Earlier this year, Vince McMahon stepped down from his position as the chairperson after being involved in the infamous hush money scandal. Vince reportedly paid multiple women around $12 million to hush up his covert sexual affairs. After the incident, McMahon was forced into retirement at 77. Vince’s exit also led to the sacking of former WWE producer John Laurinaitis. Apart from being the Head of Talent Relations in 2021, Laurinaitis started his career as a wrestler who went by the moniker “Johnny Ace”.
A report from Wall Street Journal stated that the WWE Board of Directors interrogated McMahon and Laurinaitis over a secret $3 million settlement that was paid to a former WWE paralegal with whom Vince had an affair.
Furthermore, Vince McMahon allegedly gave the paralegal to Laurinaitis “like a toy”. Ever since his dismissal, a lot of people believe that Johnny Ace had it coming and that it was good riddance for the company. WWE Hall of Famer recently spoke volumes about Laurinaitis’s misconduct backstage.
Jim Ross thinks John Laurinaitis “deserves the misery he’s living”
For many years, Jim Ross was the man that wore many hats in WWE. His primary role on TV saw him deliver impeccable commentary. JR was the voice of Monday Night Raw for almost a decade.
Besides commentary, the Oklahoma native also worked very closely with Vince McMahon as a hiring manager.
Speaking on his podcast Grilling JR, Ross recalled how he did not trust working with John Laurinaitis. According to JR, he hired Laurinaitis when he needed a job but he felt that he was mistreated by Laurinaitis.
“He just wanted to show Vince that he was a better manager than JR and all these things. So now his ass is without a job and he deserves the Goddamn misery that he’s living, that I perceive that he’s living, and I didn’t like how he treated me,” Said JR.
JR departed from WWE on good terms in March 2019 after he chose not to renew his contract. His exit from the company opened the gates of AEW for him. Ross is currently signed to AEW where he does full-time commentary on Rampage.
Jim Ross believes that John Laurinaitis could never gain Vince McMahon’s trust
Although John Laurinaitis was promoted as the Head of Talent relations in 2021 after spending decades in the business, Jim Ross strongly believes that Vince McMahon did not trust Laurinaitis as much as he trusted him.
Further in the podcast, Jim Ross explained how McMahon and Laurinaitis shared an “unhealthy” relationship.
According to Ross, Laurinaitis “went out of his way” to impress Vince McMahon. JR further recalled how Laurinaitis would curry favor with Vince McMahon and expect to be appreciated while Ross did his job without expectations.
“I made decisions without Vince’s [formal approval]. I didn’t have to get in a situation where I’m going to have to get everything okayed through the old man. He trusted me. I don’t know that Vince ever really, truly trusted Laurinaitis,” Ross revealed.
Although JR is no longer with WWE, he is still one of the most respected wrestling personalities. Jim Ross was inducted into the Hall of Fame class of 2007 by none other than his good old buddy, Stone Cold Steve Austin.
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