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In pro wrestling, every wrestler has a choice to portray either personality, they can either be a lovable face, or be an egotistical and cocky heel.
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In the beginning the fans went in the direction the companies wanted them to go - cheering the face, and booing the heel. In the WWE, everything happened as Vince wanted - like making the fans cheer Hulk Hogan and boo Yokozuna and Bret Hart. However, with the start of the Attitude Era, everything changed.
After a while, the fans starting cheering the villainous heels for their contributions to the business, and starting booing faces like John Cena and Roman Reigns, as fans thought they buried wrestlers.
Everything worked as WWE wanted it to work out, except for the reaction they wanted the wrestlers to get. Here are five times the fans booed the faces, and cheered heels.
#5 Seth Rollins cheered over Roman Reigns - 2016
In 2016 every wrestling fan came to know who the next face of the company was after John Cena - Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns then started feeling the wrath of the fans. After WrestleMania 32, Reigns became the most booed wrestler in the company.
A year before, Rollins was the best wrestler in the company. After being forced to relinquish the title due to a leg injury, Rollins returned after nine months with a vengeance.
After Roman's victory over AJ Styles at WWE Extreme Rules, Rollins returned and attacked Roman Reigns, getting a huge ovation from the crowd. For over two months, Reigns and Rollins continued their rivalry over the WWE Championship, and Rollins was heavily cheered despite being the biggest heel in the company, whereas Roman Reigns was booed heavily by the crowd.
#4 Stone Cold Steve Austin cheered over Bret Hart - 1997
Back in 1997, even before the Attitude Era began, rising star Steve Austin and Bret 'The Hitman' Hart faced each other. Bret was one of the biggest stars of the company at that time, and Austin was a newcomer.
While Bret Hart was a natural babyface and Austin a ruthless and self-caring heel, the fans were clearly behind Bret Hart and booing Steve Austin early.
However, as the rivalry continued, the fans started liking Austin for what he said and did. Austin would screw Hart out of title matches and talk harshly to him, and the fans loved it. Going into the rivalry, the two delivered the best matches of 1997.
The fans got completely behind Austin till their WrestleMania 13 match (not to mention, it was a five-star match) and started booing Hart. Seeing this, the WWE decided a double turn at WrestleMania 13 that changed Austin's career forever. However, the reaction Austin got as a heel was insane.
#3 AJ Styles cheered over John Cena - 2016 and 2017
AJ Styles is possibly the best wrestler in the world. His skills and charisma were the reason he got a huge reaction when he joined WWE in 2016.
The fans kept on cheering The Phenomenal One whenever he showed up. Styles was pushed as a main-event wrestler after just two months of his WWE debut, and that was why he was turned heel on John Cena.
Even after he turned heel on John Cena, the fans kept on cheering him. Every time they were in the ring together, the fans constantly chanted for AJ Styles, and they put on classics. However, nothing can change the fact that Styles was a better and 'more popular' man than John Cena.
#2 Hollywood Hulk Hogan cheered over The Rock - 2002
In 2002 Hulk Hogan and The Rock were the most popular wrestlers in the professional wrestling world. Before WrestleMania X8, WWE started a rivalry between a heel Hulk Hogan and a face Rock.
However, Hogan was an icon the fans loved. Any heelish thing Hogan did with his nWo teammates Kevin Nash and Scott Hall was cheered. On the other hand, The Rock got booed for everything he did against Hogan. Even at WrestleMania X8, the fans constantly cheered for Hogan and booed the Rock.
Due to the reaction Hogan got, WWE was forced to immediately turn him face after he lost the match to The Rock. He and The Rock cleared the arena together by beating his former teammates who attacked both of them after the match. However, the reaction Hogan got was unforgettable and memorable.
#1 CM Punk cheered over John Cena - 2011
This was simply incredible, CM Punk was cheered heavily over the face of the company John Cena, despite being a heel.
That was all because of the Pipebomb promo and the promos CM Punk used to cut over Vince McMahon, as well as leaving WWE with the WWE Championship after Money in the Bank.
The reaction CM Punk got was once in a lifetime, and in Chicago (CM Punk's hometown), during their Money in the Bank match, every fan was chanting CM Punk. No one was chanting Cena, and the crowd showed signs of "if Cena wins, we riot". They wrestled many times in 2011, but every time they faced each other, the fans were clearly behind CM Punk.
That's why they call CM Punk a once in a century wrestler who could wrestle and give you great matches. It was the first time the fans were that behind any heel wrestler in years, and it hasn't happened since then.
