On January 22, 2018, Laurinaitis was one of the guests that appeared on stage during the 25th Anniversary episode of Raw.[20]. On the October 10 edition of Raw, Laurinaitis was announced by Vince McMahon as the new Interim Raw General Manager, as the decision by the Board of Directors. [10] Laurinaitis subsequently made an appearance alongside McMahon as a corporate stooge during the main event of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view the following month. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. On the June 11, 2012 episode of Raw, Vince McMahon gave Laurinaitis a job evaluation. 250 lbs (113 kg) He is also the uncle of James Laurinaitis, former linebacker for the St. Louis Rams and New Orleans Saints. WWE programming ain't lying when they call the guy uncharismatic, dull and irritating to watch. Not many people realize that Cage was actually a part of the WWE. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) Laurinaitis suffered an array of injuries from the match, including a possible concussion and contusions over his body. San Bernardino, California On the August 1 episode of Raw, Laurinaitis interrupted Triple H, telling him to strip Cena of his WWE Championship, which led Cena to interrupt him and threaten to hit him again before Laurinaitis fled the ring. personality, producer and retired professional wrestler currently signed to WWE as a head of talent relations. This fear was realized only a few weeks after the WWE rings began to be used as Mark Henry (who was in OVW at the time) would break the ropes while running them, hurting him in the process. Laurinaitis was responsible for booking the highly acclaimed one-night single elimination tournament held for the WCW United States Heavyweight Championship that was won by the debuting Lance Storm. I go back and forth on Johnny Ace. Laurinaitis returned the next night on Raw, using a power chair and crutches for mobility purposes. Disagreement With Johnny Ace They were managed by Jim Cornette until Cornette turned on them for Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane's version of The Midnight Express. On the September 26 episode of Raw, Laurinaitis would advise David Otunga, a Harvard Law School graduate, to help the disgruntled wrestlers with his legal knowledge who are complaining to him about Triple H's decisions and actions as COO. At Night of Champions, Laurinaitis interfered in the main event in an attempt to have Triple H removed from power but was stopped by The Miz and R-Truth, who attacked both Triple H and CM Punk, believing there to be a conspiracy. Laurinaitis' brothers Joe, who was Animal of The Road Warriors, and Marcus were also professional wrestlers. On that week's edition of SmackDown, Laurinaitis and Otunga would sit down with Christian, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger and Vickie Guerrero to discuss the matter. John Laurinaitis started wrestling in 1986 as Johnny Ace. Another came at the time Cornette was using Doug Basham as OVW's top heel. On the June 18th episode of RAW, John Laurinaitis appeared and stated that he made the main event for the show before being fired, a 3 on 1 handicap match between the team of Laurinaitis, David Otunga, and Big Show vs John Cena. King band, then formed The Beale Streeters with Bobby Bland and Earl Forest. In AJPW, he found a lot of success, teaming with Kenta Kobashi, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Bart Gunn. On that week's edition of SmackDown, Laurinaitis wrestled his first match in 11 years (as well as his first for WWE), losing to Theodore Long in a Singles match. Born On the August 15 episode of Raw, Laurinaitis asked Nash for a private meeting in his office, and on the September 5 episode of Raw, after Triple H fired Nash, Laurinaitis was seen entering Nash's limo with him, leaving the arena. Eventually WWE would end their relationship with OVW.