Champion run question...

[OldSchoolFan]

Watching CM Punk turn the past few weeks got me to thinking; has there been any other notable face-to-heel turns while current champ? I know there had to have been big ones but for the life of me I can not think of any. So could anyone refresh my memory on some? And I mean where the person is the champ through the whole thing, not say losing and turning because he got screwed

[Lock Jaw]

CM Punk (against Jeff Hardy)
Daniel Bryan

There are more, but can't think of them.

[Swish]

Watching CM Punk turn the past few weeks got me to thinking; has there been any other notable face-to-heel turns while current champ? I know there had to have been big ones but for the life of me I can not think of any. So could anyone refresh my memory on some? And I mean where the person is the champ through the whole thing, not say losing and turning because he got screwed

Stone Cold Steve Austin (heel turn when he joined forces with Vince McMahon at Mania)
The Rock (I think).
Triple H

[Tom Guycott]

Oddly enough, Punk has basically turned twice in the same championship run. He was the heel against Cena in the first place, but was soo over, that it would have been a very dumb financial move not to turn him face. Not sure if that has even been done before... a heel-to-face-to-heel turn in a single run? Unless it's something Flair has possibly done.

[BollywoodSingh]

Stone Cold Steve Austin (heel turn when he joined forces with Vince McMahon at Mania)
The Rock (I think).
Triple H

Austin turned heel right before winning the title vs. The Rock at Wrestlemania 17, so I don't think that counts. But he did turn heel while he was the WWF Champion another time. This was when he turned on the WWF and joined the WCW/ECW Alliance at Invasion 2001.

When did Triple H or The Rock turn while they were the champions? I can't think of it.

Other than the Austin turn I just mentioned, these are the other ones that I know of:

CM Punk - turned on Jeff Hardy in June or July 2009 and now, his most recent turn.

Daniel Bryan - turned earlier this year

Randy Savage - turned on Hogan, breaking the Mega Powers up.

Kurt Angle - was very briefly a babyface before winning the WWE title against Big Show at Armageddon 2002. Then he turned heel sometime during that reign.

[BollywoodSingh]

Oddly enough, Punk has basically turned twice in the same championship run. He was the heel against Cena in the first place, but was soo over, that it would have been a very dumb financial move not to turn him face. Not sure if that has even been done before... a heel-to-face-to-heel turn in a single run? Unless it's something Flair has possibly done.

That was over 2 separate title reigns though. CM Punk won the title while he was technically still a heel I guess against Cena. But then he dropped it to Del Rio, who dropped it to Cena, and then back to Del Rio. CM Punk was a face before winning the title back from Del Rio, which is his current title reign.

[Tom Guycott]

I guess you're right. Didn't care enough about Alberto Of The River's reign and glossed over it. I completely forgot about it, in fact. In my brain, he went from feuding with Cena to the "contract extention" to the whole feud with Super Dave all as the champ, then kinda milled around and lost a bunch of (non-title) matches until the Bryan/Punk thing started and steamrolled to include Kane and AJ.

[Tom Guycott]

In fact, the only title picture I remember ADR being in before now is the whole thing with Edge at retirement time, and subsequently Christian.

[Big Vic]

Kane was a face when he began his WHC run.

[James Steele]

Technically, Austin turned like 3-4 times during his title reigns in 2001.

He turned heel to win the title.
He then turned face during the start of the invasion.
He then turned heel at the InVasion PPV.
Lost title to Angle.
Won title back and was still a heel.
He then turned babyface almost immediately after the invasion.