WWE Payback 2013: What Happens to CM Punk and Chris Jericho Moving Toward MITB?

We all know that Monday’s edition of Raw will be huge. After a night where three titles changed hands, Alberto Del Rio looked like he turned heel and, of course, CM Punk returned to the promised land, it cannot help but be exciting.

Speaking of Punk and his return to the ring, I was a bit surprised by the match and the build needed to make it such a good segment.

Punk looked out of shape, tired and winded, and he needed to be carried through the event. Good thing Chris Jericho was there to help out. Yes, Punk came back too soon from injuries, and it showed. He won in his hometown, and now the WWE must decide what to do with him and whether Jericho is the man to help Punk get back to being “The Best in the World.”

Frankly, I do not think the WWE really has a choice.

With the “changes” that appear to be forthcoming in the WWE—possible brand extension and power shifting amongst Vince McMahon and Triple H, Mark Henry's return Monday night, and ADR now being a heel champion—is the company better off leaving these two to tangle going into Money in the Bank?

Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!

I see you get my message.

If things unfold like I hope they will, which never happens, this could be interesting, and Punk and Jericho could be a highlight or an addition. They will decide their own fates. But I see a “corporate shift” in the WWE, with a turf war between McMahon (with Paul Heyman and Curtis Axel as key members of a new “corporation”) and Triple H (who will also lose the support of his wife, Stephanie McMahon).

Business trumps everything.

If Del Rio is a heel champion, then AJ Lee and Ziggler dissolve their union. Ziggler becomes a face, and Lee finds another worthy beau (The Miz, who needs a heel turn).

John Cena’s feud with Ryback is now over, and Mark Henry becomes the new opponent of the WWE champion.

And while this is all going on, Punk and Jericho continue to build and dazzle us with better matches. A return match at Money in the Bank is very possible, unless the company decides Punk needs to win one of the MITB matches. Then all bets are off.

Times will soon be changing in the WWE. A lot of the “payback” from tonight spoke volumes about MITB and SummerSlam. And if Punk and Jericho are in the middle of it, then the WWE is in for a long, hot summer.

Punk and Jericho may not lead the way into Money in the Bank, but they will sure make things interesting.