WWE Over the Limit 2012: Will John Cena vs. John Laurinaitis Be a Success?

John Cena versus John Laurinaitis.

Yee-haw.

Nothing like some good old fashioned skepticism to start off a column, right?  But, be honest, just how many of you are looking forward to this match at WWE Over the Limit on Sunday? 

I have to say, for me, the booking of this match just feels all wrong.  

Yes, Cena has had his issues with Laurinaitis.  After all, the company’s top guy is always likely to butt heads with the main authority figure on TV, especially when that figure is running heel.  So, it’s inevitable that they would cross paths at some point.  Makes perfect sense.

But, as tensions began to rise between them, I felt certain that the match we would see at the pay-per-view would pit Cena against an opponent representing Laurinaitis.  That way, Cena gets a main event and Laurinaitis could be at ringside, cheering (or texting) his chosen superstar onto victory.

However, that match has already taken place, as Cena went down to Lord Tensai on the April 16th edition of Monday Night Raw.

That one is still hard to believe.

So, instead of that match being saved for Over the Limit, we have Cena squaring off with the executive VP of talent relations, who has not been in the ring on a full-time basis since 2000.

Again, yee-haw.

The fact is, this match should have been John Laurinaitis versus CM Punk.

These two have had arguably the most heat that the "boss" and a superstar could have, since Vince McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin.  

Week after week Laurinaitis would attempt to outsmart and outmaneuver the WWE champion, and week after week he would be left looking dumbfounded and angry, while Punk had the crowd in stitches.

It really felt as though that this would eventually lead to some sort of showdown.

But Punk became more and more distracted with Chris Jericho, and now he’s moved on to Daniel Bryan, with Laurinaitis being pushed farther and farther back from him.

Perhaps Vince McMahon felt that the WWE champion should not be too heavily involved in a storyline like this, as defending the title should really always be the focus of the guy wearing it.  Getting involved in a physical storyline with Laurinaitis would do nothing for Punk as the top titleholder in the company, and keeping him in the ring wrestling against viable contenders only strengthens him as a worker and as a champion.

John Cena, on the other hand, is currently at a standstill.  The Rock has gone back to Hollywood, and Brock Lesnar has been taken off of TV for a while.  In terms of high-profile, main-event matches, the other big name superstars all have full dance cards at the moment.  Cena is, in many ways, the odd man out.

So, the question remains: How many of you are looking forward to this match on Sunday?

Despite Laurinaitis’ retirement from the ring, the truth is the guy is an old pro.  He knows what it takes to get in there and make it look good, and he surely will be ready to go when the bell rings.

At least, I hope he will.  

Don’t misunderstand me here, it’s not that I have money on Laurinaitis to win—but as a fan who just wants a good pay-per-view, let’s say that I am cautiously optimistic that he understands how important it is for him to be ready.  

He is getting in the ring with WWE’s top dog.  There is a certain amount of pressure that goes along with that, and Laurinaitis will have to pull his own weight in order for the match to be successful.

But, will it be successful?

Perhaps the real effort that should be made on Laurinaitis’ part, other than his match with Cena, is his work on the mic.

It’s downright scary, folks.

Every time he talks I listen and just sort of hold my breath, hoping that he doesn’t trip over his words too badly.  

Oh, and the laughing?  Seriously?

Laurinaitis has become the top heel authority figure in WWE.  He’s on national television in front of a live crowd and he can't keep a straight face during a spot with John Cena in the ring?

Granted, Cena is doing everything in his power to crack Laurinaitis, undoubtedly giving the boys in the back a good laugh in the process.  But on the eve of a pay-per-view in which these two are going to have a showdown in the ring—a match that we are all supposed to buy into—we’re being treated to a "made you laugh" situation?

Wow.  What else can you say?

Following Cena’s epic match against Brock Lesnar at last month’s Extreme Rules, it’s hard to believe that this match with John Laurinaitis is really happening—but as much as we may want to criticize, fear and dread what we may see at Over the Limit, the only thing we can really do is sit back and hope for the best.