20 Most Hated Heel Moves In Wrestling History
9. You're Going To Hell For This
In September 2012, WWE Hall Of Famer Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, one of the voices and faces most associated with the WWE product over the last twenty years, suffered a legitimate heart attack at ringside while performing commentary on Monday Night RAW.
It was a horrible moment, and one skilfully covered by Lawler's friends and colleagues on the show, despite their shock and grief. Fortunately, the King pulled through, making a swift recovery to return to his announcing duties two months later on the November 12th episode of RAW, welcomed and introduced by Jim Ross and a highly emotional Michael Cole.
And then of course the WWE Champion, and the heel’s heel, CM Punk, turned up with Paul Heyman in tow, and ruined the moment for everyone.
Threatening to beat him to death again, Punk crapped all over Lawler’s miracle recovery, berating him for still trying to be an in-ring performer at his age and blaming him for his own heart attack - which he referred to as an attention-grabbing stunt that pulled focus away from him, the soon-to-be record setting WWE Champion.
As with most of Punk’s heel work, the promo was a work of evil genius, delivered in the most obnoxious manner possible, while Lawler stood behind the desk soaking up all of the nastiness with his most stoic ‘noble babyface’ expression. But it’s what happened next that turned Punk’s next level snark into weapons grade dickishness: Heyman began to fake a heart attack in the ring behind Punk as he spoke, causing the champion to stop mid-sentence to check on him.
No one in the arena was falling for it, of course - despite the earnest, Oscar-moment acting job from both of the creeps in the ring. It was horrible trolling through and through, and elicited some real venom from the fans in attendance, as well as at home.