CM Punk: Has the WWE Champion's Heel Turn Been Cemented Yet?

CM Punk seems to be in full blown heel mode after last week’s attack on Jerry Lawler.  More recently on Monday night, CM Punk took a personal day and walked out of his home town Chicago, only to return and show he has aligned himself with Paul Heyman in some way.

Is Punk's heel turn cemented yet though? 

Fans still cheer for Punk, regardless of what he does to Jerry Lawler, and going into his home town of Chicago this Monday night did not help in trying to turn Punk heel, even though he walked out.

The bottom line is CM Punk is still not cemented as a heel, and at this point, may never be able to be cemented as a heel.

Do fans really want to see Punk turn heel?  So far, it seems like the WWE Universe is behind Punk, regardless of what he does or how much he talks about respect.

The WWE felt for some reason, that they needed to turn Punk heel to have him face off against Cena at Night Of Champions.  The WWE Universe though, clearly wants to be on Punk's side.

The Voice of The Voiceless

Ever since his pipe bomb last year, Punk has become something more than just a wrestler.  He became a face that the fans wanted to cheer for. He won over the WWE Universe with his brutal honesty.

Punk spoke out against the company he was working for, bringing up some of their flaws, and speaking out for a good part of the WWE Universe.

He faced Jericho and put his straight edge lifestyle to the ultimate test, rising above whatever Jericho threw at Punk to break his beliefs.

Punk would then put on fantastic matches with Daniel Bryan and continue to prove his skill both in the ring and on the mic.

Over a year later though, how can the WWE Universe now be expected to boo Punk?  After all Punk has come to symbolize, why even bother to try and turn him heel?

Sure, Punk has the ability to play a face or heel role, but will his huge fan base turn their backs on him? 

Punk has come to symbolize a big part of the WWE Universe who are against the idea of a wrestler like John Cena always winning and being portrayed as the best.  Punk's pipe bomb, and everything that he has done over the last year, will make it extremely hard for the WWE to cement Punk's heel turn. 

It's About Respect

Punk seems to have a problem with respect.  He rambles on and on about it on a weekly basis, but is he really wrong?

He is the WWE Champion after all, and so far through his reign, his matches haven't been in the main event like they should be.

Instead, Cena has still been the focus of the company, even when he would go up against John Laurinaitis at Over The Limit.  Their match was far from a main event, yet Punk still played second fiddle.

It's hard to think Punk is being ridiculous with his talk of respect when he is absolutely correct.  Punk can put on a main event match, regardless of where the WWE books him on a Pay-Per-View, but that doesn't mean it wasn't disrespectful to both Punk and the title to not put him in the main event.

Punk has been disrespected by the WWE throughout his title reign, so when he complains about others not showing him respect, he's speaking the truth.

He has yet to come out and say the fans don't respect him, so until he does, it will be hard to use the respect gimmick to help Punk turn heel.

The Wrong Heat

Having CM Punk attack Jerry Lawler might seem like a way for Punk to instantly gain heat.  Unfortunately it wont work.  Sure, he did gain a little heat, but not enough to make him a full blown heel.

Punk's biggest gripe with the King was how he claimed Punk turned his back on the WWE Universe after he attacked the Rock.

The Rock has a big fan base, but was Punk really in the wrong for attacking the Rock?  Punk has earned his right to be the WWE Champion, while the Rock can disappear for months only to return and announce he was given a title shot at the Royal Rumble.

Does the Rock deserve a title shot?  It might be great to see him as the champion again, but he did nothing to earn his chance at the Royal Rumble.

Did Punk really turn his back on the fans then?  Not at all.

Lets not forget it was Lawler's own decision to go up against Punk, and in the end The King would pay for it as a bloody Punk left him lying in the ring.

Attacking Lawler might gain Punk some heat, but not enough to establish him as a heel.  He has yet to turn his back on the fans, or even speak out against them.  Until Punk lashes out on the fans, he won't fully be cemented as a heel.

At this point in his career though, Punk may simply be too over with the fans to fully become a heel.  Fans want to cheer for Punk, to root for the underdog he has come to symbolize.  Regardless of his actions, he may never gain enough heat to become a full blown heel.

Do you think Punk's heel turn has been cemented?  Leave a comment and share your opinion!