The face and heel alignment in AEW allows wrestlers to put their all into one side of the character choice. Few wrestlers are in the tweener section, which makes it easier to compare the faces and heels to each other. Faces have a harder job on paper since it takes more to convince fans to like you than to hate you.
The various factions, storylines, feuds and unplanned moments have each played roles in wrestling faces getting over to different degrees. Some names are cult favorites, while others are the biggest draws in the company. Each of the following wrestlers have proven that they thrive in the face role for AEW.
10 Sting
The signing of Sting by AEW gives the promotion one of the most beloved stars in wrestling history. Sting has wrestled two matches during his part-time status and is the manager (of sorts) of Darby Allin for most of his singles matches.
Fans predictably react huge to every Sting appearance since it is treated like a special attraction. Sting is proving he still has value in the wrestling business despite seemingly disappearing a few years ago after his WWE retirement.
9 Thunder Rosa
The women’s division of AEW sees a lot of shades of grey involved for the characters. However, Thunder Rosa is one of the faces who clearly has the support and love of the audience following her contributions to the promotion.
AEW started using Thunder despite her contract status prioritizing the NWA as her main promotion. The recent news of AEW signing Rosa saw Tony Khan paying extra to buy out her NWA contract. AEW returning to live crowds has Thunder getting huge pops, even on the secondary shows like Dark and Elevation.
8 Chris Jericho
AEW found more success with Chris Jericho as a heel in the first year and a half, and he is playing a face for the first time in a while now. MJF feuding with Jericho has the fans on the side of the legend again, like his classic WWE days.
The promo skills and star power of Jericho will always make him an effective face. Jericho is doing a great job leading the Inner Circle and is even taking part in some first-time dream matches now that he can face heels.
7 Eddie Kingston
The signing of Eddie Kingston came as a welcome surprise to many wrestling fans hoping to see him get a big break after years of great work. Kingston started off well as a heel, but he has found his groove in a face role recently.
The team of Kingston and Jon Moxley receives huge love from the audience for their rebellious personas. Eddie’s magic is that he uses the strengths from his heel work as a face by adapting to the scenario.
6 Jungle Boy
The return of live crowds has shown just how over Jungle Boy is in AEW right now. Everyone enjoyed Jungle Boy at the start of AEW, but he was still relatively new to the scene, teaming with Luchasaurus in Jurassic Express.
The singles matches of Jungle Boy have made him a bigger star, especially with his recent interactions against Christian Cage and Kenny Omega. Tony Khan paying for the rights to the “Tarzan Boy” song adds another element of excitement for the face act of Jungle Boy.
5 Cody Rhodes
AEW has seen Cody Rhodes as a top face for the company’s entire run so far. The loss of a title match against Chris Jericho saw Cody losing his ability to ever challenge for the AEW World Championship, but he still adds importance to his programs.
Aside from the failed feud against QT Marshall and Anthony Ogogo, Cody has typically hit home runs with his feuds. The fan support hasn’t wavered during his rivalries against Brodie Lee, Lance Archer, MJF and many others.
4 Darby Allin
Darby Allin was one of the first huge AEW-made success stories, which saw new stars breaking out. The independent wrestling run of Darby had him building momentum, but he was never viewed as a top name on the market before AEW.
Cody Rhodes vouching for Allin completely changed his life and career. Darby receives huge ovations every week for his unique character work and violent matches. The ratings also seem to trend positively whenever he has a big match on Dynamite.
3 Adam Page
The start of AEW saw Adam Page as the least popular member of The Elite, but things have drastically changed since then. Fans connected with Page’s anxious millennial cowboy persona and rooted for his defiance when distancing himself from The Elite.
Hangman has grown tremendously from AEW’s launch to now with huge love from the fans. The biggest storyline in AEW is Page challenging Kenny Omega and the heel members of The Elite. Page has a chance to become the top overall AEW face with his current momentum and fan support.
2 Jon Moxley
No one could have predicted how much of a positive impact Jon Moxley would have, joining AEW after his WWE run as Dean Ambrose ended. The last heel run as Ambrose hurt his value a lot, but Moxley instantly reminded fans why they loved him when debuting for AEW.
Fans have consistently shown Moxley is a huge draw as a face with his receptions, ratings and social media numbers always thriving. The entrance of Moxley walking through the crowd gives a personal glimpse at just how much AEW fans adore him right now.
1 Orange Cassidy
The pure face reactions for Orange Cassidy have made him arguably the most important good guy on the AEW roster. Fans loved the cult-like status of Cassidy as an underground wrestler cultivating an incredible comedic spirit.
AEW realized that Orange was more than just a cheap pop when his segments created strong social media numbers and his merchandise proved to be top sellers. Cassidy has a connection with the fans that has not slowed down once since his debut, with nothing expected to change any time soon.