Despite WWE focusing on wrestling, storylines play a crucial role in the business. Most, if not all, have a general theme of a fight between good and evil, with babyfaces fighting heels to establish justice. But one constant factor is that the evil characters have a certain charm.
WWE’s recent sloppy writing highlights this, as they falter after a certain point in a babyface run, which is a significant problem for the company. The babyfaces are not only battling the heels but also struggling against generic writing and monotony. From Cody Rhodes to Sami Zayn, many are now suffering from this issue.
WWE is failing to push babyfaces after a certain point
WWE used to force babyfaces onto viewers, like the old Roman Reigns era, but they had little understanding of how to do it effectively. However, in this recent wave of superstars, there are some of the biggest faces the company has ever seen. Take Cody Rhodes, for example. The pop he received during his matches was unmatched. But after his win at WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes’ downhill journey began as fans grew bored of the promos and everything else. It is quite clear that Cody won’t be turning heel anytime soon, and his constant underdog status in every battle is harming his credibility.
This issue isn’t unique to Cody. Consider the New Day’s situation. Both Kofi Kingston and Big E held the WWE Championship and received great reactions. However, their credibility was destroyed when Brock Lesnar defeated them in such a decisive manner. Even with Sami Zayn’s current run, despite his impeccable microphone skills and humor, fans are becoming disenchanted.
It’s not that WWE does a bad job of creating faces; no other company does it better. The problem arises when WWE fails to maintain the momentum of these faces and elevate them further.
Fans have mixed reactions about the WWE babyface situation
While we may resist it, the truth is that we all love the heels—their promos, their tactics. But what makes a babyface special is their story, and WWE excels at creating these stories. The problem is that when WWE reaches a certain point when the faces have their moment, they hit a plateau.
Take Cody Rhodes, for instance. He is one of the biggest pop-magnets ever in WWE, but his current usage is a major concern. The repetitive promos, the same narratives, and using him as a pawn in the Bloodline storyline are disappointing. Although fans have hope for Cody, given he is one of the company’s best assets, they are reminded of the failed stories of Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Daniel Bryan, realizing how much WWE has struggled to keep a face on top without diminishing their credibility.