WWE: Is John Laurinaitis Helping CM Punk Get His Edge Back?

For months now, John Laurinaitis has been the proverbial thorn in CM Punk’s side. It has been widely speculated that Laurinaitis orchestrated Kevin Nash attacking Punk, causing him to lose the WWE championship to Alberto del Rio.

Since then, Laurinaitis has consistently been an obstacle for Punk. Claiming that he has been disrespected by Punk, Laurinaitis has gone to great lengths to jeopardize his reign as WWE champion. As a recent example, Laurinaitis allowed for Dolph Ziggler to become the No. 1 contender at the recent Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

The “Straightedge Superstar” has not taken kindly to Laurinaitis’ blatant abuse of power. Known for his extraordinary promo skills, Punk has dropped countless pipe bombs on the interim Raw general manager.

The animosity between Laurinaitis and Punk had been building for months. It reached a boiling point at the end of the last Raw before the Royal Rumble, when Punk hit the GTS on Laurinaitis.

Many people have compared the feud between Laurinaitis and Punk to the feud between Vince McMahon and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. To some extent, these comparisons have some validity. I’d venture to say that Punk’s GTS on Laurinaitis is, on a smaller scale, the modern incarnation of Austin’s 1997 Stunner on McMahon.

Austin’s feud with McMahon solidified him as one of the most popular wrestlers in history. I would not say that Punk’s rivalry with Laurinaitis has earned him fame of that caliber. However, it has certainly given him back some of the edge he had during the “Summer of Punk.”

As the “Voice of the Voiceless,” CM Punk’s struggle against this power-abusing authority figure has been a wonderful sub-plot for Punk’s various feuds over the past few months. Most importantly, it has given Punk the opportunity to separate himself from the rest of the pack.

When Punk returned following a short hiatus after winning the WWE championship, he had lost a lot of steam. If I recall correctly, he willingly partnered with John Cena, his bitter rival from just a few months ago, in a tag team match.

Fortunately enough, Laurinaitis helped Punk regain his edge. Punk decisively beat Alberto del Rio at Survivor Series to win the WWE championship and has since been a dominant and entertaining champion.

While this feud likely will not launch Punk into superstardom, it has certainly helped Punk stand out. If Punk can maintain this edge to his character, in addition to continuing to build momentum towards what should be his biggest WrestleMania yet, then I have no doubt that CM Punk will someday be regarded as one of the best wrestlers in history, just like Steve Austin.