Whenever the WWE goes to Chicago, the results are glorious. Payback last Sunday was full of big developments that got the ball rolling on hopefully a great summer. The return of CM Punk (in a match that has been raved as a classic), a surprising double turn between Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio and a set of new champions crowned are some of the reasons Payback may be one of the best PPVs of 2013 so far. As great as Payback was, the following Raw was even better. Setting a lot of compelling storylines in motion for Money in the Bank and Summerslam and the raucous crowd made it one of the better Raws of this year. It also gave me tons to talk about for this week’s Silver Report. As a side note, my hopes for the summer article has been canned due to how busy things have been combined with the fact that the developments of this past week killed quite a few of those hopes I would have elaborated on in the article.
What a great way to be welcomed back to the WWE with open arms and a F5. 24 hours after returning Sunday at Payback, CM Punk tasted the force of Paul Heyman’s Beast. One F5 has kicked off a feud that will easily main event this year’s Summerslam and captivate many this summer. Personally, this writer would love to see a rematch between Undertaker and CM Punk set for Summerslam yet this clash between these two Paul Heyman guys is just as enticing. There is some great material for WWE to work off of due Punk and Lesnar’s association with Mr. Heyman. The verbal sparring matches that we could possibly see between CM Punk and Paul Heyman, considering all signs point to him turning on Punk in the near future, will be nothing short of legendary. This feud has only just begun so there are going to be bigger developments to come very soon. This feud can be one to make or break this summer.
News hit last Monday that Mark Henry would be retiring from the squared-circle. Henry’s recent hiatus from the ring to rest from injuries was sign enough that the World’s Strongest Man would hang up his boots. Speaking of boots, Henry even placed his boots at the top of the stage on Monday and came out in a bright pink blazer to give his retirement speech. Henry’s speech induced tears, smiles and even chants as he had the audience wrapped around his finger. John Cena, who Henry interrupted, came in to give Mark some time with the WWE Champions, a title that Henry has never held according to JBL’s commentary. It would have been a sweet end for Mark Henry’s career, but the World’s Strongest Man goes out with a whimper, the World’s Strongest Man goes out with a bang. Mark Henry drew John Cena in for one last handshake and hit the World’s Strongest Slam instead. Once Cena plummeted to the mat, the realization hit that Mark Henry was not retiring. It was all a ploy to lure in the WWE Champion and what a great ploy it was. In one fell swoop, WWE Creative built a credible threat to John Cena’s WWE Championship and made Mark Henry a devious heel that will sink to the lowest of lows to get his way. As much as it is a given that John Cena will walk out of Money in the Bank with the WWE Championship, Cena vs. Henry should be an interesting bout nonetheless.
The biggest news to come out of Payback last Sunday was not CM Punk’s return or the double turn, it was the announcement of Rob Van Dam’s return at Money in the Bank. It was an incredible surprise as there were no rumours floating around the Internet about RVD returning that this writer saw. It has been four years since RVD has been in a WWE ring so it will be nice to see what the Whole Dam Show has to offer. Personally, I am a huge fan of RVD and I felt his run in TNA was disappointing due to how poorly TNA used him. Hopefully WWE Creative can think of some interesting feuds to put RVD in especially considering how many up-and-coming stars he can work with in the WWE. Since Money in the Bank will be in Philadelphia (the former home of the original ECW), RVD should get one outstanding pop from the crowd. This writer personally hopes RVD is put in one of the Money in the Bank Ladder matches because it would be the best match for this veteran to show off all his exciting high-flying offence.
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