} had a history of joining tag teams or stables full of vicious backstabbers when he really should have known better (leading to the phrase "Sting-level [[GoodIsDumb dumb]]"). He exists mostly to carry out good deeds and make the kids happy.

->''Wrestling/RickySteamboat is one of the {{Trope Codifier}}s for these babyfaces, and was notable for never being a heel once in his entire career. Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr headed down the same path.''\\\

** After his [[AngryWhiteMan scandal]] was made public, some shoot interviews [[RealLifeWritesThePlot accused some roily managment]] of his career as a whole like putting himself over and buring promising talent [[ForTheEvulz just because]], all of this due to his [[AwesomeEgo name and fame]]. Then again, no one can say all of his own claims about his legacy weren't [[FallenHero right all along]]. An attendance of 93,173 fans on his match on Wrestling/AndreTheGiant and being one of the very few who beated him clean, his contribution on making business a nation-wide phenomena, [[FakeRealTurn being beaten clean himself a rare and unncany event]], [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson the]] [[Wrestling/TheBigShow number]] [[Wrestling/TheNastyBoys of]] [[Wrestling/BrutusBeefcake wrestlers]] [[Wrestling/{{Edge}} influenced]] by him... and so on.

* Aside for Cena, and except for one match against Mark Henry where he used one of Eddie Guerrero's heel tricks (though even that was more of an homage to his recently departed friend), Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr. had never play any role other than the pure whitemeat face. He's probably unique among male Superstars in that respect.

* One veteran theorized that [[Wrestling/RickySteamboat Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat]] could cut off Hulk Hogan's limbs with a chainsaw and still get cheered for it because he was just such a naturally likable guy. This is why he used the "Steamboat" stage name, despite his birth certificate showing him as '''RICHARD BLOOD'''. (That's not a joke.) Common sense said that you couldn't have a babyface named "Blood."
* Wrestling/{{Sting}} could very well be the ultimate example. There have only been a couple of attempts to turn him heel over his near 30-year career and they have all been half-hearted and poorly-received. Most recently, when TNA put him in the Main Event Mafia, Sting was conspicuous in not participating in the beatdowns administered by his stable mates. They eventually threw him out for his disloyalty. He had another heel run in 2010 (an impersonation of Health Ledger's Joker), but the audience still would not accept it, so he became Film/AceVentura in Joker paint instead. Sting reportedly does not like to be a Heel and prefers to be a Face; this preference and his drawing power are likely why few have even tried to turn him over the years.

* Wrestling/{{Sting}} could very well be the ultimate example. There have only been a couple of attempts to turn him heel over his near 30-year career and they have all been half-hearted and poorly-received. Most recently, when TNA put him in the Main Event Mafia, Sting was conspicuous in not participating in the beatdowns administered by his stable mates. They eventually threw him out for his disloyalty. He had another heel run in 2010 (an impersonation of Health Ledger's Joker), but the audience still would not accept it, so he became Film/AceVentura in Joker paint instead.

* Aside for Rey, John Cena has served the longest time as the Face, and if often considered the mascot for WWE.

* Before he became The Patriot, Wrestling/DelWilkes got his first break in the [[Wrestling/AmericanWrestlingAssociation AWA]] as "The Trooper" Del Wilkes. He was a wrestling state trooper and a face, because, you know, people love being pulled over on state roadways.

* Perhaps the more appropriate term is técnico but Lucha Libre Internacional had a luchador who went by (not kidding) Babe Face in the late 1970s up until [[Wrestling/{{AAA}} Triple A]] forced it out of business around 95. Later his son Babe Face Jr entered the business, although not even IWRG was interested in him, much less the major Mexican enterprises; both AAA and Wrestling/{{CMLL}} opted to milk whatever they could out of Babe Face Sr. instead. Likewise, one of Dominican Wrestling Entertainment's featured luchadoras goes by La Baby Face and on the flipped side, there is the masked Australian wrestler of Wrestling/ProWrestlingZero1, El Technico.

* Los Guerreros by all means should have been the heel team, with the way they proudly lived out ethnic stereotypes and regularly lied, cheated and stole. They were such good workers in the ring and on the microphone though that it did not take any effort to get them over as faces. Trying to get them over as heels always failed, at most they could make Wrestling/{{Chavo|GuerreroJr}} hated by attacking the more popular Eddie. WWE later gave them a SpiritualSuccessor in Cryme Tyme whose career went pretty much the exact same way, only with less success in winning titles and less longevity.

