Did Punk Make John Laurinaitis?

[SSJPhenom]

I was just thinking about this and it dawned on me.....

On 06/27/2011; in one promo mind you, CM Punk mentioned a name that not many people were familiar with. Soon after mention of his name, we see him coming out with HHH for contract signings and we see him backstage and such. After that, he becomes the interim GM of Raw and now; he's involved in a featured match at 'Mania. All while all of this has been going on; he's remained a top heel often times involved with Punk on several different occassions.

His name is Mr. John Laurinaitis and he is the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and the Interim General Manager of Monday Night Raw; however, was his character made or put over by CM Punk?

 

[WallsofZakku]

I'd say Punk played a good part in introducing Laurinaitis and giving him heat. because really, what average fan would have known about him or even known about his extreme asskissing if it werent for Punk taking shots at him?
Now im sure though if he was introduced and was given time to play the heel part that he would have gotten himself some heat but i dont think it would be to the extreme its at now. his storyline with Punk over those few months really put him over as a corporate slimeball heel who takes advantage of his position of power amongst the lockeroom. but yes, Punk did help make Laurinaitis.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

Umm...introduced? That's probably a better word. Made? I guess. Put over? He's over? That's news to me. Yes, he's hated by the fans, but he's just terrible. I've gotten used to John Laurinitis, but that doesn't make him any better in my eyes.

Yes, Punk is the reason he's hated as much as he is, but I have no doubt a contributing factor is his complete lack of ability to do anything good. After he became a regular a lot of people started saying they thought he might be doing it on purpose as a way to get heat. No, I think he's just terrible. The worst part is his team will undoubtedly win at WM28 and we'll have to go through at least a few months of him dominating both shows. Keep in mind all you Laurinitis lovers, this also means more of Michael Cole fawning over him and ranting at every possible chance just how good he is. That fact makes it about a million times worse in my eyes. Not saying Teddy Long is a great option, but still I'd rather have someone new completely. Let's hope when he's inevitably replaced, it's someone completely fresh.

But as to your original point, my response would be, Made: yes, he's relevant because of CM Punk. Put over: I'm not sure that's even possible.

 

[SydTinDad]

Oh by FAR!!!!! Cudos to Phil Brooks the man, and CM Punk the character for doing what was good for business and helping develop a signature character we desperately needed to hate with a passion.

Punk did an awesome job bringing him into the story line and John has done a great job being a true to life asshole for the marks.

My question is, do they really hate each other? This looks like life imitating art to me.

 

[midgensa]

Obviously Punk played a HUGE part in getting Johnny Ace over.

But in the end ... the fans were going to hate Ace regardless. His smarmy smile, his monotonous tone and his complete lack of ANY face qualities makes him heat-central.

Obviously they knew all along they wanted Ace to have an on-air persona and that is why he was in the original promo ... and then the feud with Punk helped put him over the top. But Laurinaitis' character is damn near perfect and would have gotten plenty of heat in the long run all by himself.

So, did Punk MAKE Laurinaitis? No. Did he help catapult him? Sure.

 

[SSJPhenom]

Umm...introduced? That's probably a better word. Made? I guess. Put over? He's over? That's news to me. Yes, he's hated by the fans, but he's just terrible. I've gotten used to John Laurinitis, but that doesn't make him any better in my eyes.

Yes, Punk is the reason he's hated as much as he is, but I have no doubt a contributing factor is his complete lack of ability to do anything good. After he became a regular a lot of people started saying they thought he might be doing it on purpose as a way to get heat. No, I think he's just terrible. The worst part is his team will undoubtedly win at WM28 and we'll have to go through at least a few months of him dominating both shows. Keep in mind all you Laurinitis lovers, this also means more of Michael Cole fawning over him and ranting at every possible chance just how good he is. That fact makes it about a million times worse in my eyes. Not saying Teddy Long is a great option, but still I'd rather have someone new completely. Let's hope when he's inevitably replaced, it's someone completely fresh.

But as to your original point, my response would be, Made: yes, he's relevant because of CM Punk. Put over: I'm not sure that's even possible.

Yes; it is possible for him to be put over.

Whether as a face or as a heel, he is known by most all of the WWE's fan base at this point and as I said; he is in a featured match at 'Mania.

Yes, he's over!