[9]. Laurinaitis' brothers have both been involved in professional wrestling: Joseph, also known as Road Warrior Animal; and former wrestler Marcus, mainly known as one half of the tag team The Wrecking Crew (Terminator / Fury). Laurinaitis subsequently began a feud with SmackDown general manager Theodore Long. On the June 15th episode of Smackdown, he gets smacked by John Cena. On the August 1 episode of Raw, Laurinaitis would interrupt Triple H, telling him to strip Cena of his WWE Championship, which led to Cena to interrupt him and threaten to hit him again before Laurinaitis fled the ring. During the match, Laurinaitis distracted Punk, allowing Dolph Ziggler to pin Punk and earn a title shot. That same night, the Board of Directors sent Laurinaitis a letter stating that he would be fired if he lost the no disqualification match against Cena at Over the Limit. He was a gangly and awkward performer who had some decent in-ring skills, but lacked the "it" factor. The WWE Board of Directors decided on February 7, 2012 to retain Laurinaitis as Raw's interim General Manager. At the time Basham had long hair and out of nowhere at an OVW taping Basham showed up bald, his reason being WWE creative wanted to see how he looked bald. Prior to joining WWE, Laurinaitis worked as an executive for WCW. [21] The two were married in a private ceremony on March 24, 2016. Laurinaitis was hired in as a road agent after WWE's acquisition of certain assets of WCW in March 2001. They were managed by Jim Cornette until Cornette turned on them for Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane's version of The Midnight Express. John Hodger Laurinaitis (né le 31 juillet 1965 à Philadelphie) est un ancien catcheur américain. At Night of Champions, Laurinaitis would try and help CM Punk win (with Punk not wanting the help), but was stopped by The Miz and R-Truth, who would attack both Triple H and CM Punk, believing the whole thing is one big conspiracy. In WWE, Laurinaitis worked as Senior Vice President of Talent Operations for eight years, and as occasional wrestler from 2011 until 2012. John Laurinaitis told everyone that he rehired Big Show to help him win the match against John Cena. Posted on March 10, 2021 bleedingcool.com - WWE has announced that former Smackdown Women's Champion Bayley will be a guest on this week's edition of the After the Bell podcast with Corey … Bayley to Appear on After the Bell; Johnny Ace Returns to WWE - Flipboard Toys In 2004, Laurinaitis replaced Jim Ross as Vice President of Talent Relations, then being promoted to Senior Vice President in 2007 and finally to Executive Vice President in 2009. Before McMahon could fire Laurinaitis, Big Show hit the WMD on McMahon by accident. Following his match against Long, the two began a feud that led up to WrestleMania, in which both Long and Laurinaitis chose six superstars to represent them, the winning team would decide the new General Manager of both respective brands. Laurinaitis enjoyed significant championship success and acclaim during his tenure, becoming a two-time All Asia Tag Team Champion, a four-time World Tag Team Champion, and the winner of the New Year's Heavyweight Battle Royal on January 2, 1991 at Korakuen Hall. プロレスラーとしてはジョニー・エース（Johnny Ace）をリング … He made a cameo appearance in the WWE Headquarters Money in the Bank match in … During the WWE Championship match, under McMahon's orders, Laurinaitis tried to duplicate the Montreal Screwjob, but defending WWE Champion John Cena then proceeded to knock Laurinaitis out, not wanting to win the match that way. The match was won by Teddy Long's team. John Laurinaitis was born on July 31, 1962 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA as John Joseph Laurinaitis. During this week's 31 … Mr. McMahon then fired John Laurinaitis. At the climax of the WWE Championship match, under McMahon's orders, Laurinaitis tried to duplicate the Montreal Screwjob, but defending WWE Champion John Cena then proceeded to knock Laurinaitis out, not wanting to win the match that way. Johnny Ace. Later, when he wrestled for NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions he formed a tag team with Shane Douglas called "The Dynamic Dudes". Laurinaitis made another appearance during SmackDown's 15th Anniversary Special on the October 10, 2014 episode of SmackDown in which he formed a team to face Teddy Long's team to be determined as the greatest GM in SmackDown history. The following week on Raw, Laurinaitis would distract Punk once again, allowing Ziggler to win the match by count-out, thus, Punk still retained the championship. Punk agreed to the match under the condition that if he beat all three, then he would receive a match against Laurinaitis himself afterwards. H… [1] No começo, enquanto lutava na Florida Championship Wrestling Ace frequentemente lutava em dupla com seu irmão Marcus Laurinaitis (vulgo The Terminator). On the June 17, 2012 No Way Out Pay-Per-View, John Cena defeated the Big Show by escaping the steel cage. On the May 14, 2012 episode of