WWE Royal Rumble 2012: Why John Laurinaitis Will Cost CM Punk the WWE Title

We finally saw something more than a stiff board in the ring last night. John Laurinaitis showed some emotion.

Thank you, CM Punk.

This has "Screw Job" written all over it—the general manager of Raw getting into the ring to be the "impartial" referee in the CM Punk/Dolph Ziggler WWE title match.

Please tell me this is just a joke.

Not since the days of the "Montreal Screw Job" between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels and the Money in the Bank match between John Cena and CM Punk have we seen such blatant use of power and defiance in the WWE. And it looks like it will happen again.

I smell a rat. Saying John Laurinaitis (the vice present of...it doesn't matter what you are vice president of) is going to be impartial is like saying David Otunga deserves a shot at the World title.

When you have matches like this with special guest referees or stipulations that seem way off base (Ric Flair vs. David Flair in a "hair" match or Rick Rude vs. Jerry Lawler in a "dress for a month match"), it usually means the opponent or in most cases the heel prevails.

Let's hope this is not the case at the Royal Rumble.

6. Because He Wants to Be Part of the "Kliq"

Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero—maybe the three most influential people on Raw today.

And it will get a lot more "trendy" to hate them if this stable holds the WWE title and the United State title at the same time.

Somehow, and we still need to connect the dots, Vickie Guerrero is the best heel on the small screen and usually gets what she wants. She take more heat than any heel wrestler and is proving to be one of the all-time great managers in the WWE.

Laurinaitis wants to be part of the popular crowd.

5. He Wants to Be Vince McMahon

Call this Laurinaitis' own "Screw Job."

When Vince McMahon and Bret Hart got into it in Montreal, it started the "Attitude Era" and made McMahon a villain for the rest of his time on television and also made him more wealthy than he already was.

Laurinaitis sees the "wealth" in this scenario.

If he screws over the biggest star in the WWE, he is branded and with that comes a great deal of power and greed.

And no one in the company can pass that up.

4. An Angry CM Punk Is a Better CM Punk

You can see it in the look, the stare and the attitude.

CM Punk is Stone Cold Steve Austin. John Laurinaitis is Vince McMahon.

Both together, if Johnny Ace can get better in his delivery, is magic.

I don't see Laurinaitis in the ring with Punk, but the verbal jousting is pretty darn good.

When Punk is angry, his look is better, his work is better and his monologues are better.

3. Because Jericho Means Ratings

This is more of a decision by management rather than Laurinaitis.

There have been grumblings that ratings are down and CM Punk is not the man to continue to carry the torch. He is one who should be chasing it.

If the strap is put on Chris Jericho, it is a ratings boon and that means Raw is still rightfully the best wrestling program on television.

2. Because That Is the Way a Soap Opera Works

Like every soap opera or reality show, there is a hero and a villain.

Laurinaitis is the lead villain in this reality makeup.

The best way to insert his authority is to pick at the lead dog of the program. In this case, it is Punk and when he has the one thing Laurinaitis wants, the GM lashes out.

"Helping" Punk to lose the WWE title is the best bay to prove the vice president of talent relations is in charge of this ship.

1. Because Raw Is His Show and He Wants to "Own" It

For months, everyone has told Laurinaitis he has no "stones" or he is "weak" or he sucked when he was a wrestler. Maybe there is some truth to that, but from the research I have done, Johnny Ace was a pretty decent wrestler in Japan.

Just not in the States.

Laurinaitis wants to prove he can be a decent manager here in the States and prove those who doubt him wrong.

He is the current general manager of Raw and while he is in charge, he wants to run it his way and have a say in who is the champion and who is in the hunt for a title.

We have seen him step up his "attitude" lately, which has been more entertaining of late.