WWE superstar CM Punk, the "best in the world" will be returning to the ring at WWE's June 16th pay-per-view show "Payback," where he will face Chris "Y2J" Jericho.
Punk's return was announced on Monday Night Raw, when Jericho was hosting his mini-show, "The Highlight Reel," with Paul Heyman as his guest. Jericho was mocking CM Punk and questioning his whereabouts, eventually challenging Punk to a match at the pay-per-view.
Jericho incessantly badgered Heyman, Punk's longtime cohort, until he accepted the challenge on behalf of the wrestler. Jericho wrestled Punk at Wrestlemania 28, in a match that was held to determine who was the "best wrestler in the world." Punk came up victorious in that bout.
Punk last wrestled at Wrestlemania 29, when he battled the Undertake in a thrilling match that involved several finishing move kickouts. In that matchup, Punk taunted Undertaker endlessly, as he had in the buildup to the show. However, the Undertake was able to reverse Punk's finishing move into a "Tombstone Piledriver," ending the match.
Punk had been dealing with several nagging injuries in the preceding months, and was rumored to be set for some time off in order for his numerous maladies to subside. He has not been involved in any in-ring competition for about six weeks. The "Payback" pay-per-view is being held in Chicago, CM Punk's hometown.
According to Bleacherreport.com, the circumstances in which Punk was drawn into the match with Jericho could lead to a breakup of the Punk-Heyman tandem, and a shift back to babyface for the "Best In The World."
Now, the question is whether or not Punk will get back in the ring before "Payback" in an effort to sharpen himself back up following the long layoff. WWE.com is vague about that in its preview for CM Punk vs. Jericho.
"As for Punk ... who knows? Maybe he'll show up at Payback. Maybe he'll show up before then. And, of course, maybe he won't. Maybe Jericho's counting on that, of exposing the man who humbled him on the highest pedestal of their shared profession as a broken man; of being able to defeat him simply by way of his absence."
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