It’s official: With Paul Heyman’s signature on the match contract (not to mention Chris Jericho’s rather-unorthodox manner of filing documents), Y2J and CM Punk are officially slated to compete at WWE Payback on Sunday, June 16.
When it comes to “the best,” we all know where Jericho, Punk and Heyman fall on the matter, but what about other WWE Superstars and Legends? Whose claim of “the best” resonates most with the WWE locker room?
To find out, WWE.com polled several of Jericho and Punk’s peers on both Superstars’ technical prowess, their ability to dazzle on the microphone and more.
Inside the ring, who is the more technically proficient Superstar?
William Regal: CM Punk, without a doubt. He’s just a far more technically sound competitor. Chris, he’s a fine talent and is very, very tough, very scrappy. But the grappling skills he learned years ago, he hasn’t really advanced with them. Punk never stops training on his submission skills. He’s always doing jiu-jitsu and he’s always picking the brains of certain people. That’s what makes him an actual better technical wrestler.
Tensai: Chris Jericho. Jericho’s been around the world, he’s worked different countries and he’s wrestled many [in] different styles. Now, he mixes all those styles into one in WWE.
Kofi Kingston: They’re two of the most technically sound guys in history. Jericho’s been around for quite some time, and he can have a great match against anybody and match their style. Punk’s the same exact way. I’ve seen Punk go up against guys like Big Show, John Cena, and he’s very technical. [Jericho and Punk] both have submission moves and they’re very similar. It’s a toss-up.
Brodus Clay: Jericho, hands down. He knows 1,001 moves. He has the paper to prove it.
Which Superstar has greater command of the microphone?
Antonio Cesaro: Punk, because he says the truth. Jericho’s 17 catchphrases, and he keeps repeating them. It kind of gets old. Come up with new stuff. That’s just my opinion. Punk … he speaks from the heart.
The Miz: It depends. If you like to like people, Chris Jericho. If you like to hate people, then you’re going to love CM Punk.
William Regal: If you’re talking about entertainment, then you’ve got to go with Chris Jericho. He’s an incredible entertainer. Who gets more people’s attention on the microphone? CM Punk, certainly. The interview he gave before The Rock came back earlier this year was quite possibly one of the best I’ve ever seen. He held the audience spellbound.
Kofi Kingston: It depends on what you’re in the mood for. I think Jericho has more of an animated style of humor. He gets on there and does a lot of yelling, funny voices, stuff like that. But what Punk says is very real. A lot of times, you look at your friend when you’re watching Punk talk and you’re like, “He didn’t just say that.” And that, in and of itself, is entertaining because he’s saying things he’s not supposed to say.
Tensai: They both intrigue me. Chris is a lot more entertaining and you get a few more laughs. With Punk, you’re able to feel what he’s saying, and you’re able to relate to some of what he has gone through.
Which Superstar has proven more influential?
Kofi Kingston: Jericho’s actually a big reason why I got into wrestling. I turned on the TV and saw Chris, being a smaller guy, going out there and being able to do a lot of different, and a lot of great, things. It really gave me hope, and I was definitely influenced by him in terms of looking up at him and thinking I could make it. It’s just a matter of time, though, until Punk catches up to him in this department.
Antonio Cesaro: Punk. Punk. Punk.
Brodus Clay: Easy, that’s Y2J. He’s a performer and an entertainer, and I consider myself a performer and an entertainer.
William Regal: At the present time, you would have to say Chris Jericho. He has been around longer and he opened the doors for a lot of people of his stature to get noticed, if they were entertaining and could do all the things that he could do. But I think in another 10 years people will look back and see CM Punk as one of those guys that changed the world, again. There are people who have come along and changed things their own way. In 10 years, [Punk] will be the game-changer.
The Miz: CM Punk always reminds me of those dictators — those evil, deceiving, condescending dictators — and he has a way of making people follow him.
If you could only watch matches involving Chris Jericho or matches involving CM Punk, which would you choose?
Kofi Kingston: Oh, boy. Because there’s more Jericho matches than there are Punk matches right now, I’d go with Jericho. I’ve seen a lot of stuff with him in Japan, Europe, Mexico, WCW, ECW. His career spans over multiple eras in wrestling and completely different styles. I’d pick him only because he’s been around longer and there’s more variety.
Brodus Clay: You win either way because you still get to see Jericho vs. Punk. They're polar opposites, but extremely equal. They both have unbelievable championship reigns: Jericho beat Austin and The Rock in one night, unified the championship, and of course CM Punk held the championship for one of the longest runs in history. They both have strong submission moves. They’re just two tremendous competitors, and to see them go at it, you always know it’s going to be a great event.
The WWE Universe will be treated to the next great event on Sunday, June 16, when WWE Payback debuts on pay-per-view.
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