Show Us An O-Face!

What’s missing the most from the current WWE wrestling scene, separating it from the Attitude Era boom period?

Cool babyfaces.

Guys we can cheer for, who also happen to be badasses with an edge, and who maybe have a cool catchphrase or two.

Most, if not all, were heels first, and really good ones at that. And when they turned face . . . their characters didn’t change. They were still cocky badasses who didn’t give a damn, except they fought heels instead faces.

Think about it . . . Steve Austin, The Rock, Kevin Nash, Triple H, The Undertaker. They all fit this description. Sure, there were some exceptions -- Mick Foley and Sting come to mind (although you could argue for their inclusion in the previous list).

Who are our current, mostly uninspiring main event babyfaces? John Cena, Batista, Triple H, The Undertaker. Perhaps Triple H and Undertaker still fit the bill, but both characters have grown tremendously stale.

Batista may think he’s cool, but he’s not. And he certainly doesn’t have the charisma to reach the casual fans.

I believe John Cena does, however -- but his character has also become stale, as have his corny jokes, and predictable matches.

So who else on the roster, besides Cena, has the potential to be a captivating, casual fan-attracting babyface?

Edge - Rumour has it that when he returns from his injury, he’ll be set up to face is former (short-term) partner Chris Jericho, which means Edge will likely return as a 'good guy.' He’s such a pro that I’m convinced he can pull off the switch. Plus, he’s already played a successful face before (although not at a main event level), and he can do comedy too.

John Morrison – His promos need to improve, but that will come with time. Creative needs to make sure he’s allowed to get himself over on the mic, as well as in the ring. His character shouldn’t change much from when he was teamed up with The Miz, when the two would poke fun at their opponents on The Dirt Sheet.

MVP – MVP would be better suited on “SmackDown” where he could easily replace Jeff Hardy as the #2 babyface on Friday nights. Instead, for the most part, he’s been lost in the shuffle on “Raw.” Regardless, he’s getting over, and he just picked up a big win over Jericho Monday night.

His “ballin” gimmick is catching on, and his promos have improved too. He should be next in line to get a title shot. (That is, of course, after Triple H, Shawn Michaels, and Batista get their shot . . . and Cena gets his 23rd rematch.)

Christian – Captain Charisma has slowly regained his WWE fanbase after a somewhat lacklustre return earlier this year. And it’s time he was moved to one of the other brands, where his talents can be appreciated by a larger audience. Before signing with TNA in 2005, Christian’s character was about to breakout in WWE, when his feud with John Cena was cut short. If given the chance, I think Christian can break through in a big way. But his time is running out.

Randy Orton - Perhaps more than anyone else in WWE, Orton has the potential to go on a huge babyface run. He’s the biggest badass on this list (at least from a character standpoint), and there have been a few times within the past year when it seemed as though the fed was tempted to turn him.

The fans essentially made WWE turn him when he beat Chris Benoit for the World Heavyweight Championship at SummerSlam 2004. Orton was supposed to be the heel, but the fans cheered him anyways. His face run didn’t last, though, because he wasn’t ready. He will be, however, if and when he’s turned again. He has improved more than anyone else on the WWE roster over the past 2 years.

What do you think, O-sters? Who would you add to the list?

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