WWE: Will CM Punk's Heel Turn Be Good for His Career?

So.  CM Punk as a heel.  Been a while, right?

Fans tuned into this past Monday Night Raw, in anticipation of what the WWE Champion would say, and some were undoubtedly disappointed.

Okay, a lot of them were disappointed.

Over the past week, the debate had been raging online as to how Punk would explain his actions from the 1000th episode of Raw.  The popular notion was that he was merely asserting his place as the man on Monday nights—the champ—to whom everyone else, including the Rock, had to recognize, and respect.

In fact, I wrote a column along those very lines.  For me, it was entirely possible that he had not turned heel at all.

But many speculated that yes, his character was changing, mostly due to the fact that he was likely going to face Rocky at the Royal Rumble, and that perhaps he wouldn’t have a choice. After all, the crowd was split on Rocky versus John Cena, and the chances of WWE wanting that to happen again may have been very slim.

That part was in my column as well.  In my experience, it’s best to cover all possible sides of a topic.

It turns out I was right, at least on that point, as Punk did make his intentions clear on Monday, definitely turning heel in the process.

Stop it, he did.

The fact is, Punk’s entire mood had changed from the week before.  He was not smiling, he did not do his signature entrance, screaming “It’s clobberin’ time!”  He paid no attention to the fans, and when it came to dealing with John Cena, he was smug, arrogant, and very shallow.

Oh, and let’s not forget that he ripped on Rocky, which pretty much solidifies him as Heel 1st Class.

We cannot ignore the fact that Cena did the same thing for a year, of course.  It was 12 months of building heat for a match, with both men trading insults back and forth, all in anticipation of their epic WrestleMania 28 showdown.  It may have become somewhat repetitive over time, but no one can argue the effectiveness of the angle, as their match helped cause the WrestleMania buyrate to go through the roof.

But, Cena having fun at the expense of the People’s Champ is not exactly the same as Punk doing it.  

Number one, this is John Cena, WWE’s top dog, the proverbial face of the company.  Fans, despite what anyone says, continue to remain divided on him, as he may have his fair share of haters, but he also has a legion of supporters.  John’s points about Rocky had merit, and his fans recognized that from the start.

And, even John’s critics, when faced with the cold reality of Rocky’s non involvement in WWE over the years, despite his supposed love of the company, eventually did something that no one though they would do.

They very quietly, and very much against their will, began to look at each other, and subtly whisper “dude, Cena’s got a point.”

Then there’s the fact that John Cena is John Cena.  He’s the man.  He’s been around for a while, he’s paid his dues, and he has seen everything there is to see, faced every challenge put before him, and done it all while being pushed as the top Superstar in all of WWE.  At this point in his career, he is untouchable, a proven commodity in terms of fan reaction, selling tickets, and merchandise, and barring any unforeseen circumstance, he will likely be in that spot for a long time to come.

And I know this will sting a little, but the truth is, the same cannot be said for Punk.  

Don’t misunderstand me here, I am a Punk fan, and have been for a while.  He’s a great worker, he kills it on the mic, and he has carried the WWE Championship better than even I thought he would. He has worked hard to get where he is, and he deserves all the perks that come along with being a top Superstar in the No. 1 pro wrestling company in the world.

But until he really reaches the status of “number one,” he will never be looked at in the same light as Rocky.  That place is reserved for Triple H, Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.  All four legends have had their turn at the forefront of the company, and fans respect them for what they accomplished.  Each man could basically say whatever he wanted about Rocky, and would likely not suffer any backlash afterward.  They are considered to be on the same playing field.

And, while Cena may not be quite there yet in terms of popularity, the truth is, his accomplishments put him on par with them, giving him the right to verbally spar with Rocky.  

CM Punk on the other hand, though now a veteran in the business, is still the new guy to the dance. For him to criticize the Rock, just one week after an unprovoked attack on him, does nothing but make him look small, and devalues any point that he may have had.

In other words, heels him out.

Of course fans are going to turn on Punk.  And, of course he will give them every reason to hate him. That was the intention all along.

Now it’s just a matter of time before he goes back to the rhetoric that he had last year, when he blamed the WWE fans for their blind loyalty to mediocrity and their devotion to the status quo. He is no longer the Superstar dropping pipe bombs, he is now just another heel who is ticked off at a baby face.

I know, it stinks.  I loved the heat he had from the initial run too.  But, times change, and so do characters, and the same is true for the WWE Champion.  That’s just the way it is.

At the end of the day, CM Punk is still arguably the best worker in WWE, in every way that matters. This new change will hopefully do nothing but strengthen him, eventually lifting him to that iconic point that he needs to be for his career, and for his overall worth to the company.

Nothing disappointing about that.