Hulk Hogan and the babyfaces who made WWE what it is today
It is about heart
A true babyface is not simply someone who grins at the crowd or sticks rigidly to the rules. It is about heart, trust and the ability to rise when the moment demands it. The greatest faces made supporters believe in more than just one wrestler.
A lasting mark
With Hulk Hogan’s passing at 71, we look back at the babyfaces who defined WWE across generations.
19. The Rock
The Rock was a natural heel, but once he turned babyface, fans couldn’t get enough. He had the catchphrases, the charisma, and the undeniable presence – though let’s be real, he was at his best when he was trash-talking people.
18. Becky Lynch
Becky Lynch's rise was the stuff of wrestling folklore, turning a real-life broken nose into a career-defining moment. Fans couldn’t get enough of her swagger, sharp wit, and ability to back it all up in the ring. By the time she headlined WrestleMania 35, she was the biggest babyface in the business—whether WWE wanted her to be or not.
17. Eddie Guerrero
Latino Heat was a different kind of babyface – he cheated, lied, and stole his way to victories, but people loved him for it. His WWE Championship win over Brock in 2004 is still one of the most satisfying moments in wrestling.
16. CM Punk
Punk was technically an antihero, but fans worshipped him once he cut the Pipebomb promo. For a while, he was the only reason people even watched WWE, although his falling out with the company later turned that love sour.
15. Sting
Whether in bright face paint or standing silently in the rafters, fans saw Sting as a constant in a chaotic wrestling world. He carried WCW on his back, not with words, but with presence. And when he finally stepped into a WWE ring, even after all those years, the crowd still saw him as their guy. Sting was loyalty, conviction, and quiet strength wrapped in war paint.
14. Dusty Rhodes
Dusty was proof that you didn’t need the body of a Greek god to be a wrestling hero. He was relatable, passionate, and his Hard Times promo still hits hard decades later.
13. Daniel Bryan
Few babyface stories have ever felt as organic as Bryan’s rise to the top. The "Yes Movement" was so powerful that WWE had no choice but to let him main event WrestleMania 30.
12. Shawn Michaels (Post-2002)
Shawn was despised in the 90s, but after his comeback in 2002, he became one of WWE’s most beloved faces. He put on some of the greatest matches ever, and his feud with The Undertaker gave us two of the best WrestleMania moments of all time.
10. "Macho Man" Randy Savage
Savage was the perfect mix of charisma and technical excellence. His reunion with Miss Elizabeth at WrestleMania VII was actual cinema, and his WrestleMania IV title win was as feel-good as it gets.
9. Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy was chaos personified, and fans loved every second of it. While he was never much of a talker, he was reckless, unpredictable, and constantly felt like he was one big dive away from ending himself, but that’s exactly why people adored him.
8. The Undertaker (Post-2004)
Taker was never supposed to be a babyface, but fans respected him too much not to cheer him. By the time he hit his legendary WrestleMania streak, he was basically WWE’s final boss—fans loved him, even when he wasn’t supposed to be the good guy.
7. John Cena
Look, Cena is polarizing, but you can’t deny how over he was as a face. WWE forced him down fans’ throats, but to his credit, he carried the company for over a decade and made millions of kids believe in "Never Give Up."
6. Bret Hart
Bret wasn’t great at promos and mic work, but he didn’t need to be. He let his wrestling do the talking, and that was enough. Fans trusted Bret because he was just that good, and WWE’s decision to screw him over in Montreal only made fans side with him more and helped cement his place in wrestling folklore.
5. Mick Foley
No one took more punishment just to entertain fans than Mick Foley. Whether he was Mankind, Cactus Jack, or just himself, Foley’s willingness to get thrown off a cage for our entertainment made him an all-time fan favorite.
4. Rey Mysterio
Rey’s entire career has been about proving that size doesn’t matter in wrestling. No one sold an underdog story better, and fans have never stopped loving him – even when WWE seemingly just sends him off to be squashed by younger opponents.
3. Bruno Sammartino
Bruno was WWE before Hulk Hogan. He held the title for nearly eight years (let that sink in), and fans treated him like a literal superhero. He might not be flashy by today’s standards, but back then, Bruno was wrestling.
2. Hulk Hogan
On that note, Hogan was synonymous with wrestling in the 80s. He had kids believing in the power of Hulkamania, and his WrestleMania III body slam on Andre the Giant is still one of the most iconic moments in wrestling history. We personally loved Hogan as a heel the most, but there's no denying he defined what it meant to be a face for decades.
