10 Shocking Heel Turns That Rocked WWE

8. CM Punk Attacks The Rock At Raw 1000

cm punk the rock
WWE.com

CM Punk was always much more effective as a heel, so it's no surprise that some fans were cheering when he blasted The Rock with a clothesline and then the GTS at Raw's 1,000th episode celebrations. One year on from 2011's 'Summer Of Punk', people were ready to jeer Punk for being an entertaining rebel again.

The set-up was expertly handled. Almost like he was letting Rocky take centre stage as the bigger star, Punk left the ring when Dwayne Johnson's hyped-up frame ran down the aisle to take out The Big Show. Only then did Punk strike, stopping The People's Elbow dead.

Suddenly, WWE had a new top villain - and it was about damn time. As the reigning WWE Champion, Punk revelled in a heel turn that relit the fuse on his title tenure and set the scene for the introduction of The Shield months later.

That'll be a success then.

Advertisement
Contributor

Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.