CM Punk Returns At Payback

Payback, the next WWE PPV, will be in Chicago. That is CM Punk's town. On Raw this week, they had Chris Jericho challenge CM Punk to a match through Paul Heyman. Heyman accepted.

The possibilities fans are discussing are already running wild. Before I talk about that, is it a good idea to handle CM Punk's probable return like this? You have Jericho issue a challenge and CM Punk will most likely not show up until the actual PPV. Will that make the build for this feud bad? I don't think so. They have done this kind of thing before. Go back to John Cena vs. Chris Jericho in 2008 after Cena was injured late in the year. This would be similar to that. Moreover, I think hyping it like this builds the intrigue and can help draw for the PPV.

Now, what interesting possibilities can this lead to? I mentioned before that this could be CM Punk's probable return. Probable? What if they pull a swerve and CM Punk does not show up. Chicago would hate that. But the point would not be just to annoy the fans. Heyman pulls a switch and has Curtis Axel face Jericho instead. That guy can use a real feud against an established star sooner or later. I don't like that idea and I don't think they will run with it. Have CM Punk return. Then what? He beats Jericho? How about Paul Heyman screws Punk by having Brock Lesnar interfere? Turn Punk face. He is guaranteed to get a face reaction in Chicago, anyway. Returning him at that time could be the perfect time to turn him back to a face, if they want to go there. Why would Heyman do this? Unhappy that Punk walked out? Unhappy Punk lost to The Rock and The Undertaker? They could have Curtis Axel cost Punk the match, but Punk vs. Lesnar would be bigger. I just finished saying Axel needs a big feud and I deny him CM Punk. Hypocrite? Yeah, guess I am. The fact is, Punk might be too much of a top star for this younger talent to work with. Jericho would be a better fit for Axel to feud with, in my opinion. Leave Punk to feud with Lesnar. Lesnar needs more variety in his opponents.

Speaking of Jericho, feuding with CM Punk again sure is a step up from the dark days he spent with Fandango. I agree with ending the feud between those two, but having Jericho enter the Intercontinental title feud still might have been a good option. Nevertheless, this is a bigger feud Jericho is in now and I don't think anyone really gets hurt by the WWE going in this direction. Fandango is not lost in the shuffle yet.