Ridiculously strong babyface moments

[Jindrak Mark]

Steve Austin at Royal Rumble 1998. There's a bounty out on him so the whole roster is targeting him both before and during the Rumble match but he fights off everyone backstage, makes it into the Rumble, fights off everyone again and wins the match.

Austin again, shortly after returning in 2000 when he was going around interrogating people trying to figure out who ran him over the previous year. He interrupts a 6 man tag (Jericho and Hardys v Edge, Christian and X-Pac) and beats the crap out of them all like they were nothing. They don't even get a shot in and if I remember correctly, none of them even went looking for revenge afterwards. They just took it and let it slide presumably because they were afraid of Austin which was a horrible look especially for Jericho, Matt and Jeff who were upper card babyfaces.

Goldberg v Triple H at Survivor Series 2003. The injured Goldberg (they're selling that he has a shattered ankle from a Batista attack a week or two earlier) somehow takes out Flair, Orton and Batista by himself, stops HHH from using the sledgehammer, throws the sledgehammer away because he's such a man he doesn't need it then spears and jackhammers HHH and gets the 3 count even after a long delay and super slow count (Earl Hebner doing his usual overly dramatic recovery from a ref bump).

John Cena v Nexus at Summerslam 2010. Comes down to Cena v two Nexus guys and he gets DDT'd on the floor. PPV time is running out so the finish is super rushed and he recovers from the DDT, pins Justin Gabriel, submits Wade Barrett, celebrates and the PPV goes off the air all in under 2 minutes.

Another one involving Evolution and an injured babyface. Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania 30. Beat HHH early in the show, got beatdown afterwards then hobbled out for the main event and beat a fresh Batista and Randy Orton (and fought off HHH and Stephanie interference too).

[Citizen Snips Has Left]

If Yokozuna hadn’t cracked open the urn on Undertaker’s head at Royal Rumble 1994, Taker would’ve spent the whole night continuously beating up every monster heel (and Double J) in the company.

[The Rick Jericho]

Mar 20, 2022 19:56:32 GMT -5 Citizen Snips Has Left said:

If Yokozuna hadn’t cracked open the urn on Undertaker’s head at Royal Rumble 1994, Taker would’ve spent the whole night continuously beating up every monster heel (and Double J) in the company.

And it would've been incredibly believeable.

I always wonder though, why the Steiners, Tatanka and Luger didn't help since they were on his Survivor Series team. So in kayfabe, he had some friends. Yet NONE saved him.

[Celexa Bliss 54]

Mar 20, 2022 19:58:40 GMT -5 The Rick Jericho said:

Mar 20, 2022 19:56:32 GMT -5 Citizen Snips Has Left said:

If Yokozuna hadn’t cracked open the urn on Undertaker’s head at Royal Rumble 1994, Taker would’ve spent the whole night continuously beating up every monster heel (and Double J) in the company.

And it would've been incredibly believeable.

I always wonder though, why the Steiners, Tatanka and Luger didn't help since they were on his Survivor Series team. So in kayfabe, he had some friends. Yet NONE saved him.

Because babyfaces are idiots.

[Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED!]

Jeff Jarrett Vs. Raven TNA 2003: Raven has constant outside interference from Julio Dinero and Alexis including an instance of them pulling out the ref when he was about to be pinned. Then as there are in all Jeff Jarrett matches during this time there was a ref bump, prompting Perry Saturn, New Jack, Sandman, and Justin Credible to com down to the ring and savagely beat Jeff Jarrett with weapons, he takes a DVD from Perry Saturn (his finisher mind you) then cuff him, and sandwich his head between two steel chairs and hit a superkick on each side. He then kicks out of a Raven Effect DDT (which is a highly protected finisher) and then immediately hits the stroke for a win.

Rhino at Bound For Glory 2005: Wins a Monster's Ball Match, then a rumble match and then beats Jeff Jarrett clean to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship.

[ChitownKnight]

Any gauntlet match with big stars. Like Rollins beating Cena and Reigns back to back

[tafkaga]

One of my favorites was on an episode of Raw in '97 building up to the big USA vs. Canada tag match ppv... can't remember what it was called.

Vader. Yes, Vader. The man they call Vader did a run in when the Hart Foundation beat up one of his team mates and were celebrating with their flag.

Vader just plows through them, then takes the Canadian flag and snaps it over his knee with complete deadpan and the pops the USA crowd.

One of my top markout moments ever.

[Tiger Millionaire]

1995 Hulk Hogan

[El Pollo Guerrera]

I just watched a bunch of old WCCW Freebirds/Von Erich matches.

There's an elimination cage match where it starts 3-on-2, the Freebirds against Kevin and Kerry (because Mike was 'injured'). There's a spot in the match where Kevin has Gordy in a claw with his RIGHT hand, Roberts in a claw with his LEFT hand, and he just ignores two cowboy boots to the head and an eye rake by Hayes.

Kevin Von Erich has to be the 80's king of no-selling.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

I always think of Cena vs The Nexus when it comes to this. He effectively killed an entire faction in one night in the most embarrassing way possible, despite guys like Jericho and Edge telling him how bad it would look, and he didn't listen until it was far too late.