* Wrestling/HulkHogan is this very trope's image for a reason. Started his career as a heel and later became the ultimate face, keeping it up for 18 years until he pulled his infamous FaceHeelTurn at ''Bash at the Beach '96''. Even this only makes him a heel in Wrestling/{{WCW}}'s continuity. When he tried the same routine in WWE the fans still cheered him anyway. Part of his appeal was [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve drawing on the fans' energy]] to be "[[HeroicSecondWind Running wild, brother!]]" back again.

* Trish Stratus' archenemy {{Wrestling/Lita}} was eternally a face too, due to her OneOfUs nature. Little girls looked up to her, little boys wanted to hang with her - and her daredevil streak made her really exciting. She did turn heel towards the end of her time in WWE, but that was only because a real life affair scandal caused fans to chant obscenities at her anyway. As with Trish, [[HeelFaceReturn she's always a face when she returns]] to WWE.

* Wrestling/ReyMysterioJr. Except for one match against Mark Henry where he used one of Wrestling/EddieGuerrero's heel tricks (though even that was more of an homage to his recently departed friend), he's never played any role other than the underdog face. He's probably unique among male Superstars in that respect.

* {{Wrestling/Rikidozan}}: Rikidozan wrestling once drew a TV rating of 88.0. Think about that. ''[[Wrestling/WWERaw RAW]]'' at its peak got 9.3 ratings. Andre v. Hogan drew a 14.5 rating. Rikidozan is probably the biggest star to grace the wrestling business ever. He had an unfortunately short run on account of being assassinated, but his death was enough to bring officials from South Korea, Japan ''and'' North Korea together for peaceful festivities on at least three separate occasions.

* Wrestling/TrishStratus was WWE's top female face for most of her career. Although she has said she loved being a heel, both her runs in that role were quite short, lasting less than a year each. Her PluckyGirl nature, natural likability and [[BeautyEqualsGoodness stunning beauty]] meant that she was always put back into the face role. Whenever she makes a return to WWE, she's always a face.

->''Wrestling/WendiRichter was a solid performer who fell victim of a real-life episode named as "The Original Screwjob"[[note]] Predating [[Wrestling/MontrealScrewjob the most famous one]] for 12 years.[[/note]]. The easiest way for a WWE Diva to get heel heat is for them to do something bad to Wrestling/KellyKelly.''\\\

->''PARENTAL WARNING: [[Wrestling/JimFullington The Sandman]] has been known to promote swearing, drinking and ass-kicking. Keep away from children. Wrestling/CMPunk spoke truth to power and became the poster-child of this type of face in the Summer of '11.''\\\

5. The '''[[{{Acrofatic}} Fat Guy]]'''. Mass × Acceleration = Force. In some ways, the look and the wrestler are intertwined: It imbues them with a sort of "don't give a fuck" mentality. It also helps him stand out, since the majority of the roster is cut, and that might catch peoples' eyes more. Also, "cut" sometimes doesn't translate well into actual ring performance, since a lot of that is for show. Beware, though: there is a line of separation between, say, Wrestling/MarkHenry and {{Wrestling/Yokozuna}}. When you're built that large, you have to work your weight into your gimmick and play to the WrestlingMonster trope.

6. The '''AntiHero'''. Heels are allowed to be flawed people, and so are almost inherently more interesting than babyfaces. Solution? Be punk rock and go rebel. This guy is more an anti-authoritarian, comedic dick, rather than a true hero. He stands up for himself against the bosses, calling legends like [[Wrestling/KevinNash Nash]] "Old and irrelevant", and does whatever he wants to whoever he dislikes and whenever he pleases. It's not "out of character" for him to do dickish things, since the entire point is that the heel made it O.K. to do. At the same time, he is a human with real human failings. That's why the Wrestling/AttitudeEra babies worked.

