History Wrestling / JohnLaurinaitis

'''John Joseph Laurinaitis''' is a former wrestler under the name '''Johnny Ace'''. He wrestled mainly in Japan before his retirement, then became the head booker for Wrestling/{{WCW}}, replacing the outgoing Wrestling/VinceRusso. This job proved less-than-secure in 2001, so he jumped ship to WWE, first as an road agent, then became the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations until 2012. History has shown WWE's Talent Relations to be a shoestring office at best. More likely his actual job is carrying out Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's orders to the letter and [[TheScapegoat taking the heat]] for any blunders. He also briefly served as GM of both [[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]] and [[Wrestling/WWESmackdown Smackdown]].

** Also, his firing of Wrestling/TheBigShow - a KickTheDog act that seemed almost ''certain'' to come back and bite him in this ass in the "swift karma" world of ProfessionalWrestling storylines - actually ended up working ''in his favor'', because he was able to convince Show (by offering him a new contract) to turn on Wrestling/JohnCena, which ended up ''saving his job.''

* HumiliationConga: Starting on the June 11th ''[[Wrestling/{{WWERaw}} Raw]]'', where [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon Vince [=McMahon=]]] pretty much openly mocks him all night, along with Wrestling/{{Sheamus}}. It continues on ''[=SmackDown=]'', where John Cena knocked him out on his ass. It ultimately culminates at ''No Way Out'', where Wrestling/BrodusClay holds him while Wrestling/JohnCena escapes the cage and seals Laurinaitis' fate. He's then promptly fired and put through the announce table by Wrestling/JohnCena. Finally, on the next RAW, he gets mocked by Wrestling/MickFoley, and has Wrestling/TheBigShow and David Otunga walk out on him since [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness he's no longer the boss and thus no longer useful to them]], leaving him to Wrestling/JohnCena, who, at the request of the fans, gives him ''three'' Attitude Adjustments and makes him tap out to the STF. Oh, and his favorite [[KickTheDog dog to kick]] Theodore Long watches this from ringside clapping and cheering.

** His fiancee's daughters are the Wrestling/BellaTwins.

** His fiancee's daughters are the BellaTwins.

* BerserkButton: He does ''not'' like having his voice being mocked. Wrestling/JohnCena and Wrestling/TheBigShow found this out the hard way.

'''John Joseph Laurinaitis''' is a former wrestler under the name '''Johnny Ace'''. He wrestled mainly in Japan before his retirement, then became the head booker for Wrestling/{{WCW}}, replacing the outgoing Wrestling/VinceRusso. This job proved less-than-secure in 2001, so he jumped ship to WWE, first as an road agent, then became the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations until 2012. History has shown WWE's Talent Relations to be a shoestring office at best. More likely his actual job is carrying out Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's orders to the letter and taking the heat for any blunders. He also briefly served as GM of both [[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]] and [[Wrestling/WWESmackdown Smackdown]].

'''John Joseph Laurinaitis''' is a former wrestler under the name '''Johnny Ace'''. He wrestled mainly in Japan before his retirement, then became the head booker for Wrestling/{{WCW}}, replacing the outgoing Wrestling/VinceRusso. This job proved less-than-secure in 2001, so he jumped ship to WWE, first as an road agent, then became the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for WWE until 2012. History has shown WWE's Talent Relations to be a shoestring office at best. More likely his actual job is carrying out Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's orders to the letter and then taking the heat for any blunders. He also briefly served as GM of both [[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]] and [[Wrestling/WWESmackdown Smackdown]].

** Although this turned out to be a moot point, as after so much hype (from the IWC, of all people) about him being the perfect, necessary choice for a heel authority figure -- because he could also wrestle and have actual matches against his opponents -- he's always booked into the same type of matches that all non-wrestling personalities have. It's almost as if WWE creative doesn't want anyone to equal or surpass Vince's image as a businessman who can still throw down.

* RealitySubtext: He actually lost his job as an Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and became a producer after his onscreen firing.

