John Laurinaitis
From Freepedia
John Laurinaitis is the Vice President of Talent Relations for World Wrestling Entertainment. He was previously a professional wrestler better known as Johnny Ace.
Contents |
Career
John Laurinaitis started wrestling in 1986 as Johnny Ace. He teamed with his brother, The Terminator, in Florida Championship Wrestling and formed a tag team in the NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions with Shane Douglas called "The Dynamic Dudes". They were managed by Jim Cornette until Cornette turned on them for Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane's version of The Midnight Express.
Ace achieved most of his success in All Japan Pro Wrestling where he teamed with Kenta Kobashi, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Mike Barton.
He quit wrestling in 2000 to become the booker for World Championship Wrestling and he became a road agent in the World Wrestling Federation after the sale of WCW to the WWF in 2001. Laurinaitis worked his way up to become Vice President of Talent Relations for WWE in 2004, which put him in charge of talent scouting and contracts for the company.
Controversy
Laurinaitis has been the subject of constant criticism from internet wrestling fans since he took the position of Vice President of Talent Relations. He is cited as the chief reason why smaller, but truly talented workers such as Charlie Haas are released in favor of bigger, less talented stars like Gene Snitsky and Chris Masters. He is said to inform Vince McMahon that bigger stars are "what the fans wanted to see" and that smaller stars don't draw as much money. Recent releases, as well as the de-pushes of workers such as Shelton Benjamin and Christian certainly add fire to these claims, though monetary reasons and changing storylines also serve as viable excuses. One person in particular who despises Laurinaitis is Matt Hardy, since Hardy claims that it was partially because of Laurinaitis that he was released from WWE.
Profile
- Height: 6'3"
- Weight: 250 lbs
- Birthday: July 31, 1965
- Hometown: San Bernardino, California
- Trainer: Nelson Royal
- Debut: 1986
- Managers: Jim Cornette
- Other Gimmicks: Johnny Ace
Finishers and signature moves
Championships/Accomplishments
- 4-Time AJPW Unified Tag Team Champion (with Kenta Kobashi twice, Mike Barton once and "Dr. Death" Steve Williams once)
- 2-Time AJPW All-Asia Tag Team Champion (with Kenta Kobashi)
- 1-Time FCW Tag Team Champion (with The Terminator)
- 1-Time ICWA Florida Champion
- 1-Time Oregon Wrestling Federation Champion
- Pro Wrestling Illustrated (PWI) ranked him # 203 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003.
Trivia
- Laurinaitis is the brother of Mark Laurinaitis (The Terminator/Fury) and Road Warrior Animal.
- Laurinaitis once dated adult film star Seka.
Categories: American professional wrestlers | 1965 births | People from California | Professional wrestling executives | Professional wrestling managers and valets
