CM Punk Names Himself Greatest Heel Of All Time, Says Fans Would Cheer Him Anyway

CM Punk isn’t lacking confidence when it comes to his legacy, and he didn’t hesitate when asked to name the greatest heel in wrestling history.

Since returning to WWE at Survivor Series 2023, Punk has become one of the top babyfaces on television. That’s a big shift from earlier in his career, where many fans considered his villain work some of the best in the business. Now, with fans cheering him louder than ever, Punk says turning heel again might not even work the way people expect.

While appearing on Complex’s GOAT Talk, Punk was asked to name the Greatest Heel Of All Time. After thinking it over, he pointed right back at himself and explained why fans loving him now makes things complicated.

“What’s so strange about that is everybody loves me now. You’ll be such a great villain that people wind up loving you. Fans at C2E2 came through the line, ‘You gotta turn heel. We need you to be a heel.’ The thing is, if I turn heel, it would make me an even more enormous babyface. They would still cheer.”

Punk also pointed to what happened with John Cena as an example of how fan reactions can completely flip the script. According to Punk, even when Cena tried something new late in his career, fans still wanted to cheer the version of him they already loved.

“We watched it in real time backfire on John Cena. John wanted to try something new, he was retiring, he thought it could be fun. I thought it was fun, but people just wanted the greatest hits.”

Punk’s comments come at a time when he’s riding major momentum in WWE. He’s currently one of the company’s top stars and is heading into one of the biggest matches of his latest run.

Punk is scheduled to defend the WWE World Heavyweight Championship against Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 42 on Sunday, a match that could define the next chapter of his return run.