WWE: Where Does John Lauranitis Fit in with the Current Storyline Arc?

At first, John Laurinaitis' on-screen role for the WWE was clear. He accompanied Mr. McMahon to the ring at Money in the Bank in an attempt to screw CM Punk out of the WWE Title. He was subsequently introduced to the right hand and forearm of John Cena and since that point, no one really knows what is going on.

We learned last night that the conversation Johnny Ace had with Kevin Nash a few weeks ago involved signing the former WCW and WWE Champion to a contract. This arc played itself out and now CM Punk and Kevin Nash are entrenched in a quality feud.

Next, the question of whether or not Kevin Nash was in John Laurinaitis' back pocket was sorta answered. We learned that Kevin Nash lied both to Laurinaitis and Triple H about being in that car accident. Triple H confronted Nash and all seemed to be hunky-dory.

All of this brings us to last night. John Laurinaitis was watching the action between Cena, Sheamus, Mark Henry and Christian, and the wheels started turning in the head of the crafty businessman. Charles Robinson happened to be standing nearby and he ordered him to go book the match.

Before anyone could move, Triple H came to Robinson and Laurinaitis and said that was all good and well, but the match had already been booked.

Triple H then got in John Laurinaitis' face and said, "You may be the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, but you don't have that power, you work for me...I am your boss!"

This exchange last night got me seriously wondering what role Laurinaitis will play going forward. He is obviously frustrated that he was passed over for the leadership role of COO, despite his resume of being a long-standing, loyal corporate executive.

The question now for WWE Creative is this, what should they do with John Laurinaitis? I can see one scenario that could be comedic gold. 

Triple H comes out for an announcement and is interrupted by the RAW GM. Yes, it is still going on as the podium comes out each and every week. This tension between the RAW GM and COO Triple H could give some answers to fans who have went a year wondering why the Nexus attacked Undertaker or why many other things occurred over the past few months.

Logically, it would be a very sound idea. Laurinaitis is a Vinny Mac man. In his absence, he could have secretly appointed Laurinaitis so his interests were kept in mind. We all know that Vinny Mac didn't like Bret Hart as GM, so replacing him secretly with Laurinaitis would have made sense.

At the end of the day, this entire feud involving Punk, Nash, Triple H, Laurinaitis, etc. feels like it will end in some form of faction warfare. WWE.COM teased a potential return of the NWO as NWO II. I for one feel, if done correctly, it could interject some life and energy into the company.

WWE has a rough few months ahead of them with Monday Night Football returning, with UFC entering the TV game in an increased way and with buy rates and viewer numbers where they are.

Some people have toyed around with the idea of Nash enlisting the help of R-Truth and the Miz to reform the stable.

I think anything short of involving X-Pac, Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash and other past NWO members would be a failure. Even though X-Pac may not be able to wrestle because of his medical history, he can still play the role as a mouth piece and manager.

If it was done properly, the NWO could become a main event feud that could be used to help bolster the tag team division. Can you imagine teams like the Kings of Wrestling squaring off with the NWO?

The WWE would effectively kill two birds with one stone and everyone would be happy. Fans took to Twitter and other social media in praise and excitement by the mere fact that Kevin Nash came out to "Rockhouse" the former theme of the NWO.

Obviously there is a lot going on and there are many things to ponder and question. Hopefully tonight's SmackDown lives up to the hype as the word backstage is that Creative is booking SmackDown as if it were a pay-per-view.

Tom Urtz is an NHL Featured Columnist, a New York Rangers Featured Columnist, a WWE Featured Columnist and a lifelong wrestling fanatic.

Tom can be found on Twitter by clicking the button below.