Best Babyface

Award Description:

To be given to the person who best portrayed the hero this past year. This
person should get lots of fan support. Match quality is not paramount here;
this award should be based primarily on how over the wrestler was in the
past year.

Previous Winners:

  1990: Hulk Hogan
  1991: Brian Pillman
  1992: Sting
  1993: Bret Hart
  1994: Bret Hart
  1995: Shawn Michaels
  1996: Shawn Michaels
  1997: Steve Austin
  1998: Stone Cold Steve Austin

**1999**: The Rock

347 first place votes
338 second place votes
327 third place votes

135 61 24  906   Rock
 89 64 61  759   Mankind
 46 76 54  566   Steve Austin
 21 57 52  380   Goldberg
  6 11 23  109   Sting
  6  4 15   72   Bret Hart
  4  8  9   62   Kane
  3  7 11   58   Chris Benoit
  3  6  9   51   Test
  5  5  5   50   Kidman
  1  7  8   42   Ric Flair
  1  5  9   38   Rob Van Dam
  3  3  5   34   D'Lo Brown
  2  4  4   30   Edge
  3  1  3   24   Rey Mysterio Jr.
  1  0  7   19   Road Dogg
  0  3  3   15   Booker T.
  1  3  0   14   Manami Toyota
  2  0  1   12   Stevie Richards
  2  0  1   12   Mona
  1  1  2   12   Tommy Dreamer
  1  1  1   10   Al Snow
  1  1  0    8   Hulk Hogan
  0  2  1    8   Shane McMahon
  1  0  1    7   Magnum Tokyo
  1  0  1    7   Eiji Ezaki
  1  0  0    5   X-Pac
  1  0  0    5   Taz
  1  0  0    5   Meiko Satomura
  1  0  0    5   Kyoko Inoue
  1  0  0    5   Keiji Muto
  1  0  0    5   Crash Holly
  1  0  0    5   Chris Jericho
  1  0  0    5   Chigusa Nagayo
  0  1  1    5   Sandman
  0  1  1    5   Buff Bagwell
  0  0  2    4   Yumiko Hotta
  0  0  2    4   Jushin Liger
  0  0  2    4   Godfather
  0  1  0    3   Terry Funk
  0  1  0    3   Mitsuharu Misawa
  0  1  0    3   Mankind(NO)
  0  1  0    3   Kenta Kobashi
  0  1  0    3   Ken Shamrock
  0  1  0    3   Jerry Lynn
  0  1  0    3   Diamond Dallas Page
  0  0  1    2   Vince McMahon
  0  0  1    2   Super Crazy
  0  0  1    2   Perry Saturn
  0  0  1    2   Nova
  0  0  1    2   New Jack
  0  0  1    2   Negro Casas
  0  0  1    2   Mr. Niebla
  0  0  1    2   Blue Meanie
  0  0  1    2   Big Show

CHRIS BIRD: Rock and Austin might get face REACTIONS, but they're not
faces. Goldberg, Mankind and Test are the best examples of pure faces out
there today.

EDC: Goldberg wins easy here, since he's been a face all year. The Rock is
the most over face in the WWF right now, but that was true about 6 months
ago. Bret Hart is the type of face that will now be cheered out of sheer
respect. Turning him heel just wouldn't work now a days.

RFLAGG13: Hey WCW, notice I don't have any of your guys on this list?
That's because you seem incapable of producing any good faces, even though
RIC FLAIR is, you know, sitting right there. All right, enough of my
bitching. Starting off things is Mankind, and how could you not love Mick?
From my markout moment of the year seeing him win his first ever world
title,to conducting some of the most laugh out loud interviews I've ever
heard, to writing a bestselling book that's one of the funniest things
I've ever read, Mick has it all. The Rock is next, mainly for his ability
to hold the crowd in the palm of his hand and his outstanding (though
derivative) mic work. He should be the WWF champ right now. And lacking
anyone better to pick, my 3rd slot goes to Austin. I'm getting a bit sick
of his act, but it still works, and he's still over.

K. CANZANELLA: I thought Kidman worked terrific as a babyface this year,
and what's more he drew great pops for his ringwork and "aww shucks" never
die attitude, without having to resort to catchphrases or junk like that.
OTOH, I gave Rock second place, because the pops are too much to deny even
though he's about as close to a face the WWF has. Third goes to Mr.
Niebla, who was terrific in his role against Shocker and took two masks of
two very "tough" opponents.

GREG DILLARD: Best babyface is as easy as it gets.  Anyone that can coax
an entire arena to chant his name on cue gets this award hands down.

SVEN MASCARENHAS: This one's really obvious: Mick Foley put himself
through hell in 1998 to get himself a main event babyface push, and did he
ever use it. Now a three time world champion, best-selling author and
movie star, he's been more face like than anyone since Hogan himself. Test
gets second because of his remarkably good angle involving Stephanie, and
Bill Goldberg has to settle for third. Most other years, he'd have won -
but this was Foley's year to soak up the spotlight.

FALCONARROW: Goldberg for his face like stuff. Austin for his face pop and
Kane because you can't help but love Glen Jacobs in a gimmick that
requires no mic work.

AARON: Goldberg over The Rock and Mankind, simply because he's stayed over
with the WCW crowd, which is not an easy task on it's own, even through a
long hiatus.

DON BECKER: The Rock is better than anyone at inspiring the crowd to cheer
- witness the never-ending "Rocky" chant at the Smackdown tapings in
Nassau Coliseum in October.  Mankind is a great old-school face - people
like him because he's so gosh-darned likeable!  Goldberg also rates up
there just because of his sheer popularity - WCW could retire the tape
recorder if they wanted.