Raw, Laurinaitis fired Big Show from the WWE after Show mocked Laurinaitis' voice, despite Show giving in to Laurinaitis' demands and begging to keep his job. Laurinaitis’s two brothers, John (aka Johnny Ace) and Marcus (aka Terminator), were also professional wrestlers. Pro Wrestling is a FANDOM Lifestyle Community. On the April 23, 2012 episode of Raw, Laurinaitis appointed Eve Torres as Executive Administrator of Raw and SmackDown. (pin) Erik Watts & Steve Williams: AJPW Super Power Series '00 - Day 6 May 26th 2000: Johnny Ace & Mike Barton: def. Nash also interfered in the match after Laurinaitis sent a text at ringside. He soon returned to World Championship Wrestling where he replaced Vince Russo as head booker. FinishersSignature movesEntrance MusicNicknames"The Five Star Stud"Managers and valetsTeams and stables Profile Profile Facebook Laurinaitis continued to cause Punk to lose to Ziggler throughout January[15][16] which ultimately led to Punk attacking Laurinaitis in retaliation, claiming that he was abusing his power. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.187), WCW United States Heavyweight Championship, "John Cena pulled from WWE live events and Raw, WWE weekend (California and Texas correspondents needed), Big Johnny, Kid Kash, El Texano Jr", "WWE Acknowledges The Bella Twins Mother Marrying John Laurinaitis – eWrestlingNews.com", "More Details On John Laurinaitis' Resignation As WWE SVP Of Talent Operations", "Raw: Rematch time for Punk and Del Rio while Cena gets a reality check", "Raw: CM Punk returns home, runs the gauntlet", "WWE Raw SuperShow results: Laurinaitis snaps! Florida Championship Wrestling is WWE's developmental territory as of 2012. However, when Stephanie McMahon took over Talent Relations and handed over the reins to Paul "Triple H" Levesque, Laurinaitis moved down from his executive duties to being Senior Vice President of Talent Operations. Laurinaitis wrestled as Johnny Ace. After Nash claimed that he had sent the text message to himself, it was implied that Laurinaitis was working to try and undermine Triple H in his new role as Chief Operating Officer, presumably because he wanted the job for himself. He also appeared when Vince was kicked by Randy Orton on RAW. (1999), WWE Money in the Bank (2011) and SummerSlam (2011). Two of his matches received 5 Stars from Dave Meltzer, he won the "Match of the Year" award from the Wrestling Observer, and was ranked #77 in Pro Wrestling Illustrated's (PWI) top 500 wrestlers for 1997. Don’t expect Brian Cage to leap at the opportunity to go back to WWE. On September 3, 2015, Laurinaitis became engaged to Kathy Colace, who is the mother of the Bella Twins and the mother-in-law of Daniel Bryan. After his on screen firing, he stepped down from his corporate backstage role to being a producer. On SmackDown's 15th Anniversary Special on October 10, 2014, Laurinaitis formed a team to face Teddy Long's team to be determined as the greatest GM in SmackDown history. After signing the contract, Cena flipped the table over and moved to go face to face with Punk, but was stopped by Laurinaitis. After a few weeks of impartiality during which he pledged that he would listen to the WWE fans using his slogan of "People Power", Laurinaitis began showing bias against WWE Champion CM Punk, who had repeatedly criticized Laurinaitis and questioned his integrity over the past few months. [7] In June 2004, Laurinaitis replaced Jim Ross as Vice President of Talent Relations, then being promoted to Senior Vice President in February 2007[7] and finally to Executive Vice President in March 2009. 203 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the ", This page was last edited on 7 April 2021, at 14:15. John Hodger Laurinaitis Wiki: Salary, Married, Wedding, Spouse, Family John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known as Johnny Ace, is an American retired professional wrestler and senior producer, currently employed by WWE.He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and WWE. Laurinaitis appeared at Survivor Series, alongside Los Matadores, R-Truth, Santino Marella and Fandango, and at the 2013 Slammy Awards, presenting the Rookie of the Year award to The Shield. [4] He is the brother of Joe (Road Warrior Animal; one half of the former wrestling tag team The Road Warriors) and Marcus, and is also the uncle of James Laurinaitis, former National Football League player. Unfortunately, just before he was about to sign with the promotion, he fell onto his head. Johnny Ace is 46 years old, and he is preparing to headline his first American pay-per-view. Is there such a thing? 