5. The Straight Edge Society Fades
Regardless of how many times WWE stopped their pushes for Punk, the crowd kept telling the company that they wanted more. Punk's second Money in the Bank briefcase bought him his second World Heavyweight Championship in Summer 2009, this time as a member of the Friday Night Smackdown roster. He would lose the belt to and win it back from Jeff Hardy, but the most important development was Punk's first sustained heel turn in WWE. That Punk lost the World Heavyweight Championship to the Undertaker was forgivable, as it gave Punk a chance to form his cult, the Straight Edge Society. Punk, with converts Luke Gallows and Serena at his back, had no trouble garnering major heat from the WWE crowds that had loved him. The "Straight Edge means I'm better than you" attitude that earned him so many haters in Ring of Honor got him even more in WWE. Punk was more than just straight edge this time; he was a messiah with the long hair and beard to match. As 2010 began, one of the hottest angles in WWE was Punk's feud with Rey Mysterio that carried through WrestleMania 26 and Over The Limit in May 2010 in which Punk's loss to Mysterio also lost him his hair. For all intents and purposes, that was the end of the Straight Edge Society. Though the faction stayed together for another 4 months, a feud with Big Show saw Punk and his entire stable dominated and made into a joke. Punk was the hottest heel in WWE, but the company was too busy giving 2010 Money in the Bank winner Jack Swagger an uneventful run with the World Heavyweight Championship to notice. Punk has previously said that the quiet withering away of the Straight Edge Society was one the biggest disappointments in his WWE career.