#1. Vince McMahon vs. Steve Austin II
My Twitter account went through the roof this week and I finally went over 1,000 followers. I knew I wasn't more interesting all of a sudden to justify the increase in followers, so it puzzled me. I later found out that @WWEUniverse – WWE's official Twitter account dedicated to their fans — had retweeted one of my comments from Monday (during Raw) claiming that the transformation was complete. I truly believe CM Punk and Johnny Laurinaitis are meant to be the modern day equivalent of the McMahon/Austin feud that captivated fans during the late 90's.
Comparisons will now be made. Individually and as a whole. I'd like to hear your initial thoughts, honestly. How do the pieces to the puzzle today compare to those from then. Vince vs. Johnny Ace. CM Punk vs. Steve Austin.
My early thoughts? John Laurinaitis is not Vince McMahon, period. CM Punk is not Steve Austin…yet.
I say that, but I actually do like "Big Johnny". He's probably the closest to Vince McMahon it will ever get. Fans know how high up he is in that organization. Most realize he's practically a real-life extension of Vince McMahon as it is. He may not work as well as Vince McMahon does in that role, but he's better than anyone else they could find as a replacement.
And what is there to say about CM Punk that hasn't already been said? He hasn't been given the chance — and he simply hasn't had enough time — to equal Steve Austin or come close. But he can. And he might. He certainly doesn't lack in potential and what he's already gained and accomplished in such a short amount of time proves that.
Will CM Punk and Johnny Ace ever make it to the level of Austin/McMahon? You tell me.
Chris Cash can be reached via email at wzchriscash@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @RealityofChris and be sure to tune in every Monday night, live from 7-8 EST, as he and Nick Paglino host the Voice of Wrestling radio show exclusively on VOWLive.com and WrestleZone.com.