[Xxcjb01xX [PIECE OF: SH-]]

Kofi Kingston kicking out of like six Blue Thunder Bombs straight to inevitably retain his world title vs Sami Zayn will always make me irrationally upset lmfao

[James Fabiano]

Mar 20, 2022 20:09:24 GMT -5 Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED! said:

Jeff Jarrett Vs. Raven TNA 2003: Raven has constant outside interference from Julio Dinero and Alexis including an instance of them pulling out the ref when he was about to be pinned. Then as there are in all Jeff Jarrett matches during this time there was a ref bump, prompting Perry Saturn, New Jack, Sandman, and Justin Credible to com down to the ring and savagely beat Jeff Jarrett with weapons, he takes a DVD from Perry Saturn (his finisher mind you) then cuff him, and sandwich his head between two steel chairs and hit a superkick on each side. He then kicks out of a Raven Effect DDT (which is a highly protected finisher) and then immediately hits the stroke for a win.

MarkyD just reviewed this TNA show too.

I'd gather this video by the same showcases some more examples:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO7mba-GFC4&t=217s

[Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED!]

Mar 21, 2022 8:28:35 GMT -5 James Fabiano said:

Mar 20, 2022 20:09:24 GMT -5 Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED! said:

Jeff Jarrett Vs. Raven TNA 2003: Raven has constant outside interference from Julio Dinero and Alexis including an instance of them pulling out the ref when he was about to be pinned. Then as there are in all Jeff Jarrett matches during this time there was a ref bump, prompting Perry Saturn, New Jack, Sandman, and Justin Credible to com down to the ring and savagely beat Jeff Jarrett with weapons, he takes a DVD from Perry Saturn (his finisher mind you) then cuff him, and sandwich his head between two steel chairs and hit a superkick on each side. He then kicks out of a Raven Effect DDT (which is a highly protected finisher) and then immediately hits the stroke for a win.

MarkyD just reviewed this TNA show too.

I'd gather this video by the same showcases some more examples:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=sO7mba-GFC4&t=217s

Yeah I'm a fan of his. I don't think any one was more egregious than the Raven one though.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

R-Truth in the 2011 Rumble eliminating, was it Mark Henry and Big Show simultaneously?

Comedy midcarder R-Truth, this is, by the way. Admittedly later that year he would main event Survivor Series and Capitol Punishment for some reason, but at that point that was a MASSIVELY overpowered babyface moment.

[CMWaters]

Not that remembered because no crowd Mania, but Drew kicking out at 1 on an F5, then going to beat Lesnar stands out to me for some reason.

[msc]

Mar 21, 2022 8:37:28 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

R-Truth in the 2011 Rumble eliminating, was it Mark Henry and Big Show simultaneously?

Comedy midcarder R-Truth, this is, by the way. Admittedly later that year he would main event Survivor Series and Capitol Punishment for some reason, but at that point that was a MASSIVELY overpowered babyface moment.

2010 Rumble.

And it was in that 2 month period when they pretended they were going to push R-Truth as an upper mid carder. He was standing up to Jericho and so on.

Then he went into the Chamber match a month later and was jobbed out inside about 2 minutes. And that was that.

[Celexa Bliss 54]

Mar 21, 2022 8:54:51 GMT -5 msc said:

Mar 21, 2022 8:37:28 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

R-Truth in the 2011 Rumble eliminating, was it Mark Henry and Big Show simultaneously?

Comedy midcarder R-Truth, this is, by the way. Admittedly later that year he would main event Survivor Series and Capitol Punishment for some reason, but at that point that was a MASSIVELY overpowered babyface moment.

2010 Rumble.

And it was in that 2 month period when they pretended they were going to push R-Truth as an upper mid carder. He was standing up to Jericho and so on.

Then he went into the Chamber match a month later and was jobbed out inside about 2 minutes. And that was that.

You're forgetting shortly afterwards, when MacGruber blew him up on that Raw when most of the Raw roster was stuck in Europe because of that volcano.

[tafkaga]

Mar 20, 2022 23:52:12 GMT -5 Tiger Millionaire said:

1995 Hulk Hogan

Also see: 

Overcompensating midlife crisis babyface moments

[Celexa Bliss 54]

Diesel kicking out of the Superkick at WrestleMania 11. The same move that cost him the IC Title seven months earlier and he powered out of it at one. Led to HBK getting turned face, too and temporarily derailing his main event run. And began the decline of Diesel's title reign.

[ThankGodForSidJustice]

Mar 20, 2022 20:56:46 GMT -5 tafkaga said:

One of my favorites was on an episode of Raw in '97 building up to the big USA vs. Canada tag match ppv... can't remember what it was called.

Vader. Yes, Vader. The man they call Vader did a run in when the Hart Foundation beat up one of his team mates and were celebrating with their flag.

Vader just plows through them, then takes the Canadian flag and snaps it over his knee with complete deadpan and the pops the USA crowd.

One of my top markout moments ever.

That was actually Vader's face turn. He had just lost a match to the Patriot with Bret then running out and attacking Patriot afterwards. Vader joined in and was about to the Vader Bomb when Bret draped the Canadian flag over Patriot. Vader then hopped down and reading his lips clearly says to Bret "WHAT THE F**K ARE YOU DOING!" before then snapping the flag over his knee and attacking Bret instead. It was really unexpected but also super cool. They really should've done more with Vader as he was super over. The crowd pops for him huge at the Royal Rumble 1998 when he destroys Goldust. However they just fed him to Kane and he became "NOTHING BUT A FAT PIECE OF S**T!" and that was that.