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
  2000: The Rock

**2001**: The Rock

297 first place votes
294 second place votes
288 third place votes

152 41 21  925   Rock
 30 51 49  401   Rob van Dam
 17 51 45  328   Chris Jericho
 25 24 14  225   Kurt Angle
 17 22 14  179   Steve Austin
  5 16 23  119   Chris Benoit
  2 19 20  107   Undertaker
  7  6  6   65   Ric Flair
  4  6 13   64   Tajiri
  3  8 12   63   Edge
  2  7 11   53   Booker T
  5  6  1   45   El Hijo del Santo
  2  4  4   30   Magnum Tokyo
  1  5  3   26   Lita
  0  2 10   26   Spike Dudley
  3  2  2   25   Momoe Nakanishi
  2  1  3   19   Hayabusa
  1  2  4   19   Al Snow
  2  1  2   17   Kane
  2  1  1   15   Hurricane
  2  1  0   13   Kaoru Ito
  1  2  1   13   Norman Smiley
  1  2  1   13   Mick Foley
  2  0  1   12   Rising Son
  1  1  1   10   Taiyo Kea
  0  3  0    9   Maven
  1  1  0    8   Sting
  1  0  1    7   Tommy Dreamer
  0  1  2    7   Dragon Kid
  0  1  2    7   Billy Kidman
  0  2  0    6   Perry Saturn
  0  0  3    6   Jeff Hardy
  1  0  0    5   Wifebeater
  1  0  0    5   Terri Gold
  1  0  0    5   Tazz
  1  0  0    5   Survival Tobita
  1  0  0    5   Beckie the Farmer's Daughter
  0  0  2    4   William Regal
  0  0  2    4   Sandman
  0  0  2    4   Goldberg
  0  0  2    4   Diamond Dallas Page
  0  1  0    3   Tiger Mask IV
  0  1  0    3   Low Ki
  0  1  0    3   Kid Kash
  0  1  0    3   Jushin Liger
  0  1  0    3   GOEMON
  0  0  1    2   Yuji Nagata
  0  0  1    2   Shane McMahon
  0  0  1    2   Rikishi
  0  0  1    2   Onryo
  0  0  1    2   Nidia
  0  0  1    2   Meiko Satomura
  0  0  1    2   Jade
  0  0  1    2   Ayako Hamada
  0  0  1    2   American Dragon

REJECTED - ineligible

  1  0  0        Hulk Hogan
  0  0  1        Lugz Hardcore Guy

RYAN HALL: Austin, RVD, Jericho. Is there a best face?  It's not Rocky.

EDDIE BURKETT: I wanted to vote for Mick Foley, but I didn't know if he'd
be eligible since he isn't an active wrestler.  Pretty much everything
everyone tends to hate about the Undertaker (he doesn't sell, he won't
job, etc.) are the same qualities, which, for some odd reason, seem to
have him over rather well with the non-online audience.  Plus, he was much
better earlier in the year (he didn't get noticeably bad until his feud
with Page).  Plus, his interviews earlier in the year were a bit fun,
IMHO.  Jericho's also been a good face all year, only slipping heel in the
last month or so of elibibility.  The Rock missed a lot of time, and
especially around WM, was slipping a little heelish, as he did at the end
of October.

NATE GURNETT: I hate Rocky, but nobody gets pops like he does.  Granted,
he's not as over as some I could have chosen, but Edge's face turn has
been great.  He and Christian salvaged a decent feud from shite booking.  
And, "It's a Shoot!"  Anyway, the crowd loves the stoner charisma of RVD
at3.

TEDB512: I voted for Hurricane, but of course, I meant Shane Helms. And
Benoit's best as a face-ish tweener, as he became this year

VIKRAM BIRRING: After a few days, the WWF fans chanted RVD's initials.
That is amazing for uneducated, apathetic fans. The crowds always seem to
ooooohh and aaaaahhh during Tajiri's matches, no matter who he faces.

KEN DREILING: Maven and Spike Dudley have the great babyface characters,
new, green/small guy over coming the odds, just a great old school
character line for a babyface.  Jericho, whether he was moving up the
ladder or down his pops stayed consistant and that's what put him on my
list.

STEPHEN TISZENKEL: The fact that I could vote for Stone Cold both as best
babyface and best heel shows what a phenomenal year he had.

CHIP BOOTS: He calls himself the Great One for a reason.

MARKUS: The kids still love Rocky. Tajiri gets over with barely saying
anything, which rules. Booker T had a really nice run as a face before
WCW's death, I thought.

GREG NECASTRO: Whether you want to accept it or not, Rock gets the crowd
going.

SCOTT WORDEN: Is there any arguing why the The Rock is the best babyface..
Just the site of his tattoo get the crowd nuts..  Must be something wrong
when tattoo draws more heat then 3/4 of and entire roster.

