Chris Jericho vs CM Punk at Payback - has WWE booked itself into a corner again?

WWE Payback is the next PPV from Chicago. As of Monday night, Chris Jericho vs CM Punk has been announced for the show, with Paul Heyman accepting on behalf of his client. 

CM Punk wrestling on this show is a good thing. It will please the Chicago crowd, and the match has the potential to be the best of the night.

However, I would argue it is too much too soon. For Punk's return to feel special, you don't want him wrestling too soon. Although, I have a feeling that WWE has something else in mind.

A viable option for WWE would be for Punk to refuse to wrestle, given that he never personally accepted the match. Heyman would then have Curtis Axel take Punk's spot and gain a victory over Chris Jericho. WWE seems high on Axel. In a two week span, he has faced HHH and John Cena. He even beat Cena!

If WWE does follow this path, then it sets up a potential Punk / Axel feud for SummerSlam.

One small problem... WWE have promoted Jericho vs Punk - fans will buy the PPV expecting to see this. The Chicago crowd will also not be happy if Punk does not wrestle, given the fact he has been advertised in advance. WWE need to be careful here. There are other ways to promote a Punk / Heyman feud.

Then again... I could be wrong. Perhaps Punk will appear and wrestle as advertised. Either way, WWE Creative need to be cautious. I still feel a promo by Punk is the best way forward - as explained in my previous article.

CM Punk's return - timing is everything? WWE Payback PPV in June?

So the WWE Payback PPV is scheduled for 16th June 2013. It is being held in Chicago. No doubt, the crowd will be loud. No doubt the crowd will be a 'wrestling' crowd. As interesting as the post-Wrestlemania crowd? Probably not. But certainly, they will make themselves heard.

So what do you do with CM Punk? Punk is currently on a leave of absence - seemingly relaxing, recovering from burnout and healing his knees after that horrific bump onto the announcer's table at Wrestlemania.

Does absence make the heart grow fonder? Will his return mean anything if he returns in time for June? In my opinion, the answer is no. Punk needs to be away at least till SummerSlam if his return is to mean anything significant. 

The problem is: 

a) WWE needs to fill tv time, and Punk has been consistently one of the most entertaining personalities to grace WWE tv in the last 2 years. 

b) It is Chicago. The crowd will want Punk to be there. If he is not there, they will react accordingly. 

My suggestion? Have Punk show up at the PPV unadvertised - not to wrestle, but to cut a promo. He could go into detail about why he walked away post-Mania. He could cut an emotional promo, reminiscing over the good and bad times in the last year. He could thank Paul Heyman, and then leave again. Give him 10 minutes to pour out the emotion, and you have something meaningful to build on when he does return full-time.

What does this accomplish? 

a) He appears once on PPV and disappears again - so his extended leave of absence is still intact. Punk doesn't return to tv - this is a one-off appearance.  

b) It gives fans the impression that PPVs are worth buying - since anything can happen.

All in all, I see this as the best compromise as far as keeping Punk off WWE tv and giving the Chicago fans what they want. Otherwise, it is easy to see CM Punk chants starting up throughout the night in June. Best to give those fans what they want.

Brock Lesnar vs CM Punk? Will WWE rush it?

So, there are rumours over who CM Punk will feud with when he returns to the WWE. Brock Lesnar's name has come up as a logical choice. After all, Lesnar and Punk are both connected through Paul Heyman. It is interesting to note that neither Punk or Lesnar have appeared on-screen together. You would think that WWE would have seen Dollar signs in promoting such a pairing. Remember the 'two man power trip' from 2001? Steve Austin and HHH were built up as an unstoppable pairing, taking over and ruling the WWE. They were unseated by Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit, through a classic tag match on WWE Raw, which saw Jericho and Benoit win the tag titles.

So why have Punk and Lesnar not been seen together? Did WWE want to keep them apart with the intention of having them feud later? Were they kept apart because both wrestlers had such different characters and philosophies? Lesnar, the part-time main-event fighter going after the big dollar fights. CM Punk, striving day in and day out to be the best in the industry. Punk was on every show, celebrating his lengthy title reign. Lesnar appeared sporadically, feuding with John Cena and then HHH. Lesnar's appearances were designed to shock and awe - drawing the biggest box office dollars.

If WWE decides to pit Punk against Lesnar, I am happy with that. However, as always, it is the process that matters the most. Am I confident in WWE's ability to book this feud successfully? No. What would I want to see? Firstly, this feud should not be rushed. In an era where the immediate concern is how to fill three hours of WWE Raw programming on Monday nights, I am sure WWE will rush this feud through.

In my ideal world, we go through the following stages:

1) Punk returns - confidence returned. Attacks a popular WWE face - e.g. HHH. He realigns himself with Paul Heyman.

2) We build up to SummerSlam with Punk and Lesnar as a team. They are billed as unstoppable. In the main-event, they destroy HHH and another face - e.g. John Cena. HHH's concussion story can play a part in the outcome.

3) We lead to Survivor Series - team HHH vs team Heyman. Punk plays a part in accidentally costing his team the match. Heyman and Punk start to have issues - yet still stay together. However, the tension is evident.

4) Come the Royal Rumble, Lesnar wins the world title from Cena (presuming he has not lost it to Ryback). Punk wins the Rumble.

5) The next night on Raw, Heyman turns on Punk - believing Lesnar to be his one true meal ticket. Lesnar attacks Punk.

6) We build to Mania - with an incredible series of microphone showdowns between Punk and Heyman.

7) At Mania, Punk beats Lesnar and wins the title in the main-event.

The above is unlikely to happen for two reasons:

a) WWE will likely hotshot this feud and make it happen instantly to fill immediate storyline needs presented by the damning three hour Raw schedule.

b) WWE would not be able to afford to have Lesnar appear so many time in a one year span to build this feud for Wrestlemania. His contract has limited dates after all.

Regardless, there is one thing I hope for here. WWE can't afford to turn Lesnar face. He does his best work as a heel.

But then again... so does CM Punk...

So perhaps, Punk vs Lesnar is not ideal after-all.