10 Most Unlikeable WWE Babyfaces Ever

In wrestling (as in life) it’s a lot easier to get the people to hate you than love you.

It’s the case whether you’re actively playing the heel or if you’re supposed to be a babyface but are just so gosh darned unlikable. We’ve seen it happen many times over the years, where a babyface – either through bad booking, dodgy storylines or their own natural unpleasantness seeping through – have garnered strong negative reactions, often to the point where they have no choice but to turn rogue.

These are the 10 Most Unlikeable WWE Babyfaces Ever.

10. Batista

Dave Batista spent the better part of the first few years of his WWE career playing the mostly silent muscle for other, bigger stars.

In late 2004, The Animal started to garner babyface reactions when fans took a liking to his penchant for dismantling opponents with his impressive, high-impact offence.

Fans also sensed that Big Dave might be the man to finally put his superior – Evolution leader Triple H – in his place, which he did by turning on him and then beating him for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania 21.

After that initial organic success, however, it was often an uphill battle for Batista to remain universally beloved, due in large part to the fact that the man himself didn’t seem entirely comfortable playing the hero and could react viscerally to criticism or unfavourable reactions.

Much better at playing the heel, Batista’s strongest work came as a bad guy, such as the tremendous run he had in 2010, just before leaving WWE.

Considering how good he was in the role, it’s amazing that WWE brought him back as a babyface four years later, though it quickly went off the rails and he was back to being a villain before long.

9. Scott Steiner

When Scott Steiner finally signed with WWE towards the end of 2002, the company were desperate for fresh stars and top-level babyfaces in particular.

The ranks had been depleted with the exits of The Rock, Steve Austin and others, and the Big Bad Booty Daddy’s arrival on Raw was initially greeted with deafening cheers.

It soon became apparent just why Steiner had been such an effective main event heel towards the tail end of WCW, though, as he came across as very unlikeable in promos, segments and matches.

It wasn’t too noticeable to start with, since he was programmed opposite the loathed Triple H, but it was hard to root for Big Poppa Pump as he was ranting and raving and trying to proposition Stephanie McMahon in an uncomfortably aggressive manner.

Him stinking out the joint with The Game in two consecutive pay-per-views obviously didn’t help his cause, but the truth is Steiner was an overly aggressive alpha male and just came off as way too wound up most of the time. That he ended up in a heel tag team alongside the punchably-smug Test speaks volumes.

8. Shawn Michaels

Shawn Michaels is obviously one of the best professional wrestlers of all time. The trouble was, he absolutely knew it. Which is all well and good when you’re a cocky heel, but it doesn’t really translate as well when you’re trying to be a sympathetic babyface.

Some aspects of The Heartbreak Kid’s mid-90s good guy act were expertly done, as he was undersized by main event standards of the time and did the David versus Goliath thing as well as anyone, his selling and ability to fight from underneath drawing fans in.

His tetchy personality and natural arrogance meant that crowds never fully bought it, though. It was also hard for some sections of the audience in the 1990s to cheer on a bloke who gyrated about in bejewelled chaps and a biker hat.

You couldn’t help but applaud his work and the nightly effort he gave to steal the show and give punters their money’s worth, but HBK’s character left a lot to be desired and his backstage antics gave those ‘in the know’ even more ammunition against him.

7. Hulk Hogan

There’s no doubting that Hulk Hogan is one of the biggest babyfaces in wrestling history.

Hulkamania was a real thing, brother, the red-and-yellow wave he and Vince McMahon were riding helping to turn WWE into the powerhouse we know it as today.

Hugely charismatic, larger-than-life and standing up for what was right, the Hulkster inspired a legion of fans by vanquishing the baddies, saying his prayers, eating his vitamins and doing lots and lots of posing.

While he was the all-American hero on the surface, Hogan did many, many things that were far from heroic. From Terrible Terry blatantly trying to steal Miss Elizabeth from Randy Savage to throwing a tantrum after being legally eliminated from the 1992 Royal Rumble to usurping Bret Hart’s big moment at WrestleMania IX.

We could go on and on, but the point is that for someone supposedly so valiant, Hogan really was a whiny sore loser who didn’t care about his mates.

6. Randy Orton

Randy Orton eventually got very good at being a babyface, but it took him a while and some doubted he would ever get the hang of it after his first run as a good guy.

The Legend Killer rapidly rose through the ranks as a member of Evolution and became genuinely hated in his disputes with some of WWE’s most beloved stars, like Mick Foley. It was actually his blowoff match with Foley – their excellent No Holds Barred scrap at Backlash 2004 – that led to the WWE audience changing their tune when it came to Orton.

