WWE: Payback – Top 5 stars

With the Payback PPV done and dusted, we now move on to RAW to find out the after effects of the PPV, and to see the fall-out. Payback was easily one of the better PPVs in the past two years, with a great match and some memorable instances. Also, RVD is scheduled to return to WWE next month at the Money in the Bank PPV, which makes things much more interesting. I’ve always been a fan of Van Dam, and WWE is his home, so I’m glad he’s coming back. Anyway, in this article, I take a look at the top five stars from the PPV.

5. Alberto Del Rio

The new World Heavyweight champion took complete advantage (in kayfabe) of Ziggler’s concussion and worked on his head, which left Ziggler dizzy and unable to compete. Ziggler showed the heart of a champion, and a double switch happened, with ADR turning heel and Ziggler turning face. ADR received good heat last night, with the Chicago crowd being firmly behind Dolph. Post match, ADR cut a promo saying he always performed for the fans and he deserved to win the title, which was met with boos from the live crowd. I was shocked with this, as it was unexpected and came as a pleasant surprise.

4. Dolph Ziggler

Dolph should be a corporate person, as he sells better than anyone else! Last night, Ziggler showed effects of his concussion, and was unable to perform at his peak, but still wouldn’t let the doctors and referee stop the match, which are signs of him turning face. Although it was a good surprise, I wanted Ziggler to hold on to the title for a long time. With ADR turning heel and Ziggler possibly turning face, things just got interesting in the WWE. Post match, Dolph was helped to the back as AJ couldn’t hold back her tears.

3. Curtis Axel

On father’s day, Curtis Axel gave his father a perfect gift, by winning the prestigious WWE Intercontinental title, something his father won more than two decades ago. Mr. Perfect is considered to be the greatest Intercontinental champion in the history of the company, and the fact that Axel won the title and is following in his father’s footsteps shows that he will go places in the WWE. My only grievance with everything is how Axel is made to look like a fluke in all of his matches. He pinned Barrett when Miz locked him in the figure four, thus picking up yet another ‘lucky’ victory. I hope he will have a long, meaningful run with the title, and won’t lose all of his TV matches like other mid card champions do.

2. Chris Jericho

Jericho faced the hometown hero, CM Punk, last night in what is arguably the match of the year. These two put on yet another classic, and even though Jericho was facing Chicago’s own, there were fans who were cheering for Jericho. Jericho is one of the most beloved superstars in professional wrestling history, so that didn’t come as a surprise. In the end, Jericho was unsuccessful in beating CM Punk, but before the night ended, the fans showed their appreciation to Jericho for putting on yet another classic match.

1. CM Punk

And at number 1 comes the returning Straight Edge Savior, the Second City Saint, CM Punk. Punk didn’t look like he was out of action at all, as he continued from where he left off. The crowd went absolutely nuts when Punk’s music hit, and from then on till the end of the bout, they were firmly behind Punk. Punk and Jericho put on yet another great match, and it will be interesting to see how Punk will be used from now. If you watched the video on wwe.com, Punk told Heyman he doesn’t need him anymore, that he’s not his ‘client’, but his friend. Does this imply Punk and Heyman will go their separate ways? This week’s RAW is shaping up to be very interesting!