CM Punk: Looking Back at His Last Heel Turn in WWE and Why the Slow Burn Works

In the main event of Raw 1,000, CM Punk reluctantly claimed a tainted victory over John Cena. Interference from the Big Show allowed for Punk to retain his WWE Championship. However, it was Punk's assault on The Rock that would prove to be the most shocking moment of the night.

It would seem that the WWE is going with a formula that, based on history, works almost flawlessly. The slow burn has been proven as an effective method for turning CM Punk from babyface to heel.

Jeff Hardy defeated Edge in a World Heavyweight Championship ladder match at Extreme Rules 2009. Hardy's celebration was cut short when CM Punk made his way to the ring to cash in his Money in the Bank contract. And thus began Punk's first heel turn in the WWE.

Despite robbing Hardy of the championship, Punk remained a fan favorite in the early stages of their feud. Punk would begin to slowly adopt the characteristics of a heel at The Bash. The "Straightedge Superstar" retained the World Heavyweight Championship via disqualification when he blindly kicked the referee.

Punk's slowly burning heel turn continued when Hardy claimed Punk got disqualified on purpose. Punk would answer Hardy by asserting that his straightedge lifestyle makes him Hardy's moral superior. The very same straightedge lifestyle that won the fans over would begin generating an inordinate amount of heat for CM Punk.

Somehow, Punk still remained in good standing with a portion of the WWE Universe. He would lose the World Heavyweight Championship to Hardy at the next pay-per-view, Night of Champions. On the following episode of Smackdown, Punk completed his heel turn by beating down the newly crowned champion.

Punk's gradual heel turn and feud with Hardy undoubtedly highlighted the summer of 2009. The intense feud between the two moral opposites culminated in a TLC match at SummerSlam, which Punk won.

Three years later, CM Punk seems to be slowly turning his back on the WWE Universe once again.

While some of his acts may be relatively villainous, many fans can sympathize with Punk's demands for respect. Thus, he still has a sizable following.

I expect Punk to continue playing a tweener throughout his program with John Cena. After all, Cena is too polarizing to completely turn Punk heel. Chances are Punk's complete heel turn won't take place until his next encounter with The Rock.

CM Punk's slowly burning heel turn is making for excellent television. The story is compelling, and there are a lot of twists and turns it can take. Simply put, it's unpredictable—just like CM Punk.

Michael Prunka is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist. To stay up to date with his WWE and NHL commentary, you can like his Facebook page, follow him on Twitter, and follow him on Tout.