SEAN FLYNN: RVD is what the crowds were chanting at the top of their
lungs.  One could make a solid case that before the torpedoing of the RVD
push began the crowds were more into him than they were even for the Rock,
who is not listed here due to general inactivity and being somewhat the
heel in the pre-WM buildup.  Tajiri gets second for playing the
sympathetic face so well.  Benoit comes in third for those weeks he got to
play on top.  People were ready to see him beat Austin and exploded for
the Crossface.  He gets a vote from me if only for being able to get his
arsenal of moves over the way others get a catchphrase over.

CANZ:  The crowd loves Steve Austin regardless of what he does. How
couldn't you mark out for him? Hijo del Santo is the ultimate example of a
tecnico. The crowds light up at his mere presence.

KEVIN WONG: Man, was it a lean year for faces or what?

DONNY L: Rock can't do no wrong, Lita close 2nd people just love her.

PETER HAZLETT: Can't debate the popularity of Rock and #2 RVD

ESTRAGAND: Sting gets my vote as 'best babyface'. A way to show my
appreication for all the nifty years of service. His final promo was
effective, and if that really WAS the last we'll see of the Stinger, then
I'm okay with that. Booker had a good run as a babyface, towards the end
of WCW, and into the first stages of the inVAsion. Sort of a hard working
guy who commands respect. Nothing special, but it worked for me.

EDC: RVD is the uber face. hes got that one thing everyone wish they had,
Charm. not the overbearing kind that the Rock has, but a genuine charm
about him.

KEVIN DOTEN: Al Snow - After Tough Enough, the crowd loved everything
about Al Snow, isn't that what a babyface is all about?

JOHN C.: The Rock was easily the top babyface even though he took four
months off to film the Scorpion King. He consistently gets the best crowd
reactions and he performs at a high level every night so he's clearly the
best in this category. After him, I went with Steve Austin because he was
great before WrestleMania, especially in his feud with Triple H. Chris
Benoit because the fans were really behind him during his feuds with Angle
and Austin.

CHRIS GRIMM: Now, The Rock will most likely win this award, and despite
the fact that I think he's the biggest waste of TV time this side of Total
Request Live, the masses disagree with me and, as such, Rocky's massively
over (and Carson Daly's a household name).  That said, I can't possibly
vote for someone as Best Face who doesn't act like a face.  The Rock's
character is an overwhelming asshole, an egotistical, self-righteous,
hyprocritical prick who bitches and complains every single time he loses.  
He's a hell of a heel but a mass of catchphrases does not a babyface make.  
Kurt Angle's face run, on the other hand, was so old-school and brilliant
it was a shame they had to turn him.  He had the crowd reciting the Pledge
of Alliegance, for Christ's sake.  The other two votes go to Tajiri and
Spike Dudley, respectively, as they're about the only other two faces I
can find in the entire damn WWF.  (And, to be fair, both of them came
across as incredibly likeable underdogs, which make the best babyfaces, if
you ask me.)

SCOTT CHRIST: People like The Rock. I like The Rock! The Rock wins.

JOE GENTILE: Before September 11th, Kurt Angle was capable of leading an
entire audience of Generation-X'ers in reciting the pledge of allegience.
That, my friends is a BABYFACE!

BLAZEJ SZPAKOWICZ: Rock's probably gonna get this again, and all power to
him, but my top vote goes to Chris Jericho. He was hands down the WWF's
top face the four months that Rock was out, and he even got cheered *over*
*the* *Rock*. Nuff said. And he's probably gonna be my pick for next
year's Best Heel. Rock gets second easily, despite how much I personally
can't stand him. Rob van Dam, despite theoretically being a heel gets
bigger pops than most of the official babyface roster. He's also the only
guy in the alliance not named Steve Austin whom the crowd actually likes.
Ergo, he gets third.

YNAE316: Though a mere jobber now, Tommy epitomized the spirit of ECW...

JEREMY SORIA: The Rock may not be one of my favorite wrestlers, but he is
the favorite of a whole lot o f other people. The reaction he got when he
made his triumphant return at SummerSlam was deafening. Kurt Angle made
for a nice babyface late in the voting period - I loved the way he won the
title in Pittsburgh. And Bill Goldberg made a nice comeback from his heel
turn that almost cost him his career. How I'm gonna miss Da Man.

SHANE SPEAR: Rob Van Dam squeaks this catagory out over The Rock due to a
few factors.  Firstly, when they faced off, RVD stole a LOT of the usual
Rocky fans away from the cheers, and dare I say he was almost as popular
as the people's champ?  Th Rock obviously slides into second place nicely,
and Chris Jericho treads water as the number three babyface this year.  
Had Stone Cold's face turn come in time for the deadline, I might say
differently, but it didn't...so I won't.

RYAN FAULCONER: It just isn't humanly possible to be a better babyface
than Momoe Nakanishi. She has all the fire and underdog intensity that you
could want in a face. She's has genuinely real undying sticktoitiveness as
well.

SHAWN MULLIN: The Rock can still hold a crowd in the pawn of his hand.  
Jericho, even after all the false starts and lack of character evolution,
was still as over as anyone in the company (except Rock), and that's a
testiment to his babyface power.  RVD has the chance to be the next big
thing.  When people are chanting your name in the hallways of an arena
before and after shows... without encouragement... that is something
special.  Hopefully politics don't kill him.