 

[#BabyFace]

Umm...introduced? That's probably a better word. Made? I guess. Put over? He's over? That's news to me. Yes, he's hated by the fans, but he's just terrible. I've gotten used to John Laurinitis, but that doesn't make him any better in my eyes.

Yes, Punk is the reason he's hated as much as he is, but I have no doubt a contributing factor is his complete lack of ability to do anything good. After he became a regular a lot of people started saying they thought he might be doing it on purpose as a way to get heat. No, I think he's just terrible. The worst part is his team will undoubtedly win at WM28 and we'll have to go through at least a few months of him dominating both shows. Keep in mind all you Laurinitis lovers, this also means more of Michael Cole fawning over him and ranting at every possible chance just how good he is. That fact makes it about a million times worse in my eyes. Not saying Teddy Long is a great option, but still I'd rather have someone new completely. Let's hope when he's inevitably replaced, it's someone completely fresh.

But as to your original point, my response would be, Made: yes, he's relevant because of CM Punk. Put over: I'm not sure that's even possible.

Yes...he is over. In wrestling, the definition of "over" is you get a crowd reaction and Johnny usually gets the biggest heat a night maybe behind Vickie and sometimes Cena. The fact that you dont like him that much means that he is over because he is a HEEL

As for the question, I would say that Punk might have had a little to do wit it because Johnny needed a Vince/Austin like fued to get him going but Laurinitis has made hiself hated by each week pissing people off and dwelling on how bad he is on the mic. I like it, and he is a hella lot better then some of the GM's we hsve had.

 

[AwesomeRko]

Punk introduced him and gave him a high-level platform but Laurinitis made himself with the unitentionally hilarious monotone and mic-work, the whole Mr Excitement ickname capitalising on this was brilliant. I think i may be in the minority here but I really like him, he is so bad that hes kind of brilliant.

 

[anthonymclaughlin]

Yes punk made him, although i actually found punk went too far sometimes, bullying poor mister excitement. I found him less of a heel and more of a sympathic character that lashed out at people who wouldn't give him a break.

 

[The Dragon Saga]

Actually, Triple H introduced him. Punk mentioned him, I can mention someone, but unless I actually bring their physical self to the forefront I'm not introducing them to you. Definitions, learn 'em.

John Laurinitas is over as a heel. Not a great heel, infact the dude is pretty boring, but that is the humor in calling him "Mr. Excitement" and such, cause he is indeed the opposite. He took a few names from CM Punk but Punk didn't truly make John Laurinitas who he is, the fact of the matter remains John draws heat because people find his character bland and boring and CM Punk didn't create that, the guy himself is indeed a pretty bland and boring guy, watch any interview with former talent where they mention Laurinitas and they'll probably tell you that.

However CM Punk did give John some respect as a heel during the angle leading into the Royal Rumble, John messing with Punk and even stating he was going to screw him over were genuine heel tactics which resulted in heat and saw him leave his boring little bubble for a second. Punk has contributed to the Laurinitas on-screen character, but no, he hasn't made him. Just contributed.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

I think Punk certainly played a part in giving Laurinaitis some credibility as a heel. Before Laurinaitis started feuding with Punk, he was booed by the crowd just because he was bland and boring. It was a classic example of "X-Pac" heat. Mind you, by this point Lauranaitis had ousted Triple H as the COO of the company and fired JR but even that had not gotten him much attention.

That changed once he started messing with Punk by first sending Alberto Del Rio after him to get him disqualified and then by interfering in Ziggler's matches against Punk which allowed Ziggler to get some cheap wins against the World Champion. Punk played his part perfectly here as well. Initially he dismissed Laurinaitis as a joke and ridiculed him for his lack of creativity but once Laurinaitis started helping Ziggler get some wins against Punk, Punk showed his annoyance towards JL and even lost his cool with him on occasion. It looked like Laurinaitis had finally gotten under Punk's skin which gave him a lot of credibility as a heel.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Punk got it started, but the character isn't STILL over because of Punk. That's insane. As much as you guys want to hate on Ace (because you hear stories of wrestlers hating him when most of them seem like they're just feeling sorry for themselves IMO), he's pretty good at his job. Ace is AWESOME at the role he's doing.

Punk could have put him over as much as you possibly could but if Ace doesn't carry the role, it falls flat.

I don't think you guys know what XPac heat is. People don't stick around for XPac heat. They boo, then if you are on screen too long, they leave. People don't sit and watch things they dislike (in a bad way). That's why it makes no sense when you say Cole, Cena, or Ace get "X Pac heat". What you mean to say is "they are so good at making the smarks hate them that even I dislike them, but man I want to see them get their ass kicked".

