This award honours the best "turn" of the year, in which a wrestler was shifted to the other end of the good/evil spectrum in the most compelling manner. Named after CM Punk, whose turn from a generic babyface to militant preacher is one of the best in wrestling history.
Last Year's Awards:
Winner - Randy Orton (From Heel to Face - Slow Turn in January 2010)
1st Runner Up - Mr. Anderson (From Heel to Face - at TNA Sacrifice)
2nd Runner Up - Jeff Hardy (From Face to Heel - at TNA Bound For Glory)
WINNER - CM PUNK (FROM HEEL TO FACE - JUNE 27 2011)
A little over six minutes is all it took to transform CM Punk from one of the most despised heels as the leader of the New Nexus to the biggest anti-establishment babyface since Stone Cold Steve Austin. Punk's venomous, semi-shoot promo ripping Vince McMahon and the WWE is now legendary (If you haven't watched it, Google 'CM Punk 27 June' NOW) but I doubt if even Punk himself anticipated that it would turn him into a face almost immediately. Punk masterfully suppressed the mounting cheers during his speech by turning on the crowd, but by the following week's RAW, he had become a face in the eyes of a large part of the audience. The transformation was always instant. The fans recognized that they had seen something special, and just couldn't boo the man anymore. I do not know if this was an accidental turn, but it was a fantastic one nevertheless. Punk may be a master heel, but he has since proved to be a great face as well, managing to garner huge crowd support without losing the edge that sets him apart.
1st RUNNER UP - MARK HENRY (FROM FACE TO HEEL - APRIL 25 2011)
Mark Henry's Wikipedia page has a section titled "Face Turn and Various Tag Teams (2009-2011)" and that pretty much defines his career for the last two years. However, on the Draft episode of RAW, WWE turned Mark Henry heel by having him attack John Cena and Christian, whom he was partnering in a six-man tag match. The turn itself was routine textbook material - if there was a text book on how to become a heel, 'Attack Tag Team Partner' would probably be in the first chapter. However, it was the aftermath of the turn that was truly outstanding. WWE booked Mark Henry as an unstoppable monster, having him destroy Big Show, Kane and Vladimir Kozlov, and also showcasing him in amazing feats of strength, such as ripping off the door of a steel cage. This was a fantastically executed heel turn that finally made Mark Henry relevant after fifteen years and brought him a World Heavyweight Championship.
2nd RUNNER UP - SHEAMUS (FROM HEEL TO FACE - SLOW TURN IN JUNE 2011)
This was another case of a crowd defining a wrestler's direction. Sheamus's highly physical wrestling style and no-nonsense demeanour was beginning to earn him a fair amount of cheers during his matches. WWE decided to embrace this favourable sentiment and turn Sheamus babyface. It was apparent in early June that WWE was holding off from having Sheamus do any particularly nefarious deeds, as he transitioned into a tweener. When Sheamus returned in just two weeks from a Randy Orton punt, it built up the audience's respect for him. WWE perfectly sealed his face turn by having him be the first to confront a rampaging Mark Henry. Everyone loves someone who stands up to a bully, and WWE used the fact very cleverly to consolidate support for the Irishman. The turn seems to have worked really well. Sheamus frequently receives among the biggest pops of the night and looks set for a big push and possibly a Royal Rumble victory heading into 2012.
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