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[Nominations] Best Babyface of 2006


tiger_rick

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I see what you mean (originally I thought Vamp meant fake accolades = success), but I've always voted for babyface or heel of the year based on how well they've connected with the fans in that role as opposed to how they've been booked. For instance look at The Great Khali. He came in and destroyed Smackdown's two top babyfaces, Rey Mysterio and The Undertaker, with the latter taking a beating like never before. On that basis Khali would be considered a good heel but in reality he was one of the worst of all time, since he was laughed out of the building more often than not. And in the same vein just because Cena was booked as a hero doesn't mean it worked, and therefore I don't think you can use his title wins as evidence of him being a good babyface. Does that make sense? It should be how he's connecting, not how he's being portrayed.I'd be interested to know on what basis others have voted. How they're portrayed? How they connect with the majority? How the connect with you? Simply how much you've enjoyed them in that role? Or a combination?

Mines a combination personally. I think how well the person is booked should be taken into consideration, and Cena's been booked well (well, since Mania and onwards) as a babyface, and plus I fully believe he's performed well. If you're not going to count the booking, then Cena being booed wouldn't be taken into account anyway, as they only arrived due to poor booking in the first place. Personally I think Cena's booking as a hero has worked. I connected with the character somewhat in the build up to 'Mania and so forth, when he became a much more well developed person besides just a rapper. I've always thought Cena was fairly good as well, he can cut good promos when he wants to and I don't really have a problem with his in ring work (bar the dire STFU). Besides, he's constantly over with women and children, and the majority of people who boo'ed him seemed, at least in my opinion, to be doing it merely to look cool. The sad fact is that in the modern day world, people who deem themselves as true experts of anything, will rarely root for the big dog or the person who's at the top.
Sorry, the last thing I can be arsed doing is discussing what type of fans boo John Cena. That's so late 2005.But thinking about it, I suppose you're right about babyfaces of the year being a combination of performance, booking, connection with the crowd and/or me as an individual. And then thinking about it some more, it's depressing that I can't think of a single candidate who meets even the majority of that criteria. I like John Cena, he's one of the few things worth watching WWE for, but the booking of his character is ridiculously inconsistent and it's when he's getting booed out of the building that I find him and his matches most entertaining. Hardly somebody you could nominate for babyface of the year. Triple H showed signs of awesomeness as a tweener in April but ever since DX reformed and he turned fully fledged face I've loathed his presence, knowing how great he could be were he not booked as a spastic, by spastics. I suppose he does connect with the fans, but certainly not with me. Who else? Rey Mysterio did such an amazing job of making me vomit earlier in the year that I abandoned Smackdown completely, and because of that I've seen very little of him, Batista, or any Smackdown babyfaces for that matter. All TNA guys are voided because shit booking has made me apathatic to the whole company and it's impossible to tell who's over with the casual audience anyway since their regular crowd is made up entirely of cretins.I guess the closest person to meet all of the criteria, and therefore the one guy I'll nominate, is Shawn Michaels. While he's in the same situation as Triple H, over with the crowd but bogged down by the shitty DX booking, the way he seems to revel in the stupidity and goofyness of it all is a serious guilty pleasure of mine. Even some of the worst DX segments have been somewhat saved by HBK's performance and on more than one occassion I've found myself wanting to hate something only for Shawn to save it with a goofy face or phrase. He's not had a scorcher of a year by any means, the Vince feud was wank, the DX vs. McMahons feud was wank, and I can't say he's had too many amazing matches either. But he's the best choice I can think of, which says alot.
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Rey Mysterio did such an amazing job of making me vomit earlier in the year that I abandoned Smackdown completely

I can totally see why you have that opinion, but I think on the whole, Misterio is the best babyface in the company. He got a few boo's from some of the smart audience, but nothing on the level that Cena did, but that apart, he's the ultimate face. The kids adore him, he's exciting, he's brave, he never backs down from a challenge, he generates sympathy on unheard of levels in todays market. The sort of babyface heat that guys like Ricky Morton and Shawn Michaels made a career from. He never shows any sort of heel tendencies and he's deeply appreciative and thankful for his talent and status. As a guy, I think he sucks balls, but as a wrestling character, Misterio is easily the best babyface in US pro-wrestling, with Shawn Michaels a close second.I nominate both.
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I'd be interested to know on what basis others have voted. How they're portrayed? How they connect with the majority? How the connect with you? Simply how much you've enjoyed them in that role? Or a combination?

For me it's a combination of the last three - how they connect with the audience, how they connect with me, and how good they are in the role. I think the second one is more important here than in other categories - how many people are going to vote someone babyface of the year if they have no emotional connection with the character? My Top 3:Matt Hardy - No matter how many times he's lost he managed to get good pops, even when he was getting killed by JBL or being made to tag with Tatanka and Road Warrior Animal; always makes his opponent look good and in some matches (Finlay's debut, KotR vs. Booker, vs. Gregory Helms) did a better job of making his opponents look like credible heels than when they came into the match; good worker in the classic babyface fashion in that he was able to combine the; some very good selling, facials, and babyface comebacks in the traditional 'face role; really understands the difference between playing a face and a heel and when to time things like when to show fire/anger and when to make a comeback.Jerry Lawler - Unlike Hardy he's had the benefit of good booking (in Memphis at least), there's no doubt he does 'connect' with both his audience and myself, and of course he's still one of the best babyfaces ever but that's not the reason I'm voting for him. It's the fact he was able to get me to hate him as the arrogant anti-ECW old boy in the feud with Tazz and yet was still able to get me behind him in Memphis (after playing a heel for over two years) just with one promo.Trish Stratus - I doubt anyone else (male or female) could make me care about feuds and matches with Mickie James and Lita as much. Her career ended on a high, and was maybe the best babyface moment of the year for me both in terms of the respectful and legitimate reaction of the fans and as the end of a storyline: Unlike Montreal, this time the babyface defeated her long-term rival and left with belt and dignity in tact. Using Bret Hart's Sharpshooter... as her last move on the way out of the WWE... in Canada... the final match of her career was like the ultimate babyface act for me.
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