** He's a blatant wannabe of [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon Vince [=McMahon=]]] and is being pushed as a top heel on both RAW and Smackdown. He comes up short however since Vince is the [[BadBoss head of the company]] and the BigBad and EvilOverlord of WWE, Laurinaitis is just a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive manager]] whose no different than other heel [=GMs=] who were "[[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon Mr. McMahon]] [[BigBadWannabe wannabes]]" in the past (he isn't even the only one to have run two shows at the same time). And just like past [=GMs=] his job is constantly threatened when he goes to far, with him [[KarmaHoudini barely managing to keep it]] on more than on occasion. Just like previous heel [=GMs=] such as Eric Bischoff, he ends up getting fired.
** After Over the Limit, he's even less intimidating, either hobbling around on crutches or zipping around on his [[Film/ItsAWonderfulLife Old Man Potter]] wheelchair.
** Finally reached it's ForegoneConclusion in which the real deal, VinceMcMahon himself(though having gone a HeelFaceTurn, at least for now) returned and fired Laurinaitis. To add, Laurinaitis's former allies, Big Show and David Otunga, abandoned him [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness as he was no longer useful to them]], leaving him to suffer one last beating at the hands of Wrestling/JohnCena.
* BlasphemousBoast: "I am better than [[Wrestling/DwayneJohnson The Rock]] and Wrestling/BrockLesnar combined."
* BlatantLies: He claims that his reason for his JerkAss decisions are because "That's what the people want", even going as far as calling his era "People Power" when his decisions are clearly for his sadistic pleasure.
** See BlasphemousBoast.

* CorruptCorporateExecutive

** Although this turned out to be a moot point, as [[InformedAbility after so much hype from the IWC, of all people, about him being the perfect, necessary choice for a heel authority figure because he could also wrestle and have actual matches against his opponents, all he's had are the same type of matches that all non-wrestling personalities had.]]
*** He ''very'' briefly shows this ability in his match against Cena, [[CurbstompCushion and lays a few good moves]]. Otherwise however it was a one sided comedic beatdown which would have even embarrassed Vince.

** He was initially mocked by Wrestling/TripleH and Wrestling/JohnCena as an ineffectual yes man to Vince [=McMahon=] that would never get a say in how the business works. Shortly afterwards he gradually used manipulation and background politics to claim the role of GM for both RAW ''and'' Smackdown.

'''John Joseph Laurinaitis''' is a former wrestler under the name '''Johnny Ace'''. He wrestled mainly in Japan before his retirement, then became the head booker for Wrestling/{{WCW}}, replacing the outgoing Wrestling/VinceRusso. This job proved less-than-secure in 2001, so he jumped ship to WWE, first as an road agent, then became the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for WWE until 2012. History has shown WWE's Talent Relations to be a shoestring office at best. More likely his actual job at WWE is carrying out Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's orders to the letter and then taking the heat for any blunders. He also briefly served as GM of both [[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]] and [[Wrestling/WWESmackdown Smackdown]].

'''John Joseph Laurinaitis''' is a former wrestler under the name '''Johnny Ace'''. He wrestled mainly in Japan before his retirement, then became the head booker for Wrestling/{{WCW}}, replacing the outgoing Wrestling/VinceRusso. This job proved less-than-secure in 2001, so he jumped ship to WWE, first as an road agent, then became the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for WWE until 2012. History has shown WWE's Talent Relations to be a shoestring office at best. More likely his actual job at WWE is carrying out Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's orders to the letter and then taking the heat for any blunders. He also briefly served as GM of both [[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]] and [[Wrestling/WWESmackdown Smackdown]]

'''John Joseph Laurinaitis''' is a former wrestler under the name '''Johnny Ace'''. He wrestled mainly in Japan before his retirement, then became the head booker for Wrestling/{{WCW}}, replacing the outgoing Wrestling/VinceRusso. This job proved less-than-secure in 2001, so he jumped ship to WWE, first as an road agent, then became the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for WWE until 2012, and was GM of both [[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]] and [[Wrestling/WWESmackdown Smackdown]]. History has shown WWE's Talent Relations to be a shoestring office at best. More likely his actual job at WWE is carrying out Wrestling/VinceMcMahon's orders to the letter and then taking the heat for any blunders.

'''John Joseph Laurinaitis''', a former wrestler under the name '''Johnny Ace'''. He wrestled mainly in Japan, before his retirement, then became head booker for Wrestling/{{WCW}}, before coming to WWE, first as an road agent, then became the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations for WWE until 2012, and was GM of both [[Wrestling/WWERaw Raw]] and [[Wrestling/WWESmackdown Smackdown]]. He is a former 4x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/aj-t.html All Japan Pro Wrestling World Tag Team Champion]], holding the belts once with Wrestling/DrDeathSteveWilliams, twice with Wrestling/KentaKobashi and once with Mike Barton (formerly WWE's Bart Gunn), and a 2x [[http://www.wrestling-titles.com/japan/alljapan/asia-t.html All Japan Pro Wrestling All Asia Tag Team Champion]], holding the belts both times with Kobashi.

