John Laurinaitis
John Laurinaitis  | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 31, 1965 San Bernardino,California |
| Professional wrestling career | |
| Ring name(s) | Johnny Ace |
| Billed height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Billed weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Trained by | Nelson Royal |
| Debut | 1986 |
| Retired | 2000 |
John Laurinaitis (born July 31, 1965) is the Senior VP of Talent Relations for World Wrestling Entertainment. He was previously a professional wrestler known as Johnny Ace.
Career
John Laurinaitis started wrestling in 1986 as Johnny Ace. At first, while wrestling in Florida Championship Wrestling Ace frequently teamed with his brother The Terminator. Later, when he wrestled for NWA's Jim Crockett Promotions he formed a tag team with Shane Douglas called "The Dynamic Dudes".[1] They were managed by Jim Cornette until Cornette turned on them for Bobby Eaton and Stan Lane's version of The Midnight Express. Prior to entering the competition as one of The Dynamic Dudes at the NWA, he already appeared as a valet (a flagbearer) for the team of The Sheepherders.
As All Japan Pro Wrestling was cutting its ties with the NWA in 1990, Laurinaitis chose to stay in it, thus becoming a permanent foreign fixture on the roster. In AJPW he found a lot of success, teaming with Kenta Kobashi, "Dr. Death" Steve Williams and Mike Barton.
Laurinaitis retired from wrestling in 2000 after the split between All Japan Pro Wrestling and Pro Wrestling NOAH. He soon joined World Championship Wrestling where he replaced Vince Russo as head booker. 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 (replacing Jim Ross), which put him in charge of talent scouting and contracts for the company.[2] In May 2007, Laurinaitis was promoted to Senior Vice President of Talent Relations.
Criticism
 | This article's "criticism" or "controversy" section may compromise the article's neutrality. |
Ace was known by smarks to be the favorite foreign booker of Shohei Baba's wife Motoko.[3]
In wrestling
- Finishing and signature moves
- Managers
Championships and accomplishments
- AJPW All Asia Tag Team Championship (2 times) – with Kenta Kobashi
- AJPW Unified World Tag Team Championship (4 times) – with Kenta Kobashi (2), Mike Barton (1), and Steve Williams (1)
- International Championship Wrestling Alliance
- ICWA Florida Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- Oregon Wrestling Federation
- OWF Heavyweight Championship (1 time)
- PWI ranked him # 203 of the 500 best singles wrestlers during the "PWI Years" in 2003
- Match of the Year award in 1996 – with Steve Williams vs. Mitsuharu Misawa and Jun Akiyama (June 7 1996)
Trivia
 | This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. (June 2007) |
- Laurinaitis is the brother of The Terminator (Marcus Laurinaitis) and Road Warrior Animal (Joseph Laurinaitis). One of his nephews is Ohio State linebacker James Laurinaitis.
- Laurinaitis is credited as the inventor of the "cutter" maneuver, which was later adopted by Diamond Dallas Page as the Diamond Cutter, Randy Orton as the RKO, and modified into a jawbreaker by Mikey Whipwreck, a variation that Stone Cold Steve Austin popularized as the Stunner.
Notes
- ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.187)
- ^ "John Laurinaitis' corporate Bio". WWE.com. Retrieved 2007-06-11.
- ^ Foley, Mick. Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks (p.187)
References
- Mick Foley (2000). Have A Nice Day: A Tale of Blood and Sweatsocks. HarperCollins. p. 511. ISBN 0061031011.