5 WWE Heels who worked better as faces

While wrestling ability is important, WWE always puts the most emphasis on character. While there are the occasional "tweeners" who don't fit the babyface or heel label, most superstars are assigned a select role.

And as with most stories, character changes are normal. The change in character is normally caused by storyline plans, crowd reactions, the strengths and weaknesses of superstars, and more often these days - impulsively without any long-term plan.

There are only a few superstars who stay in a fixed babyface or heel role, such as Rey Mysterio. The greatest Luchador in the company's history has never been a heel or turned during his tenure with the company. However, there are those who turn heel and fans soon find out that working as a babyface is more suited to them.

This list features current WWE superstars. While not all of them are heels anymore as of this writing, the list refers to superstars who simply work better as babyfaces:

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#5. AJ Styles - Turned heel twice in WWE

AJ Styles is just less than two weeks away from the sixth anniversary of his WWE debut. In that time, he has become a Grand Slam Champion, including two world title reigns.

The first time AJ Styles turned heel in the company was less than half a year into his run when he took out John Cena. At the time, a top heel was needed as the brand split was returning, and Styles fit the bill.

He won his feud against John Cena, including a clean victory at SummerSlam 2016 in what has been considered an all-time classic. Soon enough, he won his first WWE Championship and enjoyed a strong tenure for nearly 150 days before John Cena dethroned him.

Post-WrestleMania 33, following a win over Shane McMahon, Styles quietly turned face again and would continue his championship success. The pinnacle of his babyface run in the company came between late 2017 and 2018, where he had a year-long tenure with the title - the longest world title reign in SmackDown history at the time.

He would turn heel again before the summer of 2019, sticking with the same character until the end of 2021. What these runs proved is that while AJ Styles is an all-time great, he simply works better as a babyface.

His moveset and character has made him a first-ballot future Hall of Famer, and his runs as a babyface will be more fondly remembered in the long run.

#4. Sasha Banks - One of the most important women in WWE history?

There's no doubt that Sasha Banks has a big place in WWE history. As a member of the Four Horsewomen, she has won the RAW Women's Championship five times and the SmackDown Women's Championship once.

We can write a whole slide listing her accomplishments in wrestling, but the fact that she was the third-most tweeted about female athlete in 2021 should say enough.

Many are divided on whether Sasha Banks works better as a heel or a face. Given that her "Boss" character has a level of arrogance and cockiness, there should be no argument that she is a natural heel. But Sasha Banks' overall ability allows her to effortlessly fluctuate between characters.

Sasha Banks has also proved to be one of the company's most marketable stars, and her popularity level suggests that, in the eyes of casual viewers, she works better as a babyface.

A lot of hardcore fans would argue against this, but it's important not to take for granted the value that casual fans have for the company. Sasha Banks has always seemed to be a well-loved figure by fans across the world.

#3. Cesaro - A popular babyface among WWE fans

It's a bit unfortunate that Cesaro has fallen under the radar in WWE again. 2021 looked like it was going to be a breakout year for Cesaro as a singles star as he picked up clean wins over the likes of Daniel Bryan and Seth Rollins - beating the latter at WrestleMania.

2021 also saw Cesaro emerge as Roman Reigns' second Universal title challenger post-WrestleMania, although he was never in a position to dethrone The Tribal Chief during his record-breaking run.

Soon after that, Cesaro would lose his feud to Seth Rollins, which also seemingly derailed his push. It's unfortunate, but not surprising.

Before 2021, Cesaro had a strong run as a heel. However, he quietly turned babyface, and like several other stars, his moveset and athletic ability made him a natural babyface in the eyes of fans.

Cesaro is all about entertaining in the ring, so much so that it has been detrimental to him, as he hasn't had too much of a defined character during his tenure with the company. Either way, he is a more natural babyface.

#2. Shinsuke Nakamura - Is the end of his WWE career near?

Shinsuke Nakamura has had an interesting WWE career. Although he has enjoyed championship success on multiple occasions, none of his runs were ever handled well. April 2022 will mark six years since his NXT debut.

One case and point is his current run with the Intercontinental Championship. Over the last year, it has become an almost SmackDown-exclusive title, with the Intercontinental Championship last being defended on pay-per-view (now Premium Live Event) at WrestleMania 37.

He was one of the biggest babyfaces in WWE during his 2017-18 run, winning the Royal Rumble in less than a year and having a world title match against AJ Styles at WrestleMania. After losing, he turned heel for the first time and maintained that role for a few years, finally turning face again in 2021 following an incredible gauntlet match performance.

It says a lot that he never earned his Universal title shot against Roman Reigns, but one thing is for sure - Shinsuke Nakamura works far better as a babyface. He has a natural charisma about him, and the more fans know about his relatively-private off-screen persona, the more likable he becomes.

Fans seem to have accepted that Shinsuke Nakamura is simply winding down his career and looking to retire comfortably while wrestling a softer and easier style than he did at New Japan Pro Wrestling.

#1. Becky Lynch - A better heel or face in WWE?

This is another one that many WWE fans can and will debate about. Is Becky Lynch a better babyface or a heel? She made her name as a babyface, but it was in 2018 when the unpopular decision was made to turn her heel when she was gaining the most momentum of her career.

It backfired, and Becky Lynch became the company's biggest babyface. Her momentum was so strong that it led to her headlining WrestleMania and beating Charlotte Flair and Ronda Rousey in the main event to become the RAW and SmackDown Women's Championship.

She had a strong year-long run as the babyface RAW Women's Champion and took more than a year away from WWE between 2020 and 2021. When she returned, fans were appalled when they realized that the new SmackDown Women's Champion had come back as a heel.

There was instant backlash, but it was soon revealed that Becky Lynch had personally requested a heel turn, perhaps viewing it as a challenge after seeing Roman Reigns' success.

While she has been a successful SmackDown (and now RAW) Women's Champion so far, Lynch seems to work far better as a face and has the natural charisma to not come across as too cocky or arrogant.