1986 Eventually OVW would end their relationship with WWE. The Road Warriors plowed through teams in WWE, the NWA and the AWA, while “Mr. Despite their family ties, Animal and the former Johnny Ace rarely appeared in the ring together, choosing instead to make their names on their own. The following night on Raw, Laurinaitis, now using a power chair and crutches for mobility purposes, rehired Show after helping him win the match against Cena. Prior to joining WWE, Laurinaitis worked as an executive for WCW. Prior to entering the competition as one of The Dynamic Dudes at the NWA, he appeared as a flagbearer for the team of The Sheepherders. Johnny Ace is back at the helm of talent relations in WWE. Laurinaitis was known as Johnny Ace during his days as a wrestler. ", "WWE Raw SuperShow results: Laurinaitis takes a nap", "WWE Board of Directors to Laurinaitis: You're NOT fired", "WWE.com: SmackDown: General Manager Theodore Long vs. General Manager John Laurinaitis", Breaking News: John Laurinaitis Officially Removed as Executive Vice President of Talent Relations, https://www.denverpost.com/2018/01/21/wwe-raw-marks-25-years/, "Daniel Bryan and John Laurinaitis are about to be in-laws", "John Laurinaitis marries Bella Twin's mother Kathy Colace", World Tag Team Title (All Japan Pro-Wrestling), http://www.purolove.com/ajpw/history/rwtl88.php, John Laurinaitis « Wrestlers Database « Cagematch, "Pro-Wrestling Illustrated 500 of the PWI Years", "The 2012 Wrestling Observer Newsletter Annual Awards Issue", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=John_Laurinaitis&oldid=1016499376, Professional wrestling managers and valets, Sportspeople from San Bernardino, California, Expatriate professional wrestlers in Japan, Wikipedia pending changes protected pages, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, January 3 Korakuen Hall Heavyweight Battle Royal (1991), World's Strongest Tag Determination League New Wave Award (1988) – with, ICWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (2 times), Ranked No. Afterwards, he was given an Attitude Adjustment through the announcer's table by John Cena. He has wrestled for such promotions as World Championship Wrestling (WCW), All Japan Pro Wrestling (AJPW) and WWE. July 31, 1965 (1965-07-31) (age 55) Mit diesem gewannLaurinaitis 1989 zwei Mal die NWA Florida Tag Team Champio… Cornette refused to take the rings as the weaker real ropes could have ended up doing more harm than good. On the October 10 edition of Raw, following a kayfabe strike by members of the WWE roster as a result of Triple H's management, Vince McMahon introduced Laurinaitis as the new Interim General Manager of Raw. [13] The following week on Raw, Laurinaitis distracted Punk once again, causing him to be counted-out in his title match against Ziggler, thus retaining the championship. Laurinaitis then declared himself to be the soon to be permanent Raw General Manager rather than just the Interim General Manager. At least Johnny Ace was able to make things up to Cage before his departure. He has been married to … John Hodger Laurinaitis[3] was born on July 31, 1962[2] in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1][4]. He appeared at the Slammy Awards in December and, on March 28, 2015 he inducted The Bushwhackers into the WWE Hall of Fame. At first, while wrestling in Florida Championship Wrestling, Ace frequently teamed with his brother The Terminator. Mais tarde, na Jim Crockett Promotions da NWA ele formou uma dupla com Shane Douglas chamada "The Dynamic Dudes". On March 28, 2015 he inducted the The Bushwhackers into the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame. On the September 5 episode of Raw, after Triple H fired Nash, Laurinaitis would enter Nash's limo with him, leaving the arena. The return of 'Johnny Ace' is reportedly not the most popular He has had his share of detractors over the years who have accused him of being an ass-kissing politician whose skill as a pro-wrestler, booker and recruiter of talent are vastly overrated. Prior to entering the competition as one of The Dynamic Dudes at the NWA, he appea… At WrestleMania XXVIII, Team Laurinaitis defeated Teddy Long's team, resulting in Teddy Long losing his position as the General Manager of SmackDown, and John Laurinaitis became the permanent General Manager