11 WWE Heels That Were So Good They Became Babyfaces

8. CM Punk

Whilst most on this list were good bad guys and great babyfaces, CM Punk was easily as good in either role. Despite being the most popular superstar to come along since Steve Austin, Punk could easily change things up and become the most hated man in the WWE by carrying out acts like mocking the death of Paul Bearer or simply by constantly bragging about how many all-time greats he€™d surpassed with his record-breaking WWE Championship reign. Punk was someone who was not afraid to fully embrace what it truly meant to be a bad guy, which is something a lost art these days. Similarly, when it came to getting cheered, Punk was somebody who didn€™t start pandering to the masses and instead just tweaked the no-nonsense, ass-kicking attitude that he€™d always had. For a moment there, CM Punk became WWE top dog, although the foundations for his huge babyface run were laid from his excellent heel work against the likes of Jeff Hardy and Rey Mysterio, and then that pipebomb promo on Raw. Best in the world? In whatever role he was tasked with playing, hell yeah CM Punk was the best in the world.
Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.