The 2000s was a period like no other in wrestling history. With WCW going out of business, WWE had no real competition. And although TNA were a hot commodity at the time, there were nowhere near Vince McMahon's juggernaut. Thus, it is no surprise that most of the top stars in the wrestling business were produced by WWE during this time.
Unlike today, heels and babyfaces were still a huge part of the product. Although kayfabe was slowly dying away, wrestlers were still not as open as they are today. And one can argue that the product was much better as a result of it. Without further ado, here are the top five babyfaces and heels in wrestling during the 2000s.
10 Babyface: John Cena
John Cena is a man that has divided the opinion of the wrestling fans for years. While many question his lack of ability in the ring, it is undeniable that with the right opponent, he had multiple classic matches through the course of his career.
Even more important than that is the fact that he is one of the last true mainstream stars that wrestling produced. That is very evident from the viewership numbers that Raw and SmackDown puts up these days. Clearly the company could do with someone like Cena right now.
9 Heel: Randy Orton
Randy Orton would have been a top star in any era of wrestling. He is just almost the perfect professional wrestler. He is brilliant in the ring and his character work is some of the best in the business today.
While Cena is undeniably the biggest babyface of the PG Era, Orton is the top heel. And what is even more incredible is the fact that even today, he is arguably the best heel that the WWE have to offer and might have years left in the tank.
8 Babyface: Batista
Looking back, WWE did have some absolute top stars in the post-Attitude Era as well. And while none of them were on the level of Stone Cold Steve Austin or The Rock, they were very capable of holding their own. And barring John Cena, Batista was the top babyface in the WWE.
Yes, he might have never been the most technical wrestler in the ring but his presence and aggression more than made up for it. And while his career might not have been as long as that of either Cena or Orton, he was a top star for most of the time he was in the company.
7 Heel: Triple H
Triple H does not get the credit that he deserves. After playing second fiddle to Shawn Michaels for most of his early career, he managed to establish himself as one of the top stars in the company even when Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock were active. That is a feat on its own.
Then when Austin retired and The Rock left for Hollywood, Triple H established himself as the top heel in the WWE. And he was perhaps one of the most dominant heels in the history of the wrestling business.
6 Babyface: The Undertaker
The Undertaker is without doubt Vince McMahon's great creation of all-time and probably the greatest wrestler to ever compete in a WWE ring due to his sheer longevity. Just think about it, he was a top star from when he entered the company in 1990 till he retired earlier this year.
Generations came and went but The Undertaker was always a constant part of WWE television. And while it is hard to categorise him as either a heel or a babyface, it is deniable that for most of the second half of his career, he was clearly a fan favourite.
5 Heel: Kurt Angle
It is incredible how quickly the Olympic Gold Medallist took to professional wrestling. He was easily one of the best in ring performers of his generation but what is surprising is how good of a character he would end up becoming.
After being a top star for almost a decade in the WWE, he would be forced to leave the company though due to personal issues. He would immediately join TNA though and go on to have a legendary career there as well. And he was one of the biggest reasons why they were viewed as a legitimate alternative to the WWE at that time.
4 Babyface: Rey Mysterio
Rey Mysterio is perhaps the most influential wrestler of his generation. The impact that he has had is clearly visible in most of the wrestlers today.
When he came into the business, people of Mysterio's size were not viewed as top stars. But he managed to change that by establishing himself as a fan favorite wherever he went before achieving world championship glory in the WWE.
3 Heel: Edge
Edge is without doubt one of the most memorable heel characters of the 2000s. After spending his early career as a tag team specialist, he would end up being the breakout star of E&C as a singles competitor.
It is incredible to think how much Edge managed to achieve in a relatively short span of time as a main event star. He would first become a WWE Champion in 2006 but by the time he would retire in 2011, he had won eleven WWE World Titles.
2 Babyface: Eddie Guerrero
Eddie Guerrero is one of the most beloved stars in the history of wrestling. And while it has been over a decade since he passed away, he continues to remain a huge influence on wrestlers today.
While he was equally good at playing both heel and babyface, his greatest run came when he returned to the WWE after being fired due to his issues with addiction. At this point of time, he was arguably the most over babyface in the entire company as the fans wanted to see him achieve his dream and capture the WWE Championship, which he did by beating Brock Lesnar.
1 Heel: Chris Jericho
Another man whose longevity is just astounding. Chris Jericho was top star in the WWE at the start of the millennium and remains a main event star even today in AEW.
And while he has continued to reinvent himself through the course of his career, being both a heel and a babyface at different points, his best run came during his second stint in the WWE in the late 2000s. His transformation from the flashy Y2J to the suit-wearing heel was truly brilliant and during that run he was truly the best in the world.