of both brands. In WWE, Laurinaitis worked in the talent relations office for eight years, and as occasional professional wrestler from 2011 until 2012. He became an on-screen authority figure in 2011, feuding with the likes of CM Punk and John Cena, and famously coined the term "people power." Excitement” achieved his greatest in-ring success in the rough-and-tumble rings of All Japan Pro Wrestling. [22], American professional wrestler and producer, National Wrestling Alliance/World Championship Wrestling (1986–1990), World Wrestling Federation / Entertainment / WWE, Backstage roles and Senior Vice President of Talent Operations (2001–2012), Return to road agent and sporadic appearances (2012–2020), Return to Head of Talent Relations (2021–present), Foley, Mick. The respective General Managers of Raw and SmackDown swapped places for one night only with Laurinaitis in charge of SmackDown for March 9, 2012 and Long in charge of Raw for March 5, 2012. In response to this, the Board of Directors ordered that his position as Interim General Manager would be taken under review by Chief Operating Officer Triple H. At the Royal Rumble, Laurinaitis brought in another official and Punk defeated Ziggler. Sometime in 2000 Laurinaitis sent WWF rings that OVW had not requested for. [8] Laurinaitis's tenure in this role has received criticism from those who have worked for him, including Jim Cornette who, in his interviews with Kayfabe Commentaries, described how Laurinaitis failed to work in the same capacity with Ohio Valley Wrestling (WWE's developmental territory) as Ross did, often failing to warn the promotion when wrestlers OVW were using at the time were going to be called up to the main roster or when wrestlers from the main roster were set to appear for OVW but never did. John Laurinaitis started wrestling in 1986 as Johnny Ace. Laurinaitis begann seine Karriere in der National Wrestling Alliance, wo er 1986 unter dem Namen Johnny Ace debütierte. John Laurinaitis started wrestling in 1986 as Johnny Ace. During the match, Laurinaitis would distract Punk, allowing Dolph Ziggler to win the match. Fightful Select reports that Superstars have reached out to them with concern after WWE brought back Johnny Ace. [4] At first, while wrestling in Florida Championship Wrestling, Ace frequently teamed with his brother The Terminator. John Hodger Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1962), also known as Johnny Ace, is an American senior producer and retired professional wrestler, currently employed by WWE… On the June 27, 2011 episode of Raw, Laurinaitis was described by CM Punk during his infamous 'pipe bomb' promo as a "glad-handing, nonsensical, douchebag yes-man" who would "tell Vince McMahon everything he wants to hear". A significant part of me cringes as soon as he picks up the microphone, delivering his stiff, wooden, sometimes even nonsensical promos. John Laurinaitis, Actor: WWF SmackDown!. He made another appearance at the Slammy Awards in December. On July 30, It was announced on WWE.com that Laurinaitis resigned as the Senior Vice President of Talent Operations and returned to being a road agent. On the April 6, 2012 edition of SmackDown, Laurinaitis forced Long to become his new assistant after threatening to discontinue Long's grandchildren's trust fund. In fact, he is only four months younger than The Undertaker and two years older than Kane . Rock responded by giving Laurinaitis a Spinebuster and a People's Elbow. At the end of the Raw Supershow, Big Show would give Vince McMahon the WMD just moments before firing John Lauriniaitis. Following SummerSlam, Laurinaitis began to make regular appearances on WWE programming as part of an angle in which Triple H attempted to find out who had sent a text message to the returning Kevin Nash telling him to attack CM Punk after his victory at SummerSlam, causing him to lose the WWE Championship to Alberto Del Rio who cashed in his Money in the Bank contract immediately afterwards. The following week on Raw, Laurinaitis would help Triple H officiate the contract signing between CM Punk and John Cena for their match at SummerSlam. [3] He is known for his work on WWE Smackdown! Also: John Laurenitis is returning to talent relations in WWE. During the match, Laurinaitis made several attempts to run away from Cena before he was finally brought back to the ring by Big Show who eventually helped Laurinaitis win the match via pinfall after hitting John Cena with the WMD.