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It is no secret that it is easier to be a heel in today's wrestling landscape than to be a babyface. Superstars get more freedom in their promos as villains, allowing them to get flexible and improve as characters. Also, WWE has a track record of booking heels better than babyfaces in recent history.
And while some stars are more comfortable as the good guy, the majority of WWE's roster seems much better while playing the bad guy. There are even a few current babyfaces who work better in the opposite role.
This does not necessarily mean that they are bad babyfaces or they are set to turn heel, but it is evident that they have achieved more success as villains in WWE. Some of these Superstars have not been faces for very long, but their abilities and achievements as heels were far greater.
Here are five WWE babyfaces who work better as heels.
#5 Braun Strowman
His work on both sides of WWE's character gauge has been pretty good, but it is hard to argue that Braun Strowman was at his best as a heel. Sure, his popularity was reaching astronomical levels after he turned face, but WWE never really pulled the trigger on him. Even Strowman's current run as Universal Champion hasn't been the greatest.
The Monster Among Men was phenomenal as a heel, especially alongside Roman Reigns. The two of them had a series of exciting and brutal matches in 2017. Strowman's destructive mannerisms as a bad guy were what got him over with the WWE fans. However, he is not always suited to being a heel.
In 2018, while still being incredibly over, Strowman turned heel to feud with the Big Dog once again. Only this time, it did not click. He enlisted the help of Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, while never really acting like the killer he previously was.
Braun Strowman could turn heel again, but only if WWE books him like the unstoppable monster he was back then. He would even be an excellent first rival for Reigns when he returns to WWE.
#4 Alexa Bliss
While she is a mainstay in the women's tag team division, Alexa Bliss has undoubtedly spent her best days in WWE as a dastardly heel. Ever since her SmackDown debut in July 2016, her character work as a heel made 'Five Feet of Fury' one of the standout females in WWE.
Bliss was able to manipulate live audiences to perfection with her engaging mic skills, cutting scathing promo after scathing promo and gaining massive amounts of heat. Her ability to sneak her way to victory, using a variety of ways, also makes Bliss an excellent heel. She was the ultimate 'mean girl'.
Five reigns as the Women's Champion on RAW and SmackDown prove just how effective the 'Goddess' was as a villain. Alexa's partnerships with Mickie James and Nia Jax thrust a lot of heat upon her, especially in the lead-up to WrestleMania 34 where she lost her RAW Women's Title to Jax.
Alexa Bliss has been one of the greatest performers in WWE since the start of the brand split, thanks to her three-year run as a heel. She should return to that role once the partnership with Nikki Cross is over.
#3 Kevin Owens
Kevin Owens is great as a genuine and relatable babyface because that's who he is. But we must not forget how brilliant he was as a heel. From the moment he assaulted his best friend after the biggest moment of his career, KO was relentless as a heel. He probably was WWE's greatest villain.
His promo-cutting ability was second to none, being able to draw heat in an instant. Owens would constantly berate everybody in sight, including WWE's commentators and interviewers. And while abundantly charismatic, KO was despicable.
His feuds with Sami Zayn, John Cena, and even Shane McMahon stand out as some of the finest work of his WWE career. Owens is able to deliver comedy as well as he does with serious material. The Festival of Friendship with Chris Jericho is the best possible example of it.
That entire segment was a masterpiece, ending with the ultimate heartbreak. Kevin Owens was the source of that heartbreak. His merciless assaults, coupled with his witty remarks make KO a legendary heel in WWE. It will be a very tall order for him to match that as a babyface, no matter how likable he is.
#2 Samoa Joe
While he is currently a commentator on Monday Night RAW, Samoa Joe's most recent act as an active wrestler was as a babyface. Joe turned during his first stint on commentary when he clashed with Seth Rollins and AOP. However, his best work in WWE has been as a heel.
Joe actually started out as a babyface in NXT, before turning heel to feud with Finn Balor. Since then, he has been one of the biggest and brightest stars WWE has had. The Samoan Submission Machine is a very menacing figure and is able to adapt his tone to various different situations.
Joe can be frighteningly calm, like that segment with Paul Heyman ahead of his match with Brock Lesnar. He can also go full swing on the mic showing intensity like nobody else. AJ Styles knows how that feels. Joe's presence and demeanor make him feel special, along with his incredible in-ring skills.
On his day, hardly anybody can be as dangerous as Samoa Joe. Had it not been for his rotten luck with injuries, he would have likely been a World Champion in WWE.
#1 Elias
Back in 2018, Elias was becoming a phenomenon in WWE. He constantly rose in popularity, with entire audiences shouting "Walk with Elias" during his promos. He was a master at drawing heat from fans. All it took was a few words in song and insults at the city in question.
However, WWE mistook that popularity for longing to see Elias as a babyface. He simply did not work as a good guy, eventually returning as a heel after only a few months. He was brilliant, singing some inventive songs and gaining heat every single time. Elias' charisma kept him prominent until he got injured and returned as a good guy.
It was an ill-fated move that remained questionable even until he was struck down with another injury recently. His act revolved around playing the guitar and interacting with crowds by giving them the opportunity to boo him, before getting his comeuppance or some heat against the interrupting babyface.
It was a tried and tested concept that worked very well. Elias, along with the previously mentioned Kevin Owens was booed for around 6 minutes straight in October 2018, showing how well the act could go. The Drifter really needs to return to WWE as a guitar-playing heel again. That is what he's best at.