 

[Diet Soda]

I'm going to say it's more of the opposite - John Laurinaitis made CM Punk.

Of course, I don't mean that Johnny Ace was a guardian angel to Punk all the way through his indy wrestling days, or helped Punk during his first years in the WWE (though he may have pushed him backstage, you never know).

What I'm referring to is the current incarnation of Punk. After the fizzling out of the New Nexus and the infamous worked shoot of last year, we saw a new side to Phil Brooks' character. Superficially, a transition from heel to face. Hell, you could even use the word tweener (yuck). More specifically, Punk shifted from the messianic leader figure of groups such as the Straight Edge Society and the Nexus, a cowardly, manipulative heel, to a rebellious, anti-authoritarian, conspiracy theorist.

What made the "shoot" feel so real was the breaking of the fourth wall kayfabe and dropping names unknown to the casual fans. I could wager that plenty of audience members in Hustle Loyalty Respect t-shirts wouldn't even had heard of Ring of Honour or New Japan, nor would the name John Laurinaitis mean anything to them. Therefore, when Punk rants on about "glad-handed, nonsensical, douchebag, yes-men", it gives the impression that he really does have beef with the behind the scenes people of the company.

Furthermore, integral to the rivalry between Punk and Cena last summer was the emergence of Laurinaitis as an on-screen character, and as an authority figure for Punk to rebel against. I believe that the version of CM Punk that is currently the WWE Champion, and the second biggest babyface in the company, would not have done so without Mr. Excitement.

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

I think it depends on your position. If you're a younger or casual fan, then yes, Punk "made" Laurinaitis in the sense that you probably didn't know who he was until then.

If you're in the know, like the majority of us on here, I think Punk just reminded us of who Johnny was and that he was still around.

We know the majority of wresting fans don't know what goes on behind the curtain. The IWC and those who follow the business more closely know Johnny b/c of his past as a wrestler and his years in the WWF/E front office. Unless you watched wrestling in the 80s or a student of the industry, you probably didn't even know who Johnny Ace was unless you heard someone talking about him. You didn't know that he and Road Warrior Animal are brothers. You didn't know he was a Dynamic Dude, and you didn't know he originally used the Diamond Cutter/RKO neckbreaker-type move w/the Ace Cutter before DDP or Orton came along.

When they laid out the Punk defying authority angle and had him break down the fourth wall in public, mentioning Johnny was part of the deal to get him over as anti-establishment. Johnny had been seen on WWF/E television before, specifically with angles involving Vince McMahon, but he had never really been called out by name much for anything on camera. When Punk slammed him in that initial "pipe bomb," it was almost a necessity then to bring him into the storyline as an on-screen character to visualize what Punk was saying to those who didn't know about Johnny. Vince apparently didn't want to be on camera as much anymore to serve the authority figure for this angle, so they needed someone in power for Punk to rebel against, like DX and Austin did in their heydays against Vince. So, why not Vince's No. 1 lackey? Him being put in charge of RAW made it easier to be the foil for Punk's anti-hero.

When Punk started going off on Johnny about his riding the coattails of his brother and being a boring wrestler, etc. ... well, that's true, in a way. Except maybe for Johnny's time in Japan, he really didn't amount to much. Now, Johnny had to defend not only his current position, but the view of him as a boring nobody. Hence the "Mr. Excitement" moniker and his ascension as the authority figure heel.

Punk and Johnny's program was entertaining. Not as entertaining as Austin/McMahon because it wasn't taken to that level, but still fun to watch. I think the current angle w/Teddy Long is setting him back a bit. He could come back strong as the heel GM of both shows, or this could be used to write him off of TV, if they give Teddy the GM spot of both shows.

Regardless, I think Punk did a good job of bringing Johnny back to the forefront and re-establishing him. Now it's his heat to lose.

 

[Jeritron5000]

Punk introduced him and gave him a high-level platform but Laurinitis made himself with the unitentionally hilarious monotone and mic-work, the whole Mr Excitement ickname capitalising on this was brilliant. I think i may be in the minority here but I really like him, he is so bad that hes kind of brilliant.

