10 Greatest Long Term WWE Storylines Ever

5. CM Punk's First Heel Turn

Punk Hardy
WWE

In 2009, the wider audience had grown disenchanted by CM Punk.

In 2008, he became a midcard World Heavyweight Champion - a tiresome trend which massively devalued the big gold belt. That he wasn't even permitted to lose it directly underscored to the paying public that Punk wasn't worth investing in.

At WrestleMania XXV, CM Punk was booed when he removed the Money In The Bank briefcase from its carabiner; the Texas crowd wanted the returning Christian to claim the guaranteed title shot. The adverse reaction to Punk's win set his exquisitely-plotted heel turn in motion.

Punk cashed in on a weakened Jeff Hardy to claim his second World Heavyweight Title. This, by design, alienated the crowd further. When Punk defended the strap at The Bash, he weaselled out of it by feigning an eye injury, but to ensure maximum emotional resonance, his finger rested tantalisingly on the heel turn trigger. Instead of transitioning too suddenly to the dark side, Punk instead winked in Hardy's direction, in a spellbinding use of subtle body language.

The turn was cemented on the subsequent edition of SmackDown! - crucially, just when the audience had been conditioned to want it most. Punk then re-contextualised his motives by admonishing Hardy's drug-addled history. The two men then played extensions of their real-life selves in WWE's most absorbing rivalry in years.

A trilogy of very good to classic summer matches followed, throughout which Punk established himself at the forefront of the company.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!