10 WWE Betrayals That Were Totally Justified

6. CM Punk (2012)

cm punk the rock
WWE.com

There are likely some fans who disliked WWE's decision to turn CM Punk heel at Raw 1000 to enable Hollywood's leading man The Rock to play babyface and end his long-running title run. As much as 'Twice In A Lifetime' with Rock and John Cena at 'Mania 29 was hard to stomach, it did make sense for Punk to turn.

Why would he, a hard-working grafter who was on the road every week making towns, enjoy seeing a wrestler-turned-actor return every so often to steal his spotlight?

Punk was also an underdog (heel or babyface) who liked making a name for himself at the expense of others, and he'd naturally resent Rocky's part-time pandering to the fans or claims that WWE was "home" to him in between filming schedules. That was his defence when questioned about why he'd sucker-punched the celeb.

The Rock and John Cena stood for everything Punk hated about WWE's corporate system. They were megastars when he was constantly overlooked, and they were handed things like WrestleMania main events when he had to scrap for everything he had.

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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.