* AuthorAppeal: He looked up Wrestling/KellyKelly and Wrestling/AliciaFox after seeing pictures of them in a fashion magazine and offered them developmental contracts. Neither one showed any interest at first but the magazine told them it would be a good idea. When you hear complaints about models getting hired, ''this'' is probably what is being referred to, not [[Wrestling/TrishStratus Trish]] or [[Wrestling/LisaMarieVaron Victoria]].

* BadBoss

* PowerStable: The Team Players in OVW, which included [[Wrestling/MuhammadHassan Mark Magnus (Muhammad Hassan)]], Inspector Max Impact[[note]]Wrestling/{{WCW}}'s Horshu[=/=][=WWE=]'s Luther Reigns[[/note]], Brent Albright, Rob Conway, Wrestling/NickDinsmore, Matt Morgan and Chris Masters.

** After making Wrestling/TheBigShow beg and plead to not fire him, [[MoralEventHorizon he turns around and fires him anyway]]. The smirk on his face as he fired Show, Show crying sadly...who could support Laurinaitis after that?
*** This move was so horrific that it was considered an InUniverse MoralEventHorizon by Wrestling/JerryLawler and Wrestling/JohnCena, and even Wrestling/MichaelCole, who had defended and supported ''everything'' he'd done before that, [[EvenEvilHasStandards didn't make a move to defend it, or Laurinaitis, the rest of the night.]]

** Also, his firing of Wrestling/TheBigShow - a MoralEventHorizon act that seemed almost ''certain'' to come back and bite him in this ass in the "swift karma" world of ProfessionalWrestling storylines - actually ended up working ''in his favor'', because he was able to convince Show (by offering him a new contract) to turn on Wrestling/JohnCena, which ended up ''saving his job.''

** He's a blatant wannabe of [[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon Vince [=McMahon=]]] and is being pushed as a top heel on both RAW and Smackdown. He comes up short however since Vince is the [[BadBoss head of the company]] and the BigBad and EvilOverlord of WWE, Laurinaitis is just a [[CorruptCorporateExecutive manager]] whose no different than other heel [=GMs=] who were "[[Wrestling/VinceMcMahon Mr. McMahon]] [[BigBadWannabe wannabes]]" in the past (he isn't even the only one to have run two shows at the same time). And just like past [=GMs=] his job is constantly threatened when he goes to far, with him [[KarmaHoudini barely managing to keep it]] on more than on occasion. Given the track record of past heel [=GMs=], he'll probably be fired and replaced by another eventually.

** (As a member of the [[OldShame Dynamic Dudes]] with Shane Douglas): Wrestling/JimCornette and his tag team the Midnight Express

* GreenEyedMonster: As Punk pointed out during his psychological dismantling of Laurinaitis, the main reason why Johnny hates Punk so much is due to his lack of success with his own wrestling career. His brother is one of the legendary [[Wrestling/TheRoadWarriors Road Warriors]], his [[BreakupBreakout tag team partner]] was [[Wrestling/{{ECW}} Shane Douglas]], one of ECW's perennial main event stars, and Wrestling/CMPunk, a guy who doesn't even fit the mold and wasn't made to succeed in the WWE, has achieved more in the last year than Johnny has ''his entire career''. While Johnny had the look, he was so bland that he had to trade in his tights for a suit to achieve any real success. Jealousy is therefore the main driving force behind his actions against Punk.

* PowerStable: The Team Players in OVW, which included [[Wrestling/MuhammadHassan Mark Magnus (Muhammad Hassan)]], Inspector Max Impact[[note]]Wrestling/{{WCW}}'s Horshu[=/=]Wrestling/{{WWE}}'s Luther Reigns[[/note]], Brent Albright, Rob Conway, Nick Dinsmore, Matt Morgan and Chris Masters.

* AuthorAppeal: He looked up Wrestling/KellyKelly and Wrestling/AliciaFox after seeing pictures of them in a fashion magazine and offered them developmental contracts. Neither one showed any interest at first but the magazine told them it would be a good idea. When you hear complaints about models getting hired, ''this'' is probably what is being referred to, not [[Wrestling/TrishStratus Trish]] or Victoria.

* FunWithAcronyms: His trio with Wrestling/KentaKobashi and the Patriot (Del Wilkes) in Japan: GET, which stood for '''G'''lobal '''E'''nergetic '''T'''ough.