WWE Over the Limit 2012: 3 Must-See John Laurinaitis Matches

After retiring from the ring in 2000, John Laurinaitis has only infrequently been part of any in-ring action. His match this Sunday at Over the Limit may turn out to be a complete waste of time, but if booked well, it may actually mark the return of a man once ranked as #77 in the category of best singles wrestlers of the PWI 500.

What follows are three of Mr. John Laurinaitis' must-see matches.

Johnny Ace vs. Mean Mark Callous (with Teddy Long)

Imagine this: in the ring stands a long-haired John Laurinaitis. His opponent is the Undertaker, who has Teddy Long at his side as his manager. The match is being called by JR, and lo and behold, the whole thing is actually a pretty decent bout. 

In a case that is stranger than fiction, such a match actually took place on May 19, 1990. For around 10 minutes, the Undertaker (under his Mean Mark Callous gimmick) and John Laurinaitis (who at the time was called Johnny Ace) engaged in a match that not only boasted some of the best early work of these two men, but also a reversal of roles that featured Teddy Long sucker-punching his current boss.

Oh, and a Slam-o-Meter. Let's not forget about the Slam-o-Meter.

Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama vs. Steve Williams & Johnny Ace

When thinking of John Laurinaitis and his current in-ring work, the words "Match of the Year" seldom come to mind.

However, such was the case in 1996 when—during his tour of Japan—following a tag-team match between Johnny Ace (with Steve Williams) and Mitsuharu Misawa (with Jun Akiyama), the four men were awarded the Wrestling Observer Newsletter Award for match of the year. 

It turns out that those vignettes they were showing on RAW were most honest than expected.

Mitsuharu Misawa vs. Johnny Ace

Johnny Ace's singles work with rival Mitsuharu Misawa is as impressive as his tag-team action.

The match I've included here has the two men wrestling for over 20 minutes, and while the length of the match may not be incredibly impressive, the level of ability of these two men is astounding.

Ace Crushing Conclusion

Thanks for reading!

I've included this final YouTube video showing Johnny Ace's Ace Crusher, DDP's Diamond Cutter, and Randy Orton's RKO. Very similar, don't you think?

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