"You are not Jesus Christ. You are the f***ing devil!" CM Punk recalled that statement from an older fan during a house show event in 2010. At the time, Punk was performing as the leader of the Straight Edge Society and was inciting near riotous reactions on a nightly basis. While some wrestlers would laugh off the insult or ignore it completely, Punk and teammates Luke Gallows and Joey Mercury reveled in the response, with Punk exclaiming in celebratory glee, "we got 'em!" Sometime around the rise of Triple H to top of the industry in late 1999, the state of heels in wrestling changed. No longer were they vile men and women whose only goal it was to elicit reactions ripe with venomous curses and legitimate hatred. Instead, they became more focused on being cool heels that a portion of the audience respected and admired. Punk changed that. He did not care if the fans threatened to hop the rail and beat him up. He did not care that he struck an nerve with the "Jesus and his apostles" approach he took to the SES. He loved that, in a day and age where the role of a traditional heel no longer existed, he was able to make old school villains proud. A self-admittedly mean and miserable man, Punk always thrived when he was able to take hold of a microphone and run down the people in the audience, the boys in the locker room and the "idiots' and "doofuses" in management. Frustrated and angry with the lack of respect shown to him in 2012 when, in the midst of a record-setting title reign he was overshadowed by John Cena, the Rock and John Laurinaitis, he turned heel and embraced friend Paul Heyman as his new manager. Together, the duo was responsible for reenergizing Punk and returning him to his despicable ways. Whether it was sneak attacking The Rock or disrespecting the memory of Paul Bearer, Punk was simply more entertaining as a villain. A natural heat magnet thanks to his demeanor and attitude, Punk is heel's heel and one that is sorely missing in today's wrestling landscape.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
