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Inprofessional wrestling, aface (babyface) is a heroic, "good guy", "good-doer", or "fan favorite" wrestler,booked (scripted) by thepromotion with the aim of being cheered by fans.[1] They are portrayed asheroes relative to theheel wrestlers, who are analogous tovillains.[2] Traditionally, face characters wrestle within the rules and avoid cheating while behaving positively towards thereferee and the audience. Such characters are also referred to asblue-eyes inBritish wrestling andtécnicos inlucha libre. Not everything a face wrestler does must be heroic: faces need only to be clapped or cheered by the audience to be effective characters. When the magazinePro Wrestling Illustrated went into circulation in the late 1970s, the magazine referred to face wrestlers as "fan favorites" or "scientific wrestlers", while heels were referred to as simply "rulebreakers".
The vast majority of wrestling storylines involve pitting faces against heels,[3] although more elaborate set-ups (such as two faces being manipulated by a nefarious outside party into fighting, or simply having a clean sportsmanly contest)[4] often happen as well. In the world oflucha libre wrestling, mosttécnicos are generally known for using moves requiring technical skill, particularly aerial maneuvers and wearing outfits using bright colors with positive associations (such assolid white). This is contrasted with most villainousrudos who are generally known for being brawlers, using physical moves that emphasize brute strength or size while often having outfits akin todemons or other nasty characters.
Traditional faces are classic "good guy" characters who rarely break the rules, follow instructions of those inauthority such as the referee, are polite and well-mannered towards the fans and often overcome the rule-breaking actions of their heel opponents tocleanly win matches.[5] While many modern faces still fit this model, other versions of the face character are now also common. A good example would beStone Cold Steve Austin, who despite playing a heel early on in his career would start to be seen more of anantihero because of his popularity with the fans. While clearly not championing rule following, nor submission to authority, Austin was still regarded as the face in many of his duels such as his rivalry withWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF, later WWE) ownerMr. McMahon.
The portrayal of face wrestlers changed in the 1990s with the birth ofExtreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), the start ofWorld Championship Wrestling's (WCW)New World Order (nWo) storyline, andthe Attitude Era of the WWF. During this time, wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin andSting used tactics traditionally associated with heels, but remained popular with the fans. Professional wrestling had just come off a huge steroid scandal and was facing poor ratings compared to the 1980s, and as a result, professional wrestling transformed into an edgier, more mature product. In this new era of professional wrestling, the standard face was more profane, violent, and uncontrollable.[6]
In contrast to the emerging new breed of faces,Kurt Angle was introduced to the then-WWF with an Americanherogimmick based on hisgold medal win at the1996 Summer Olympics. Angle presented himself as arole model and stressed the need to work hard to realize one's dreams.[citation needed] Although such a personality appears appropriate for a face wrestler, Angle's character was arrogant and constantly reminded people of his Olympic glory, behaving as if he thought he was better than the fans.[7] Angle's character served as a meta-reference to how wrestling had changed. Although his character was intended to be a heel and behaved accordingly, some commentators speculated that if Angle attempted to getover as a face using a more heroic version of the same character, he would have failed. Unusually, Angle did not use any of these heroic mannerisms when playing a face character, instead acting as somewhat of an antihero with a few elements of the "lovable loser" character archetype.[citation needed]
The majority of the time, faces who are low-carders, or lesser known, are used asjobbers. These wrestlers usually lose matches against established wrestlers, often heels that then lose to the top faces.
Fans sometimes dislike face wrestlers despite the way they are promoted. Some reasons for this include repetitive in-ring antics, a limited moveset, a lengthy title reign,lack ofselling their opponents' moves, or an uninteresting character. This often results in wrestlers who are supposed to be cheered receiving a negative or no reaction from the fans. When this happens, it can prompt a change in character for the wrestler in question. For example,Batista's run as a face upon his return to the WWE in 2014 was met with overwhelmingly negative reactions from the fans. Because of this unexpected reaction, Batista turned heel within just a few months of his return.[8]
The reaction of the fans can also influence a wrestler's booking and position on the card. Faces that get more support than expected sometimes move closer towards the main event scene, while those getting less of a reaction than hoped might move down on the card. While Batista was getting bad reactions in 2014, another faceDaniel Bryan, was getting incredibly positive support. Loud "Yes!" chants that had become synonymous with Bryan were present at any show he was on, and eventually the main event ofWrestleMania XXX would be changed from Batista vsRandy Orton for theWWE World Heavyweight Championship, to atriple threat match with Daniel Bryan which he would go on to win.[8]
Some face wrestlers often give high fives or give out merchandise to fans while entering the ring before their match, such as T-shirts, sunglasses, hats and masks.Bret Hart was one of the first superstars to make this popular, as he would drape his signature sunglasses on a child in the audience.Rey Mysterio, who has been a face in WWE since his debut, would go to any fan (frequently a child) wearing a replica of his mask and touch their head with his head for good luck before wrestling. Other examples includeJohn Cena throwing his shirts and caps in the crowd before entering a match andCody Rhodes giving his belt to a child in the audience when he was a face.
Some faces, such as Bret Hart andRicky Steamboat, promoted an image as a "family man" and supported their persona by appearing with their family members before and after matches. Steamboat famously carried his 8-month-old sonRichard Jr. into the ring with him atWrestleMania IV before his match withGreg "The Hammer" Valentine, then handing him to his wife Bonnie before the match started, and was accompanied to the ring by his family during his rivalry withRic Flair inJim Crockett Promotions to contrast with Flair's party animal "Nature Boy" persona. These actions often relate to wrestlers promoting charity work or other actions outside the ring, blurring the lines between scripted wrestling and their personal lives.
In the ring, traditional faces are expected to abide by the rules and win matches by their own skill rather than by cheating, outside interference etc. Because heel wrestlers take little issues with using such tactics, the face enters many matches already at a disadvantage to the heel. By putting the face in a difficult situation, it can help to draw out sympathy and support from the audience. Traditional faces similar toHulk Hogan tend to draw on support from the crowd when it's time for them to make their big comeback.[9]
In addition to wrestlers, commentators also portray face and heel dynamics. It is the job of the face commentator to criticize the tactics and behavior of the heel wrestler and gather support for the face wrestler. The face commentator gathers support for the face wrestler by mentioning how much of a disadvantage he is at, or by praising the hero's morality and valor.[10]
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