CM Punk has heard the calls for a heel turn. He just doesn’t think the fans would let it happen. With his feud against Cody Rhodes becoming more personal by the week, plenty of fans have started wondering whether WWE is quietly setting up Punk to become the heel soon. According to Punk, that sounds good on paper—but it falls apart the second he walks through the curtain.
Speaking to SiriusXM, the Undisputed WWE Champion admitted he’d love to play the bad guy again. The problem is that WWE audiences have made that almost impossible.
“The good guy, bad guy thing is decided by the audience. It’s their perspective. I think I’m an incredible black hat that people love so much, it wouldn’t work. I’d still get cheered. It would defeat the purpose. It’s a real double-edged sword at this point.”
It’s an interesting admission considering how Punk has been acting lately. Over the past few weeks, he’s repeatedly blurred the line between hero and villain. He accidentally hit Cody Rhodes with the Undisputed WWE Championship before apologizing… only to pie-face him a day later. He called Rhodes “little brother,” smiled while security held them apart, and has shown little interest in taking the high road.
That’s exactly why so many fans have started expecting a full heel turn. Ironically, a backstage report this week claimed that’s exactly what Punk originally wanted. According to Self Made Pro, Punk envisioned himself as the Terry Funk to Cody Rhodes’ Dusty Rhodes, with Rhodes playing the babyface while Punk embraced the role of the heel. Those plans never materialized because WWE believed Punk was simply too popular to turn.
Now Punk himself is saying the same thing. As far as he’s concerned, being a heel only works if the audience treats you like one. Right now, he believes fans would cheer him no matter what he did, making a traditional heel turn pointless.
For now, it looks like Punk will continue living somewhere in the middle—talking like a villain, acting like a villain at times, but still getting the kind of reactions most wrestlers spend their careers chasing.
Do you think CM Punk should eventually turn heel against Cody Rhodes, or is he right that WWE fans would cheer him anyway? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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