WWE: Top 5 Best Face/Heel Turns of 2011

It's always a special occasion when a superstar turns. Whether tension on the superstar is built up for weeks, or the turn is random, it can easily make or break any superstar.

Stone Cold Steve Austin sides with McMahon at Wrestlemania 17, Shawn Michaels super-kicks Marty Jannetty and disbands The Rockers, Hogan helps The Rock fend off Scott Hall and Kevin Nash at Wrestlemania 18.

All are classic moments that helped define the careers of the superstars involved. Here are the five best turns of 2011 thus far.

5. Alex Riley Turns Face

Riley gets over as a face in record time, simply by doing something that the fans have wanted to do for years: He shut up The Miz.

The Miz is undoubtedly one of the most charismatic talkers in WWE today. His ability to draw heat and control the crowd is what made Alex Riley's turn so much more effective. As a top WWE heel and former champion, Miz was able to make Riley a convincing face simply by taking a beating from his former protégé.

Turning Alex Riley face gave RAW something it desperately needed—a solid mid-card face at a time when John Morrison was out for injury. 

4. Christian Turns Heel

Despite being great on the mic and having a superb arsenal of wrestling maneuvers, Christian has never seemed to be very over with the WWE Universe. The only time when Christian received a large face pop was when his old buddy Edge was around.

Then he turned his back on the fans.

Christian's whiny and cowardly heel character is so affective because the crowd loves to hate him. He's the same guy that continuously screwed over Booker T in their Intercontinental Title bouts nearly a decade ago. He is mean, inconsiderate, conniving and genuinely unlikable as the villain.

Plus, if Christian remained a face, we may have missed out on one of the greatest feuds of all time—his feud with Randy Orton. Christian was the perfect Lex Luthor to Orton's unstoppable Superman character. Their matches were also phenomenal and they worked together like a dream.

Let's hope Christian's heel character keeps him relevant in the title picture.

3. Mark Henry Turns Heel

This is the only turn on this list that absolutely, absolutely needed to happen. Mark Henry has gone from a useless jobber to the most dangerous man on WWE programming, striking paralyzing fear into performers and technical crew members alike!

Gone are the days of Mark "Kool-Aid Man" Henry, the 400-pound behemoth babyface that jobs to anyone and everyone. He has been replaced by a savage, blood-thirsty animal who could destroy the Celtic Warrior and endure the venom of The Viper.

I'm not sure what Mark Henry was doing last year, but it was probably pointless and stupid. Fast forward one year and he is the No. 1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship.

Successful turn? I do believe so.

2. R-Truth Turns Heel

R-Truth is the funniest man in the WWE.

His imaginary friends, fear of heights (and spiders), and his belief that Little Jimmy is conspiring against him are all common topics of interest for R-Truth.

What makes him a great heel, however, is that the topics I list are only skin-deep. When R-Truth picks up a microphone, no one knows what he is going to say, which makes his promos that much more entertaining.

As a face, R-Truth never really fit in as a legit threat to any main event title. His promos were silly, his catchphrases were annoying, and he was generally used as a character who represented a kid-friendly rapper. This never worked, ever.

People disliked R-Truth as a babyface because he had no pizzazz or true drawing ability; he was a blurred face in a crowd.

As a heel, Truth now demands attention, and with The Miz by his side, I would wager that Mr. "What's Up" will receive that attention. 

1. CM Punk Turns Face (Kind Of)

CM Punk has single-handedly reinvigorated the WWE product.

He is the best mic worker in the WWE. He is the man with no filter between his brain and his mouth. He is the Voice of the Voiceless.

And his "face turn" was artfully done.

The reason I put "Sort of" in the title is because he is really not a full face. He is currently feuding with a face (COO Triple H) and has feuded with the biggest face in the WWE, John Cena, for a couple months now.

Perhaps what made CM Punk's turn so great was the fact that there was never a single moment where he declared that he would give up his devilish ways and become a good little angel that abides by the rules. CM Punk is not like that.

Not a whole lot has changed besides his theme music. He still speaks provocatively and does things his way, he just doesn't insult the crowds anymore.

WWE has allowed Punk to mold his character into what he wants it to be—and it has worked splendidly so far. If you tune in to watch Monday Night RAW, chances are that a big reason you watch the show is to hear what Punk has to say.

Honorable Mentions

These are the people who didn't quite make it, even though their turns were solid.

Beth Phoenix and Natalya turn heel: It hasn't made a large impact on the grand scheme of things, but it has definitely made the Diva division more interesting.

Sheamus turns face: I really like Sheamus as a face, but he really hasn't done enough for me to include him on the list.

Michael Cole becomes a tweener: This is something that really needed to happen. As a full-blown heel, Michael Cole was beyond annoying. He is now kind of a semi-heel, but he still puts the faces over. 

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