WWE: Why CM Punk Hitting John Laurinaitis Was Nothing Like Austin-McMahon

The build up finally culminated on tonight's edition of WWE Raw. CM Punk finally got his hands on Mr. John Laurinaitis.

Wrestlenewz.com broke the story a few weeks ago about how the WWE was building up the Punk-Laurinaitis feud much in the way the Stone Cold Steve Austin-Vince McMahon feud was built.

They (Wrestlenewz via their sources) were comparing the moment Punk got a hold of Laurinaitis to the moment when Austin nailed the first of many Stone Cold Stunners against McMahon.

Well, the WWE creative team failed once again to deliver on their ideas.

Not only was the moment Punk nailed the GTS on Laurinaitis incredibly predictable in that we could see it coming a mile away once Laurinaitis asked for a handshake, but they ruined the moment by having Dolph Ziggler run out to attack Punk.

I know the WWE likes to use the Raw before a PPV to get fans interested in the show, but if they were truly going for the Austin-McMahon comparisons, the show shoud've ended with Punk standing over the fallen Laurinaitis.

Even without the Ziggler run out, the moment pales in comparison to the Austin-McMahon moment.

Laurinaitis isn't the boss of the company. He's not viewed as the face of the fat-cat, evil, corporate boss that every blue-collar worker can identify with and hate. In fact, Laurinaitis is nothing more than an annoyance on weekly television.

Until last week, Laurinaitis had done virtually nothing to deviate from a boring boss who attempts to appear neutral. I can appreciate the WWE attempting to make Laurinaitis a heel without overdoing it on the ways to get heat, but it clearly wasn't working for Mr. Laurinaitis.

But it's not only Laurinaitis' fault for the moment not coming to fruition in the manner the WWE wanted it to. Punk, although "the voice of the voiceless," doesn't resonate with an audience in the way Austin did.

Punk's main support comes from the "true wrestling" fans and the older crowd. The main issue with that is neither are the main demographics the WWE cares about. Don't believe me? Just look at how any title matches John Cena was involved in during 2011.

The moment Punk finally got his hands on Laurinaitis was supposed to be something we would look back on and realized this is the moment where the feud began to change.

Instead, fans are more focused on how Laurinaitis will interfere with Punk's match at the Royal Rumble and if Laurinaitis will even have a job next week.

The GTS didn't make me want more of Punk-Laurinaitis or signify the beginning of a major feud, only hoped that next week is the last time we are subjected to the end of "Mr. Personality" John Laurinaitis.