The former Johnny Ace became an agent for the WWE in 2001, and was elevated to Executive Director of Talent Relations in 2004, replacing longtime holder of that position, Jim Ross. As an agent responsible for Talent, Laurinaitis has been criticized for a number of things. Firstly, he caused tension for Jim Cornette who, at the time, was in charge of WWEs developmental territory, Ohio Valley wrestling (OVW). He would call under short notice when the main roster needed one of the developmental talents, instead of calling further ahead of time, as Jim Ross had done. This would put considerable strain on Cornette, for whom it became difficult to manage OVWs own shows and storylines. Secondly, and more importantly, Laurinaitis is often considered the person behind the trouble in the Divas Division in the WWE. Specifically, it is alleged that he is the one who prefers that the WWE hire fitness models and otherwise beautiful women with little to no wrestling experience, instead of actual trained wrestlers. Many of the WWEs more questionable female talent, including Christy Hemme, Michelle McCool, The Bella Twins, Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox and Cameron, were all given the greenlight by Johnny Ace. Though most of these women improved in the ring, they were still hired more for their looks than for their skills. Another questionable hiring decision on Laurinaitis part was Zack Gowen, the one-legged wrestler. While it was a very inspirational story that really tugs at fans heart strings, he was really a one-trick pony; his main selling point was his literal handicap, and as good as it was to see him beat the Big Show to win a WWE contract (albeit with help from Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar), his uniqueness would lose its value quite fast. Ultimately, John Laurinaitis was responsible for some of the more questionable hires in recent WWE history. The inclusion of fewer trained female wrestlers has led to a low point in the Divas Division, which is now in desperate need of a new creative direction.
Alexander Podgorski is a writer for WhatCulture that has been a fan of professional wrestling since he was 8 years old. He loves all kinds of wrestling, from WWE and sports entertainment, to puroresu in Japan.
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Queen's University in Political Studies and French, and a Master's Degree in Public Administration. He speaks English, French, Polish, a bit of German, and knows some odd words and phrases in half a dozen other languages.