->''PARENTAL WARNING: [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin Steve Austin]] has been known to promote swearing, drinking and ass-kicking. Keep away from children. Wrestling/CMPunk spoke truth to power and became the poster-child of this type of face in the Summer of '11.''\\\

7. The '''[[AlwaysABiggerFish Enforcer]]'''. More often then not, a bodyguard/powerhouse in a wrestling faction; usually implied to be tweener or anti-hero. It's similar to when the cops radio for some backup muscle for when things get too out of control. They can lure their opponents into a trap and let their bodyguards do some wreckage.

Female wrestlers are booked as half-heel, half-face. This appears to be by design, with little concern about the heel/face dynamics. The reason why women's wrestling in the United States of America has so often been booked like a teen drama is due to the way Wrestling/TheFabulousMoolah trained her girls ([[SexSells enough to sell magazine photos]]) and how she wrestled. Her repertoire consisted of a [[CatFight hair-pulling]] snapmare, a hair whip, headlocks, clotheslines, and nothing else. Mildred Burke, crowned NWA World Women's champion based on her matches with Clara Mortenson, popularized female wrestling in the U.S. during '30s but she was frozen out of the industry, leading her to take her own promotion overseas. Japan, Canada, Mexico, Australia and South America can trace their women's wrestling to Burke. There remains a specific sort of female baby face in the US despite, one who struggles to earn respect while [[YouGoGirl competing in a "male" division]], but they can just as easily draw heel heat by harassing male babyfaces. Wrestling/{{Chyna}} and Wrestling/{{Jacqueline}} are two noteworthy Tweeners who competed in areas they didn't 'belong' in.

* Wrestling/JimFullington aka The Sandman. He's a perfect example of Wrestling/PaulHeyman's ability to hide flaws and accentuate strengths. An untrained construction worker whose gimmick is chain-smoking and getting drunk shouldn't be trading armbars and doing 450's, anyway.

* Wrestling/KellyKelly is a Diva who debuted in the "new" ECW in the spring of '06. She began as an "exhibitionist" who was always removing her clothes (at first just to entertain the male fans, and then to [[DistractedByTheSexy distract the heels]]) and was a love interest of Mike Knox, but apart from the distractions, she herself never did anything truly heelish. She eventually broke up with Knox, and starting around 2007 the "exhibitionist" gimmick was dropped as well. She's been a straight-up babyface ever since.

** A major reason why she's been a face so long is because she is probably the single largest [[TheWoobie woobie]] in WWE, who seems to take an almost perverse glee in making her suffer. Her boyfriend was emotionally abusive and let her get hit in the head by Sandman with a singapore cane, The Miz actively sabotaged her attempts to hook up with anyone, got stalked by Kane and rejected by Randy Orton, and the list goes on. At this point, the easiest way for a Diva to get heel heat is for them to do something bad to Kelly.

* Wrestling/HulkHogan is this very trope's image for a reason. Started his career as a heel and later became the ultimate fAXW, keeping it up for 18 years until he pulled his infamous FaceHeelTurn at ''Bash at the Beach '96''. Even this only makes him a heel in Wrestling/{{WCW}}'s continuity. When he tried the same routine in WWE the fans still cheered him anyway. Part of his appeal was [[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve drawing on the fans' energy]] to be "[[HeroicSecondWind Running wild, brother!]]" back again.

* Wrestling/AntoninoRocca. The man who brought elbow drops, cross bodies, huracanranas and the Argentine back breaker to professional wrestling back in the late 1930s (the dropkick is disputed, and the rana is sometimes attributed to Huracán Ramirez). He was also responsible for bringing wrestling back to Madison Square Garden in the 50s, where it hasn't left since.

** After his [[AngryWhiteMan scandal]] was made public, some shoot interviews [[RealLifeWritesThePlot accused some roily managment]] of his career as a whole like putting himself over and [[ForTheEvulz buring promising talent just because]], all of this due to his [[AwesomeEgo name and fame]]. Then again, no one can say all of his own claims about his legacy [[FallenHero weren't right all along]]. An attendance of 93,173 fans on his match on Wrestling/AndreTheGiant and being one of the very few who beated him clean, his contribution on making business a nation-wide phenomena, being beaten clean himself a rare and unncany event, [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson the]] [[Wrestling/TheBigShow number]] [[Wrestling/TheNastyBoys of]] [[Wrestling/BrutusBeefcake wrestlers]] [[Wrestling/{{Edge}} influenced]] by him... and so on.