10 Heel And Face Turns That Were Miserable Failures
6. CM Punk Turns Heel (2012)
When WWE made the decision to turn CM Punk Heel in 2012 by having him attack The Rock, it was another clear example of misreading their own audience. He became nothing more than a prop in the John Cena/Rock feud and was used to put the title on Rock so that their "Twice in a Lifetime" Mania rematch could also be for the WWE Championship. While Punk and Paul Heyman were an entertaining duo, The Straight Edge Superstar was given what he viewed as a consolation prize in a match with The Undertaker and it caused him to turn in some of his most uninspired work with the company. They even had to go so far as to have him besmirch the deceased Paul Bearer to get heel heat. The reason was because the fans just didn't want to boo Punk. While he may prefer being a heel - and let's face it, does a great job of playing one in real life as well - he was massively over as a face and for the first time in years the company had someone who could come close to rivaling John Cena in popularity and merchandise sales. So of course they tossed that all away so he could play second fiddle to the real stars the card, a move that would have lasting repercussions including contributing to Punk's eventual departure.
Brad Hamilton is a writer, musician and marketer/social media manager from Atlanta, Georgia. He's an undefeated freestyle rap battle champion, spends too little time being productive and defines himself as the literary version of Brock Lesnar.
