WWE Capitol Punishment: 5 Superstars with the Most to Gain at the PPV

Our two "WrestleMania Rebound" PPVs are over and now we have Capitol Punishment in Washington D.C. to look forward to.

Most (if not all) of the matches have been laid out as of "All-Star" night, and there are sure to be some interesting results come Sunday. If you look down the match card, there are a lot of superstars whose position in the WWE greatly hinges on the outcomes of their matches.

Today, we're going to look at five superstars who could see their stock rise this Sunday.

Alex Riley

Alex Riley has been a very plesant surprise this past month.

After months of serving under The Miz, Riley is finally breaking out on his own. And on RAW these past two weeks, he's received a huge amount of respect from Stone Cold and Roddy Piper.

Austin could easily have just stunnered him for the hell of it, but he tossed him a beer and said he had respect for what Riley did. Clearly WWE is getting behind Riley in a big way.

But we still really haven't seen what baby-face Riley can do in the ring, which is why Capitol Punishment is so important for him.

While this Sunday may not be the blow-off to this feud, a good showing for Riley would be huge. He doesn't necessarily need to win—a cheap Miz win or DQ would work fine—but he needs to look like he can hang with the big dogs.

If he does, the sky's the limit for Alex Riley.

R-Truth

An obvious one, R-Truth enters the biggest match of his career this Sunday when he challenges John Cena for the WWE Championship. And at 39 years old, you have to think this may be his only chance to hold the big-boy belt in WWE.

R-Truth has a lot to gain at Capitol Punishment, namely the WWE Championship. If he can pull off the impossible and win it, then his heel turn will come full circle as the title that started his breakdown will finally be around his waist.

It would be a memorable moment for sure, and would really solidify Truth's time in WWE.

Some may scoff at Truth's chances, but reports have recently indicated that John Cena is working while hurt—if he's taking time off, Truth may be the guy to take the belt from him. It's sure to be an interesting night in D.C.

Ezekial Jackson

"Big Zeke" is finally going to face Wade Barrett one-on-one for the Intercontinental Championship, with no involvement from the Corre (unless they pull a "haha, you thought the Corre was done but now we're together again" swerve).

Zeke has proven to be an entertaining monster face, and the time seems right for him to get a title around his waist.

While it won't be a huge breakthrough win, it can still legitimize Big Zeke for getting a clean win over someone like Barrett. Wade hasn't done anything with the title, and the "Personification of Domination" has a great opportunity to step into Christian's former spot, the second baby-face role on Smackdown.

Look for big things from Jackson after Capitol Punishment.

Christian

Christian's obsession with the World Heavyweight Title has inspired a new heel turn, and the new-look Christian will get an opportunity to hold that belt again when he gets his presumably final shot at Randy Orton.

Obviously, the World Championship alone is a huge prize, but Christian could potentially legitimize himself as a main-eventer if he can find a way to beat the Viper on Sunday.

Recent reports of Orton sustaining a concussion definitely helps Christian's chances of walking out with the gold.

The Miz

Whenever a superstar loses his first world championship, there's almost always a championship-hangover period. Once at the forefront of WWE programming, the star is now out of the title picture and has to take a backseat to the main feuds.

Such is the case with The Miz, who is taking some time away from the title to help out Alex Riley.

Even though The Miz is facing someone lower on the card, a win against Riley would allow him to reassert his dominance over his former protege. While it wouldn't get him right back into the title hunt, he would be in a solid position once a spot opens up.