CM Punk must turn heel at Night of Champions if he wins, says veteran; massive reason explained (Exclusive)

CM Punk is currently one of the biggest babyfaces on the WWE roster. The Second City Saint has been a babyface ever since he returned to the company at Survivor Series 2023, as he's one of the most well-loved wrestlers in the world. However, wrestling veteran Vince Russo believes that Punk should turn heel for the first time since returning.

CM Punk is set to face Undisputed WWE Champion John Cena at Night of Champions next week for the title. Following the events of this week's SmackDown, where Cena dropped a 'pipebomb' of his own, the Unseen 17 got a massive cheer from the Grand Rapids crowd, which he hadn't gotten since turning heel in March.

While speaking on BroDown on Sportskeeda WrestleBinge, Russo claimed that if Punk is to win the Undisputed WWE Championship at Night of Champions, he has to turn heel. He felt that if CM Punk won the title as a babyface, he would be booed out of the building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

"If Punk wins as a baby face, they may boo Punk out the building and I would not take that chance. I'm telling you bro, they need to turn Punk heel in that match and if they don't, you guys are going to know they didn't adjust to anything that happened on tonight's show," Russo said. [From 25:47 onwards]

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Just when fans were starting to get a little bit frustrated with John Cena's heel turn, this segment on SmackDown got the ball rolling once again. Fans are excited to see Cena face Punk for the first time in over a decade, but the stakes seem even higher now, making it a much more interesting match-up.

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About the author

Faiz is a WWE writer at Sportskeeda Wrestling. He is a BBA graduate who is passionate about sports and wants to make a career in that field. This passion led to a postgraduate degree in Journalism, which helped him pivot into becoming a sports writer. When writing, he puts the utmost importance on accuracy and thorough research.

Faiz has six years of work experience across four companies. He started his career with Zomato and then moved to Amazon. He shifted to becoming a football writer at TV9 Digital and is now with Sportskeeda. He covered the Wrestling Xtreme Mania event in Gurgaon in 2025, where he had the opportunity to interview Raj The Maharaja, fka Jinder Mahal. At the same event, he also got quick interviews with former WWE Superstar Dijak and Japanese Joshi legend Emi Sakura.

When it comes to his favourite wrestlers, Faiz has two names in mind. He loved to watch Triple H before the current WWE CCO retired, and he is a huge fan of Roman Reigns. Being a loyal fan since the Tribal Chief's SHIELD days, Faiz credits Roman's mic skills and unmatched in-ring storytelling for his mega success. When he was young, one in-ring story left a lasting impression on his mind and eventually got him hooked on WWE. That match was Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair at WrestleMania 24. Apart from that, he is also a fan of RAW.

When Faiz is not writing for Sportskeeda, he loves to keep up with other sports. He is an avid cricket and football fan, a huge gamer, and loves playing some RPGs on the PlayStation.

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Edited by Sanchari Bhattacharya