Impressed by Randy’s gutsy performance, fans started to warm to the then-Intercontinental Champion.

WWE, sensing the groundswell of support and want for a new star, had Orton drop the IC Title and upgrade to the World Heavyweight strap that summer.

The following night, The Cerebral Assassin booted his understudy out of their group, cementing the turn. Then, sadly, The Viper bombed in the role due to his lack of likeability, his spot ultimately going to Batista while he turned back to the dark side.

5. Ronda Rousey

WWE fans were quick to embrace Ronda Rousey, the mixed martial arts sensation who had taken UFC by storm years earlier before retiring from the sport.

It helped that Rowdy Ronda was a genuine fan of the business and was clearly taking it all seriously, as evidenced by her exceptional debut match at WrestleMania 34. It was hard not to cheer her on and as she gave Triple H and Stephanie McMahon their comeuppance, but as time wore on the mask slipped and cracks began to appear as far as Rousey’s personality was concerned.

She has always been outspoken, but the way she talked publicly about the fans and some of her co-workers didn’t exactly endear her to many during her time with the company.

WWE were also guilty of pushing her too strongly during a time when there were far more compelling characters in the women’s division.

4. Goldberg

Bill Goldberg smashing his way to the top of WCW is a textbook case in letting a wrestler get over organically, while doing everything possible to accentuate their positives and hide their weaknesses.

Da’ Man became a megastar by blasting through everyone in his path, keeping the matches as short as they could be and not talking unless he absolutely had to.

The formula worked to perfection, but along the way the Goldberg character changed for the worse, especially in WWE.

It wasn’t so bad during his first stint with the company – though he clearly hated being there at the time – but after the nostalgia wore off the second time around it exposed just how much of an unlikable babyface Big Bill could be.

Perhaps it was his booking, like the momentum-killing destruction jobs of Kevin Owens and Bray Wyatt, that is to blame, but there was just something about the Hall of Famer that rubbed modern audiences the wrong way.

3. Triple H

There were times – usually after returning from a quad tear – when Triple H felt like the biggest babyface in the world.

It’s pretty hard not to root for a guy who comes back from a potentially career-ending injury, especially if it’s soundtracked to U2’s Beautiful Day.

It usually wouldn’t take too long for the warm welcome to wear off, as Hunter quickly re-established himself as the smartest, toughest, funniest, most cunning and, well, all-around best wrestler – nay, man – in the world.

At the end of the day, The Game was just so much better at being a heel. His natural personality, in-ring style and the way he was booked and presented made it hard for him to generate sympathy or play the underdog for too long.

He would also routinely do petty things at the expense of other babyfaces, like that time he Pedigreed Paul London and Brian Kendrick for no reason, after they’d helped save him from an attack. Stone Cold dishing out a goodhearted Stunner it was not.

2. John Cena

From almost getting fired to becoming the WWE Champion within just a couple of short years, it was heartening to watch John Cena’s transformation from nondescript wrestler to indispensable superstar.

Cena was a breath of fresh air at the beginning, though it didn’t take long for the backlash to begin. Criticism of John’s in-ring work had been there from the start, but fans were now starting to loudly complain about his booking and character, too.

To some – particularly Attitude Era fans who were used to something with a bit more grit – Cena was corny and pandered too heavily to children, with his spinning title belts and garish t-shirts.

The boo boys came out in greater force during the PG era, which is where Cena really established himself as the Face That Runs the Place, staying on top for the best part of a decade.

He did some questionable things as a babyface during that time too, like beating Rey Mysterio the night the masked man won the WWE Title and betraying Zack Ryder by stealing his girlfriend.

Everyone loves him now that he’s an intermittent presence, but Cena fatigue was a real thing for a time there.

1. Roman Reigns

Sufferin’ succotash! What is the Tribal Chief doing on a list of unlikeable babyfaces?

The last several years have seen Roman Reigns cement himself as the biggest star and most consistent main event player in WWE, but he’s had to do it as a heel because, as WWE found out after umpteen attempts, fans simply wouldn’t fully accept him as a babyface.

The Big Dog’s big push was reminiscent of John Cena’s years earlier and completely turned sections of the WWE fanbase against him.

It was perplexing at first, since Roman had been such a cool customer as a member of The Shield, but WWE kept beating a dead horse and almost ruined The Head of the Table in what could have been his prime.

The hokey comedy, overly-scripted promos and his general invincibility – besides the times he lost when it really counted, like against Brock Lesnar in a WrestleMania main event – turned the audience against him.

He looked so, so much more comfortable in his role as a dominant heel, making the interminable saga of trying to make him a PG-rated white knight feel like a distant memory.