I agree that Punk's promo really only inspired the John Laurinitis character, but I don't really get the appeal. I understand the guy draws tremendous heat. But here you have an entertainment show who's main antagonist's schtick is that he's so boring you hate him? I repeat...an entertainment based show that's being injected with a villain whos character is defined by the fact that he's boring to watch and listen to...

 

[AwesomeRko]

I agree that Punk's promo really only inspired the John Laurinitis character, but I don't really get the appeal. I understand the guy draws tremendous heat. But here you have an entertainment show who's main antagonist's schtick is that he's so boring you hate him? I repeat...an entertainment based show that's being injected with a villain whos character is defined by the fact that he's boring to watch and listen to...

I completely agree with you in principal it makes no sense at all, I just personally crack up every time I see him I'm not sure why, it's kind of like your math teacher randomly appearing on tv.

Having said that I think he is improving and is a good realistic kind of corporate authority figure for faces to rebel against simply because like Punk said he is exactly like the boring type of middle management people have to answer to in real life. So a lot of people can probably relate in a way.

 

[Truly Phenomenonal]

Well, I see it as they both made each other...

Johnny was a big part of the development of the CM Punk character, there was tension between the two for quite some time, and it blew up around the time of the Royal Rumble. You have to wonder that without John Laurinaitis would CM Punk be as over as he is? I don't think he would.

At the same time however, CM Punk helped develop the character of Johnny. If you've ever been to a live show with Laurinaitis on it, it's amazing the amount of heat he is able to generate from the crowd. And while some of that heat comes from his overall presentation, a lot of the heat comes from his "feud" with CM Punk. The things he was doing to Punk a few months back were downright awful... but I believe that with the help of CM Punk and Mick Foley... yes Mick Foley, it put him over the hump and became one of the great heel General Managers and a great overall heel.

Let's go back to a few weeks before the Royal Rumble back in January. It was Johnny and Mick in the middle of the ring and up until that point Johnny Boy was getting a decent amount of heat but it was a different kind of heat that he gets now. Mick asked him "Do you intend to screw CM Punk at the Royal Rumble" and he said something along the lines of "You're damn right I do" and ever since he said those few words the heat he's gotten from the audience has been insane. It went from a non-serious heat to a very serious heat where it seems like we generally hate the guy.

And of course, Johnny does little things here and there to gain even more heat. Coming out with Otunga at his side, his overall make-up, the way he presents himself, always having that little grin, his voice, it's all obnoxious and that makes us hate him even more.

So, to answer your question... did CM Punk make him? He helped with it, but there were a lot of other factors that made up the character of John Laurinaitis.

 

[The Crock]

He didn't "make" him, but he definitely contributed in a big way. Every character -- we see this in every storyline -- needs a good foil; CM Punk happened to be John Laurinaitis' foil and through that he helped build Johnny Ace into what he is today. Ace's character works as well as it does because he's very one-dimensional, but he makes these contrived attempts to be "exciting" and that garners a reaction from the crowd; the character Johnny Ace is playing right now is just plain hilarious, though I'm not sure it was the intention when he first came on-screen. Punk definitely helped add to this all, but he's one of many people. Having a hated henchman like David Otunga has done just as much as Punk did -- There is a variety of reasons Johnny Ace's character has succeeded.

I hate putting a label on one person as being the guy who "made" a character, unless of course it is the man playing the character. People take away from Johnny Ace, but he has contributed a hell of a lot and really immersed himself into being the best character he can be. Johnny Ace deserves all the credit and more. Yes, feuding with the WWE Champion definitely helped, but if Johnny Ace didn't have some kind of a redeeming quality, it wouldn't have worked. Anybody could have been given this character, but Johnny Ace has gone above and beyond expectations in making it work.

 

[xoxo French Kiss xoxo]

Triple H made John Laurinaitis.

Laurinaitis helped establish Punk.
Punk helped Laurinaitis.
They both suck.

Laurinaitis vs Punk was a really bad retelling of the age old classic Austin vs Vince. It tried to be something good, but fell short due to the lack of talent shared between Punk and Laurinaitis.

 

[Xemmy]

Sort of. Johnny Ace would have been hated no matter who made him relevant. Punk introduced him to T.V., but as far as making or putting him over- everyone involved in that situation from Triple H, to Vince himself helped "make" him. In essence, he's been a really good guy for Punk to play off of as far as continuing the rebel thing. They really need to go back to that feud eventually. But CM Punk really just introduced him and gave Punk something to work against.