SHAWN MULLIN: Austin takes this 'casue of his consistent face heat, the
Rock was a heel half the year but equally over to Austin once he turned
face again, and Goldberg is over everywhere but in Canada vs. Bret.

MAX CHITTISTER: You couldn't get crowds to boo Mick Foley if you paid them
to. Same with Kane and Austin.

JBELL55146: NOBODY, not even Hogan during the mid 80's even came close to
getting the pops that Austin, Foley and The Rock got this year.

PAUL SHOCK: Sting gets the babyface vote, because this year he proved that
HE IS A FACE FOR GOD'S SAKE!!  DON'T EVEN THINK OTHERWISE!!

BLOB: The Rock really came into his own this year. He became more popular
than even Stone Cold for the latter part of the year, easily making him
#1. Goldberg gets the 2nd spot for all the chants for him even when he's
not wrestling! Rob Van Dam gets #3 for the absolute mayhem that occurs
when his music hits.

BRUNO PULVER: Blitzkrieg gets way over (at least IMODO) just by flying.

GEORGE CARTER: I think the Rock has done the impossible. He managed to get
a louder pop than Austin. That is a feat by itself. I can't believe that
he has yet to hold the WWF title as a face. Goldberg is ahead of Austin
only because I find it mindblowing that he is still as popular as he was
when he started his 'silent and dangerous squash the jobber' gimmick.

JOHN C.:Austin, The Rock and Goldberg all get huge pops constantly and I
decided to give Austin the #1 spot. The reason is cause Rock was a heel
for about five months, Goldberg was out of action for a few months and
Austin was pretty much there all the time. Austin is probably in line for
a heel turn (if he can stay healthy) so next year I doubt he'll be at the
top of this list.

RICHARD BEAUBIEN: 1999 contiunes the trend of 1998, which is the fact that
the most over Babyfaces seem to be more bad guys than good guys. The most
over babyface, the Rock, is playing a classic heel gimmick. Yet the crowd
loves it, and I hate to admit but I love his schitick too. It may be
overused, but it just appeals to me...(even though his matches are only
so-so).  Booker T and Rey Misterio Jr are classic babyfaces though, and
they are the most over I've seen of the old school babyfaces so I threw
them up here as well.

JAN-MORTIZ KAEDING: Both Austin and Rock get great babyface pops. However
I do have my problems to label them as "heroes", since both incorporate
heelish behaviour in their performances on the mic and in the ring. So I
put the purest hero first in Goldberg. Sting has a solid fanbase and is
always a valid choice. He just didn't do enough for me this year. Test had
an exellent first year and will be big in the future, these awards just
came too soon to vote for him. (1st: Goldberg; 2nd: Rock; 3rd: Austin)

JOE GAGNE: The Rock's an arrogant, badmouthing, S.O.B.  So why is he the
babyface of the year?  Beats me, but he is.  I don't care for Goldberg,
but the people go nuts for him, so he's #2.  And how can you not root for
Mick Foley?

DAVID HANNA:  Hard to tell who gets the louder pop, Austin or Rock?  I am
giving it to the Rock.  I like SCSA, and think hes great, but The Rock
shows no sign of wearing out his welcome.  Goldberg is easily the biggest
face over in WCW. To bad they wasted him all this year.  Won't someone
give this man another title run?

MYKLL42:I give this one to D-Lo... during this year he was a babyface as
long as I can remember and I just couldn't help being proud of him or
upset for him... that's what a baby face is supposed to do.

SEAN FLYNN: The Rock and Austin are gimmes.  New Jack I say after seeing
Anarchy Rulz live_.while there I can say when "Natural Born Killaz"  came
up the crowd went BERSERK!  Can he wrestle?  Not a lick.  Do crowds love
him?  Oh yeah.

B. SZPAKOWICZ: Again, Rock'll probably win this one, and again, I'm not
voting for him. Way I figure, Mankind is a far better pure babyface;
Frankly, if you can't cheer for Mick, then you are a very, very sad person
and I pity you. Oh, and Mick's the *only* true People's Champion in
wrestling. Sorry, Rocky. Austin and Rock get second and third,
respectively. Austin *still* gets the bigger pops of the two, even if he
is starting to get stale.

LORIE:  WWF needs to get Mona if it is at all possible.  She and Ivory
would be great for each other!

RICK SCAIA:  It's almost pathetic:  the Rock has the fans in the palm of
his hands. Not even Hogan's "hulking up" or Steve Austin's breaking glass
engender the same response the Rock's promos and signature moves get.  
Pavlov would have a field day.

JEREMY SORIA: One, two, three. The three top-tier wrestlers in the WWF. I
will be very surprised if The Rock isn't at the top of this year's list.
He certainly has evolved since those 1996-7 days when he was just a
"rookie sensation." I've always liked the Rock, even though these days
he's mostly a catchphrase machine. I think The Rock's progress all
throughout this year way surpassed the stuff that Stone Cold did in his
continuing adventures against McMahon. Mankind also deserves to get a spot
here. He finally had his "hard work" and "sacrifice" pay off in a
(still-controversial-to-me) title win in late December '98/early January
'99. I may never forgive his fans for the whole Time Magazine Man of the
Year tragedy, but at least my respect for him has gone up.

JASON BALDWIN: Mick does it better than anybody. Whatever "it" is.

MDB: Just as there are almost no real heels anymore, true babyfaces are
highly uncommon.  Mick Foley was the best babyface this year and in the
process one of the best of this decade and of all time.  Before Ric Flair
reminded the wrestling world of what a true heel was, he played the face
to perfection. If only Eric hadn't felt the need to pull the heartattack
angle, to put himself over, to send Ric to an insane asylum...